Why do all good things come to an end?

This weekend has been one of the best I have had in a very long time. It might have been one of the busiest but also one of the funniest.

On Friday, five workmates came up to London and I met up with them and stayed with them until today (Monday). I am now extremely tired and I think the amount of wine I have drunk is taking its toll!

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So, what did we do that was so good. On Friday we went to Rainforest Cafe for a meal before going to see Mamma Mia! at the Prince of Wales theatre. The show was fantastic, with a relatively small cast, but everyone was up dancing to the songs in the grand finale. There was a great atmosphere and even one of my workmates that hates Abba was up on her feet!

Saturday we were up really early. I don’t think I have seen 6:30 in the morning for quite some time. But we had eaten breakfast and were in Knightsbridge by 8:15. There was a parade organised by Harrods to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. The film was also the stores theme for Christmas and a fake snow machine turned the outside of Harrods into a winter wonderland.

After Harrods we went to Buckingham Palace and were heading for Petticoat Lane market when we get distracted by a film crew just off Liverpool Street. We were even more shocked when Clint Eastwood walked out of a small cafe. He was directing his new film, ‘Hereafter’ so we stayed and watched some of the filming before going back to the pub. We had a nice meal in a restaurant called Biagio’s in Piccadilly.

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Sunday morning we had an hour longer in bed before making our way to the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday. The sheer presence of people made it very humbling and although we were stood in the same place for four hours, it was a great experience. We even saw BBC newsreader, Sophie Raworth. I would definitely go again next year.

After the Cenotaph we walked to Covent Garden and had some lunch. I found some mulled wine and we had a look around the stalls and watched some of the street performances before making our way back to the South Bank where we had a 5:00 flight on the London Eye, complete with a glass of champagne. Although it was dark, London looked spectacular. It is such a lovely city anyway and in the dark it really was breathtaking.

We were going to go back to Covent Garden but were too tired, so settled for a Wetherspoons in Trafalgar Square before catching a bus to Harrods to see the lights. ‘The Emerald City’ as Harrods is currently known looked absolutely amazing. After taking numerous photos we made our way back to where we were staying and drank too much wine. So much in fact that four of us ended up walking down Oxford Street in our pyjamas and I climbed onto the top shelf in one of the wardrobes.

Regardless of the final nights antics, the weekend was really enjoyable. They are booked up for next November as well. But today I am very tired. I think I will watch a bit of TV and then have an early night because I really need it!

What To Watch – Wednesday 1st April

WATERLOO ROAD

Are Rachel and Eddie a couple? (Source: What's On TV)

BBC ONE 8:00 PM

Eddie (Neil Morrissey) is in charge tonight and following the kiss with Rachel (Eva Pope) at the bowling alley, are the pair together or still fighting with their feelings for one another? Back at school and Janeece’s idea of a boob job does not go down very well and causes a stir among some of the pupils. Rose, who had seemed to pull herself together reaches rock bottom and is found drunk in the canteen. Will she be back to her old ways or could help from Kim (Angela Griffin) help her get back on track? Meanwhile the school is turned into a riot zone when some traveller children enrol.

 

THE APPRENTICE

BBC ONE 9:00 PM

Week two and Sir Alan sets the 14 remaining candidates the task of setting up their own catering businesses in the City. Clients will include businessmen in high paid jobs. The teams need their businesses to stand out and need to pitch their ideas to become a lunchtime business company for some of the top firms in London. Not only must the teams come up with the ideas, they must also make and serve the food to the clients as well as thinking of something different and interesting. As ever the clients are not the easiest of people to pitch to and perfection is key if the teams want to win the task. One will not and Nick and Margaret will be with them every step of the way, right up until Sir Alan utters the words nobody wants to hear, “You’re fired!”

 

THE APPRENTICE: YOU’RE FIRED!

Nick will be giving his opinion on the fired candidate (Source: Daily Mail)

BBC TWO 10:00 PM

With the catering task done and dusted and someone fired, Adrian Chiles chats to the candidate that did not make it to week three. On the panel tonight, Sir Alan’s aide Nick Hewer and MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace. What will he think of the catering task? Maybe there are some budding MasterChef’s in the boardroom. And what about the fired candidate? Should they have stayed or was it time for them to leave? As ever, Adrian will be there to see the funny side of what some of the candidates did or did not do.

Regent’s Park a home from home?

Regents Park (Source: BBC)

Living in the country as I have mentioned before is very different to living in a city, let alone the Capital. Today, as the sun was shining I whimsically decided to venture into Central London. I thought that seeing as the weather was so good I would walk down the Southbank from The Eye to Tower Bridge. I got on the tube and when I changed at Baker Street I decided that maybe Regent’s Park would be a nicer place to go.

