Sniff

Today I have been more sniffly than a Niffler from Harry Potter. (anybody else remember the nifflers?!) There is a pile of tissues in my bin that you could burn a small child with. Oh dear, now I sound grumpy and evil! I'm not! Despite my nose, I've felt gradually better as the day's gone on. I think a packet of Percy Pigs from Marks and Spencer cheered me up (they really are EXCELLENT, aren't they!) See, just look at the photo above: I took that today at my "composing station" in my bedroom.

I've made an effort to be productive on what could have been a slug day, as I call them. I've done about 90 minutes of piano practice today (not as much as I might have liked, but I had a headache for quite a while). I've started off a rather interesting compostion for the next Aldeburgh course. It's a trio for French Horn, Violin and Piano. It really makes a difference to how I compose when I know the people who will be playing it in a few weeks!

Today I've been on Twitter a lot. My follower numbers have risen from 70 to over 100, and I have Lisa Lynch to thank for that largely. (https://twitter.com/AlrightTit) I really love Twitter, and if any of you haven't got it yet, then DO!

Other news now, and yesterday I received a lovely letter from Dr Jeremy Thurlow, of Cambridge University Faculty of Music. It was his crit on my composition that I submitted to the Cambridge Young Composer competition. I came third out of over 30 entries, which I'm chuffed with, and his comments about my piece were really nice. 

I hope to be back at College tomorrow!

Thursday

First of all, an apology. I'm just a weeny bit lazy when it comes to blogging every day presently. Actually, no I'm not - I just have to get various other things done, and various other things, as you all know, add up to a lot. I've called this post Thursday because I'm sitting here now, at my desk, and I'm thinking just what a good and varied day I had yesterday. 

Jamie and I did the best non-Aldeburgh-Young-Musician percussion jam that I've ever done today. Of course, they're great at AYM (we have worked with several world class percussionists) but it was amazing fun today. Basically, we found every single bongo, conga, tom, snare, cymbal, maraca, shaker and set of chimes that was in the Hathor Room. The number exceeds 50, when all put together. We dismantled the drum kit and placed all the pieces in an arc around us, put the smaller bongos, shakers and chimes on the side surface, then got out some big congas and put them next to the larger floor toms. Then we just had the biggest, longest drumming session ever! It was very fun, and we plan to do it every lunchtime we can. It's theraputic too.

Some chavs were being stupid outside the door of our history classroom today. Mr Dunbavan noticed. For any of you who know Mr Dunbavan, you'll know what's about to happen. We're all just sitting in class, writing about World War One naval strategies, and he strides over to the door, smashes it open, and bellows: "GO AWAY!" in the most earth-shatteringly loud voice imaginable. They didn't go away (like any sane person would) so he started chasing them down the corridor shouting at them EVEN LOUDER. When he came back into the classroom to a captive and just-slightly-terrified audience, he actually grinned, just a little bit. We all applauded loudly. It was one of those really nice moments that I will remember for a while.

Also, the dentist appointment was good, though the likelyhood is I will have braces within the next few months. In my violin lesson, I played some duets by a really interesting composer called Orlando Gibbons. Now, with a name like that, anybody would think he's an ultra-cool New Orleans Jazz guy from the 1920s. In reality, he predates Bach and even Purcell (who were born in 1685 and 1659 respectively) - see this is the kind of trivia I know! He was born in the 1580s, and wrote the most gorgeous fantasias and duets for treble viols (the predecessor of the violin). They were suprisingly modern and jazzy sounding, especially considering they were written before the invention of equal temperament.

So that was Thursday. A good day all round.

Culture

In the two days since I last posted to this blog, I have been feeling rather cultured. It's a feeling I rather like, because it's something that people think sending their children to Public School will make them. Well ha. Ha to all the snobs out there, with that pale skin, stinky perfume and constant "this person has just stepped out of a skip filled with rodents and excrement" expression etched across their comfortable, rounded faces. Ha to all the kids who have quite obviously never had to do anything for themselves except complain about the quality of the restaurant they've been dining in. Ha to the kids who have grown up in houses with more than two bedrooms, slept in rooms bigger than the instrument store cupboard at school. Because us state schoolers can be just as cultured as them - if not more so.

