And the survey said... Nottingham

A survey undertaken last week put Nottingham on the map as the place most people want to relocate too. Nottingham knocked last years winner Glasgow off the top spot as it experienced more moves into the city than any other in Britain. This is great news and a boon for the city after all the recent bad press about Nottingham and really shows it has loads to offer. On reading further into the survey I was shocked that London only accounted for 7.5% of total moving activity. Almost twice as many movers left the capital than moved in from other areas, meaning London suffered the highest net loss of all regions.

With the amount of cockney accents I am hearing in this area it would seem evident Londoners are moving up here and who can blame them!

http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/noticenottingham.htm

Camden, the retail re-match

London, I love it, especially Camden which really does rock my world. Last time I was in London was for an interview and I didn’t really get much time to do anything, apart from shoot to Camden on the tube and buy a rather spiffy pair of New Rock shoes.

Last Friday I returned to London for the day, with some serious retail therapy in Camden firmly in mind. My friend and I arrived in Kings Cross station just before 10am and as my friend hadn’t been to London in years I decided to take them along to Oxford Circus as I’d planned to pop into HMV there and buy some cd’s. Six Cd’s later and we strolled down Wardour street and had a coffee in Starbucks before heading off onto Berwick street in Soho (another cd bought) and then onto China town which was being dug up and re-paved, so a bit chaotic. We then pressed on down into Leicester Square and mooched around there for a while before heading back along Shaftsbury Avenue where I saw this dinky little vehicle that must be used for deliveries of some sort – I want one!

I did want to drop into the Reform Club on Pall Mall to renew my membership as it is nearly up but alas time was swiftly ebbing away. We rejoined the tube up to Camden as I wanted to get some serious shopping done. During quick look around Inverness Street market we decided it was time for a swift libation so popped into the Good Mixer for a beer before heading over the Camden lock bridge.

Next up was the Camden and very bohemian Stables markets, there’s just so much to see there in a small space, it’s amazing. The market traders are friendly and you can even haggle over prices, I managed to get £2.50 discount off a suede belt. We grabbed a delicious take away curry in the Stables market, a quick and very filling bargain for £4 and rested our weary feet. Then we headed into Cyberdog which has to be my favourite shop in Camden, metal plated floorboards, dark decadent décor and loud gothic / industrial music, there are so many really cool clothes to choose from. Purchasing a couple of really fantastic t-shirts and a tie for £110 I decided to beat a hasty retreat before I inflicted anymore damage on my wallet. We browsed around a little longer but our time was almost up and we had to head back for the train – it was all over so quickly, a return visit I think!!!

Camden Lock

For more about Camden click here

Real Pubs No.2

Back in August of last year I decided to do periodic blogs on what I call 'real pubs', here's the long awaited second one! Located on Inverness Street in Camden, London is a little pub with character, it's called the good mixer and can be found just past the market stalls along on the right hand side of the street. The bar is split into two, the bar area being down the middle separating the two areas. The decor is spartan consisting of simple wooden tables on a slabbed floor. The good mixer has an average range of beers and bar snacks, there is a distinct no frills hard drinking feel to the place, oh and it has a pool table too!

A wooden wall mounted circular painted picture of Groucho Marx looks on.

Alice rocks the golf course

It’s been a lazy bank holiday for me but what’s made it really enjoyable has been the Northern Rock All Star Cup on ITV1 & 2.

Two golf mad celebrity teams from Europe and America clashed at the Celtic Manor resort in Wales.

Celebrities playing weren’t the usual C list ones you see in shows of this type, we are talking legends here (take note thulsa!). Stars from all areas of the music, celebrity and sports worlds played such as Alice Cooper, Bruce Forsyth, Patrick Duffy, Ruud Gullit, Ronan Keating, Ian Wright, Meat Loaf and Jane Seymour to name but a few. All presented by the very witty Ant and Dec that are always a joy to watch. I love Alice Cooper and his music so it was great to see him out on the fairway playing some great golf, Alice when is our next round together?

Alice Cooper, rock god and erm ... a golfer too!

Into The Night

Kiss where always one of my fave rock bands, they still are. Ace Frehley the original guitarist was the band member I liked the most. Not just because my school nickname was 'Ace' but because I really rated him as a guitarist. I have 'Ace' tattooed on my upper left arm, I guess part of the reason I did it was a tribute to Ace Frehley himself. Anyway, here's a video called 'Into the Night' by Frehley's Comet, the band Ace formed when he left Kiss.



Anyone wishing to find out more about Ace Frehley click here

Another Big Bro blog

Sorry, another Big Brother blog, it seems my opinions change daily!

Almost the end for Big Brother and I’m sort of glad really. It’s all leading to a predictable ending with Pete winning. Whilst Pete seems to be everybody’s ‘darling’ housemate it isn’t the same on the Big Brother forums. I’ve read some interesting opinions that ring true and make a lot of sense. Their does seem to be a feeling regarding ‘What Pete wants, Pete gets’ in the sense of the closing weeks of Big Bro have revolved around him to a degree. In my opinion Endemol who make Big Bro obviously see Pete as their pivotal housemate, a ratings victor loved by all, a clear winner from the starting blocks. Thus they have recently structured the show around him, two clear examples spring to mind, the letter from home, which he was initially denied for changing stances on the prison task and of course the re-introduction of his beloved Nikki to the show – after she was evicted.

