BB FANS

119.9p today for diesel...

Yes, it definitely is gg. (see what I did there...?)

And yes, I was shocked about the 'morning after' alcohol levels. I've heard it spoken about but seeing the figures really brought it into focus.

We’re all aware at least to some degree of how the credit crunch is affecting us or our friends and colleagues. You can’t turn around without somebody mentioning price cuts and shop wars, or making attempts to save more carefully or the value of their ISA dropping like a penny down a wishing well.
Every day we hear about more and more job losses and scary news from banks and other financial institutions both here and overseas. Iceland apparently owes the United Kingdom £2.2 billion out of its total current debt of £6.8bn.
To put that into perspective a bit, at the time of the last figures available, America owed its creditors around the globe £64 billion a year in interest alone!
Trying to break that down, it means about £180 million every day of the year in interest, not even considering what the sums owed actually are. Breaking it down again, it comes to over a dollar a day for every man, woman and child in the country.
All these figures that we hear thrown about don’t really mean very much when you say them quickly. Checking into those American figures, the US federal debt at the end of 2006 amounted to 11.4 “trillion” dollars – it just sounds like a joke.
However, it’s no joke for us and it’s even less funny for those who are already struck by poverty around the globe.
Our minister came with a disturbing fact this past Sunday when we had our Thanksgiving Service. British people and possibly Scots even moreso are very generous givers. But because of the state of the global economy, our nationwide giving to overseas charities needs to be upped by a quarter just to remain at the same value as it was last year!
I saw a programme during the week about how effective (or otherwise) charity donations can be. Quite a number of charities now operate credit cards which give a percentage of what’s spent to the good causes in question. So while we merrily build up Christmas debts, we think we’re doing a good turn for somebody less well-off than ourselves. The programme revealed however that on one of these cards, in order to donate £100 the cardholder would have to swipe £40,000 worth of goods.
It’s definitely better than nothing, but forty grand’s quite a Christmas!



I very rarely have any medical complaints, but I had to go to the surgery for an injection in my elbow during the week. I have no idea what I could have done to it – might just be old age! I met up with some old colleagues from my fisheries days for lunch and told them about my appointment. One of them looked at me in horror and exclaimed how sore that can be. I sarcastically thanked her, but she ‘reassured’ me by saying, “No, no, it’s not sore at the time, but it GETS really sore after a while.” Thanks again! With friends like them, who needs enemies!



It’s often said that truth’s stranger than fiction – and once again it’s been proved that reality’s strange too! Not-so-fleet-of-foot John Sergeant’s departure from Strictly has caused no end of outrage. What utter nonsense. The man may not have been the most skilful, but in what’s supposed to be an entertainment show, he was tremendously entertaining. What a shame he’s gone.


Here am I planning a trip to Canada in the spring and I’m met with the announcement that the Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled to allow obese people two seats for the price of one. Having started again on a healthier eating gee, I hope that by the time I get there I won’t qualify for the special deal!



In new research it looks like children prefer Mum’s driving to Dad’s. A massive 80% saying they’re happier with Mum at the wheel, despite her being more likely to stall or bump into something. Two thirds of the youngsters questioned said that Dad shouts at other drivers, while the same number claimed that Mum couldn’t park. And this is a serious survey!

Thanks Jezi

Don't thank me Christine, I don't even have time to go to the shop as I am never about when they are open on a Monday (or the rest of the week to be fair!) this month I just C & P thanks to the joys of Facebook messaging