Yesterday I went to a fabulous piano concert, on the request (perversely) of my violin teacher. The concert was given by one Masa Tayama, who is the most awesome (in the true sense of the word) and inspiring pianist I have seen live. He opened with Mozart's 12 Variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It still amazes me what a sense of humour Mozart appears to have had when you consider his somewhat tragic life. I must watch Amadeus again at some point. It's a really exciting film about Mozart, and is all about how Salieri may or may not have poisoned him... It also has quite a lot in it about his Requiem, which particularly interested me last time, before I sang it with Swavesey Community Choir last summer.

Also in the concert were pieces by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Gershwin. The Chopin pieces were heart-achingly beautiful (typical of Chopin), the Rachmaninoff was completely mad and incredibly exciting (ditto), and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue really shows of the piano in everything it does. And what a piano. A 9 foot Bösendorfer!!! Wowee! And I had a look at it properly at the end when we were getting the CD signed by Masa Tayama. The great thing about it was that it was shiny enough to give a clear reflection of Tayama's hands as he was playing, so I could see exactly what he was doing (astounding control and touch noted particularly).

And then today, I went with my parents to see Frost/Nixon at the cinema. It was a wonderful film, and I very strongly think that Frank Langella's performance as Richard Nixon deserves the Oscar it's been nominated for. But it made me feel very cultured going into Huntingdon Cineworld, standing around loads of chavs/yobs/sweaty people, then going into the most sophisticated film in the whole place. I felt suddenly extremely grateful that I've been brought up properly, that I've been lucky enough to go to the best school in the region, that I've got friends who are interested in more than the clothes I wear.

So, I'm feeling good. Will post again soon. x

Superb

Superb is a great word. It's superb in fact. I don't know why it's so underused compared to "super" which, unless you say it in a squeaky American voice resemblant of Bumper from Bambi, is nowhere near as amazing. Maybe it's not used because nobody has enough good things in their life to warrant another adjective to describe them. Well at the moment I think I just might do.

I've had the most superb day, in particular the last hour of it. I hope the person involved knows just how hard it was to do piano practice when my mind is so firmly fixed elsewhere. :D

My iPhone has been very useful recently. I have a very satisfying morning routine of getting up at 6.30, getting down for breakfast by 7, watching BBC breakfast, and using the iPhone. I like to check Twitter, Facebook and my inbox in the morning, and it's good to be able to do it from the sofa in the living room.

I'm sure I will find more to blog about very soon. Watch this space. x

Inauguration

This is my first blog post under the presidency of Barack Obama. I'm extremely pleased. It's the first inauguration that I can remember seeing in my lifetime, and I'm so pleased that America can change for the better now Bush has no control or power. Right now I'm pretty jealous of the way America has an indefinable kind of collective joy presently. The hope and triumph of Obama's victory is something that the UK could do well to relish and share in. It would be wonderful to watch an unknown rise out of the obscurity of the general public to lead Britian into a new era. But I don't think that's going to happen, at least not any time soon. Obama is just about the only beacon of light to be seen through the thick smog of the current economic downturn.

When I think about it in my head, I see Britian as depressed and grey, and America as big, bright and colourful. I don't want to emmigrate or anything - everyone I know and love is here - I just think that when I'm working I will want to travel there regularly. I think everyone should have more sun in their lives than what we get here.

The spag bol I made at school today was delicious. I made the dish simple this week because I did my showy marinated chicken breast complete with diced carrots and dauphinoise last week. I'm not very impressed with the way the food department is run. We've been given a half term to cook anything we feel like so long as we photograph two of them for coursework evidence. We don't have set times to cook, so in theory we could just take 2 weeks to cook and the other 4 to do absolutely nothing. That's why it's useful to have a cooking-mad mum - she is teaching me more about the subject than I'm learning at school. That's why I'm not going to do Food for GCSE. 

Josh is wonderful: he is typing out some science for me because I didn't take a sheet by mistake. I really value things like that, and I'll repay him very soon in some form or another. Maybe I could give him a free piano lesson! No, perhaps not. Anyway, I will find a way!

Love.

I'm just going to warn all you lovely readers that the beginning of this post contains a lot of writing that some of you may find a bit too lovey-dovey. If you don't want to read it, skip on. I don't care.

Becky is the most wonderful thing ever to have happened to the world, not least to me. I rang her today, and we had the most lovely chat ever. My life wouldn't be complete if she wasn't in it, and I can not find fault with her. I love her to bits. I just absolutely can't believe that she feels the same way about me, and wake up and go to sleep feeling like the luckiest person in the world.