Reading the forums it’s quite refreshing to read not everyone is behind Pete, a lot do like Glyn and the others too but I fear it’s still a one horse race. Pete has indeed, and to be fair unwittingly got his way courtesy of Endemol. After all, when their star man sulks (which he often does) he doesn’t become their star man anymore, so therefore a happy Pete is an entertaining ratings winner Pete.

So, to end this series on a high note with a cheesy romance, Nikki is put back into the house, Pete’s happy, the majority of the people are gushing about the romance but the realists are seeing it all for what it really is.

The thing that unnerves me is the fact that Nikki Pete's babe has returned to the house knowing Pete was the clear favourite to win. I have to ask the question of does the self confessed wannabe footballer’s wife really love Pete or does she shrewdly recognise the fact that sticking close to the winner and spawning a romance will net all those lucrative magazine deals? I wonder how long the romance will prevail once the cameras are taken away and the initial magazine and tabloid fervour ends?

The tabloids have today revealed photos of Nikki in the buff, taken shortly before Big Bro began, clear evidence the petite blonde has fame in her sights – whatever it takes.

And then there’s the other housemates, one connected to and groomed by Max Clifford, two with possible pending criminal convictions, another that started a hunger strike on leaving the house, one with deep psychological problems – the list goes on. Looking back across the housemates I have to say have this years housemates been a cross section of the British public? Have we had Jack the bricklayer from Bolton, Fred the pensioner from Tooting, Maggie the accountant, Geoff the taxi driver – the answer is of course no.

What started out as a reality show with a psychological slant has now become a platform for wannabe stars instead of an insight into the great British public. It’s a shame that Big Bro will never be able to go back to that unpredictable ground breaking first series.

Pete exclaimed yesterday that he had a dream that his mate in heaven who said he’d win, the thing is – Pete will win but that’s not because he’s so remarkable, it’s merely because of the motley crew he’s been locked up with over the weeks are hardly any competition.

I wish Pete well, he’s a nice sensitive sort of guy that’s very funny and entertaining. He will win, mainly because he is the best housemate among a dire cast. He’ll also get some degree of sympathy vote because of his tourettes though I hope people have gotten past that and see him for the entertainer he is. Lastly Pete will win because the people behind Big Bro want him to win and are doing all in their power to make it possible.

Babe of the Week No.4

I seem to be having a bit of a Toyah phase at the moment, I think its her lisp that does it for me! I do think she's a babe and looking great at 48 though!

Semi Enjoyable

Well it’s almost the final curtain for Big Brother as we are in the penultimate week. What are my feelings on this series? In all honesty I don’t think it’s been the best, a little too predictable at times and more than a hint of controversy.

But what am I saying? Controversy is what makes good tv and it’s also what gets Big Brother ratings. For example several hundred people complained about the four evicted housemates being repatriated to the house claiming why waste money on texts voting them out only for Big Brother to want the public to vote some back in? Yet despite this over 5.3 million watched them return to the house with over £250,000 being donated to charity from the repatriation text vote. I guess the people that do spend money on text votes don’t realise how much they are drawn in because sometimes I’m inclined to think the results though being predictable can be a little dubious.

Despite this year’s Big Brother getting off to a slow start and having some truly characterless housemates I don’t think it’s been all bad to be fair. My only gripe is that this year’s housemates have been split between the mundane to the magical.

Pete and Glyn have made the show but have also made it into a two horse race with only the elfin Nikki even coming close to third. As the weeks have passed by I’ve predicted almost every eviction correctly.

On the plus side there have been some class moments of tv, some hilarious comedy and yes some moments when I’ve had a lump in the throat, Big Brother can always seem to evoke an emotion from me be it anger, laughter or the odd tear. The thing I like about Big Brother is that it often dares to challenge and that’s what makes it exciting television at times. It takes risks that nearly always pay off, there’s been times I’ve thought ‘this won’t work’ only to be proved wrong with twists and consequences that add up to make a programme that’s probably destined to become an institution whether some people like it or not (it probably already is).

At the end of the day you can’t really fault people for wanting to be ‘somebody’ and Big Brother at least provides that forum. Most of course come to very little after their brief stint of ‘semi-fame’ but some do and that can’t be a bad thing, everyone after all deserves a chance.

I know a lot don’t like the show and I respect that, there’s a lot of elements I do like about the show too, how the house mates are seemingly chosen than randomly selected among others but when a programme brings me laughter and entertains I do tend not to worry about the inner workings of it.

So, not the best series but not the worst, some contrived bits mingled with some moments of pure comicality and lastly of course that nice essence of the ‘human behaviour’ thrown in.

Lastly is it me or does housemate Sam look like an extra from Wallace and Grommit with that smile and Spiral looks like Finbarr Saunders from the Viz comic? (Sam and Wallace below with that smile!!)

In closing my prediction is Pete to win (was it in any doubt?), maybe Glynn oh and yes, Nikki is a babe!

Derbyshire Dales

I was up in the Derbyshire Dales with Magz last Friday, it was a lovely day with plenty of great scenery. First we stopped at Belper and then moved onto Ashbourne though I did prefer Belper (it seemed a better place for a pub crawl).

Here's a couple of photo's from that day. First Belper Park and then an Antique shop.