BB FANS

Main bit this week is about savings and how he loves a bargain etc. Asks about if it is wise to save with the banks at the moment. Says how he has always been big on saving but not really knowing what he intended to spend it on but his brother always saves for a purpose like a boat he keeps at Loch Lomond.

A friend of his mum's thinking she'd lost a screw on her bathroom door lock and took it to his mum's to see if she had one, his mum told her to go to an ironmonger who told her the screw wasn't missing. On being asked how much it would cost for his time the guy said "oh nothing - i might get like that someday too.".

Wondering if it is time for national ID cards with increasing difficulty in determining whether kids are too young to buy drink, cigarettes etc with a NE shop recently losing their license.

Leona Lewis allegedly recently turning down £1 million to open the Harrods' sale because it sells furs.

A Norway deciding not to try for re-election ater admitting she spent thousands on calls to fortune-tellers and psychics.

I can remember, back in the days of travellers’ cheques, I took my first trip to South Africa to visit a pal of mine who was working in Cape Town. We toured the whole country including places called Orkney and Aberdeen and had a great time. One thing that sticks in my mind is getting a substantially better rate for my pound towards the end of the trip, compared to when I arrived there. I suppose that was my earliest first-hand experience of noticeable fluctuations in currency values.My brother is in Iceland just now at the Airwaves Music Festival. He couldn’t get any Icelandic currency in Glasgow, presumably due to the financial carry on that both countries are experiencing at the moment. When he did manage to buy some krona at the airport, he was told in no uncertain terms that they would not be bought back from him after the trip. I know we’re a bit edgy about the state of things just now, but it surprised me that foreign exchange is that jittery.With all the news of financial panic going about, and with one eye on the plummeting value of my ISA, I was really brought up short watching a DVD called “Rich” the other night. It’s part of a series of short films with potentially controversial themes like sex, faith and death. The notion that stood out above all else for me is that, despite the instability round about us, we’re still almost unbelievably rich in comparison to most people on this planet.If you have a car, you’ll probably think yourself pretty normal, like I do. Statistically though, we’re amongst the fortunate few. Ninety two percent of people in the world don’t have a car. And according to the film, there’s a billion people going without clean water every day. That’s nearly twenty times the number of people in Britain. Imagine how they feel, thinking about people like us who can just turn on a tap when we’re thirsty.The most shocking statistic is that to provide water, basic health and nutrition for everybody in the world, it would cost about £12bn. And that’s how much the Americans spend on ice cream in a year.I know all this stuff is relative and I’m not ignoring the crisis that we’re in, I’m just trying to get a bit of perspective on my own situation.

When I was a kid I was a huge fan of the Guinness Book of Records. Who can forget Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in the World at 8ft 11.1in! This week on Wednesday, a bunch of car fanatics are taking to the tarmac in Northamptonshire in a bid to break the record for the loudest “bass quake”. In simple terms, to see who has the loudest car stereo! The 26 cars involved all pump out over 150 decibels each. When you consider Concorde managed just 118dB, that’s quite something. They reckon all the cars together will reach between four and five on the Richter scale. And you thought the Bouley Bashers were bad!

I don’t think I’m very materialistic, but boy am I sentimental! A typical hoarder, lots of stuff in my house holds memories of people and places. My heart goes out to Stevie Wonder, whose house has allegedly been burnt down in the California wild fire. All his memorabilia has been destroyed, and worst of all, his instruments. Not so wonderful.

Have you ever wondered what outer space smells like? And if you have, dare I ask why? Anyway, if you want to know, NASA has asked a British boffin to come up with the smell, based on astronauts’ memories of it. So far, they’ve recorded fried steak and the smell of welding. Again, you have to ask WHY!?

It’s doubtful many people find Jade Goody very inspiring. But she’s coping with cancer and recently planned her own funeral and made a will. Duly inspired, I’m making plans to take advantage of Will Aid next month. Certain lawyers offer to do up your will in return for a suggested donation to charity. That’s got to be a good plan.

I think you could say that sentence leapt out at me!

With regard to not buying back Icelandic krona, certain countries have always had restrictions on how much you can take into their country in their currency and how much you can bring out (in some cases it is prohibited to bring any of their currency back out of the country and in some cases it is prohibited to take any in also).

Yes that's true enough Christine - I don't think Iceland is one of them though. I've never had any bother before at least.

And gg, it's the ice-cream equivalent that shocks me!

Yes, you are probably right. If you've not had any bother before, then it is probably something new. I couldn't really remember if Iceland was one or not.

That's a coincidence re: the Rich DVD because I watched it at a house group as well about two weeks ago. Really, really challenging.
And it makes me VERY mad to think how much the governments around the world can immediately find to bail out financial systems when a fraction of that would solve so much more. Grrrrr...