There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South. Here in this pretty world, Gallantry took its last bow. Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered.
Before you think I’ve lost my mind entirely, I’m not referring to Stonehaven as the Old South. In fact those aren’t my words at all. They’re from the foreword to “Gone With The Wind” which enjoyed its world cinematic premiere in New York on this very day back in 1939.
Coincidentally I have been speaking to some friends in the past few days about classic films and favourite films, and films we might have watched over and over again. I had to confess that, not only have I not sung along to The Sound of Music, I haven’t even seen it. And not only had I not seen that classic, I hadn’t seen Gone With The Wind either. Shock, horror!
I had no idea that the story of Scarlett O’Hara was such a controversial piece of cinematography. I suppose I vaguely knew that it was in the Top 100 films of all time for a reason. And I suppose the horrified expressions from friends when sometimes admitting I haven’t seen it should have told me something.
Nowadays there’s never an eyelid batted if films portray adultery, rape, drunkenness or any kind of moral disintegration. But seventy years ago it’s no wonder these subjects caused a stir. And it led America into a sympathetic bond with Britain, a country by that time at war.
With my intrigue for facts and figures and records, it’s a wonder I haven’t known more about it before now.
The rights to the novel that inspired the film cost a record sum and the novel itself had sold over 1.5 million copies before the film’s release. The epic movie held the title of ‘highest-grossing film’ reaching $200 million and its ten Academy Awards was a record that stood for two decades.
Even despite all that, I still haven’t seen it. And the next time somebody is horrified that I haven’t, I’ll pull out this quote – “I've always thought a good lashing with a buggy whip would benefit you immensely”. Or maybe I’ll stick to its most famous quote of all. “Frankly my dear…”



There’s more heartache this week in relation to the credit crunch and the retail sector. I’m sure there’s not a person reading this paper who hasn’t been through a Woolies checkout at least once in their life. I think the next attempt to kick-start our spending is a farce. Reducing VAT by 2.5%? Who on earth thought that would be a good idea? Certainly not the 73,000 people who voted “no” in the online poll this week. Eighty five percent of those voting said the reduction would NOT encourage them to spend more this Christmas. There’s not a lot of time for a rethink, but more effort is definitely needed.



After last week’s survey results giving children’s opinions about their parents’ driving, many of them will be over the moon to hear Japanese car giant Nissan’s latest motoring development. A funky-looking four-wheeled chassis with a passenger pod that swivels through 360 degrees means that drivers will never have to reverse park again! Sounds quirky and I hope it works.



It’s disappointing to hear about the City Council considering cutting over 200 pupil support assistant posts in the £25 million savings plan. If the child in question has moved on and the support assistant is no longer required it might be fair enough, but not if the need is still there. I don’t know the answer but cutting essential staff isn’t it.



Ashlee Simpson has missed out on £1275 or so by naming her child Bronx Mowgli Wenz. In the realms of odd celebrity children’s names it’s fair enough I suppose. But an Italian right-wing party is offering cash to parents who name their babies after wartime fascist dictator Benito Mussolini or his wife Rachele. I don’t suppose she needed the money.

Gone with the Wind is a LOOOONG film. But worth seeing - and it was only £4 in Tescos!

My two favourite quotes on my Facebook page are from Gone with the Wind:

"That's what's wrong with you...you should be kissed, and often, and by somebody who knows how." (Rhett Butler) How's that for a chat up line???

"Good heavens woman, this is war, not a garden party." (Dr Mead).

The Sound of Music ROCKS. Even if it is about nuns and children who make clothes out of curtains!

I've have seen the ending of Amadeus three times but never all the way through - no idea why?? And I've never seen any of the Die Hard films either.

ps Cameron - 88.9 today! Any advance?

116.9 sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

there's no other way...it'll have to be back to that pedal car...

hahahahaha - yes indeed!

