We went to see the film "How To Lose Friends & Alienate People' starring Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst.


These names alone should guarantee a brilliant film but unfortunately it doesn't quite reach the quality expected. A disappointment.

03.10.08

I travelled to Kentish Town in London tonight to see 'Keane' play their first gig to support their new album "Perfect Symmetry" at the Forum.




They were absolutely brilliant as usual and the new songs seem to be really 80's influenced. A great gig.

29.09.08

Gareth and I travelled to Winchester to see Jake Shillingford play the closest gig ever to where I live, so I had to be there!


Jake and Toni were brilliant as usual and it was great to have a long catch up with them and tour manager Sam after the gig too.

25.09.08

We went to see 'Tropic Thunder' tonight.


Living directly opposite a cinema means that we have almost instant access to any film we want to see, so why have most of the recent ones been so awful?! This one had a few good moments but certainly didn't match the hype!

21.09.08

I travelled to Faringdon in Oxfordshire tonight to see my old friend Jake Shillingford play at the The Old Crown Inn. It was great to catch up with him as well as tour manager Sam and pianist Toni along with some other guys from the old 'My Life Story' days. A great gig!!

20.09.08

We went to see 'Pineapple Express' tonight.


I had high hopes for this film so really felt let down that it was so average. A big disappointment.

18.09.08

We went to see the film 'The Taken' tonight.


I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more if Liam Neeson wasn't in the lead role, because I just couldn't take him seriously. He was so reserved that I couldn't bring myself to care.

17.09.08

I went up to London tonight to see 'Echo And The Bunnymen' play a special gig at The Royal Albert Hall.


 As I walked through Kensington towards the venue I noticed James Dean Bradfield of the Manic Street Preachers leaving a pub, so I had to walk over and shake his hand. He was a lovely guy, really chatty. A real gent.
When I got to the Albert Hall I met up with my mate Chris and her husband. It was great to see them, though it was brief as the gig was starting soon.
The band were absolutely magnificent, especially with addition of an orchestra.






They sounded absolutely amazing.

16.09.08

We went to see the film 'The Women' tonight.


Wish we hadn't. It was like a second rate 'Sex And The City', and I hate 'Sex And The City'! Avoid this film at all costs!

14.09.08

We went to see the film 'The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas' tonight.


I'd initially been reluctant to see it as I so adored the book and didn't want to see it messed up on film. Luckily it was done sensitively but I'm so glad I knew what was coming because as then film ended I looked around the cinema and people were sobbing.

12.09.08

I went to the Oxford Academy tonight to see 'Doves' play their first gig in nearly two years. It was a warm up show for a bigger gig in London tomorrow.


They played all their classics hits as well as some great sounding new stuff. They even managed to mess up the start of "Pounding" and had to re-start it. A great gig.

11.09.08

After a day of moving furniture and dealing with various deliveries in almost torrential rain it was nice to just walk over to the cinema. We went to see the new Keira Knightley & Ralph Fiennes movie, 'The Duchess'.


The expression "a feast for the eyes" perfectly describes this excellent film. The costumes and the locations, including the courtyard of Somerset House where we saw 'Adele' play recently were all stunningly beautiful. Keira Knightley positively shines in this role and in my opinion she should expect an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of the The Duchess Of Devonshire. Ralph Fiennes was also a pleasure to watch. As you can probably sense, I absolutely adored this film!

05.09.08

Finally, after months of negotiations and stress we got the keys to our new flat today!!!!


We're now within walking distance of the railway station, the cinema, all the town centre shops and two supermarkets. Yay!

03.09.08

We went to see the film 'Step Brothers' tonight.


I've found quite a few films recently to be slightly too long and this one was no exception. It's exactly 98 minutes too long. Which coincidentally is how long the film actually is. Enough said.

30.08.08

I travelled up to London tonight to see George Michael play the final show of his '25' tour at Earls Court.


I had originally planned to get the train but as it's a Bank Holiday I'd probably have to wait hours to get home, so a drive to Hammersmith was the alternative. Luckily the roads were fairly clear so I got there in plenty of time to get the tube to the venue.


The concert was absolutely amazing and George sang beautifully throughout, particularly on one of my favourites "My Mother Had A Brother". Fortunately for me the whole gig was filmed for future release on DVD so I can watch it all over again soon!

25.08.08

My beautiful niece Hannah tragically passed away today.


Hannah Davies
1989-2008
R.I.P.

23.08.08

I went to the newly refurbished Carling Academy in Oxford tonight to see 'MGMT'. The venue was formerly the Zodiac where I've seen many bands and it's clear a LOT of money has been spent making it quite state of the art. If only I was as impressed with the band! I've been championing them since I first heard "Time To Pretend", which I still insist is the single of 2008. Sadly I felt it was the only decent song the band played tonight, but this didn't seem to be a view held by the majority of the crowd who seemed to be loving it all. I've seen enough bands over the years to know what I like, and MGMT weren't it tonight!

