It’s the 31st of October.  With a full moon hovering eerily above, and the wind whistling through the trees it can only mean one thing. It’s time to close the curtains, switch off the lights and hide under the bed for the next 48 hours. Not to avoid visits from any ghosties and ghoulies that may come a-knocking as the witching hour approaches, but to escape the gaggle of giggling, pestering brats that are more than  likely to turn up on the doorstep. Yes, trick or treaters. Why on earth do we have to put up with this ridiculous yearlannoyance that has seeped over to our shores from America. Why couldn’t it have stayed there so that I wouldn’t have to put up with the incessant ringing of the doorbell while I am trying to have dinner or catch up with Nigella’s Kitchen on the box? And I say 48 hours because if they don’t catch you on Halloween, the cheeky sods are usually at it the next day, and the day after that. In fact they can be rapping at the door

It has been a while since I have penned a Madonna entry so just for today please indulge me. The Queen of Pop is still on the road with her MDNA tour, currently doing the rounds of the United States. The show is incredibly violent, dark, political and at times down-right scary. However, it seems the first lady of pop has started t reveal a much softer side of herself when she is not toting guns and splattering blood over the walls when on stage. In some of her recent interviews she has been warm, funny, witty and for the first time doesn’t appear to be taking herself too seriously. It is true, over the past 20 years certainly, we are seeing a much warmer, Madonna - “we” being the adoring and loyal fans who follow her every move. It is almost as if in the past three decades she has risen so far to the top that she really has no need anymore to sneer and pout her way through interviews like she the biggest star in the world - because the whole world already kno

Apologies for the lack of content this week. I have been working busily on a project which has left me with very little time. However, on my travels I passed this quaint block of flats in Portobello Road, London. I had seen them before in a magazine article about unusually decorated buildings. Up close they are quite impressive, and blend in very well with the ambiance of the area - Portobello road is a buzzing mix of weird, eccentric, modern and old. So, as I gather myself together, I thought I would share a couple of pictures to keep things ticking over.

It is less than a week since John Whaite walked from the Great British Bake Off marquee having been crowned 2012’s winner. He was a worthy recipient of the title, although I have to admit my money was on Brendan Lynch. Brendan was consistently good throughout the competition, the only thing that let him down, I think - he played it a bit safe. John was more willing to put it out on the line and take a few risks, a quality which eventually took him to glory in my opinion. So it is all over for another year, the bakers have hung up their pinnies, put away their rolling pins and stacked away their baking tins. However, the show left me with a bit of an itch to roll up my sleeves and get stuck into some home baking. I used to be good at it when I was younger, I even once won a prize for my bread-making. That was a few years ago though, and I think I might have become a bit rusty. But, not letting that put me off, this weekend I decided to have a go at

It would have been a tragedy to miss out on this glitzy showbiz launch event. Ok, that was a pretty cheesy pun, but how else do you start a piece about an evening with one of the most cheddar-coated, stilton-steeped, Wensleydale-infused pop bands ever formed. Steps, that’s right, the very same 90s  sensation responsible for my, I admit slightly camp, toe-tapping efforts to the hits “tragedy”, “deeper shade of blue”, and my favourite “stomp”. The band launched their new perfume at a star-studded event at Café de Paris, in London. So not only did I get to hobnob with H, Lee, Lisa, Claire and Faye, I was able to take away my own glitterball bottle of ‘Guilty Pleasures’ to enjoy at home. The band put on a bit of a turn at the beginning of this exclusive event, treating  the audience to a repertoire of old favourites before unveiling their new offering Summer of Love –  which wasn’t that bad. As I shared a drink with Claire Richards, I told her that I was ther