Tripping the Christmas light fantastic!

I wrote this for a magazine but they couldn't fit it in so I thought I would post it here, I'll probably do another Christmas post as I love it! Here is my Christmas lights piece.....

There are many things that get people in the festive spirit: the change in menu and cups in coffee shops, the Christmas coke coca advert and, of course, people putting up decorations and Christmas lights.


From mid November shopping centres and high streets start to put up their Christmas decorations and lights, the more over the top the better. Christmas is the only time of the year when you can be over the top and tacky, everyone appreciates the effort, people will pull over their cars and stop and stare at the wonder.

Many houses in the region go all out, and in most cases in the name of charity. Christmas is a great excuse for men to get up the ladder and devise a plan on how to do it. It is usually the males of the house who take it as their duty to have the most amazing lights. Some people may even say they are ‘doing it for the kids’ even if themselves don’t have children, it pulls at the heartstrings but you can be sure it is just an excuse for them to go over the top and show the neighbourhood what they can do with loads of electricity.

For those on the hunt for fantastic lights one place to visit is Clanfield, off the motorway on the way to Petersfield, along East Meon Road where two of the houses go over the top in the name of charity. From Santa climbing a ladder to the roof to elves playing on a seesaw, it is a feast for the eyes, and also has loads of people outside looking at all the different lights. If you are lucky you may even stumble across a little cul-de-sac or road, where all the residents have got together, joined all the extension cords they have to create a winter wonderland of lights. Christmas lights cannot help but spread the Christmas cheer.

There is something comforting in the glow of people’s Christmas lights when you are walking home on a rainy, cold and dark winter night. Everyone knows it doesn’t help climate change but they do make a lot of people very happy and we only do it for four or five weeks out of the year, it’s not like they are on 24/7.

If you want to get on the Christmas lights bandwagon but are a novice then a visit to Keydell Nurseries, Havant Road, Horndean, Waterlooville is the place to go. The Christmas store is open now and offers a range of Christmas decorations including an array of lights. The lights they stock include loads of different fairy lights, reindeers, presents and Santas, ranging in prices for every pocket. This year at Keydells is the opportunity for kids to have tea with Santa on the 15th, 16th, 17, 20th and 21st December, children get to enjoy a sit down meal with Santa and choose a present from his special Christmas basket, it is £9.00 per child, for more information visit www.keydellnurseries.co.uk.

Stores such as B&Q and Homebase also stock a range of lights from silhouettes such as ‘Christmas’ and ‘Ho Ho Ho’ to reindeers and Christmas trees. These lights are not cheap though so be warned, prices range from £12.99 to £49.99. When it comes to the price just think of the look of people’s faces when they see all the lights surely it makes it all worth it, also Christmas is every year so you will get the use out of them.

Christmas is the time of year when most people feel a little bit happier. Be it the thought of giving or receiving presents, being able to eat a lot of food and chocolate guilt free or just having paid time off work, it is the perfect opportunity to over indulge in every way including lights and decorations so get in the mood and ignore the electricity bill when it drops on your doormat in January.

One of my boyfriend's lights, he is one of those men who feel they "have" to put lights up...

My recent so called life...

So, since the last September post, other than starting my course, not a lot has been happening really. I have been to a couple of gigs; I saw We Are Scientists, McFly (I went with my sister who is a big fan...), and I will be seeing Paul Weller tonight. Gigs next year so far are Beady Eye, Glee, Kylie, Katy Perry and Take That. Very excited for all of them, next year should be good for gigs.


I’ve seen some good films, The Runaways, which was fantastic. I really admire what Joan Jett and Cherie Currie achieved. I was a little freaked out that they were only 15 or 16 but what they did in the music world, being the first girl punk band, it was a man's world and they burst through it was really interesting. Saw Toy Story 3 as well, which was pretty immense, not as good as the other but still good.

I am still trying to get through my Jackie Kennedy biography; I’m not finding it difficult to read, it is just trying to find time to read that is the problem. It is a really interesting book though, te way her dad was a serial womanizer and put her mum through hell, and yet Jackie knew about J.F. Kennedy’s indiscretions and just let him get away with it. I am only up until to when John is voted in as President and he has already cheated on her loads. It’s funny what some women will put up with for love.

I have a lot of fiction books to read, most of which I have borrowed from friends. Then I need to read the biography on Queen Victoria, which I have had for ages, ever since I saw the Young Victoria and thought she was really influential and interesting.


As Christmas approaches I have noticed an array of Marilyn Monroe books hitting the shelves and they have all gone on my list. People have said that I already have too many, but can I help if new books come out with new things in them!

New article: http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk/launch.aspx?referral=other&refresh=Cg419Q0ai6N0&PBID=898dcbba-75b6-419a-989f-aa69bed7582e&skip=

I also will have my Weller gig review in the paper tomorrow.

That's all I think, I am going to try and post more often.

So in the words of one of my favourite films "thanks for stopping by."*





*Anchorman in case you were wondering.

The life and times of a trainee journalist

I started the course about a month and a half ago and it seems the longest month and a half of my life.

After being out of education for three years, going back to college was always going to be hard, but going into an intensive journalism course was surely me with my hand over the self destruct button. However, with my aspirations of becoming a journalist in the forefront of my mind there was no other alternative.

The course itself is amazing, I am learning so much so quickly. Before I was snowed under with page budgets, corrections and author emails, now my life is filled with shorthand, articles, news stories, patch work and PA assignments.

I’m not moaning, even though it must come across that way, I really do love the course, especially when I think that in less than six months I will be a qualified journalist. It will be a good feeling to be able to introduce myself as a journalist, and then to quickly have to defend the profession I am going in to, saying I don’t want to write about sleaze or trip people up just to get a good story.

The title of the post is the life and times of a trainee journalist. To be honest the life aspect would be that my life on the whole has come to a standstill. They do warn you in the interview, but you think that they just do it to give you the worst case scenario, they aren’t it is the truth! Every waking moment (and some of my dreams) is filled with the various elements of the course, I’m starting to have dreams filled with shorthand, and this is no way good for my sanity.

I am in week eight and so far I have transformed in two ways. Firstly, I used to be a very together, organised person. However, with the course practically taking over my life and head, I am starting to slip, so much so that the other week I actually got on the wrong train to London, much to the confusion of my friend. I have bought a little whiteboard though to keep track of all my homework and help arrange my life.

Secondly, the course has given me a new found confidence. I have always been pretty confident. I have never minded talking to people, working in Superdrug from when I was 16 to 21 I had to talk to people and I loved that aspect of the job. The only hurdle I had was caring what people thought of me. I read a piece by Lorraine Candy (editor in chief of Elle) and one of the main points she said to being a journalist is to be fearless, as if you care what people think of you, you can’t walk into a room and interview Brad Pitt or Dolce and Gabbana. This course so far has helped me step tentatively over this. Ok, sometimes I do have the panic but on the whole I feel very confident asking people about stuff and not thinking that I look like an idiot.

Overall, the course is amazing and helping me achieve my dream of becoming a successful journalist. Here’s to the future... if I get through the course with my sanity that is.