20.08.08

We travelled to Bristol tonight to see 'Lee Evans' perform. He's playing some warm up shows for his forthcoming national tour.


He was hilarious, if a little difficult to understand at times due to the speed of his verbal delivery! We were sat next to group of people in their early 20's who had clearly decided that using deodorant was not for them. This together with the fact that they also enjoyed beer and cigarettes added to their overall aroma! And most of them were girls! One in particular laughed very loudly after everything Lee said, usually followed by the words "What 'e say?", to which one of her friends would repeat the line and then she'd laugh again! Classic. As we were leaving we had to walk behind lots of different people, and lets just say that there must be a shortage of deodorant in Bristol!

20.08.08

We travelled up to London tonight to see the play "Under The Blue Sky"
 at the Duke Of York's Theatre. It cast includes Francesca Annis, Catherine Tate and Rob O'Dowd.

It is billed as a comedy and it had its humourous moments, but I also found it quite disturbing at times. I'm glad I saw it but I don't think I'd recommend it.

16.08.08

Following Gareth's recent mishap whilst trying to get a ticket from a car park machine I'm beginning to see a pattern when we go to the cinema.
Tonight we went to see "You Don't Mess With The Zohan", the new Adam Sandlar movie.


About halfway through the film Gareth nudged my arm and when I turned to look he was taking his polo shirt off. Rather than an impromptu strip, he'd got a bit cold and decided to do the buttons up on the collar, but when he tried he realised he was wearing it inside out! This meant that he'd walked from the car park, through the shopping centre and into the cinema that way, labels on show to all! Luckily the film was hilarious so me laughing so much didn't cause any stares as Gareth bared himself to the world!

15.08.08

I often mock Gareth for his sentimentality when we're watching films etc, but today I watched the 'Will Young' music video for "Who Am I" for the first time. He's been superimposed into various clips from the children's television programme 'Blue Peter', mostly from the era that I watched as a child. Just seeing the old clips, particularly showing the dogs Shep and Petra had me with tears running down my cheeks in seconds!

12.08.08

Tonight we went to see the new X-Files movie.


I never was a big fan of the TV series and the film was just like an extended episode, but I did enjoy it. One of those films you enjoy but never plan to see again or own on DVD!

02.08.08

When I first saw a trailer for "Wall-e" I decided it wasn't my kind of film, but for once I have been swayed by reviews I've read and given in, so tonight we went to see it at the cinema (although acquiring a copy did cross our minds!)


I'm so glad we did because I loved it!
I'm guessing that Gareth was excited to see the film because when we got to the car park and the machine issued the entrance ticket he didn't open his car window far enough and punched the glass in an attempt to get it! Hilarious!!

 30.07.08

I finished reading the highly entertaining book 'Pop Babylon' by Imogen Edwards-Jones today.


It's a real insight into the music business so I was engrossed from the first word to the last!

29.07.08

Thankfully Tim and Jasmine had also had an exhausting day yesterday, so they didn't wake up that early so we all got some much needed sleep. Soon I was back on the airport bus and sat in a very warm and crowded departure lounge. The views during the journey home were beautifully clear and


 thankfully the flight was on time, one less thing to worry about as I needed to get back to the UK, drive into London, park the car and get the tube to the O2 Arena. Which all went surprisingly well!
I was met at the tube station by Gareth and then we met up with our best men from our Civil Partnership, Scott and Jon in readiness to see 'Kylie'!
Every time we've seen her before we've loved every second, but this time I was less impressed. The stage sets were a little too abstract for my liking










 and I only really started to enjoy the concert towards the end when she seemed more natural and less theatrical. It was great to catch up with Scott and Jon tho!

26.07.08

A very early start to get to the airport for 5am, but for once I was driving in early morning light instead of winter darkness. I am beginning to loathe flying "cattle class" but as I check in on-line I automatically get 'Priority Boarding' so today I sat away from the gate, crowded with people jostling for that 'first in the queue' position. When the gate opened I wandered up, waved my 'Priority Boarding' pass and just leisurely walked onto the plane. By the time the flight was ready to leave the skies were clear and the sun was shining so I was able to get some good pictures from the plane including the fields of England,


Frederikshavn and Skagen in Northern Denmark,


and the Göteborg Archipelago.


In no time I was off the airport bus and drinking a latte in Göteborg with Håkan. We went to meet up with Morgan at Liseberg, the amusement park, where we saw Sami from 'Kent' walking around with his family. Out of respect for his privacy I didn't go running over as I would normally though it took a LOT of self restraint! It was a great surprise to meet with Morgan soon afterwards as he had brought his family with him too, his lovely partner Caroline, his son Tim who has grown so tall since I last saw him, and his beautiful daughter Jasmine.


