Flaming Nora

If you're a fan of my Coronation Street weekly updates - which have been going strong since 1995 - then you'll be happy to hear that all of my 2012 Corrie weekly updates are now available for Kindle. 2012 Corrie weekly updates for Kindle. Buy it here .  Or if you're in the UK, here . Unofficial Coronation Street weekly updates from 1995 to 2012 18 years in 18 lovely, fan written, e-books All the wit and warmth of Weatherfield, none of the waffle Written by Coronation Street Blog editor, Flaming Nora . Available from amazon.co.uk and amazon.com Follow the Coronation Street Blog on Twitter and Facebook

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie Marcus wore a Christmas jumper he'd never have given a second look at if he'd still been gay.

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas, whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever you do.  Apart from you, yes you. You know who you are.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie it all turned a bit Dr. Who.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie Dennis became a Lollipoperative.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie , Dennis and Rita almost had a falling out.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie , it was like Lourdes in Salford.

I hate Christmas telly adverts with a vengeance.  It's 2012 and we still have to endure the most sexist telly adverts just because it's Christmas. Christmas telly adverts always get up my nose because more than any other time of the year, with their hyper-feminity - perfumes , make-up, hair curlers/straighteners/wavers and hyper-masculinity - power tools, heavy booze, heavy gadgets - stereotypes that should have gone out with the ark.  But no, they're still here and unfortunately being beamed into our homes once more Morrisons ' blurb says their campaign "...shows Christmas as it really is. Mum wrestling with the turkey, mountains of sprouts to peel and an interfering mother-in-law! Have a gawk at it here . And Tesco's just as bad. As Adam Ant's Prince Charming plays, the fella of the family saves the day when the poor woman just can't cope with the mountain of food she's expected to prepare.  Have a gawk at it here. And I've ...

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie , we met the Koh-i-Noor of Coronation Street

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie , Ted Page got a mention.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie , Ken and Deirdre kissed and made up had a cup of tea.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie , there's no fool like an old fool called Audrey.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie , Deirdre likened Wendy flamin' Crozier to a Manchester tart.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie, Deirdre's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie, there was a hair-curling ca t fight.

It's National Poetry Day So I'd just like to say That you could do worse Than buy my little book of verse

I'm better at writing than I am at crafts but nevertheless I'm still well chuffed to bits with this 'To The Beach' sign I made. Well, when I say I made it, I mean my husband drilled the holes and I did the arty bit.  The sign's been made from two smooth as silk bits of driftwood we found on the beach where we live.  The blue rope was also found on the sands, as were all the glass pebbles and the blue and white stone at the end of the arrow.  We've now got our hand-made home-made sign hanging by the front door in case we forget where we're going. And strolling on the beach yesterday after this week's heavy storms, I found a dragon.

What a waste of telly space Nigella Lawson is. There are hundreds and thousands of more talented, hard working women and men out there. But they (whoever they are, salivating telly execs I'd guess) think more expsoure of Nigella's breast and leg recipes is what the viewing public wants. Not me. Nigella Lawson is a recipe to turn the telly over and watch something less sickly and gooey instead. And yes, I have used a picture of a tree instead of that awful woman.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie, Wendy Crozier returned.

My brother's involved in the local Am Dram theatre and this week I went along to see him in a play that's currently on there. As the Entertainments Editor of our local newspaper couldn't get there to review it, my review took centre stage in tonight's Sunderland Echo.  You can read it online here if you'd like .

Got through a load of books on my holidays in Portugal.  And when I say books, I mean books, with pages and covers - not those Kindle things. Stan Barstow - A Kind of Loving While I'd been aware of, and had seen the cult film, I had no idea this was a novel and first in a trilogy too. Shame on me. It's been reissued as it's been over 50 years since the novel was first released and while some of the language seems dated, of course, the story of working-class boy meets girl in the 1950s remains as strong as ever.  Highly recommended. 10/10. Jonathan Harvey - All She Wants The debut novel of one of my favourite Coronation Street writers.  It was good, funny, and had me laughing out loud, which is always good in a comedy book.  A good one. 8/10.   Pauline Black - Black by Design (autobiography) Singer with The Selecter and one of the strong females in bands I grew up watching on telly and admiring.  Not only is the book Pauline's autiobiography s...

