Amazing pub food at the Five Horseshoes, Maidensgrove

At last, a pub with fantastic food, the best I've had in ages. The Five Horseshoes in Maidensgrove we'd happened upon by accident before during a walk.


This time we'd intented to go to the Fox and Hounds, Christmas Common and start and finish a walk from there. That pub is closed until May 6th (something to do with renovation for a BBC programme involving Raymond Blanc) so we asked a local who suggested the 'shoes. And luckily it was the one we'd been trying to refind for a while! And it's a lovely drive from Bucks there, on the Oxfordshire border. The views from the garden are outstanding - of the rolling Chilterns, but do take a fleece as the wind can whip through even as the sun is pouring down.

I had duck rillets and herbland gnocchi, and Paul had pigs trotters and chilterb lamb. Beautifully presented and delish.

Well Done Birmingham City

It's hard being a Birmingham City fan, there're joys and sorrows too. Well done on promotion to the Premiership (automatic too, thanks to Derby's defeat at Palace). And particularly thanks to manager Steve Bruce, who has had a hard time from fans, and still held the faith. XXX

a present for Dad

For Dad's upcoming 74th birthday, what DO you get? He's got everything. My folks have just moved house, and have bought everything they need.

Something I had thought of actually having seen his existing one, bought by my mum donkeys ago, Dad said he needed a new conference/folio holder. (at 74? Yeah, I know, but amongst many other things he is my business manager, and still works as a consultant to the quantity surveying industry, plays golf, amateur dramatics, dinner parties, a social whirl like no other.)

Couldn't be faffed to schlep to Milton Keynes to have a look in, where, John Lewis? Quick scan online and found just what I wanted, from luggage/leather goods specialist www.goplaces.co.uk. Arrived two days later.

Perfect. I quite want one! And it has retractable handles so it doubles up as thin briefcase. Perfect again.

staggeringly staggering shoes - literally

We love topshop, if only to inject a bit of wistful girldom into a hanging-on-in-there-to-39 year old's dreams of being super stylish all the time. Which is difficult in the country, I mean, who is going to wear these heels to the local pub when you are jostling with farmers and builders? But in the quest to retain some zing, somehow, I manage....

Keane's Bedshaped Vid link

Keane's ethereal Bedshaped vid

Boooooo to Adobe

Really miffed with Adobe. Crap, smug customer service.

When I plugged my Blackberry Pearl into my Sony Vaio, Adobe Photoshop Starter Edition launched, and automatically downloaded photos from my phone. Ah, quite handy I thought, like that. Easy to file, email etc. Good product. It asked me to register which I ignored. Then it stopped working. So I registered to "unlock" it as it asked me. Did that, got he code emailed to me, unlocked it, and nothing happened. ARghghgh.

Contacted customer support, with some bored techy saying they didn't support it over the phone and I had to raise a web case online. Did that. Got a reply within a couple of days (speedy, huh) which said to call the support desk. Which I had done in the first place. Duh. Another bored, smug techy said as it was a free product he didn't support it, "I only support paying customers".

Given the fact that I hadn't ASKED for the product in the first place, what a complete pain and waste of time.

Boo to Adobe. Will be spreading the word.

Super-Skinny Me: The Race to Size Zero Channel 4

I've not generally been a fan of Kate Spicer, apart from when she pipped someone else I dislike (a fellow student at City University's post grad diploma in journalism - she's now a very successful novelist. Humpf) to a sex columnist job on GQ. I think perhaps it is her natural facial expression as seen on Masterchef, eyes bulging and nose turning up with pomp and circumstance at the poor contestants' food. Also perhaps because it seems to me that most of the women I dislike show traits that are very clear in myself. (I don't have bulging eyes, but then, neither does Kate...)

But I was engrossed in Super-Skinny Me: The Race to Size Zero on Channel 4. Kate was an overweight girl in a mostly boy boarding school (I'm guessing Marlborough?) and, like pretty much every woman I know at one stage or another has a propensity towards eating disorders major or minor.

Her journey was vile. Read it in The Times. I hope she has got over it.

The Underdog Show Judge Fiasco

How disgraceful were Peter Purves (weirdo) and the other judges on The Underdog Show, being so rude and judgemental to Huey from the Fun Lovin Criminals and Caspar, the lovable rescue dog he was training.

And then they put him in the final two along with Selina and Chump! FIX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pubs Please Stock Becks No Alcohol Beer!

Me and him on usual post Easter mini detox (just three weeks instead of the bi-annual five weeks) and love Becks No Alcohol bottles, (Cobra not quite as nice and brands like Bitburger, yeuch).

But when we're out and about walking at the weekends the lovely country pubs don't serve any decent no alcohol beers. Why not? I'm sure that even people drinking pints might switch to zero alcohol if they don't want to drink anymore but do want to stay in the pub longer.

this weekend, tulips and walks

Tulips are looking stunning.

Great yomp through the Chilterns nr Princes Risborough, some great lanes and hidden pubs.

ahhh. John Taylor's full Sunrise vid

Click on this link to see the JT Sunrise video:
The man himself. Sigh.

Sainsbury's bans disposable bags for one day as part of green drive

Sainsbury's banned disposable bags for one day as part of a green drive. For one day? How big of them.

All those celebs/fashionistas snapping up the Anya Hindmarch for Sainsburys "This Is Not A Plastic Bag" bags, which they'll carry for, oo, one nano second pap shot whilst it is cool to be green...

