Merry Christmas, etc.

Right, that's me done for another year. I've wrapped, packed, had me hair cut, trimmed me toe nails and am all set for the trip up north. Merry Christmas and all that.

Coronation Street Weekly Update, Dec 14 2009

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and thisweek's Coronation Street update has just gone live here.

This week the update comes for the last time in two weeks.

Joe McElderry is not a Geordie

As I'm a Strictly Come Dancing fan, I've never watched the X-Factor but the news that Joe McElderry has won the latest singing competition hasn't passed me by. The Sun called him, in a front page headline, "Geordie Joe" and I've read other references, ooh, just aboute everywhere saying that Joe's a Geordie. He's not.

Just as Lauren Laverne isn't a Geordie, neither is Joe. Lauren hails from Sunderland which makes her a Mackem and Joe hails from South Shields which makes him a Sandancer. So there you have it. Any more questions?

Homeward bound

The blog's been pretty quiet of late and the reason is that there's a lot of life taking place, if you know what I mean. Too much life, but it's all good stuff, in fact it couldn't be better. Yes, my lovely reader, I'm finally leaving London and moving back up north.

My regular readers (hello mum) will know I've had this love/hate thing going on with the big city ever since I moved down here in 2001. I've moaned about it often enough on the blog. And yes, there's been joy and excitement about living in London mixed in with the moans, but after eight and a half years of living in the smoke, some time in 2010 I'll be heading back north, to home. We both are, my lovely man and I.

And so, it's with a huge amount of relief that I can finally blow off the air-kissers and their meaningless cheek to cheek mwah-mwahs. I'm calling time on the people who say: "I'll call you!", "We must do lunch!", "Let's get together some time!" when they don't mean a word. I won't ever get excited again when media people tell me I'm 'sensational'. It's just a language they use and one I misunderstood, like a foreigner, lost, with the wrong phrase book.

I'll miss things, of course. I'll miss The Women's Library and their absolutely fantastic events and walks. I'll miss the Royal Festival Hall for its inclusiveness and egg mayo sarnies, a public building that has always made me feel welcome when I've often felt lost. I'll miss concerts and gigs and dancing in the park. I'll miss diversity and acceptance. And I'll miss people I've made friends with, but not as much as I've missed every single family member in the time I've lived away.

I've been ready to leave London for years. In the time I've lived here, I've fallen out of love with the big city twice for reasons too personal to blog. And now I'm looking forward, looking northwards - to family, friends, fresh air and fields, sea-views and space. To home.

Coronation Street Weekly Update, Dec 7 2009

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and thisweek's Coronation Street update has just gone live here.

This week the update comes with Santa Claus feeling sorry for his elf.

Coronation Street Weekly Update, Nov 30 2009

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here.

This week the update comes with a cushion to hide behind while watching the sicky-love scenes between Molly and Kev.