Tag Archives: Love Cheese
Magic Time in York
During lockdown one for my birthday in 2021 Lynda bought us an online Cheese and Red Wine tasting experience from a place in York called Love Cheese. It was very nicely done they sent you the cheese and wine in advance, it was all clearly numbered. Then on the actual set night the owners of the company did a Facebook Live where they took you through all the pairings. They were very good at explaining the origins and flavours of the food and drinks and saying why they had put them together. It lasted about an hour and a quarter. We enjoyed the first one so much we actually did another one about a month or so later, this time with a mixture of different wines and cheeses. Once again it was good fun. The couple who run it seemed extremely passionate about the subject and were also a good laugh.
It was nice to see a small business use the fact they had to close their shop to improve their customer base across the whole of the country. We decided that we wanted to go to their shop in York and experience what we had enjoyed online in person. It was Lynda’s Birthday on Tuesday so last weekend we went to York to do a bit of sightseeing and to visit Love Cheese.
We got the train there from London on the Friday evening. That did mean that we did not arrive until gone half nine. I had booked us into a nice little guest house called The Judges Court right in the centre of York. The rooms were styled like Judge’s lodgings so they were a little bit quirky and different.
Once we had checked in and dropped our bags off we headed out and found a bar around the corner for a few drinks. We decided not to stay out to late as we wanted to make the most of the one full day we had there. That said we still did not make it out of our hotel until after eleven o’clock on the Saturday.
After a quick look round to get our bearings we decided to get some food. We were planning on doing quite a bit of walking so decided that we better take on some fuel first. We found a Bill’s that actually had a table. It turns out that York is very popular at weekends in half term so it was extremely busy and booking in advance was advised.
I had a lovely three course meal including a tasty parsnip soup, steak and a very nice apple crumble. They were brilliant with me being a coeliac and made sure all my food was gluten free and served with an allergen flag in it, which I always like as I feel safe that I can relax and enjoy my food.
After we had eaten we visited the remains of York Castle before a walk along the city walls. There is something special about walking on that many years of history. We followed them all the way around to York Minster. When I was at Primary School we had a week away in Yorkshire staying in Scarborough. And did one day in York so I had been inside the Minster before but this time we just decided to have a walk round the outside and then grab a hot drink at a Cafe’ with it right in front of us.
Then we had a quick look at The Shambles. It seemed to be full of Harry Potter fans queuing to get into the magic and potion shops. After a bit of research it turns out that many fans think part of one of the movies was filmed there, although it was not. However they did shoot some scenes at York Railway Station. From here we went back to our hotel room to get ready for the main point of the whole trip.
Love Cheese has a little restaurant area where you can eat and drink called the Speak Cheesy. I had booked us a table there for 5pm. We got there bang on time and the very friendly staff showed us to our seats and gave us the menus. They offer various cheese related options and a nice and varied wine list.
We opted for a glass of wine each and got the five cheeses tasting option to try. Here you tell the waiter what sort of cheeses you like or do not like and they supply a selection of five of them to try with chutney and crackers. They are fully on board with serving gluten free people like me and made sure I had gluten free crackers and safe cheese options.
The servings of each piece of cheese were generous. When they were delivered each of them were described to us so we knew what texture and flavours to expect. You can then enjoy the cheese and wine at your own pace. We sampled each piece together in order while comparing notes. They serve it beautifully on a slate with of course proper cheese knives.
We were enjoying ourselves so much we ordered another glass of a different wine each to try and then got another three cheeses to taste. All of the cheeses were lovely although we of course did have our favourites. Having spent a great couple of hours in there we left feeling nice and full of cheese and having thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. We were pleased we had discovered them online and actually managed to get there in person and see it for ourselves.
We then went and had a few more wines in one of York’s many pubs. I mentioned earlier that is was so busy that you needed to book to eat. We were not sure if we would still be hungry after our cheese fest but just in case we booked a table at The Ivy for 9.30pm. We decided to keep the booking and have some food as it is a chain that we both like but had not been to for a while. Happily once again the Staff were fully aware of the issues of a Coeliac and gave me several gluten free options to choose from.
The original plan was just to have a main each so I had the Aromatic Duck Curry, which was nice. When I had finished it I did end up ordering a dessert as in my world a meal should always end with something sweet. Just in case you are interested I had the Creme’ Brulee’. It was another enjoyable dining experience.