I think that the Marylebone/Regent’s Park/Baker Street area of London has to be one of my favourites. I have vague memories of Regent’s Park from when I was younger when we used to come to London. One memory that stands out in my head was the amount of squirrels there used to be in Regents Park. I could not remember where in the park we used to go and had honestly forgotten how big it was. I walked around the Queen Mary’s Gardens, saw the open-air theatre and followed a path that kept me walking for what seemed like miles. I could still see the row of houses that bordered the park though.

I then found a bench, sat down and watched people. Some were reading books, some were walking around looking at the various trees and flowers and others were having picnics and enjoying the weather. It really was a complete contrast to what I would have seen if I had been on Oxford Street.

The thing I like about Regent’s Park is that as soon as you walk through the gates and as soon as you start walking up one of the various pathways you could be anywhere. The last place you think of is the centre of London and you seem to forget the endless traffic queues on Marylebone Road, the bustle of Oxford Circus and city life. I guess that is why I like Regents Park so much, it reminds me of home. Somewhere I will be in 4 days!

BBC Television Centre…twice this week!

Yes you are probably going to think that I am EXTREMELY sad but I have been to BBC Television Centre in White City twice this week to watch recordings of shows.

On Wednesday I went along with two friends to see the ITV1 game show Golden Balls, fronted by the one and only Jasper Carrott. Well it was an interesting experience, there were only about 20 of us in the audience and had to be extra loud. It was good to see though how a TV show is put together, even if it did take three hours. 

The highlight of Goldenballs was the fact that there was a £62,000 ball in play (if you know the game you will know what I am talking about, if not then you are probably completely lost). The highest win could of been over £80,000 but that was not to be as an evil “killer” ball was found. The prize money stood at just over £18,000 and the female contestant stole the lot! She then went and collapsed backstage, probably because she felt so awful…erm not!

Now we come onto tonight and trip number two to the Beeb. This time for a new lottery quiz show fronted by….DALE WINTON! I know I probably sound extremely enthusiastic at the choice of presenter but I have to say, he was rather funny. The show, called “We Know Where You Live” a spooky title in my opinion, is all about postcodes. Now, I am sure I am doing nothing to sell this to you but believe me, even if nobody else had fun I did! The buzz of being there watching how a show is put together is miles away from the state of mind you are in when you watch it on TV! 

This was very different to Golden Balls. For a start there was a much bigger audience and the audience participation was much more alive. We had to sing to the theme music, clap, laugh and laugh even more when the technical things didn’t quite go right. Unfortunately we were (and I hate to say this) ‘guinea pigs’ as the show was only a pilot, but all being well it will be made into a proper series later this year. It’s going to have to be, Winton has just signed an estimated £750,000 deal to stay with the Beeb and present their lottery shows. And with his last lottery show “In It To Win It” pulling in well over seven million viewers, I think it could be possible that “We Know Where You Live” will soon be making it’s way into our homes every Saturday night.

Electric cars. The future?

My alarm went off at 6.00 in the morning, a time I haven’t seen for quite some time. Dragging myself out of bed and into the shower was an effort but I managed it because I knew it would be worth it. Today was the day I would go against everything I have previously said. Today I was test-driving an ELECTRIC car!

No petrol, not much speed and I was hoping just about enough room to fit my 6ft 2 lanky self in. I could see a Clarkson moment coming. I was of course not alone, mu accomplice and partner in crime Tom came with me, only to watch me attempt to get into the car and then to drive it.

I feel it is time to tell you what car I was test driving. Enter the G-Wiz…

…a two door city car. It has back seats but you need to be an elf or a hobbit to sit comfortably and the boot is more like a cubby hole. However practically speaking it isn’t a bad car. OK so it is not the fastest car but it is not meant to be. It runs on electricity and at it’s best you will get 40 miles out of a full charge. Ideal for commuters and with the ability to park and charge in areas of Central London it is a real money saver. Down the dual-carriageway in ‘boost’ mode this little electric engine will take you to 50 mph. Not bad for a car that is not much bigger than a wheelie-bin.

The suspension is hard, driving over a drain feels like you are driving up over the peak of a mountain. However with that put aside, I actually liked the G-Wiz. It was nippy at the traffic lights but I could not get on without a clutch. I love to change gear and with only the two pedals (much like an automatic transmission) I always felt as though I was going to stall which is just ridiculous because it is not possible. 

The G-Wiz has many good points, it does not require road tax, Boris has made it exempt from the Congestion Charge and deals can be done to buy both the car and a parking space if you live in Central London. There is an insurance plan and if you order online, all you have to do is put your card details in and the car is delivered to your door. That’s cool! A mail order car. Although in the long run you are going to save buckets of cash, I do think that the £8000 price tag is a bit steep. You could get a Ford Fiesta for that money and actually have five seats to sit in. However for a city commuter, the G-Wiz is an ideal choice and I think that in the future, more will be seen in and around the Capital.