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here   This week in Corrie, Gail went a bit giddy.

Do you know what? Sometimes, just sometimes, a day on my own with no one to talk to and nothing to do apart from whatever the heck I want to do, is just wonderful. I've had such a day today.  I wouldn't want them all the time, but when I have them, I love them .

One of the many lovely birthday presents I received this week was the new CD by Jimmy Cliff, Rebirth. It's an absolute cracker, not a duff song on it. It's like a love letter to reggae. Rush out and buy it now. I've blogged about Jimmy Cliff before .

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here   This week in Corrie, things have been a bit slow.

To Stockton weekender festival the other weekend in er, Stockton, to see James . I've seen them a few times before and it's always a good show. Their gig at Stockton was wonderful, really enjoyable. I've been singing this ever since .  The Stockton weekender gig was the only time this year I've been outdoors drinking and dancing and it's something I did more often in London. I miss it. Not London, the outdoors gigging, drinking and dancing bit. There was no gigging, drinking or dancing on the Weardale Railway but that's not to say I didn't have an enjoyable day, I did, it was ace. I was chuffed to bits to be on a steam train chugging its way up and down the Wear Valley. And finally, to see Batman - The Dark Knight Rises at the flicks. I'm a big Batman fan  - have a look here .  Recognised some of the interior filming location, again, as Senate House, part of the University of London where I used to work.

Today is the 6th anniversary of the start of this here Flaming Nora Blog.  My first blog post was August 18, 2006. Have a look at it here.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie, I reckon it's time Margi Clarke returned as Tyrone's mum to sort that Kirsty one out.

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie, Rita heard news so shocking she had no option but to do the Betty face.

Regular readers will know I enjoy holidays in Scarborough . I also enjoy a spot of crazy golf so what better than to combine a crazy golf tournament with a day in Scarborough?  Well, we had FUN, that's all I can say! All pictures below are my own. We played four crazy golf courses starting with the Merlin Pirate Adventure Mini Golf next to the Sealife Centre. Its website is here. This was by far the most "corporate" of the crazy golf courses we played, it's a franchise after all, but it did offer a lot, especially the rather annoying but fun "Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho" pirate song.  There wasn't a lot of space on this course and it did feel a little packed with families queuing to play by the time we left.  However, the big plus is that there are two pirate boats that you have to use to cross the river to get around the course and these are great fun, whatever your age. The site was well-maintained with nice landscaping and would probably be the most fun for...

"When yur gerroff train, can yur mek sure yur tek all yur belonnins" says the train guard. I'm having a holiday in Yorkshire. First off were four days in Scarborough then a base in Harrogate to explore the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield (ace). Then we went to the Hepworth Wakefield (good), Saltaire (brilliant) and Bradford. Yes, Bradford. For years I've wanted to go to the National Media Museum in Bradford and this week I did and it's not half bad - and that applies to both Bradford and the museum too.  You know when you've got somewhere in your head, an image of a place that you've never been to and you get there and you're a bit taken aback that the place you're in doesn't match at all, not one little bit, the place  in your head? Well, that was me with Bradford this week. It's a lot grander, a lot bigger than I could have possibly imagined.  The National Media Museum was great, although not quite as interesting as I...

I've been writing Coronation Street weekly updates since 1995 and this week's Coronation Street update has just gone live here This week in Corrie, re-run-nu-Ryan returned.

I hate Murdoch and so it was with a heavy heart that we succumbed to having Sky TV installed a few years ago. In our defence, yer 'onour, the reason we got Sky was because we're both football fans and our local pub in London where we could watch matches on Sky got too scary - and smelly - to venture into. Anyway, with that out of the way. I still hate Murdoch and all he represents ... ... but Sky have been pushing out some brilliantly innovative, fresh and clever television programmes lately. Kathy Burke's Walking and Talking has been a particular joy, one of the best TV programmes I've ever seen.  I'm the same age as Kathy Burke so everything about this programme resonated with me - music, fashion, friendships, although not growing up in London, drama clubs or nuns.  Those are hers alone and this is her story. She's said it's the closest she'll ever get to doing an autobiography.  Let's hope not.  But until / if she ever changes her mind, ...