We then called it a night and retired to the Judges Court. The next morning, we had to check out by eleven but the train was not until three. We left our bags at the hotel and then returned to Bills for an epic Pancake and syrup breakfast.
Then we decided to take in some history so we went to the York Castle Museum. It was really good. There are the remains of an old prison there to look at, it is where the highwayman Dick Turpin was held before his execution. They have also reconstructed a whole Victorian Street inside. They were the two main highlights for me.
It was then time to collect our bags and make our way to the station to catch the train home. We had a great weekend. York is a really nice, historic and friendly place with lots of things to do. We could easily have spent a few more days there. I think we may have to have a repeat visit at some point if for no other reason than to go to Love Cheese again.
I first discovered The Mischief Theatre Company when a mate and I went to see a midweek matinee of a new show called The Play That Goes Wrong. It was the most I think that I have ever laughed at the theatre. I really enjoyed it. Their idea started off as a play at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and then via the West End made it to Broadway.
A couple of years later I went to see their next show that was called The Comedy About a Bank Robbery. Once again I thought it was brilliant. From there the group have ended up making regular television series and one off specials, all of which I have enjoyed.
They put on a production a couple of years ago called Groan Ups, which again was very clever and very funny. I have seen all of their productions in London and with the original cast many of who were the founding members of the group. They are all extremely talented and good at what they do. I only just managed to catch their most recent show before it closed in London.
While they were in America with The Play That Goes Wrong they met the American magicians Penn & Teller. I am not totally sure how the next bit happened but they ended up working on a new show together called Magic Goes Wrong. This was the final one of their productions so far that I had not seen.
I caught it in the last week of its run. It did what the title said with lots of magic tricks going wrong but as we know from the great Tommy Cooper getting a trick wrong with perfect timing is almost as tough as getting it right. It was quite an interactive show with lots of audience participation. Penn & Teller devised and designed all the magic included in the show and some of them do really work and it is amazing when they do.
The show is fast paced, funny and very well performed. Extremely entertaining and it does keep you guessing a bit about what will happen next. It gives the illusion at least of a fair amount of danger. As ever with The Mischief Theatre company stuff I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I am already looking forward to seeing whatever they come up with next.
Before we went to see Magic Goes Wrong we had a meal at Browns. One of the main reasons we went there is because they are Coeliac accredited which means it is a safe place for me to eat as regards to gluten free food with no risk of contamination. It also means that there is a good selection of dishes on the menu that I can have.
In the end I opted for their prawn and lobster pasta dish followed by some Eaton Mess for my pudding. This set me up nicely for our trip to the theatre. The Staff were good in there and I would certainly eat there again.
This was the weekend of Storm Franklin and we managed to get the timing of the walk from the restaurant to the theatre totally wrong. It was tipping down with rain and because of the very strong winds it was coming horizontally at us rendering the tiny umbrella I had as useless and meaning we were completely soaked by the time that we arrived.
It did not spoil the night despite being a bit damp during the entire performance, as it was actually to celebrate the second anniversary of mine and Lynda’s first date. We had a fun and lovely evening despite the challenging weather.
I was delighted that after a couple of months rest one of my horses Proclaimer won on his comeback at Kempton. He had won four out of his last five previous races before the trainer Julie Camacho had decided that he needed some time out of the action.
He looked very good on his return and I hope to see him possibly run a few more times over the next two months, ideally with similar results. One of my other horses is currently being lined up to run in one of the big hurdle races at Cheltenham later this month which is very exciting.
I have mentioned this before but I have some sort of problem with my ears in that they build up with all kinds stuff and need to be in effect hoovered out about every six months ideally. I should stress this is by a medical professional using equipment designed for this task. Due to the current situation it had been longer than usual since I last had the procedure.
It was so overdue I was having trouble hearing, getting headaches and struggling a bit with my balance. I had it done this week and it was like suddenly getting surround sound back in my life. I feel so much better for it, really is quite weird as it creeps up on you as time goes by and then when you have them looked at it is only then you realise how bad they really were! I am all good now for another six months!
A quick reminder that you can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/
Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.
