Typecast

Cancer has affected our family in so many ways already and I shout loud and proud about wanting to support cancer charities and research but it's been a long time since I actually got off my arse and was proactive outside of what I have achieved online.   Six weeks ago I made the decision to take part in the Race For Life in Blackburn.     I knew I would never run it because I am not fit enough but at least I had an end goal and this was a great kick up the backside to get myself on the route to better fitness.  Over the past few weeks I've been on training walks on the canal near our house and round a few local parks and then my daughter - my own Cancer survivor - asked to join the Race For Life with me.  We didn't have a personal best time but estimated that we could complete the course in about 45 minutes. I never expected the evening to be as emotional as it was.  My husband came with us (dog in tow) to support us and the "Moment's Si...

Soundtrack To My Life has been on a bit of a hiatus recently but I will  be starting it up again properly next week. Recently I've downloaded a few old albums ( Faith by George Michael, Blast by Holly Johnson and Mr Bad Guy  by Freddie Mercury) because I only have them on cassette and I fancied revisiting them outside of YouTube.  Here's my favourite track from each album. Heaven's Here, Holly Johnson, Blast   Kissing A Fool, George Michael, Faith Your Kind Of Lover, Freddie Mercury, Mr Bad Guy   (seriously, if you have never heard this album then go and find it now) I don't know about you but when I hear a song on the radio that is from an favourite old album, I automatically predict the song that would  have played next on the album.  I can't seen that happening much with the next generation because the availability of digital downloads means that you don't necessarily purchase a full album any more, only individual tracks t...

I love a good cuppa but The Perfect Brew is a very individual thing, isn't it? A few weeks ago, Tara shared her brew making method and I agreed with her up to the addition of sugar; she was aghast at my "need for three". Our tea tray at work is a smorgasbord of delights as we all have different tastes.  You can pick from your regular tea, green tea, Earl Grey with vanilla (lovely smell, no taste), decaffeinated tea (what's the point?) and a range of flavoured teas (usually about three or four on the go).  There is also a small jar of coffee and sachets to make cappuccino. It's interesting to find out what certain flavours are meant to achieve so the Twinings " Awake " (with ginseng, rooibos and ginger) and " Sleep " (with camomile, lavender and vanilla) teas caught my attention simply because I struggle to sleep a lot and need a good burst of energy in the mornings.   Teas like these are a quick fix in the mornings; no faff...

Over the past few months I have been using Google Hangouts more regularly and have been advised to use good quality headphones to help with the quality of sound and to reduce echo.  The Sennheiser HD 205-II Headphones seemed like the perfect choice to try out. These headphones can be found in the music section of the Maplin website. The Review Using the Sennheiser HD 250-II Headphones  in a Google Hangout definitely did create a better experience for me because I could have the volume of the other participant(s) quite low which means there is less distortion of sound.  The cushioned ear-cups made for very comfortable wear too. I discovered that the right ear-cup rotates forward and backward which creates a one-ear listening experience.  I am going to see if I can take them into the studio when recording my radio show so that I don't have to wear my headphones at an awkward angle when guests are in for interviews and studio chat. Listening to m...

My biggest achievement of this week is managing to acquire a Cybher satchel ( it's ok, I know the boss *wink* ).  It's one of the brand new 'Pod' bags from The Leather Satchel Co and in glorious neon!  And in true " What's In My Handbag " style I  thought you'd like to see how I'm using it. (there's almost  a series of these on my blog  now - I think I have a bit of a handbag problem) In comparison to my everyday handbag (from Mia Tui ) it's small so I panicked about how I was going to use it. But then I realised that it's going to be perfect for two reasons.   For work, I use a very beautiful wheelie case (from Pink Lining ) but small items rattle around the bottom of the case.  The Pod bag is ace for keeping them all together.  In here I've got my portable hard drive, a Flip camera, my work badge, a dongle ( that word always makes me giggle like a child ), a spare pen and a USB charger for my phone. But ...

I brag constantly about how amazing my Yorkshire Puddings are and today I'm sharing the recipe over at  The High Tea Cast .  Find out how to make the perfect Yorkshire Puddings  (it's easy peasy) and let me know how you get on. Find all my articles on The High Tea Cast here 

Today the Race for Life registration confirmation email arrived.  It's all a bit real now. But... the BEST thing EVER is that my daughter, Rachel, has asked to participate with me.  Remember - that's who I'm running for - the one who  had Cancer when she was a baby !  old photo of Team Drama Llama So we have created Team  Drama Llama  because that describes us both down to the ground!  Rachel is a million times fitter than me (much like I was when I was running round after two children under the age of five) and will not even need the next two weeks to get up to speed (no pun intended). The race (and I use that term really loosely where I'm concerned) is in just two weeks but I'm managing the 5K in just under 40 minutes, walking fairly quickly, with a dog in tow that wants to wee every 20 paces (and we don't mention the time that he fell in the canal and almost dragged me in with him, OK?).  I've even jogged a bit!!  Not ...

I make no secret of the fact that I'm a total Gleek but I've been far from happy with Season 4 of Glee .  You can find me over at The High Tea Cast today talking about the rise and fall of Glee .  Let me know if you agree or disagree with my musings. Find all my articles on The High Tea Cast here 

Our house is a little bit quirky in the fact that it's like the TARDIS.   From the outside it looks like a northern mill town two-up-two-down but it's wider than it looks and stretches back quite a fair way.  It is a corner terrace with no gardens and was built somewhere around the turn of the century; we believe 1899.  The house hadn't been updated in about fifteen years when we bought it but it was one of those houses that we knew we wanted as we walked into the hallway. The inside isn't anything special (apart from the fact that it has five bedrooms) however this original cornice is in the hallway.  We have only cleaned it up and painted it and found nothing else as interesting in the house when stripping back and modernising.  My wall hangings have matured with me over the years.  I was never one for keeping anything that the children created (you can read about that on The High Tea Cast ) but I do have loads of photographs in those multi-a...

I've been sent this trailer to share with you but no other information. Great cast line up too... Ray Winstone, John Simm, Charles Dance and more! INTRIGUING!! What do you think it's about? Apparently all will be revealed on ITV on 11th June so stay tuned. You can help me drum up interest by hitting the tweet button below. Tweet popout YouTube link This is a sponsored post and will be connected to sponsored tweets Please seen my disclosure policy for more details

Normally I steer clear of gender specific topics, having dipped my toe into feminist issues on only a couple of occasions previously.  However, whilst watching the Cybher tweets scroll past at the weekend a topic caught my eye coming from the Social Women & Business session; women on British banknotes . All the women that I believe to be inspirational to me are women that I know in real life and it scares me to think that there is a generation of young people that believe the 'women of our time' are identified by what is reported in the media or seen on the ever popular reality-style television programmes. When Winston Churchill replaces social reformer Elizabeth Fry as the face of the £5 note there will be no women (other than the Queen) featuring on English banknotes.  Now, you may argue that Queen Elizabeth II appears on all the notes but, even though she has been an inspirational woman in her own right, she would have appeared on the banknotes regardless bec...