Christmas Radio Times

We've been out tonight and picked up the Christmas edition of Radio Times as we always do.

Debbie's been having a flick through, reading the soap section, trying to find out what's going to happen to Pauline Fowler. Unfortunatley whoever has written the piece must have just finished reading a Dickens novel as it's full of references to Scrooge and ghosts but not much to do with Albert Square.

Chuffed, Debbie is not, the ghost of Christmas yet to come can see another TV guide being bought.... one written in chuffin English!

Paul.

Dracula For Christmas

News has been filtering though about the Christmas TV schedules this year and one thing that's caught my eye already is a BBC adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

We've both love anything about the Prince Of Darkness, it's a story you can really sink your teeth into.... sorry!

Paul.

Good Old Saturday Morning Telly

It looks like Chris Tarrant is going to be getting the gang together next year for a Tiswas special, I'd love to see this as being a follower of Multi-Coloured Swap Shop on Saturday mornings, I never got to see the mayhem on the other side. Look out for the Phantom Flan Flinger!

Swap Shop will be back first though as Noel Edmunds is returning this Christmas with a 2 hour long edition... top banana!

Paul.

Children In Need

It’s late November and a yellow bear keeps popping up all over the place, it can mean only one thing…

This years Children In Need appeal is just round the corner, tomorrow night in fact!

We’ve got the booze and munchies in ready, it’s like Eurovision, you just can’t be expected to watch this thing sober!

Paul

Winter Has Arrived!

Finally after all the unseasonable mild weather we've being having of late, this morning it's chuffing freezing, well almost, down to 3c which is close enough. Parts of the country have seen their first snowfall overnight, the usual suspects in a Northerly outbreak, North East coast and the North Yorkshire Moors. Areas of Scotland such as Aberdeen have also seen a bit of the white stuff this morning, hopefully it won't be too long before we get some down here, it's certainly going to be cold enough for the next few days but it looks like glorious sunshine is on the cards.

We had a mad spend over the weekend, early Christmas presents for us both, a new Freeview receiver with Top Up TV and a DVD Recorder. We've just about got to grips with the Freeview box and last night I managed to get a picture through the DVD recorder. Obviously that's put a curse on everything, there is bugger all worth watching on any of the extra channels and all those great films that are always on too late have disappeared lol.

We're looking forward to Friday though, the 2005 Children In Need extravaganza, always a treat to watch as is anything hosted by Terry Wogan. We've been watching The Great Big Bid all week, I did cough up a pound for a chance of going birding with Bill Oddie but alas, it's not to be. Hey ho, at least it's all in a good cause :-)

Paul.

Cool Flicks

We're really looking forward to Autumn, not just because of the current hot weather, we've noticed that there should be quite a few great films out on DVD in a few months time. We don't usually look at films coming out in the cinema as we never get around to going but we did stumble across a few films due out at the box office soon which we can't wait to see in the comfort of our own home.

Here's what we're eagerly anticipating appearing in a living room near us...... Star Wars - Revenge Of The Sith with more action than you can shake a light sabre at, Batman Begins looks like a very dark atmospheric film, War Of The Worlds looks like it will be right up our street with those pesky aliens trying to take over the world again, Fantastic Four should be fun, we loved X-Men and this looks more or less the same.

The one Debbie is really looking forward to is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, not for the chocolate or the oompa loompas, but a very tasty Johnny Depp!

Paul.

Mindless TV Entertainment

Crunchie time is here again, no rest for us though, it looks like it's going to be a non-stop weekend starting tonight with yet more hoovering, mopping, dusting, wiping and tidying ready for the first valuation visit early tomorrow morning. I don't know what it is with our house, we can spend hours and hours on it, then the next day it all needs to be done again, sheesh, maybe that's just normal ..lol..

We missed most of Hell's Kitchen last night, we've been watching it all week and it's been interesting to see Mr Nice Guy, Gary Rhodes, show us his evil side ..lol.. Coming up this weekend is a new show, Celebrity Wrestling which looks like it could be fun, Celebes knocking seven bells out of each other.....fantastic idea!

And finally.....

I'll be getting stick from Debbie for mentioning this, but love it or loathe it, Big Brother 6 will be hitting our screens on Friday 27 May. We've got a love/hate relationship with this program, I love it and Debbie hates it! Anyway, as in previous years, I'll be checking out the updates at Digital Spy, then it doesn't matter if I loose the fight over the remote control ..lol..

Paul.

Spoilt For Choice

There's loads going on this weekend, the Pope's funeral today, Charles and his nag tie the knot tomorrow followed by loads more nags racing round the course at Aintree. We've drawn Polor Red and Jakari in the sweepstake at work for the Grand National, we'll probably pick a couple more out tonight and call in to the bookies tomorrow.

There's a half decent line up on the TV tomorrow night, with so much on we're going to have to dust the cobwebs off the video recorder to tape Doctor Who. The new show 'Hit Me Baby One More Time' should be good with golden oldies Shakin' Stevens and Doctor & The Medics. We're looking forward to watching Queenmania with stars of Coronation Street indulging in a spot of cross dressing for I Want To Break Free which is always a laugh. Ant & Dec get stitched up by Jonathan Wilkes out for revenge while little Ant & Dec interview Ozzy Osbourne who always has me in stitches. Should be a great night in as long as we stay away from KFC and other dodgy chicken vendors ..lol..

