Loved stuff: Bad yet thrilling memories

Just watched a Michael Jackson tribute programme where they played his best videos – boy they were great tunes and the video spectacles that that he created were amazing.

To be honest I haven’t been a huge fan over the last decade and some of the ‘reported’ elements of his life were frankly a bit worrying - reported being the operative word. I have been the first person to be fascinated by his changing appearance and making quite frankly disparaging comments.

It is so terribly sad that he has died, especially as he was about to do the mega London concerts and was going to get the satisfaction of being back on top – where he clearly enjoyed being and with his talent for singing and performance he did deserve.

I am feeling a bit queasy about the whole thing: how the media is suddenly being so positive about the man – having torn him down so hard for such a long period. I am sure that more money will be made as a result of his death by the vultures who were doing very nicely on the money front on the drag down.

However as I said I took part in being fascinated by the man and fuelling the tear down. Yep, feeling a bit rubbish about it.

You just think that if he could have heard all this positive stuff being said now that it might have given him a boost that, let’s face it, all of us need from time to time.

All very sad – but listening and watching the videos on the box has brought back two childhood memories that I had totally forgotten and which have made me smile...

NUMBER ONE: I had the Thriller album on cassette tape – I was eight years old and I absolutely LOVED it. I played it so much that I stretched the tape. So now when I hear any of the songs from the album I actually think that they are being played a tiny bit too fast. I had a Thriller poster on my bedroom wall and Elaine (my little sister) and I used to act out the Thriller video morning after morning for months.

NUMBER TWO: I was 14 and the day that Bad came out my dad took me to town in the car and I stood in the queue before the record shop opened to be one of the first to get it. I had never done that before (or since). It was a big moment and I remember rushing home and playing that LP over and over again – it was the coolest thing ever.

All the ‘RIP MJ’ on Twitter seems on the surface a bit too much: overly media generated and desperate, but do you know what, he does deserve to rest in peace and he did inspire millions of people.

Loved stuff: Dance goes viral...

I love this video, MaestroJ cited it as an illustration of how something on the web goes viral through word of mouth.

Enjoy...

Loved stuff: Weddings of people in love

Just back from a lovely weekend in Shropshire (which is on the English-Welsh borders – embarrassingly I thought that the county was north of London – dahh). Anyhow, I now know where Shropshire is located and can confirm that is a charming county and well worth a visit.

We were at the wedding of our friends Ali and Emily. I really do love a wedding – I am after all a hopeless romantic and thrive on being surrounded by positive emotion. I delight in hearing people say heartfelt things about each other.

They are a gorgeous couple, deliriously happy and properly in love with each other. I did have a minor inner panic when Emily was more than half an hour late for the church service, and at one point Ali walked outside. Basically no drama on this front at all: Ali just needed the loo and Emily was making sure she looked gorgeous. She didn’t disappoint. She is a very beautiful and talented young lady and she actually made her own dress which was amazing.

Emily and Ali are actors / work in the world of theatre, so as a result they have a very flamboyant group of friends from the creative arts. The speeches were absolutely ace (particularly Ali’s friends who were toastmaster and best man) – very entertaining and definitely the best I have ever heard at a wedding.

Ali’s speech was lovely – his emotions broke at the end of his speech as he told us how lucky he was that Emily was his wife. My adrenal gland gave me a little spurt of adrenaline and he had a wee moment of controlled tears welling in my eyes – fabulous!

They worked so hard to make the day perfect: and it absolutely was...

Loved stuff: hats (part two)

'Fabulous' Blogger insert picture functionality is driving me totally mad - so have had to revert to a part two (to stop all the pictures jumping around so much)...


Halloween boat part - Mummy mask as hat - Vix embraced and Millennium Dome (know the O2 ) in the background:

At Nadia and Gareth's 'Big Jewish Wedding' - loved my suede purple kippah:

My thirtieth birthday party fancy dress (goodies and baddies themed) - I was Genghis Khan:

Loved stuff: hats (part one)

I don't wear hats that often - but I was looking through tagged Facebook pics of me and there are a variety of hats on show (also demonstrates my love of the fancy dress party)...

Charlotte's hen do:

Hat from Prague worn in the cold of Lapland:

I loved this hat - my favourite festival hat for three years in a row:

'Chav' party - loving the Burberry - Hena's very shiny tights and grumpy Chav Vix in the background:

Loved stuff: BBC Radio 4 - Today

I love the Today programme on Radio 4. I drive to work most mornings (I HATE the evil Tube) and I secretly like it if the worst stretch on my journey (the Finchley Road) is rammed full of traffic and I end up in a mini jam. It means I get an extra 10 minutes added to my journey and I get to hear more of my favourite radio show.

I love talk radio and the gang on Today are always brilliant - shaping the media agenda but striking the right balance with the random and quirky stories. I love all the presenters but am really loving Evan Davis (also presents Dragon's Den - TV gold) who is my favourite at the moment. He was a bit shaky when he started on the show a while back but is totally ace now. He did a great interview with Mr Brown this morning.

Mr Davis might be becoming a a new 'weird crush' for me - OK he's just not Rodrigo Santoro - but (along with the rest of the Today crew) he is both funny and professional and above all really smart. I also have a weird crush on Andrew Marr - it's the intensely smart / witty thing going on again (!!!). Anyway I digress...

