Strike a pose....

So, last Thursday saw me setting off to London for the day to take part in the Weight Watchers photo shoot that I mentioned in my last post.

It was a really good day, although a bit long - there was quite a lot of standing around and waiting actually, so I'm not sure I could handle being a model and doing that everyday! The official shots aren't out yet, but one of the other guys took some pictures on his own camera, so I thought I'd share some as a bit of a taster.

As you can see, there were four of us taking part in the shoot, and the morning was spent doing the group shots, however, before any photos could be taken we had to have our hair sorted out and make up applied. The make up artist in question has worked with lots of famous people and also does the hair and make up for Eastenders - she said she would make us look like stars, so I chose Dot Cotton!

Breakfast was kindly laid on for us - Croissants and Pain au Chocolat - we did point out that feeding us with that kind of food kind of missed the point of why we were there in the first place, so the Weight Watchers magazine staff ate them instead - a very cunning plan!

The photographer was excellent, really put us at ease and made us feel comfortable. Very funny guy as well, and the photos looked great on his laptop. In the afternoon it was time for individual shots and a change of outfit, before the day was over and we all went home.

It was a great, if slightly surreal, experience - I never thought I'd see the day I featured in Weight Watchers magazine. The feature is appearing in the July issue, which hits the shops at the beginning of June, now if you'll excuse me I have to go, I have a meeting with my agent.......!

Work that camera!!!

So, it's been a while........again!! However, I do have some exciting news - I'm going to appear in a magazine - I'm going to appear in a feature in a magazine - I'm going to be one of the subjects of the magazine feature, not just someone who has been stopped on the street and has then been quoted a couple of lines - I'm going to be in a photo shoot to accompany said feature - the feature is going to appear in a magazine that is available in stores like WH Smith, Sainsbury, Tesco etc all around the country - yes ladies and gentlemen, I am going to appear in (drum roll please)..............Weight Watchers magazine, oh yes indeedy!!!! Am due to be going up to London in the next couple of weeks for the photo shoot and then it will appear in an issue of the magazine over the next few months - who knows where it will lead......maybe when the conservatory we're currently having built is finished "Hello" will want to do an exclusive multi-page spread on it......oh the possibilities!!!

And in other news that also involves me being in print, found out last week that the SA are publishing a piece of Songster music that I wrote the words for. It was written about three years ago (music by Dean Jones), and seems sort of funny that it's only just being published given our current situation.

Busy April coming up, but looking forward to a week at Center Parcs towards the end of the month with some friends, and also to Eloise being a mascot at Colchester United for the last ever league game at Layer Road before they pull the old place down. She's very excited (so am I!)

Anyway, check out my blog list as there are a couple of new additions - Katie's blog is entertaining and should provide a few chuckle. Ed's likewise, despite the numerous references to Ipswich Town - I have known Ed for many years, in fact he used to attend Layer Road on a fairly regular basis for a while, and then somewhere along the line it all went horribly wrong for him............!!!

73.5%!

Yes, on January 21st I reached the "5 Stone lost" milestone, and am now approximately 73.5% of the person I was when I started my diet in January 2007! As you can probably imagine, I am quite chuffed with this, and once I have shifted another 7lbs to 1st will be able to say I've reached where I want to be!

In other news, Christmas came and went, and we had a very nice relaxing one, although it seems like ages ago now! Just before Christmas we completed Eloise's school application ( can't believe she starts this September) and we find out in April which school she has been allocated a place in (hopefully the first choice!) - Belated thanks to Mrs Fox for her professional opinion on said 1st Choice school's latest Ofsted report!

As most of my recent tv favourites all seemed to reach the end of current series just before Christmas (Spooks, Heroes and Dragons Den), there seems to have been a lack of decent programmes to watch in these long, dark, cold winter evenings (although I must admit a sneaking enjoyment of Relocation, Relocation on Channel 4 and re-runs of Never Mind the Buzzcocks on "Dave" - great name for a TV Channel!). However, it would appear things are beginning to pick up - I've caught the first couple of episodes of a new US Comedy/Drama on E4 called "Reaper" which, although it is quite a black comedy, looks like it will keep me entertained. However, I am very excited this week, as Thursday night sees the start of a new series on BBC1, "Ashes to Ashes", not a sequel to, but more a spin off from the wonderful, superb, fantastic, brilliant "Life on Mars" (Yes, I quite liked it!).

Now, I must admit, that when the idea of "Ashes to Ashes" first surfaced last year I was a bit dubious, particularly as "Life on Mars" had only just finished, but I'm looking forward to seeing what they've done with this so will be settling down in front of the tv on Thursday night to find out! Hoping DCI Gene Hunt is as full of great one liners in the 1980's as he was in 1973, and I'll leave you with one of my favourites - "She's more nervous than a very small nun at a penguin shoot"!