Virtual Insanity
This time last year I was in Australia enjoying my first ever trip there visiting some relatives and doing a mini tour of some select areas of the country. What a difference a year makes back then I was able to travel to the other side of the world, now I am not even able to leave my house unless I have good reason to. I am not complaining by the way just highlighting the difference with the situations, while being very thankful that I even managed to get a holiday in last year. Mind you with the way the weather has been recently I really wish I was back there now enjoying some sunshine.
Things continue to move in the right direction. We just need to be a bit patient and hold our nerve still. The lockdown is working happily the number of deaths are decreasing. Less people are in hospital and the vaccines delivered are going up all the time. Both of my parents have had their first injections, which is excellent news. Neither of them had any side effects and as it happened they were both given different versions of the vaccine. I am thinking of getting all my older relatives to try out each of the companies that the United Kingdom is using, so I will know which one is the best by the time it is my turn.
It is too early for things to be eased yet sadly, but we are getting a lot closer to a return to some sort of normality. This month is so short we will be well into March before we know it. The Isle of Man has managed to get their Covid under control, so they are now back in the pubs and mask-less. That is the goal that I am aiming for. I would much rather wait until I could do that, than have to enjoy them with all the mask and social distancing requirements. Therefore I am well prepared to wait it out so we can get back to that position sooner in the long run.
I appreciate I am lucky in that this is not effecting me too much. I do not have any children to home school and I continue to work easily from home. But this will all be fine in the end. We will move beyond it. In the meantime keep in contact with as many people as you can either via the phone or video calls. Keep as fit as you are able. Plus laugh and joke around as much as you can. You will feel much better for it.
I would suggest focus on the things you can do rather than the things you cannot. If you do have children for example you will have spent more time with your child while they are growing up than lots of generations have appreciate it as much as you can. Even if they are really annoying you!
My dad has used the extra time he has had this last year to finally see the whole of “Game of Thrones” from start to finish. Other people I know have set themselves personal fitness goals to achieve. A few folks have started doing things that they have not done for years like knitting or baking. I have stepped up my exercise regime a little bit. And I have also done quite a bit of sorting out around the house. Not throwing stuff away just moving it to other places to be honest.
A mate of mine has more or less decorated his whole house, which would have probably taken him five years to do in normal times. I am going to try to do everything that I need to at home in the next few months. As when the world re-opens I plan on being away for weeks at a time. I have a list of places I need to visit and things that I need to do. I will make Judith Charmers look like an amateur traveller.
I was involved in surprising a good friend of mine for his fortieth birthday. For obvious reasons he could not have a big party this year and we could not physically meet up. His girlfriend got in contact with me at the start of the year telling me that she was planning to do a surprise Zoom gathering on the Saturday nearest his big day. She asked me if I would be able to do a short music quiz but include a round all about him. I of course said I yes I could. Who does not like the chance to stich up his mate for a laugh!
I did check who was going to be joining in before I started to write the questions. I first met Jeff over twenty years ago when we were both working at Mix 96 a radio station in Aylesbury. Therefore I did have quite a lot of material to draw on from over the years. I made the first round a straight music quiz to try to throw him off the scent. Then the next round was to be all about him but with multiple choice answers for added comedy effect.
On the night my mate’s fiance’ managed to send him upstairs while she let us all into the group chat. When we were all on screen she got him back down and sat him right in front of the computer. When he clocked our faces he did look generally shocked. So I do not think he had a clue. When he found out I had a quiz he suggested it would be about him. I tried to throw him off the master plan by doing the pop quiz round first. Although they were all questions I knew he would know the answer to straight away, which he did. Mind you I did tailor them all specially for him.
Then it comes to round two which is all about him. I did give him the right of reply after every answer to tell his side or on one occasion correct my memory of what actually happened in one situation. It was great fun. And it did prompt a lot of conversation about these things from his past. It only lasted about an hour then we let him get on with the rest of his evening doing what he thought he would be doing anyway just relaxing at home.
I would love in the future to do a proper “This Is Your Life” style night for a friend or family member. Including bringing out people and acquaintances from their past like Eamon Andrews and Michael Aspel used to do. Or maybe I will do something like that for my own fiftieth, which just for the record is a very very long way away. I am sure we will have a proper celebration for my mate Jeff when we are allowed to hopefully later on this year.