I was thrilled to see them all.
Håkan and I left Morgan and family exploring every fairground ride in the park and went to a smaller public park near his flat to meet his friends Ulva, Stefan and Anders for a barbeque and some beers. It was great to relax in the sunshine in great company, only interrupted by visit of some seagulls that actually stole food that was cooking on the very hot barbeque. We got revenge by giving them some leftovers, covered in hot mustard and soaked in beer. Apologies to anyone that may be walking underneath them later when the effects of the food kick in!
Soon it was time to go to Slottsskogsvallen, the outdoor arena where 'Kent' will play tonight. Håkan assured us it was a tram ride and a five minute walk. He lied about the walk! Five minutes it was not! We met up with Ulva and various friends and soon the amazing concert began.






It has partly changed from the indoor gigs I have seen them play in the last 8 months but it was still excellent!


Afterwards we were assured that another "five minute walk" would get us to a great bar, but we had learnt that Håkan's definition of a "five minute walk" could mean anything, and some 30 minutes later we arrived at the bar! We only forgave him when he bought the beers! Alcohol consumption always seems to increase the quality of food eaten afterwards but I do have to comment that the kebabs we ate afterwards, sat at a table, eating from plates, with real cutlery, were gorgeous! We eventually got in at 2:30am and hoped Morgan's children would not wake up too early!

25.07.08

I drove to the Travelodge near Stansted Airport tonight in readiness for my early morning flight tomorrow. It was nice to get there early evening, despite major hold ups on the M25. I had time to have a long bath before settling in to bed where I finished reading Russell Brand's autobiography, "My Booky Wook".


To say his life has been erratic would be an understatement! He seems lucky to be alive after all the excess he's put himself through. A frank and honest book that I really enjoyed.

24.07.08

We went to see the latest 'Batman' movie tonight, 'The Dark Knight'.


It was a very long film but I really enjoyed it, particularly the amazing performance from Heath Ledger as The Joker. He has 'menacing' perfected!

23.07.08

The hedgehog returned for another feed tonight.


It had a good forage just outside our patio doors allowing me to take a really close up picture highlighting his big ears!

21.07.08

We regularly put food out for the hedgehogs that visit the garden and tonight one had a good feed which required a little nap afterwards!


It was curled up asleep under a bush in the garden.

20.07.08

Gareth and I travelled to London today to see 'Adele' play a concert at Somerset House. Before the gig we walked across Waterloo Bridge to the South Bank and the sky looked beautiful as the sun set and lit up the clouds.




The clouds had cleared by the time we got to Somerset House and it looked beautiful lit up against the night sky.


When the Somerset House annual summer concerts were announced I remember looking at the list of artists playing and I have absolutely no idea why I chose to see 'Adele', but as she sang tonight I was so glad I did as she was absolutely amazing, with a stunning voice.




She really did blow me away and it's rare an artist does that to me, especially when I am really not expecting it. A great night.

19.07.08

A big thank you to our friends Rob & Andy who invited us to dinner tonight. Rob excelled himself in the kitchen and we had a delicious meal!

18.07.08

We acquired a copy of 'Kung Fu Panda' and sat down to watch it tonight.


Although I thought the first half was a bit slow, when it did pick up I really enjoyed it! Recommended!

15.07.08

We drove up to Colchester today to celebrate the birthday of Gareth's cousin Sarah. As we were a little early we drove to the nearby coastal village of West Mersea and walked along the beach where all the huts are beautifully painted in lots of pastel colours.


Then it was back to Gareth' Aunt Sue's house for a buffet and celebration. It was great to catch up with everyone and we had a really good time!

12.07.08

When you decide to commit to another person for the rest of your life you have to learn to compromise in order to make things work. Does going to see the film "Mamma Mia" count as a compromise? Cos if so, I am owed, big time!


I've never really liked musicals but have been known to suffer one or two at the theatre. Film musicals however are a definite no-no in my world. Well until I married Gareth they were. He was easily the youngest person in the cinema tonight, and scarily I think I was the second youngest! People old enough to know better were actually singing along to the songs and even clapped at parts of the film that met their approval. As for the arm waving during the finale, I rest my case.
The music of Abba was the soundtrack of my childhood and I love all those songs. I just have to get the memory of this film out of my mind so I can enjoy them again in future!

10.07.08

I went to the Royal Horticultural Society Flower Show at Hampton Court today with Gareth, Gareth's Mum and her friend Eileen. We could not have chosen a worse day weather wise as it rained all day. We all wore wellington boots and waterproof coats and made our way around lots of exhibits and tents.






Despite the weather we all had a good time and returned to the car in very wet clothes. That wouldn't have been so bad if it didn't then take hours to get out of the parking area. For parking area read 'wet, muddy field' where at one point I thought the car would just sink!

09.07.08