Yule (B)Log

Sooooooo, I haven't blogged for ages, and it's nearly the end of the year. The photo above is the "christmassiest" (new word, will be in the Oxford English Dictionary next year, just you wait and see!) I had to hand, and was taken on our recent trip to Disneyland Paris, which Eloise and Maisie enjoyed almost as much as me and Melissa!

Not sure how often I'll be updating from now on (not that I've been that regular anyway) but just wanted to take the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I'm winding down towards the end of the day now, off to client function in Southend shortly, and then it's 11 Days off. Looking forward to some chill out time, a bit of football (watching and playing!) and then spending New Year's Eve at home with the family and finally kicking 2007 into touch, not a year I'll be disappointed to see the back of!

Here's to 2008.

Christmas is coming.........

.....Yes! It's less than two months away, and if you're already struggling for present ideas, then let me suggest the following............

This is "Little Cooks", a cook book inspired by and to raise money for Little Havens Children's Hospice, where Melissa works. Rather than let me waffle on about it, this is what the official press release says........

" Little Cooks features recipes from children, their families and staff at the hospice, plus contributions from celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Delia Smith and Ainsley Harriot. Priced at £5.99 each, the books will be available from October at outlets including some Essex branches of Asda, Waterstones, Havens Hospices charity shops and via the charity's website, www.littlehavens.org.uk "

So there you go, a bargain! Anyway, just so you know how much you'd be helping out, the Hospice has annual running costs in excess of £1.6million, and the government provide just £25,000 each year towards this. They have to rely on public donations to provide the rest.

So there you, put one in everyone's stocking, tell your family, tell your friends, tell your work colleagues, tell that bloke in Oxford St who stands there all day with the sign that says "Golf Sale", tell everyone - Please...............

.....BUY THIS BOOK!!

Happy Birthday Amelia

Today would have been Amelia's 4th Birthday. Amelia was the daughter of Melissa's cousin, Sarah. Her and Eloise were best friends, just 5 weeks apart in age. Tragically, Amelia died as the result of a road accident in February of this year, along with her Grandad.

Today Eloise has been to Amelia's special Garden, and released a Balloon for her. In her words she wanted the "Angels to catch it and give it to Amelia".

Happy Birthday Amelia, you are missed by us all, and especially by Eloise.

Everything Changes

So, prompted by Mr Mitchinson, I thought I'd better post again.





Life, for the last few weeks, has been hectic - work has kept me busy and last week I was travelling around the country doing some presentations. Over the course of 5 days I found myself in Hitchin, Letchworth, Dartford, Cobham, Cardiff and Huddersfield (and believe me travelling from Cardiff to Huddersfield, and then from Huddersfield to Chelmsford in the same day certainly takes it out of you!). I clocked up over 1,000 miles, passed through around 18 different counties, and was apparently on the highest motorway point in the UK whilst on the M62 (Well, I think I was, didn't quite get time to read all of what the sign said - I wasn't driving by the way, so was allowed to try and read it!). And in the middle of all that I had my birthday - so, another year older, another year wiser??? Hmm, will reserve judgement on that one!





Last night I was quite excited, because last night it was time for.........

Yep, a new series of Spooks - one of my favourite programmes on tv. Really enjoyed it, but something struck me this morning. In a strange kind of way the fact that I was able to enjoy it really demonstrated to me the way that everything has changed for me (stick with me here!). In previous years, the BBC scheduling a new series of this (or any other favourite, Like "Life on Mars" for example) for a Tuesday night would have resulted in an outburst from me - Why, when they could pick any evening of the week, would they pick the one night I'm out - It was so infuriating! It invariably led to late nights, as I would arrive home late from Songster Practice, but couldn't avoid the temptation to watch it there and then on "catch up". This year, no such problem. It's not that Songster Practice has changed nights, it's just that I'm not there - Everything changes.

A year ago, there were things, people and relationships that were a big part of my life, some had always been a big part of my life, and even defined a lot of who I am. I couldn't imagine that there would ever be a time when those things, people and relationships wouldn't be a big part of my life. Now, as a result of the course of events that have unfolded over the past year, some of those things seem far away. Now I know that some of those changes have been instigated by me, and that's just part of where I am at the moment, but some of them haven't, and some things have changed and I'm not sure why.

I've never been one for living in the past, and always coped with change quite well - but I don't like these changes. I'd just like things to be as they were, I miss that.