Here we are in November and I have to admit I’ve not got my will drawn up yet. Or at least I haven’t got a British will made. When I bought the house in Spain I had to make one over there. I was led to believe that in Spain if you die without a will, the State gets everything regardless of whether or not you have parents, children, brothers, sisters or good causes to leave everything to. It may just have been the lawyer’s way of getting an extra pocketful of Euros off me, but it worked!
So it’s really set me thinking about what I need to consider for making my will here. And I’m determined to get it done this month so that even the legal fee for drawing up the document will go to a good cause. The last time the charity-boosting Will Aid scheme was in operation, in November 2006, more than forty thousand people responded to it and well over £5m was raised for good causes.
The whole Will Aid idea came about when a lawyer in Oban was moved to action by the famine in Ethiopia. That was back in 1988 and the scheme has run every two years since. From this year the scheme will run annually. November will be officially recognised as Will Aid month and the opportunity to donate to charity in return for professional will-making services will give a much-needed boost to nine of the UK’s leading charitable organisations. There’s a good cross-section of organisations delivering aid where it’s needed both here and abroad, helping young and old.
Solicitors will draw up your will free of charge, with the hope that you’ll pledge an appropriate sum to the charities in return. They reckon on £75 for a single will, £110 for mirror wills (usually by couples), and £40 for changes or additions to be made to an existing will.
People sometimes have daft ideas when making their will, putting conditions in about the beneficiaries – one man stated that anyone wanting to benefit from his estate would have to train as a pilot first! I read about another lady who left £100,000 to a hospital for the “expansion, improvement and maintenance of its lavatories”!
Whoever or whatever ends up benefiting from my leavings, at least I’ll be sure that the first (and perhaps only) £75 of it will end up going to charity.





Commute Smart week ended on Saturday. I hadn’t heard of it till it was over but it seemed like a fantastic idea, bringing real benefits to companies and their employees. One major motoring organisation had three hundred members of its workforce working from home, which over a year will save ninety thousand litres of fuel – or 620,000 miles of driving! From the business point of view that’s a significant saving, not to mention the reduction in wear and tear on the vehicles. For the workers too it means better conditions, fewer hours wasted in congestion and commuting and less pollution. And that’s got to be better for all of us.




Orkney looks set to lose one of its more unique exports if Scottish public health minister Shona Robison has her way. The Orkney beer “Skull Splitter” is under threat because of a complaint about its name – claiming that the title could encourage irresponsible drinking. Maybe they should offer her a pint or two and see what she thinks then!



Friday nights just won’t be the same… or will they? I normally enjoy Jonathan Ross’s programme and watch it with a bunch of pals after youth club on a Friday night. There’s usually at least one entertaining guest, even if the host sometimes gets carried away. I’m not sure who’ll replace him while he’s suspended. My vote’s for Moreen Simpson.



Hollywood actresses don’t always have it as easy as we might think. Gorgeous Rachel Weisz was banned from driving an exotic Lamborghini on the set of her latest movie The Brothers Bloom. Producers allowed her in the car when it was stationary, but not on the move! Weisz claims she’s a very good driver, but they weren’t convinced.

Yup.

I bought my first packet of hot cross buns at the weekend, so Christmas must be well and truly on the way. There’s all the excitement of the forthcoming festivities – I know the build-up starts too early, but I have to admit I love it all as we get nearer to 25th December.
But the truth is we have an awful lot to fit in before we set out a nip of whisky and a carrot on the mantelpiece.
Another jungleful of celebrities is due to make its way into our lives and living rooms before too long and the rumours are rife as to who will be gobbling up the grubs in this year’s gruesome challenges.
Barak’s busy and I’m guessing that Donald Trump will be too. I’m always a bit sceptical when it comes to the who’s who likely list for the jaunt to the jungle, but some of the stars mooted for the next series seem to be good enough choices.
Donny Osmond’s top of some lists – is it just so that people can see whether his hair and teeth are as perfect after a night in the wilderness? 1980s comedy impressionist Bobby Davro and quirky cook Garry Rhodes feature too. I’m all for Abby Clancy making an appearance, because she would undoubtedly bring some style to the proceedings. Chris Eubank might fight his way through the undergrowth to be there, and there’s no question that Robert Kilroy-Silk would manage to top up his tan if the rumours are true that he’s heading in as well.
But hold on, there is somebody with time on his hands just now with fewer work commitments than he’d anticipated for the season. And I’m not talking about American presidential candidate John McCain.
“Resting” chat show host and recent prank-caller Jonathon Ross would appear to have a slack spell in his diary over the next wee while. And while they’re at it, the jungle chiefs might want to consider poor old Russell Brand as well. Perhaps somewhat unfairly, many people have suggested that Brand should “crawl back under a stone” – surely if that really was his heritage it would constitute an unfair advantage in outdoor living.
Then again, if the reports about Top Gear’s controversial Clarkson facing the sack turn out to be true, they’ll be fighting him for a hammock.
As Catherine Tate would say, “I’m not bovva’d” – I’ll just wait and see!




