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This past weekend was Birmingham Pride, and my husband asked me if he could write a guest blog post for me about Pride and what it means to him.  Below were his observations of the weekend. I’m 42 and have no idea what music kids today listen to – indeed I had no idea who most of the performers on the main stage were. Saturday’s main stage line up I knew two out of 15 acts, and Sunday four out of 13. The DJ I saw on the main stage was a performer – not just filler between acts –...

I think it’s something I am reasonably qualified to do, certainly more so than tiling (tried that once, never again) or football.   I also believe it’s a part of the greeting card industry that some people within don’t like to acknowledge and yet rightly or wrongly it’s the one aspect of the industry that often generates the most media attention.  This was very much in evidence towards the end of January when a less than kind post on Mumsnet about some of my ruder Valentine’s cards made it to a selection of national tabloids. I’m very proud of my place...

This week the UK said goodbye to Big Brother! When it started I loved it, do you remember Caggy from the first series? It became a very different programme over the years, budgets went up, media coverage exploded, and careers were made and forgotten about. Of course it reached it’s peak with the Davina parody character’s iconic line “You’re live on Channel 4 – don’t say fuck or bugger!” I probably stopped watching around the 2005 / 2006 series, you can work out when you stopped watching Big Brother with this handy listing of all the Big Brother winners on the BBC....

We’ve been trawling through what the ladies and gents around the world are asking about our favourite person, Donald Trump. Yes we can do that, didn’t you know? And I have to say, the game’s up. We know exactly what it is that you’ve been asking Google about him and we’re here, right now, to answer some of those really burning questions.  Not the ordinary ones, mind you, like ‘What are his views on this or that international crisis’ I’m talking the big issues that you obviously really want to know, like Donald Trump’s height, age and ‘Is he in today?’....

Not long now until the John Lewis 2016 Christmas advert is on, the first showing of the Coco-Cola Holidays are Coming advert and the shops are full of Christmas gifts, decorations and adverts. Wait, the shops are already full of Christmas stuff and its only November!? Every year there are complaints about shops being full of Christmas merchandise and signs way too early – people like to keep Christmas special, preserve the magic and build up to December. And that is very understandable, last night driving into Birmingham I passed a house that already has its Christmas tree and decorations...

That’s pretty damn scary.  I’m getting twitchy sweats just posting this.  Hope you’re all having a pretty dam scary Halloween Weekend!

So last night the wait was finally over.  I got my Walking Dead fix back and boy wasn’t that a grueling and brutal season premiere? I ain’t gonna give any spoilers away in case you haven’t seen it yet but the recipient of Negan’s bat Lucille was revealed and it didn’t disappoint.  Walking Dead has never held back on the violence which is great for a gore hound like me (I was watching video nasties back when I was ten) but last night’s episode was just about watchable.  Not only for its brutality but for the complete feeling of helplessness Negan has...

One of my favourite magazines to read (or look longingly at the pictures) is Conde Nast Traveller.  A lot of whats in there one can’t afford but there’s always lots to enjoy and I did pick the Villa in Mallorca for my 40th Birthday and my tour of Burma directly from it so it does inspire. They’ve got one monthly section I always enjoy called Where in the World where they interview someone famous and glamorous about how and where they travel.  I love to know other people’s little travel secrets and tips so in honour of that article here’s mine....

With all the ongoing dramas over the Great British Bake Off this new card that I launched in September has proven to be very popular.   I love the image (it’s one of those designs where I came up with the punchline within about three minutes of seeing it) and I must admit it speaks to be as a vegan skeptic.  I mean I eat vegan food often, not because I need or want to but because I just don’t think about it.  But one area of cooking where I find it difficult to realise is baking.  I’m not an...

I came. I saw. I conquered. That’s the trade show season over with for this year and only another four months until it starts all over again with Top Drawer Spring in the cold depths of January.  Let’s not think about that just yet though. I can’t lie and say it was the most amazing show ever as it wasn’t and shows have changed for all exhibitors over the sixteen years that I have been doing them.  Footfall was particularly quiet on this one so it’s good that I got the orders I did.  Still it was as always fun to...