If you charge 10p for every plastic bag in any shop then people will soon start bringing their own bags. It's a habit people would get used to, it would become second nature.

New (ish) Parents

And while I'm at it, to the parents of the toddler with the weary grandparents (who were completely ignored by said selfish people) who loudly proclaimed and huffed and puffed in the garden of the Hare & Hounds, Biggleswade, Beds, on Sunday: "We don't care that our food is late, we've asked TWICE for Billy's ice cream to be brought out here immediately" - GET A LIFE AND STOP ANNOYING EVERYONE ELSE.

This pic is of the Rose and Crown, Biggleswade, not the H&H....

Keen To Be Green - 77% of Brits Feel Guilty About Not Doing Environmentally Friendly Activities

KEEN TO BE GREEN – 77% OF BRITS FEEL GUILTY ABOUT NOT DOING ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES

Even though 88% of Brits switch off unused lights, 86% recycle waste, 72% use energy efficient light bulbs and 67% don’t leave electrical appliances on standby; 77% of Brits still feel guilty about not doing enough environmentally friendly activities, according to a report into climate change by Continental/KNOTs Research

Driving made Brits feel most guilty, with 27% feeling they should use public transport rather than a car and 22% feeling they should drive using an alternative fuel. 18% felt guilty about not recycling enough waste, 10% about not switching off lights, and 9% about the amount of air travel they do.

ACTIVITIES FELT GUILTY ABOUT BECAUSE COULD DO MORE OF

	UK
Use public transport rather than car	27%
Drive using an alternative fuel such as electricity, gas etc	22%
Don’t leave electrical appliances on standby	22%
Use solar or other alternative power in your home	23%
Recycle waste	18%
Use energy efficient light bulbs	14%
Insulate your home to conserve heat	10%
Switch off unused lights	10%
Use a thermostat to regulate heating in home	10%
Reduce the amount of air travel you do	9%
Use dishwasher/washing machine when have full load	5%
Net Guilty	77%
Net not guilty	33%

Base: online UK adults 267

Colin Shaddick, director, Continental Research, said: “We found the results from our research eye-opening. People are very worried and passionate about the environment. Most people realised that they could not just sit back and expect governments to be responsible, and that every individual has to contribute to making a difference. What the world needs to know, and fast, is what actions need to be taken to control the situation and enable us all to start taking these now.”

Also in the report:

• Level of concern about climate change
• Rating of Government efforts
• Country responsibility
• Country doing the least
• Changes noticed in the weather
• Helping the environment
• Green tax on airline fuel
• Alternative energy sources favoured
• Attitudes to Global warming

The survey was also carried out in Japan, USA and Germany enabling the views of the UK population on climate change to be compared to other major developed countries. A copy of the full report is available from Continental Research.

Editor’s Notes

Continental Research is a full service research agency based in the UK. It carries out online surveys worldwide with its partner KNOTs Research which has offices in Europe and Japan. Continental was founded in 1989 and specialises in media, public sector, travel, advertising and financial research.

The climate change report was produced by Continental’s Public Sector team and our worldwide online research partner KNOTs Research. Complimentary copies of the report are available from Continental Research.

Colin Shaddick – Director

Tel: +44 207 490 9103

colin.shaddick@continentalresearch.com

Louise Stacey – Director

Tel: +44 207 490 9110

louise.stacey@continentalresearch.com

www.continentalresearch.com

Julian Clary and Selina Scott - give 'em a show

BBC's The Underdog Show - absolutely hilarious, nowhere else could JC's heavily loaded comments "Judge Annie, who is king of your ring?" be aired without some serious huffing from the general public... and Selina, who manages to get her bra unhooked by Chump "he was washing up between my legs". C'MON BBC! Give them a double act.

Adieu Gucci Accenti

Farewell, then, to my Gucci Accenti perfume, the first scent Paul bought me, from Rome airport if I recall, about seven years ago. I wear a variety of perfumes, mostly Prada, Prada Tendre, Gucci, and Chanel (Chance and No.5) but the whiff of this one reminds me of the early days of courting.

Not bearing to throw the bottle away, it now adorns my knicker draw.

Majestic Wines - great customer service

Ooh we like Majestic Wines. I'd picked up a flyer on a recent visit to Cape Town for www.sawinesonline.co.uk which is a SA wine specialist delivering in the UK. It did not stock our favourite SA wine, Eikendal chardonnay, which is from a Stellenbosch vineyard. Google came up with a sponsored search from Majestic, flagging up a promotion which was 20% off SA wines. With a minimum order of 12 bottles (of wine from the website) and free delivery, yes please and thank you. I placed an order, saving me about £25, and within 20 minutes the store closest to me, Aylesbury, rang me up asking whether I would be in in about half an hour and could they deliver then. Smashing.

Few weeks later, driving past the Berkhamsted branch, the offer was still on so stopped off to pick up some more plus some scrummy white burgundy Macon Fuisse. The staff were falling over backwards to be helpful in a non obtrusive way, asked if we wanted to be on the mailing list, so we said yes, but of course my details were already on the database from my previous order. About three or four weeks later I get a personalised DM, reminding me of the Majestic Wine services and offers, some of which (the services I mean) I was unaware of.

Smashing service, smashing company. Hurrah.