As a PR person I have pitched the Today programme a few times - I haven't managed to get anything proactively on it yet (even huge stories that have gone across all news channel wide including the BBC). Ho hum. Anyway, despite the fact that they have never succumbed to a Crump pitch, I still love them.

Loved stuff: My garden

I really love being in our garden here is the wilds of Cricklewood, London. The garden was actually the main draw when we bought the flat.

Previously I had lived in a much smarter part of town, in a much bigger flat. The problem was that it was top floor with no outside space. I lived there for six years and kidded myself that no garden = no problem. Anyway thankfully I wised up and when Chad and I moved in together and got the new place, getting a garden was top of the list.

As the weather was great last weekend and summer has arrived in London we did a big tidy up in the garden: pressure washing the decking, putting in new plants, moving unhealthy looking plants to spots where they might do better etc.

The weather is glorious again this morning, so here are a few snaps that I took this morning...

Gorgeous allium in bloom:

Shiny disco balls:
The garden shed that cost way too much:

Loved stuff: Burgers

I read a great article in USA Today on a flight back from a meeting in Germany. The basis story was that President Obama did a dash out the White House (followed by huge troupe of press) to grab a burger for lunch. It was a most amusing little story, very human and West Wing like.

I'm so pleased that Mr President is partial to a burger because I love them - it really is one of my most favourite things to eat. Even in a smart restaurant I will often opt for burger heaven. Anyway I'm not going to bleat on (I have had about five hours sleep the last two nights and I need to crawl into the sack) in this post, but I really do like the burger.

PS: One of the best burgers in London is served a one minute walk away from my office at the Camden Bar and Kitchen. The burger is homemade and it is totally delicious.

Loved stuff: Our Springle McDingles...

The Spingles are on sparkling form tonight. We've been at work today but my guess is that they have been sunbathing all day in the garden and now full of beans as a result. Sophie keeps running in and out of the room like she is on a yo yo. Even Tiggy (aka Fat Mama) is hyper mobile tonight.

I realised today that I hadn't posted any pictures of the beloved moggies on here, so may I introduce them...

Tiggy:

Note: confident gaze

Sophie:














Note: nervous gaze

Loved stuff: Kirstie Allsopp

I love Kirstie Allsopp and I am really excited about her shift from property guru into homemaker extraordinaire. I hope that this is a new track for her. We need a British 'Martha Stewart'.

She has a new show called 'Kirstie's Homemade Home' and I just love it. It's my perfect TV programme: property, interior design, arts and crafts and a splash of shopping plus The Allsopp. She has been making stuff for a property she has done up in Devon - I am really jealous as she has got to do glass blowing and a whole load of other things that I also want to do. I have been inspired by The Allsopp and intend to up my arts and crafting quota in 2009.

She is a wonder and I just love her, according to the Wikipedia entry on her (as a result of her family's peerage) she can be referred to as The Honourable Kirstie Allsopp - how fab and I couldn't agree more. She also gets to work with Phil Spencer (lucky lucky lady).

I don't think that she has a website or blog of her own - she definitely should.

Loved stuff: Whiskers on kittens...

...are, like the lovely Julie Andrews sang, one of my favourite things.

We are staying at Rob and Sarah's this weekend. They have a new edition to their family. She is called Jasmine and is so cute. She likes to sit on your shoulders and fall asleep. So adorable - I'm in love.

Just one Venice, give it to me...

Last weekend I had the absolute pleasure of visiting Venice, it is one of the most wow factor places I have ever been to - I loved it. The place is totally chaotic, falling down and just so desperately beautiful and romantic. It seems to cast its spell on everyone - everywhere you look are couples holding hands and having a damn good snog. Young or old this place makes you feel amazing.

I have been to quite a few cities in Italy, Verona, Florence, Siena, and Rome (which rocks), but Venice totally wins for me. The city is so familiar to the new visitor as it has been used as the set for lots of movies and adverts.

As a child the advert for Walls Cornetto had a massive impact on me. When you are ten years old you LOVE ice cream (I still do) and this particular brand represented the height of totally sophistication for me. On family outings (mainly to stately homes or castles - of which we visited hundreds) my sister and I, as the offer of an ice cream presented itself, used to beg for a Cornetto*. I cannot remember the exact price but they were always the most expensive option from the ice cream van or the sliding glass topped deep freeze at the gift shop. I would estimate that sis and I had a success rate of only ten per cent on scoring the Cornetto. Poor dad would plead poverty and so 'no, no they are too expensive'. But if he was feeling flush we used to get a Cornetto. I can actually recall a memory from more than 30 years ago of one such occasion when we 'won'. I can remember how happy that mint Cornetto made me as I sat on the steps of a castle, wearing my Popeye the Sailor Man t-shirt and favourite grey Hi-Tec trainers in the baking sun. Bliss.

So with this deeply rooted association between ice cream / happy family holidays and Venice it is not really surprising that I got a lump in my throat as we got onto the beautiful wood clad water taxi to speed us to the airport. Venice is an amazing place that is at the top of my list of places to go back to.

The Crumpometer is in the Green - with pink tinges, cooing doves, violin stings and the lapping of the gondolier's paddle in slightly sulphur smelling canal water.

*Baby brother Ian prefered a Mr Whippy which he used to smear over his angelic face