My girlfriend and I did another one of these online Cheese and Wine Tasting events. It was through the same company as last time “Love Cheese” who are basically just a wine and cheese shop based in York who started these live events at the start of Lockdown. And they do seem to have just grown and grown. This one was a red wine special. That is always my wine of choice. However Lynda prefers white. She was happy to broaden her horizons and give the red grape variety a go and I certainly was not going to say no to this option.
Like last time they sent us the food and drink in advance all labelled up with the correct numbers ready for the live tasting. The service is good and it is all presented very nicely. You get a leaflet with details of the cheese and wine that you will be trying. I do not wish to offend anybody but I noticed one of the wines was from Crete. I have had some great holidays there but I was not at all impressed with their wine, so I had already decided this would be the worse one. I was totally right it was but that is just my opinion of course.
The tasting is hosted live on Facebook by the couple who own the shop. It is all very laid back and relaxed. They are on their sofa in the living room. They talk a bit at the start highlighting how it all works and saying hello to everyone watching. They then take you through the cheese and wine pairings one by one. Overall it was all really nice with the exception of the wine I already mentioned and the last one of the cheeses. It was a blue cheese which although not my favourite type I do not normally mind it. This one was so bad though it was like taking part in the eating trial on “I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.”
I only had a very tiny bit of that, which in the circumstances was quite brave. My girlfriend had tried it first and I saw the face she made and her reaction to it. Yet I still decided to put it in my mouth. I must say the rest of the wine and cheese was alright. Not everyone can like everything that is the fun of the tasting. We finished all the wine and all but that last piece of cheese. It was a fun night at home. At the end of it although you only have a glass of each one, we both felt a bit tipsy. I think that is perfectly acceptable for a big Saturday night in though.
I view myself as pretty average in the kitchen. I can cook most things to a decent standard but I am never going to win Master Chef. That said I do think I do a nice steak. It is all about the preparation firstly you need a decent cut of meat. Then you have to season it correctly prior to frying. I like to get the pan nice and hot to sear it each side for about a minute.
Then reduce the temperature to a medium heat and depending on its size cook both sides for between four and six minutes depending how you like it done. Leave it to rest for five minutes and there you go. Think of me as one of the “Un-hairy non-bikers” not as my apron says the “Queen of Tarts” I borrowed it from my girlfriend honest!
I have watched such a small amount of films during my life mainly because I am not that interested in them. My girlfriend enjoys films. We cannot go out anywhere at the minute so she is on a mission to find “Neil Friendly” films and try to convince me to watch them. She managed to get me to watch “Coming to America” last weekend. I had seen quite a few of the Eddie Murphy movies around that time but not that one.
It was alright, some good scenes in it. Obviously I was already aware of the balcony scene. But having now seen the opening sequence to it I am not against becoming an African Prince if the opportunity ever arises. The sequel “Coming to America 2” is out next month. I have a feeling I am going to end up watching that to you know.
Quigger’s Plays Pop my weekly Pop Quiz is continuing on Tuesday nights at 8.30pm on my Facebook page for the foreseeable future. It is simply meant as a bit of light hearted fun every week. It does not really matter if you know much about the subject or not. I just mess around a bit ask a few questions and have a laugh. Here is the most recent episode to get you in the mood and ready for the next one.
https://www.facebook.com/796795590/videos/10164645768925591/
It has been another roller coaster of a couple of weeks supporting Tottenham. It was a relief to return to winning ways in the Premier League after three defeats in a row last weekend. The first time that had happened since back in 2012 believe it or not. Later today we face Manchester City who seem to be on fire at the minute and are looking unstoppable. We did beat them at home last November but they do appear to have clicked in to gear since then. I just hope we play well and put in a decent performance.
We are now out of the FA Cup after a crazy five – four defeat after extra time away at Everton. It was a strange game filled with lots of defensive errors from both sides. I felt the game could have gone either way in the end. But you cannot really expect to concede five goals and win a football match. I am now supporting Everton in the rest of the competition and would love to see them go on and win it.
It is Valentine’s Day tomorrow if you celebrate or take part in it in anyway. I think it is fair to say that you should not need a special occasion to show your feelings for your other half. That said this is the first one that I have been with my girlfriend for, so I have got a card and present. I am not an idiot! In fact this is only the second time in my life I think that I have actually been seeing someone over “Valentines”.