F1 champ Lewis Hamilton is top of the pops in the pits, but not quite so popular as a co-driver, according to a recent survey. Eight thousand motoring organisation members were polled about their ideal passenger for a 100-mile drive. Incredibly, the huge majority (60%) opted for their wife, husband or partner, leaving Hamilton trailing in the line-up with a paltry 3%. Nearly a tenth chose to have an expert navigator in their passenger seat, with another tenth split between policeman, nurse and AA patrolman. Sixteen people asked for a boxer, and 37 for a priest. Six percent chose a supermodel! Do tights still come in handy for broken fanbelts?



Having this diesel hatchback has been a great relief during the recent fuel price highs. However, I was shocked the last time I filled up locally and it cost me 133.9p. The price in town had dropped to 119.9p and now I read that some of the supermarkets have cut petrol to 92.9p. There’s still a price to pay for living rurally.


I’m absolutely over the moon to hear that Raymond Blanc has been very impressed with his visit to Aberdeenshire. Visiting different processing facilities in Fraserburgh and Peterhead has convinced the top chef and reality telly star to feature more Scottish-caught fish on his menus. He’s made a wise choice and I think we should try it at home too!



Stunning Sarah Harding is to take to the screens in a BBC drama about the credit crunch. The Girls Aloud singer has little acting experience, confessing “It’s so different to what I’m used to” but is preparing for the part with acting lessons. It’s an unusual film in that it’s based on improvisation, so maybe her lack of training will fit the bill nicely.

Hot cross buns?!! Good Friday is ages off.

They are available in M&S all year round.

89.9 in Bristol yesterday for unleaded

Here we are fast approaching the festive season, and I know you don’t need me to tell you that! There’s evidence galore, especially now that the shelves have been emptied of pumpkins and fireworks and are groaning under the weight of the next round of consumer indulgence.
Talking of indulgence, I had my first Christmas dinner on Saturday. And it was great – just right for getting me into the mood for the festivities!
But there’s a serious side to over-indulgence at this time of year and it’s an all-too-familiar problem. The most recently released annual figures state that there were almost ten thousand accidents nationwide involving at least one driver who was over the legal limit. Of these, over four hundred were fatal accidents. And of all accident fatalities, drink driving accounts for nearly a fifth of the victims. Particularly shocking is the pedestrian figure – three quarters of night-time pedestrian deaths involved people over the legal alcohol limit for driving.
But it’s no wonder that so many people drink and drive, when our knowledge of “how much is too much” is so scant. Would you know how to estimate the number of units of alcohol in a particular drink? I wouldn’t – and other current figures utterly shocked me. A report I was sent at the end of the week says that from 1000 people surveyed this month, 96% incorrectly guessed the amount of alcohol in a pint of lager, and 97% a 250ml glass of wine. The correct amount for both these drinks is 3.4 units of alcohol.
That’s one thing on a night out, but scary to think that after just four pints or four large glasses of wine, a lot of people will still be over the legal limit the following morning.
The winter road safety campaign has started, and along with its launch came some heartening information. Although almost half of us are likely to know somebody who will drink and drive, two-thirds would notify the police about an instance of drink-driving. And despite the fact that Scottish folk are least likely to know somebody who drinks and drives, we’re apparently the most likely to report somebody committing the offence.
I hear a lot about breathalysers ruining festive nights out and that old arm-twister “one for the road”. But the figures speak for themselves. Drinking and driving is not worth the risk and it’s certainly not worth the misery.


If you haven’t done so yet, you have exactly two weeks to get your will made. If you want charities rather than solicitors’ bank balances to benefit from your fees that is! I have been in to make mine, and there’s nothing like a cold, clinical lawyer’s office to get your mind into gear about what you might have to leave, and the people who could end up getting it! I must admit I found it quite odd. It is strange how it made me realise who and what are important to me, so it was an exercise well worth doing. And it helps everyone out in the long run.



I had never really rated J-Lo in films until I saw her in “Shall We Dance” with Richard Gere. I thought she was the bee’s knees, or better! And now that she’s had twins, she’s trying for another addition to the family. I bet she’ll be as good at bringing them up as she was at teaching Gere how to dance!


It’s only two weeks since he pulled out of hosting the British Comedy Awards following the “Manuelgate” debacle, but chat show host Jonathon Ross has been nominated for one of the ceremony’s awards. The funniest thing of the lot is that raffly comic Russell Brand has been nominated for “Best Live Stand-up Performer”. You have to laugh, really.


The global credit carry-on is leaving more and more victims strapped for cash and with uncertain futures. But the future will be uncertain for many more if the £120m schools project for Aberdeen is kept behind due to lack of funds. It’s a relief to see they haven’t shelved the scheme and are meeting tomorrow to discuss the way ahead.

Lovin' your work, Cameron, for highlighting the dangers of being over-the-limit-the-next-morning. Sobering fact - something I could have done with knowing a decade or so ago!

But this amused me:



Yes, laughter may not only be the best medicine, but sometimes it's also the best policy!