Flaming Nora

To Sadler's Wells last night for a special theatre treat to see the Matthew Bourne production of Cinderella, set in World War 2. It was fabulolus. I have seen all of Matthew Bourne's New Adventures productions now and it's hard to say which is my favourite - although I have seen the all-male Swan Lake three times and The Car Man, twice!   Anyway, back to Cinderella and the best part of a wonderful show, for me, was dancer Michela Meazza who plays Sybil the Stepmother. She was superb and the whole show is terrific.

If you're sitting there watching the news about swine flu and feeling quite smug that you're a normal, healthy person who won't fall foul of the flu and even if you did, would shrug it off with a day or two in bed, think again. Last summer when swine flu made its first rounds, I was a normal, healthy person who thought I'd never fall foul of the flu and even if I did, would shrug it off with a day or two in bed.  And then I got the flu. I had two and a half weeks off work, most of it spent in bed with a temperature and a fever. When I finally felt well enough to back to work after the course of Tamiflu, I was there for four days before I had to go off on sick leave again for a further two weeks.  Holidays to Spain that we'd looked forward to for months had to be cancelled. When I did return to work, I was useless, tired, spent. Fortunately, we have a very good Occupational Health office where I work and they put me on a phased return over five weeks, which hel...

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's in a state of shock. Will Rita's hair ever be the same again?

I'm done, finished, spent. My Christmas shopping is in the bag, done and dusted, ready to be wrapped.  So why am I planning a whole day at the shops tomorrow? To buy some goodies for me, me, me. Because I'm worth it. And it's Christmas, and if I turn up at me mam's in me old jeans and jumper yet again, she'll have summat to say.

When I'm feeling happy I hum. And at the moment, I'm humming a lot. I like humming, me. Problem is, I don't realise I'm doing it most of the time. So it either gets on people's nerves and/or they think I'm odd.

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 bit of crash, bang, whallop.

The Christmas tree's now up and the lights are on.  Can't wait for the next two weeks to fly past, then I'll have a full two weeks off work, spending most of that time up north with my family and my fella's family too.  It's what not just Christmas, but life, is all about.

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas. Even though we haven't yet put the tree  or the decorations up, I'm almost, just almost, starting to get that tingly feeling that suggests Christmas is on its way. It's either that, or wind..

Thank you. Today was just what I needed. Mwah.

No, not B&Q, It's P&Q I'm craving.   Peace and Quiet. Me Time. Call it what you will. I want to be alone. You know, just for a bit.

Our sponsored walk last Sunday for Cancer Research UK has been featured in The Sunderland Echo.  I'm in that picture on the far right, hidden behind a lime green hat! Click on the image to enlarge it so you can read it.

Clearly we did something right last time the teenagers came to stay because they're coming back again, in two week's time.  And this time they're bringing a friend. Yes, we've got my niece, her boyfriend and her mate, all teenagers, journeying to that London on the big train to go to see a band I've never heard of. And then they intend to splash their cash at one of the tackiest tourist spots in London that I'd avoid at all cost. Right, that's me done. I'm off to stock up on bottles of blue alcopops and Pringles for their visit.