Maybe you're wretching silently where you  sit now, maybe you're not. But I started this blog to write down what I was feeling, and that's what I've been feeling overwhelmingly today.

There is something strangely and yet incredibly satisfying about doing piano practice with slippers on. I did 1 hour today, which for a Monday is brilliant. Woop woop! I do at least an hour a day on weekdays and 2 hours a day at the weekend. I really have caught the practice bug. I want this distinction extremely badly. I think I will never stop grinning if I get it.

I'm going to go and watch Mock the Week on Dave with my mum now. Dad's asleep (he needs to get to bed early to get up at 4...) and I really don't know what my evenings would be like without Dave on. It's great - I can watch QI, Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You all in a row. Only I've missed QI tonight because of my compulsive blogging. Oh well! 

Extended Curriculum Day tomorrow! Something about jobs, apparently. I will let you know what it's like very soon! x

Crowds

Last night I went to see Oliver in the west end with my parents. It was, on the whole, great. The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, is the most renowned theatre in the world. My dad was company manager there for 4 years, so it was kind of odd for him to be going as an audience member. Rowan Atkinson was fabulous as Fagin. He got a massive cheer as he made his first appearance, and stole the show with "Reviewing the Situation." Burn Gorman (Owen Harper in Torchwood) also impressed me as the flawed and foul Bill Sikes, especially considering this is is first musical. Gwion as Oliver was as good as he could be, since Oliver as a part is a complete wet blanket. Although the title role, Oliver's only there as a pawn for all the other pieces to move around. The Artful Dodger was far more interesting to watch, and in my opinion the boy playing him had far more charisma and charm.

The only slight let-down was Jodie Prenger as Nancy. It was quite funny that in the programme there was so little to say about her past career they wrote "and in 2005 Jodie won first prize in a weight-loss competition: Britain's Biggest Loser." She wasn't appauling, but "as long as he needs me" wasn't nearly as moving as it should have been, and she actually couldn't sing the end of Oom Pa Pa. At least she didn't completely mess it up though, but my mum was saying how being inexperienced vocally means she doesn't have the stamina to carry all the big numbers off every night, which was shown pretty clearly last night. And, even funnier, they've got another actress to play Nancy for 2 nights every week, because Jodie can't manage the full 8 shows! (like everyone else can and does.)

I don't like the London commute. I don't know how Dad does it every day. Everyone is so grumpy! It was so crowded in Covent Garden tube station they had to shut the barrier so that people wouldn't start falling in front of the trains. I found an effective way of dealing with this though: When we were all crowding around, trying to get in the lifts that would take us up to ground level I started loudly and frequently mentioning the opening sequence of "Speed." (a lift gets sabotaged and almost blown up.) People gave me a wide berth from that point on. I was tired on the way home so my mum bought us some Yum Yums from M&S in King's Cross to eat on the train.

I'm looking forward very much to tonight. My friends are wonderful. I only wish Becky could come, but it's not my decision! Becky spoke to me briefly this morning. It was good to see her (her dad has a webcam) and her hair looks great. Actually, why do I always talk about Becky in the third person? She's one of only about 10 people who read this, so I'll write this too. Becky, your hair looks great! You are wonderful in every way. :D  

Izzy's been talking to me this morning too. She is an amazing person, and my longest-standing friend (11 years now!) It's good that I have such strong friends (and I think particularly of Izzy, Helen, Josh and Jamie here) to rely on. Thank you very much.

Wow, haven't I waffled! You all love it really! ;)

Auditions

It's been two days since I last wrote a blog post. That is simply because, for the last 2 days, my days have pretty much been a haze of voices, violins and verisimilitude. Ok, so I'm on the Variety Show committee, which at first made me a bit nervous, as everyone in it is over 2 years older than me. But watching the auditions have been great fun, and I feel totally at ease. My opinions are being taken extremely seriously, which is always good, and we're having a laugh too (not AT the auditionees you understand...no really... Well, moving on...) I'm really chuffed for Becky particularly. Everyone else on the panel kept telling me what an amazingly talented girlfriend I have, and by heck: they're right. Officially I'm not allowed to say yet, but let's just say 3/3 is pretty  incredible.