There are certain dilemmas in life that aren’t worth thinking too much about or wasting precious brain cells on. The flip side is of course that there are matters of great importance which require serious mental input. Milk in with the teabag, or wait till the teabag’s out of the mug for instance. Throw a bag in a mug or savour the flavour of a pot-brewed cuppa? Worth pondering I think you’ll agree.
Seriously though, there are some dilemmas that we face which have no easy answer.
I love fireworks. I’ve loved them since I was a bairn being woken up by Mam and Dad to go and look at the display in the night sky at the end of our annual gala week. But the sad fact is that we had a collie called Sarge who died as a result of the terror brought on by firework night. So while I love the pyrotechnic brilliance of China’s finest, my heart goes out to pets and their owners who suffer year after year.
You might not believe it, but I used to have a dilemma about these fancy displays of Christmas lights. Not the apparently ordinary ones you see in people’s living room windows, but the eye-watering, snow-melting blaze of light emanating from certain gardens and rooftops in towns and villages all round the city and shire.
I used to cringe when I drove by these seemingly tasteless festivals of all that is tacky. Nothing is sacred! Santa and Rudolph, Mary and Joseph, Donner and Blitzen, all blazing fit to burst!
And then I caught myself. Whose business is it if people want to wire up Christmas lights in their gardens to make the winter days a bit brighter? None of mine, that’s for sure!
I then progressed onto the moral high ground about the waste of energy these hundreds (if not thousands) of bulbs appear to be, being the environmentally-conscious soul I now am! But if you take a look at the wattage of these decorations, most of them use less than an energy-saving bulb. So bang went that avenue of disapproval.
So I’m delighted to say, I’ve “built a bridge”. I’ve “got over it”. The cheery glow might not be there specifically for my benefit but the number of children gazing in wonder at the lights is remarkable. And the cheery glow on their faces certainly warms a cold winter’s day!


After the recent news about drink driving and the surprising number of units in what we think of as common drinks, I’ve had an update on some of the figures. The first shocker is that 58% of respondents felt they would escape prosecution even if they were still over the limit the following morning, yet two-thirds of those questioned said that the police aren’t doing enough to stop drink drivers. Scotland topped the poll for “never” drink driving with 44% - the national average was 31%. And only Ireland bettered us for not driving the morning after – the margin was 2%. Let’s keep up the good work this festive season!


I was always lucky enough to have an expenses account and company credit card when I was travelling for work. I don’t remember ever going excessively overboard on it – not like Madonna anyway! The latest hotel bill for her tour “Sticky and Sweet” is estimated at $1m (£650,000) at one of South America’s best hotels in Buenos Aires. Material Girl indeed!


Shock results in a vote about the women men secretly lust after have thrown up GMTV presenter Kate Garraway in first place, followed swiftly by one of the Loose Women, Jackie Brambles. There’s hope for the pensioners too! Sixty-three year old Helen Mirren placed eighth, beating Kirstie Allsopp and Supernanny Jo Frost into ninth and tenth place respectively.


The government has rejected a recommendation for a car’s first MoT test to be carried out when it reaches four years old, followed by a test every two years. They’ve come out in favour of keeping it at three years for the first test, and an annual certificate after that. It’s a dearer system, but safer roads mean it’s worth it.

Thanks for that Jezi

I always like reading Cameron's Columns.

Yeah sorry for missing it sometimes Christine. Things have been really, really mad here over the last few months - as I said to the boss last night I will get back on track in the new year

The main bit is about Celebrity Big Brother and how he often doesn't think much of the series desipite his "(arguably misguided) loyalty to the Big Brother franchise". However he says he thinks they have got the mix right this time and goes through some of the characters. Says Lucy Pinder came across well in her eviction interview and he wonders who will "crumble" next.

Speaks about the number of Christmas presents that have already been forgotten then refers to a friend of his who is distributing shoeboxes in Belarus at the moment to some people who have never had a present and will certainly not be casting them aside. This year 1.25 million shoeboxes have been sent across to countries like Hungary, Romania and the Ukraine.

The various ways people have been scraping their windscreens such as using CD cases, credit cards and shoes. However don't use hot water because it is apparently the nation's biggest cause of cracked windscreens.

The launch of new flavours of Walkers crisps including onion bhaji, "builder's breakfast", fish and chips and cajun squirrel. (yes squirrel, that was not a typo!)

X Factor winner Alexandra becoming the first British female solo artist to sell over 1 million copies of her debut single with her cover of 'Hallelujah'.

Marco from BB5 is raging that the girl who won with 'duck & hoisin sauce' because he submitted his entry first - but she had a better photo.

He's started a facebook petition - I can't tell yet whether it's serious or a jokey one. Prize money of £10,000 mind you.