It's bitterly cold today, it looks like the tops over the Pennines have had a dusting of snow overnight, we've just had a few flakes this morning blowing in the wind. It's warming up a little now, the sun is out, it's Friday and it's Crunchie Day!

Paul.

The Doctor Has Left The Building

We got round to watching Alien Vs. Predator last night and while it took a long time to get going, with a plot so thin it was almost invisible, it was worth all the yawning to see the two species going head to head at the end.

Watching the news this morning, we were both a little surprised to find that Christopher Eccleston has quit Doctor Who just four days after the first episode was shown. Apparently he's worried about being type cast, a little bit presumptuous I think after less than a week!

Paul.

Red Nose Day Is Here!

It's Friday, it's March 11 2005, it's Red Nose Day!

We got the carpet lifted last night so everything is ready for the new carpets to be fitted tonight and should be done just in time for the evening's entertainment provided by Comic Relief. The line up looks fantastic this year, here's some of the stars letting their hair down to help people here in the UK and in Africa......

Lenny Henry, Fame Academy, My Family, McFly, Peter Kay, The Vicar of Dibley, Ricky Gervais, Vicky Pollard, Paul and Pauline Calf, Ab Fab, Keane, Chris Evans, Elton John, Smith and Jones and Eric Clapton.

And there's more....

Jonathan Ross, Jools Holland, Harry Hill, Rowan Atkinson, Rachel Stevens, Jim Broadbent, Simon Pegg, Mackenzie Crook, Tony Robinson, Davina McCall, Jack Dee, George Michael and George Clooney.

Don't forget the reason behind all this fun, to help the people that need it most, both here and in Africa, why not pop over to the Red Nose Day Website now and make a donation, every little helps!

Paul

Big Hair & Beyond

How about some light relief, Comic Relief!

We're on the countdown to Comic Refief's 10th biannual Red Nose Day. I can't believe it's been 18 years since the first red nose day back in 1988 when the likes of Lenny Henry, Griff Rhys Jones and Jonathan Ross had us in stiches for a whole evening and raised 15 million for those in desperate need all over the world. The last event in March 2003 has to date generated 59 million and hopefully this year will be even better!

Something that has always bothered me though is the number of people who must be watching the show and not coughing up any cash. Take the first show back in 1988, 30 million viewers, 15 million donated and that included the large sums from businesses so the number of tight arses must have been way in excess of 15 million.

So for the millions of people around the world who need a helping hand, get yourself down to Sainsburys or Oxfam and pick up a red nose or buy one on-line, they're a bargain at only one pound each. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, March 11 2005 is the one day that you can make a complete tit of yourself and be proud of it!

Paul

The Day After The Day Before Yesterday

Having got Die Another Day on DVD a few weeks ago, we've never got round to watching it and last night it was on the telly ..lol.. So we saved that one for later, instead we watched The Day After Tomorrow and for once, the film lived up to all the hype, the special effects truly were amazing even if the story line was a little bit over the top. Rather like Jurassic Park did years ago, it took a sliver truth and made it bigger and better, a bit like the media do with a news story ..lol.. Still, we thoroughly enjoyed it and it'll be one to watch again and again.

Rounding the zoo up at bed time we had a bit of a scare, going to get the biscuits out of the cupboard for the three amigos, Lucy was trying to get in at floor level and Eric was trying to get in from above and in the commotion Eric got is paw trapped in the cupboard door. Debbie made sure he was alright before serving super, he wasn't for lying still though and I'm sure he was thinking, look, it's only a knock, just get those chuffin biscuits out!

Paul

GMTV - No Points

No cooking again yesterday, with a friend coming over we just nipped out for a bit of shopping and a tasty burger. Washed down with a glass of wine we just had time for a quick shufty at blogland before he arrived. We were all chatting over a beer while he had Toddy on his knee, then Eric on his shoulder and finally Lucy all over the shop ..lol..

After seeing him off, we sat down and watched the TV Awards which GMTV have been plugging for two weeks, showing only the number to vote for them, not very sporting so we were both highly amused when they were beaten by This Morning ..lol.. Coronation Street won everything again, I think the writers of Eastenders need to take some happy pills or something, it's just too miserable.

David Jason won another award but couldn't make it as he was filming a new series in Yorkshire, they did say what it was called but I've forgotten and despite ten minutes searching google, I can't find it. Whatever it's called, I'm sure we'll be tuning in when it screens next year.

Paul

Search For Scott

After spending most of the day snoozing by the fire, I cleaned Zippy's cage and had a bit of a change round with it because he keeps standing on the cage door that opens up at the top and can't be very good for his feet. I've put a perch high up on the outside of the cage so he can perch on that instead which he seems happy with. He's also been over to the stand for some peanuts and seems happier climbing across rather than using the ladder which I've now taken down.