I watched Derren Brown last night. That was incredible too. I find the psychology of it fascinating, and he is a great showman, very slick. It was good to relax to that from 10-12 last night, because I hadn't stopped properly until that point. The auditions yesterday took me to 7. It comes to something when you leave school after Mr Bacon. Then at 7.30 I had my piano lesson, which I must admit I wasn't looking forward to, but in actual fact was great. Paul says I'm making real progress with my Bach, so the hours I've put into my practice this week have paid off well. Choir was not so good, but still took me till 9.15, and put a strain on my voice that I really don't need right now. But all in all, yesterday was great.

Today I got my Christmas present at last from the lovely Jamie! I know everyone in the whole world but me already knew this, but it's a mandolin case, which I've been needing for ages. I felt ultra cool walking around school with that in my hand today (though admittedly minus the actual mandolin...)

Becky could not be a more wonderful person. Can you love someone too much? I hope not, because if you could, I would have a problem. Not only is she the best person ever; she is amazingly talented at everything, from music to dancing to languages. I can't see myself without her at all.

That's all for tonight, and frankly, I'm tired. I'll find something to blog about tomorrow - I always do. x

I wonder as I wander.

I like words. I like wordplay. That's why the title of this post is "I wonder as I wander." It's the name of a song my mum sings, but it caught my interest. My dad and I have always played wordplay games, like calling people by their names backwards, or trying to have whole conversations using only questions. I think Xela Floow is a pretty classy name to be honest. Some others I've thought of (to save you time because I know you're all trying to work them out now) are Accaber Notgninnip, Lebasi Yecats and Eimaj Wolebmur. Pretty cool, eh?

I've also realised something else today. I think I would die for Becky. Except I wouldn't because she probably wouldn't let me! However, you get what I mean. There is a lot of stuff that I've been thinking these past few days that I don't want to put on the internet. It's all good! It's just the fact that it is so immensely good that I feel it should be kept between me and whoever is concerned.

Mrs Freer was pleased with my maths revision book. I think she thinks I'm a complete nutcase, but then again: she IS a maths teacher. St Cecilia was good today - the problem is I already know Tequila Samba pretty well, so hearing all the other parts being learnt endlessly is a bit dull. Oh well, at least Reza keeps me entertained with his pear fetish.

In the immortal words of Loony Tunes: That's all folks!

For now.

I'm feeling goooooooooood.

I've had a greatly productive day today. That's why I'm writing this blog post now: because I've been so productive that I have nothing urgent to do and it's not even 4pm. AND I didn't even have to get up early to do so. Well, 9 isn't early for me. I woke up to find that my parents had already been out to buy croissants, so there was a nice smell in the house. I had my hair cut yesterday, so I decided to have a shower immediately to get rid of the weird hairdressery thing that happens to hair every time you go.

When I was in St. Ives yesterday I bought myself a complete GCSE maths revision book. I am really chuffed with it - I decided to take an active role in my learning, because I feel I am struggling a bit with my maths work. I understand it all in the lessons, it's just if I was given an exam right now I get the feeling I would fail it. I know all about irrational numbers and surds now, which I shouldn't until year 10, so I feel pretty smug, in a kind of private way.

I got 2 hours of piano practice done this morning, and another hour this afternoon. I did my German revision as soon as I got up, to leave time for this, and it payed off. I really think I can achieve distinction now. The only hurdle I have to overcome is the scales. I can play through the whole prelude and fugue to a passable standard, the Mozart Sonata sounds excellent, and "Vals Romantico" is shaping up well. I'll be fine on sightreading, and great on Aural. It's just that having to learn upwards of 200 scales and arpeggios takes its toll, and they all seem to merge into one monotonous gloop of sound. Oh well, I've just about conquered everything else - what's to stop me conquering this obstacle?

The best thing about today was unquestionably going to Becky's. I feel closer to her now than I ever have. I didn't want to leave that room. Ever. But the main thing is I'm seeing her a lot more now. No, not by any means as much as I want to, but it's heading firmly in the right direction. I like all this writing stuff. Doing this blog has made me write a lot more, and it's a good feeling. Becky says it's possible to use long words without sounding pompous, so I've been trying. Actually, no, I've been endeavoring. 

So, all in all, a very good day. And thank you to everyone who helped make it so. 

