Blog
Supporting charities with funding
One of the new professional services I am offering this year is assisting charities by completing their funding applications to various trusts and the lottery. As many charities struggle in the present economic downturn, there are potential pots of gold which I could...
Why new authors should never give up
I was thrilled to hear about new children's author Jason Wallace whose debut novel, Out of Shadows, won the prestigious Costa Children's Book Award. What makes this victory so sweet is that Jason was turned down by 100 literary agents and publishers; I bet they are...
Rooting for Johnson Beharry VC
IÂ must admit I have never watched Dancing on Ice before, but I shall tune in for latest series starting this weekend as one of the celebrities include war hero Johnson Beharry VC, who is an ambassador for Headway, the charity I support which provides rehabilitation...
The Welney Swan Feed
I count myself lucky to have the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust in Welney right on my doorstep, and paid my regular visit to their swan feed this week, one of the highlights of my winter. It was sad to see a couple of dead swans trapped in the ice. A warden informed my...
In tribute to Pete Postlethwaite
I was saddened to hear of the unexpected death of Pete Postlethwaite, one of our finest British actors, and a favourite of mine who I was lucky enough to see in his one man show, Scaramouche Jones, at the Arts Theatre, Cambridge, a few years ago. He was only 64 and...
Do I suit blonde?
Here I am dressed to the nines as Kitty Killer for a New Year's Eve murder mystery dinner party. Do I suit blonde? I felt very femme fatale, and it was great fun to have a whole new look for an evening which made me feel very vampish. I was not the killer, btw, but a...
Honours, disappointments and a New Year
Congratulations to Labour MP Anne Begg who is to be made a dame in the New Year honour's list. She has been rewarded for her services to the disabled and her work on equal opportunities; she was vice-chair of the rarely held Speaker's Conference which made...
11 Social Media Trends for 2011
I agree with all the predicted trends forecast in this article about the 10 social media trends for 2011 which I share with readers here. However, I have added another to make it 11 trends to include the use of mobile barcodes derived from QR codes, which are used via...
The greed of London Underground drivers
How greedy can you get. London Underground train drivers are on strike today because they want triple pay and a day off in lieu for working on Boxing Day. Aslef members chose to strike today to deliberately disrupt Boxing Day outings in the city, to maximise misery...