Typecast

2014 was a year of many diaries for me but I always moved back towards my Filofax; it's like my magnetic North. However, in 2015 I am determined to streamline my diary usage, carry less in my Filofax and continue to Get Things Done by using my Bullet Journal (I sometimes call this my BOAT - the Book Of All Things).  I feel I am growing tired of purple (...I KNOW!!) so there's definitely a 'green theme' for the new system - I've switched into my Sage Green Classic Botanics compact ring Filofax, I have an Emerald Leuchtturm1917 A5 with dotted paper to use as my bullet journal and a Marks Tokyo Edge Colors A5 diary in Green that will be my desk diary. I'm also using my J Herbin rollerball ink pen with the Lierre Sauvage refill as the pen that sits in my Filofax.  I'm still trying to decide whether to carry three, six or twelve months worth of diary. Reducing the pages will make more room on the rings in the Filofax but I like to forward plan. I ...

It's so near to Christmas that I can dig out those bizarre YouTube clips that I've been saving for a 'special occasion'.  Here are my top three slightly off-the-wall Christmas videos (with some extra music links for you at the end). White Christmas I've shared this numerous times and even though it's so obviously a set-up, this version of White Christmas with Ant & Dec and Robbie Williams still makes me giggle all the way through. Do They Know It's Christmas This group sing-a-long   (embedding has been disabled by the person who uploaded it so you'll have to click through to watch it) was shown on  Stars in their Eyes  in 1992. You've probably never seen it before - or have blanked it out of your memory - but you're unlikely to be able to unsee/unhear it this time. All I Want For Christmas Is You I can't choose between the Mariah Carey/Jimmy Fallon version and the Steve Kardynal/Chatroulette ve...

* stands up * My name is Nickie and I'm a stationery addict. Here's why: 1.  I keep a diary .  This is alongside using my Google Calendar for digital reminders. I find the act of writing something down makes it more permanent and memorable. I normally use a Filofax but love the Dodo Pad Diaries and maybe I'll try a  Marks Storage diary . 2.  I write lists . Lots of lists. Discovering the bullet journal system was a revelation because it meant I had a legitimate reason for writing lists. And the best thing? I actually get to cross things off those lists because I am Getting Things Done. 3.  I buy notebooks . I have to have a nice notebook to write my lists in, obviously! I prefer dot-grid paper but this is a recent appreciation and was discovered through the bullet journalling. Lines don't really do it for me any more. 4.  I love handwriting . My own is fairly neat but doesn't really have a 'flair' to it so I adore seeing other people...

Over the past few weeks I've been slaving away over a Word document, attempting to pull together an idea that came to me in a flash of inspiration about four weeks ago.  You may or may not know that I founded the Friday Twiz  (a quiz on Twitter every Friday evening) four-and-a-half years ago. It's a small community of quizzers who come together every Friday evening to battle with their knowledge and their wit for no prize other than kudos.  After running this venture for so long I had amassed a huge bank of questions so thought I'd pull some of them together and publish them in a book. The book  The Ultimate Interactive  Pub Quiz Revision Book is now available to buy on Amazon (and it's cheaper than a cup of coffee) You can find out more about the book here .  There are three sections in the book; an interactive quiz section, three picture quizzes and a revision section.  This way, the book will never get boring - at least not ...

Why is today's earworm Ed Sheeran's "Sing"? Has my contact lens gone behind my eye or on the floor? Why can't I find it!!?? How do we go through so much washing powder? New diary on the way... I must practice my best hand writing Why does a teenage boy need to use 14 towels per week? Does anyone ever get an extra follow from a #followfriday mention on Twitter? Holy shit, it's 11.45. I'd better get dressed.  IT'S SNOWING... oh, it's stopped. Am I ever going to catch up with Serial before the final episode? How the fuck did I fail a 'Can You Speak Lancashire?' test on Buzzfeed  (19/22) Are "keks" trousers or underpants? Planning. Yes, planning...  oohh distraction techniques... The best thing about working for myself has to be that I get to watch Minder at lunch time. What's the point of clearing my email inbox when another deluge of emails drops straight in? Aaawww Vintage TV 80s tunes.  Awesome. Vi...

Whilst musing on my next hairstyle I discovered ROCK PAMPER SCISSORS  and thought they are definitely tuned into the trend for wanting to organise your life online. Get #pampered or go home... What  Rock Pamper Scissors  offers is a local online directory for beauty and hair salons.  Their online recommendation and booking system was created in Leeds (in the UK).  They worked with a small bunch of salons, tweaking and improving their service, with more local salons signing up to be registered in their directory. They are now rolling the directory out to more cities, with Manchester being city number two and more being added in the very near future. The search system is very simple to use and if there isn't a salon registered in your local area you can join their mailing list to get a notification when there is. If you're a salon owner you can register your salon for inclusion in their directory too. You'll be able to view service details an...

Every time Buzzfeed publish a "which came first" listicle we are reminded that Betty 'Golden Girls' White is older than sliced bread, which was first sold in 1928.   Out of curiosity ( quelle surprise ) I wondered which other celebrities were also older than sliced bread. Here's my definitive list of ten. Born in 1916 and turning 99 on his next birthday we have Kirk Douglas .  Apart from his acting career we also know him as the father of Michael Douglas. He is ranked at number 17 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male screen legends in American Film history Died 5th February 202, aged 103 Born in 1917, therefore turning 98 in February 2015, Zsa Zsa Gabor is probably known just as well for her nine marriages as she is for her acting career. She was once quoted as saying, "I am a marvellous housekeeper; every time I leave a man I keep his house."  Died 18th December 2016, aged 99 Born in 1922 Christopher Lee ...

Last week I saw a tweet scroll past from the "I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here" team asking for Skype callers for their ITV2 show. Being a huge fan of the show I whizzed off an email and thought nothing more of it.  Yesterday evening, my mobile buzzed with a really strange number. Forever inundated with cold calls, I googled the number, only to find out it was an Australian code.  My interest piqued so I hit the voicemail button.  It was the lovely Maisie from the I'm A Celeb ITV2 production team asking if I'd appear on their show later that night.   EEK!  YES!!  All part of my master plan for World Domination, obviously ! After a couple of conversations with Maisie and a Skype check it was confirmed that, if nothing major happened, I'd be on the show straight after the first person had been evicted.  I had to think of a question to ask the panel based around that night's show too.   So I toddled off and scrubbed up a bit (it's ...

Many moons ago, we reviewed this Brio Pounding Bench from Hello Baby Direct . More recently, I was having a clear out of all the toys we have here (it usually happens around the same time we put the Christmas tree up) and I found this at the bottom of the toy box.  I put it to one side, with the full intention of storing it in the loft or donating it to a charity shop but then the girls came round, "rediscovered it" and had a whale of a time hammering the sticks through the bench. They played with it for much longer than they ever did when they were younger (even though it was aimed at the 2+ age group!). It's a BIG HIT in this house *groan* Do your children do that when you're having a clearout?  It can't be just my children and grandchildren that are turning into hoarders and can't bear to be parted from their (even short) childhood history. (PS, Trivia Time: Did you know that "BRIO" is an acronym for Bröderna ("brothers") ...