Vaguearies

I feel like I'm back at school properly now. Why? Because we had Media. Media is definitely my favourite non-music-related subject currently. Ms Daniel is a great teacher, which is shown through the fact that I'm in my 5th term of being taught by her and she has never once shouted at our class. Anyway the main news from today is as follows:

I just got my first ever GCSE level A star! Admittedly, it was only for one piece of coursework, but the fact that it counts towards my overall grade is very encouraging. I scored 40 out of 40. I'm just a bit pleased. xD

My four favourite friends at the moment are Becky, Izzy, Helen and Jamie. They are really great friends to have, and I couldn't ask for more. My school life wouldn't be half as amazing as it is without these four people. They are wonderful.

I've written short paragraphs today, which is strange for me. I guess my mind is in a bit of a hazy and vague mood at present. Not sure why though! I'm also very tired right now, because I've done a total of 6 miles walking today (from school to home, then to my violin lesson and back).  You know when your legs have done so much walking they look embarrassed? Well, I do now...

Prelude and Fugue.

I started this blog because I had been told that if I was feeling bad it would feel good to let my feelings out. The truth is, though, that the last two months have been very good ones for me. I feel like the luckiest person alive quite a lot of the time. Nevertheless, I enjoy writing and shall continue to do so regularly. 

I feel that I've got off to a good start with the piano improvements I discussed in the previous post. The Bach Prelude is just about conquered, and I'm making good headway into the Fugue that follows it. While I'm on the subject, I feel like explaining a bit more about Bach's 48 Preludes and Fugues. A few years ago, a probe was sent to Mars, in the hope of finding intelligent life. A number of things to represent the human race were placed in this probe. Bach's 48 Prelude's and Fugues were the pieces of music chosen to represent humanity. Many say that Bach's work in these pieces is perfection, and that all music written before and since has failed to match it. It is, then, little wonder that I am putting a lot of time and effort in to making my performance of just one of these pieces.

I'm playing the A flat major one - Bach wrote one in every key, major and minor. This was to show off the newly invented "equal temperament," which basically is how the octave got divided up into 12 notes, as it is today. It's amazing really. I learnt quite a bit of information in "Big Bangs." It's good to know that I'm able to play part of history! I just thought I'd pass some info on, because then it makes reading my blog more worthwhile. x

Icy.

Back to school today. I arrived at quarter to 8, to do some piano practice, and had a chat with Ms Caldwell about various things. Then, I was locked in my form room for an hour and a half. The door was actually locked. Playing cards gets very dull, so I analysed MacMillan's "Missa Brevis," which I had in my bag.

Seeing all the everyone again was great. I forgot how much my friends make me smile. Honestly, my cheeks are hurting now from a combination of that and too much singing this evening. The only downer was not seeing Becky at all today (and that's a big downer). It makes me all the more glad I saw her yesterday. The other notable thing about today has been how slippery it is. Everywhere. Not only in school, where the sport we did in PE was ice hockey, even though it was supposed to be regular hockey, but also walking through a dark, cold, slippery Over to and from my piano lesson. That was unpleasant to say the least. It says something when you hold on tight to a scale book for warmth...

It suddenly hit home today just how frighteningly close my grade 8 piano is. I have 2 months of practice left, and only one of my pieces is distinction standard yet. My scales will come, but that will mean a lot of note hammering. I have to get my fingers properly around the Bach Prelude and Fugue. This particular piece is more maths than music, as you discover when you have to pour over it, analysing every detail of every countersubject and recapitulation. You get my drift. 

Anyway, I know I'll pull through the exam. I can achieve a merit easily. What I have to do between now and March is take my playing to the next level, the level where the examiners consider you special, and give you a distinction. ABRSM Grade 8 Distinction is the most advanced award given before diploma stage, and now that I think about it, this is what I've been working towards for the past 8 years. More hours of my life than I would wish to count have been spent playing the piano. The keyboard feels like an extention of my fingers, and when I play I feel very happy. I just have to prove myself one more time. I've done it seven times before, but there is so much more pressure at grade 8, it's unbelievable.

I've finished my art homework now, which is good. I'm looking forward very much to playing for Becky's choir in the morning. Well, actually, I'm looking forward very much to seeing Becky in the morning. Who cares about small matters like accompanying a choir... xD

Phoenix

Today was a good day. Today was a great day. Today was a fabulous day. Seven and a half hours of singing, in one of the best choirs in the country. Who could want more? Well, probably a deaf man who played sport. Still, I've never met one.