Last night Debbie had a devil of journey home again, having to travel through the centre of Sheffield to get home from work, at least the new job is this side of Sheffield and the journey shouldn't take half as long. I'd got tea on the go, potato croquets, fish fingers and beans but Debbie was rather hoping I'd not managed it, fancying chips and curry instead, hey ho, we might have that tonight.

We climbed in bed early and watched a programme about a race between two teams on foot across the North Pole featuring lots of ice. snow and a polar bear. Debbie was on the phone at the time and said to me that her friend was watching Star Trek - The Search For Spock, so I said that we're watching Race Across The Antactic - The Search For Scott. I know it was the Arctic really, the way I work out which is which when they're on telly, is to remember that a penguins best method of defence against a polar bear is distance.....polar bears only live at the north pole (Arctic) and penguins only in the south (Antarctic).

After that we watched new series on BBC1 called British Isles, A Natural History which I wasn't that bothered about but turned out to be a real treat and definitely worth tuning in for again next week.

This morning I've struggled back in to work armed with a bottle of linctus and a large box of tissues, man-size for man-flu!

Paul

Return Of The Monarch

This morning we were out at the crack of dawn for a spot of early morning shopping and for a drive along the surrounding country lanes with the cameras. Now we’re enjoying a PJ day, generally loafing about and tinkering with the blogs before we settle down to watch a couple of films this afternoon.

Tonight sees the return of Monarch Of The Glen which we loved watching even before we decided to spend our honeymoon in the area that the series is filmed. Watching the trailers for the show, either some of the actors have changed or they’ve had plastic surgery during the summer! Hopefully it will still be as good as it was before, if not, we’ll just enjoy the scenery ..lol..

Time to go, Debbie’s getting bored and wants to put the films on….

Paul

Jeepers Creepers!

After a spot of shopping last night we settled down to watch Jeepers Creepers which we had taped from Sunday night. There was one moment in the film when the boy appears at the car window when Debbie let out a scream and jumped up in the air which made me jump and Lucy who looked just as shocked as we did ...lol... We've both seen the film before but we'd obviously forgotten about that bit! We've got Jeepers Creepers 2 on DVD but I think the first one is a lot more creepy which much more suspense as you don't get to see much of the monster until late on.

This morning we're both tired out again and can't wait for our holiday in three days time. We're supposed to be going to a BBQ on Saturday night but the weather hasn't been to great lately and the forecast for Saturday keeps changing from sunshine to rain and back again.

I read something yesterday about Google not being able to work with Blogrolling links as well as static links, it might be true, it might not, but given that it's easier to just edit the template and plonk another link there, we've replaced all our Blogrolling links with static links. I'm sure we've not missed anyone but if we have, just let us know and we'll sort it out straight away.

Paul

Simbas Pride

Last night we watched Lion King 2 which we've never seen before and weren't disappointed. We thought it was every bit as good as the first one and will sit on the shelf in-between the original and Lion King 3 we already have. By the time the film finished, Big Brother was just starting so we stopped up to watch the wedding lol. After Jason being a clear cut choice for us to go tonight, we're not so sure now after Victor's verbal assault on everyone. the show closed with Michelle and Stuart making tents in the snug. The sound left nothing to the imagination, we knew what they were up to I don't think we needed to hear as well, it all just seemed a little bit tacky.

Crunchie day is here once again and for once the weather looks like it going to be warm and sunny this weekend, especially in the East. We've not made any plans yet, wherever we go, we'll be taking plenty of sun lotion.

Paul

It's Happened Again

It's happened again...I've just heard that, against all odds the Big Brother housemates have passed the weekly task, Michelle and Jason are safe and everyone else is up for eviction. Jason must have more lives than a very lucky cat......

Paul

It's Friday!

At last, it's Friday and it's a bank holiday weekend . . . . whoopee!

I shall be off my trolley tonight watching BB5 so I think Debbie will be at the controls on the computer tonight. There aren't many things we don't both like but Big Brother is one of them. It's one of the those programs which people are either fanatical about or hate with a vengeance. There's also that group of people that watch the show every night and then claim they've never seen it when it comes up in conversation. It's this last group that you have to worry about, if they're keeping quiet about watching BB, what else are they not telling you . . they could be secret lemonade drinkers.

I'll go now before I'm escorted away......

Paul

Big Brother

It's that time of the year again, Big Brother is back tomorrow and this time it's evil apparently. Debbie's not a fan of the show, like many people, she thinks you'd have to be off your trolley to watch it, which is probably why I like it.

I never saw any of BB1 but did hear about all the hype with Nasty Nick etc. When BB2 arrived, I had just got sky and had two holidays while it was on air so I did watch quite a lot that year and I'm not ashamed to say, I thought it was rather good. We didn't see much of BB3, mainly because it got silly and showed C4's desperation, trying to get something interesting to happen. We saw quite a bit of BB4 which was more along the lines of BB2 and was much more entertaining. I've been reading all about BB5 on Digital Spy over the last week or so, while waiting for the official site to get up and running and this year looks like it could be a good one, only time will tell.

Paul