This post is entitles "Phoenix" because that is the working name of the choir. It was "Cambridge and Peterborough Youth Choir" before I got in, but then the conductor resigned from CIMA (and I don't blame him - they are damn inefficient) and formed it as a seperate organisation. Hence the phoenix rising up out of the ashes and all that... Julian is a really inspiring choirmaster, even if I still adopt my "talking to adults sweetly" voice, as Karen noticed! 

I will post a full blog on the choir tomorrow, when the course is finished. For now I have lots of TV to catch up on! This was just to whet your appetites... x

Breathing Space

At about quarter to 4 this afternoon I arrived back home. My mum and I had a bit of an abba fest in the car. Well, you have to pass the 4 hours in some shape or form - endless motorways were not designed for entertainment purposes. After that we listened to the whole of Miss Saigon, which happens to be my favourite musical. It's both intensely moving and uplifting, so check it out at some point.

It feels good to be back in my little bedroom, good to be sitting at my  more-than-moderately cluttered desk, good to hear my parents watching some property show downstairs. I like normal things. I also happen to like amazingly exciting thing like Aldeburgh Young Musicians, but there is a time for the more gentle, pleasing things too.

I will post more later, but tea is ready, and I am hungry. Sounds like a good combination to me...

Big Bangs and Green Beans

Today has been fabulous in as much as nothing tremendously exciting happened. Sometimes the best days are ones in which there is nothing earth-shatteringly amazing going on, and you can just potter about gently getting bits and bobs done.

Due to the celebrations last night, my eyes didn't open till 10 this morning (and make no mistake - that's exceedingly late pour moi.) I then sat in my bed and read for an hour. My bedroom here isn't exactly a bedroom: My grandparents' house is a good size, but only has 2 bedrooms. Obviously, my g/parents sleep in the master, and my mum takes the second. This leaves me in a camp bed in the sun room, which, contrary to what you may think, I really enjoy. I think it suits me - a bedroom with triple aspect windows (hence why it's called a sun room) that is also adjacent to the kitchen. I like the whole getting up in the middle of the night for hot chocolate kind of thing going on. You notice I said I read for an hour this morning. Well, that's one New Year's Resolution that I've started keeping to religiously already.

The book that I'm reading presently is called "Big Bangs," and it's focused around the most important discoveries in musical history. I think I've talked about this before, but it really is an excellent book. Today I've been reading about Bartolomeo Cristofori's invention of the modern piano. My best instrument has a fascinating history, and it's only by luck that the piano as we know it today was even conceived. Indeed, if it had not been for the countless variations on the harpsichord, dulcimer, clavichord and so forth then keyboard instruments would not have got to a point whereby the pathway for a pianoforte became clear. But I digress. Sorry, but you are reading a blog by a music nerd...

After a late breakfast and an even later lunch we watched the Doctor Who Prom on telly! My mum and I were the only people in the room not to fall asleep, but I found it engrossing, if only from a composition point of view. I love watching live orchestras, even just on TV. It is much easier to see how each piece has been orchestrated when it's right in front of you. After that various people went off to bake, others to read. I myself found a dusty old John Rutter CD and put that on to listen to while completing my Media Coursework. ("How are teenagers represented in a range of teenage magazines?") The CD itself was incredible. Rutter writes mainly sacred music, because there is big money in church commisions, and he has a real knack of writing tunes that people want to listen to. My mum came in and started singing along to the "Pie Jesu" from his Requiem, which is always nice.

I got my coursework finished (Hooray!) so now all that I have to do schoolwise is a little art. I spent the rest of the afternoon playing various board games with my mum, aunty and cousin, and that was very fun. Tea was great (as always with my lovely grandma). We had chicken,roast potatoes and green beans. Green beans are my favourite ever vegetable. Honestly, you could give me a plate of green beans and nothing else and I would be more than happy.

I'm going to do an hour on my art now, before watching Jonathan Creek with everyone else at 9. I myself have never seen it, but my mum says it's amazing and that I would love it, and I trust her judgement on just about everything. Mums are always right. I like Alan Davies anyway!

That's all for now, dear readers. I hope the start to your 2009 was as pleasing and restful as mine. x