Last year for example I was out for a meal on my own in Melbourne in Australia. I had not realised what day it was so could not work out why I was finding it so hard to get a table at a restaurant. It was not until I was sat down eating that it dawned on me that everyone else in the place was in a couple. After dinner I went for a drink in a bar and found a group of friends who were all single and having an anti Valentine’s night, so I gate crashed their night and had a couple of drinks with them.
The only time I think I have been out for a meal on Valentine’s Day was when I was twenty-one. The girl I was dating’s birthday was on February 14th. Therefore I took her out for a two for one kind of celebration meal. She was my first proper girlfriend so I was hoping to impress her. I bought her some earing’s which I gave her in a little jewellery box. It was not until I presented it to her during dinner and the entire place stopped to stare at us did I realise what this gesture could look like. I think I may have very quickly sung happy birthday to her. Anyway however you mark it this year, have a good one!
You can listen to me every Saturday afternoon between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/
Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.
Forty-Four Is The New Twenty-Five
It was my birthday on Thursday 10th December. I am just putting the full date here in case you missed it so that you do not make the same mistake next year. It is often difficult to know how to mark an occasion like this when it is not a landmark age. This year I decided to stay in and spend the day at home. Annoyingly this was exactly what I did last year to. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if possible never waste an opportunity to go out on your special day. That said I did have a lovely time.
The morning was exactly the same as any other day, apart for me opening my cards over breakfast. That is a once a year occurrence. I must say I was very lucky and extremely fortunate to receive all the cards I did. I appreciate the world is not normal and a simple thing like buying and sending a card could be more complicated depending on your circumstances. There were some very funny ones, which I am a big fan of. Yes being all sweet and nice is lovely but what can I say I just love a laugh!
I got some great presents. One of which was Philip Schofield’s new autobiography “Life is What You Make It” wise words Phil. I think I have mentioned this previously I only read autobiographies and I am really looking forward to reading this one. Probably in January as I tend to make the first few months of the year my main reading time. I remember watching him as a kid and I have seen him present shows while in television studios myself and he is a master at it. I wonder if there will be any unexpected twists in it. Yes I know there will be. I do follow the news.
I got a new pen and a special book to put all my passwords in. At the minute I have them all written in an old diary in a random order and sometimes it can take hours to find the one I need. Why is it you now have to have an account for everything you use online? I swear even Johnny Five could not remember all my logins in his head. Anyway I am looking forward to becoming more organised on this front. I also got a special black book in which to log my horse racing bets to help in my quest to find a better system than the one Derren Brown used on his television show around ten years ago.
In the afternoon my girlfriend came over to basically chat and have tea. As I am proper rock and roll on my big day. She got me a Yoga mat that I had asked for by the way. It was not just a subtle hint from her. Not something I thought I would need before 2020 but I have started doing regular sessions online since April. I am quite literally out of control. She also got me an Elvis Presley Face Mask and Elvis themed card and cake. I guess constantly showing her pictures of my trip to Graceland and owning a white Las Vegas style jumpsuit may have led her in this direction for gift giving.
Then in the evening I had a Dominos take away, which I of course got delivered. That is the law if you order from them surely. I try to eat healthily in the week normally, so Pizza on a Thursday was a big treat for me. I washed it all down with a very nice bottle of red wine. For reference it was a Rioja Grand Reserva which I prefer to be six to eight years old, just in case you are ever in a position when you might need to buy me some wine. You are welcome!
Like we all do I over ordered on the Dominos front, so I was still eating the Pizza for lunch and dinner on the Friday. This may be an unpopular opinion but I think it tastes even better cold the next day. To top off my birthday Tottenham Hotspur won their final game in the Europa League and progressed as group winners. A wonderful end to arguably the second most important birthday in December! I had a great day and might have to stay in next year. Although I hope that will be more of a personal and free choice by then.
The Saturday Night before my special day I got given a pre-birthday surprise from my girlfriend. She had booked us an online Cheese and Wine Evening. It was organised by a Cheese company based in York. They send you the food and drink in advance. The cheese and wines are all numbered so you know which order to consume them in and which pairs go together. We set up all the cheeses and wines in the correct order. Then at 8pm the couple who own the company do a Facebook live. That you log on to.
They then take you through each of the Cheese and Wine pairings telling you what you should smell and taste from each, as well as a bit of background information about them. It is pretty low key and laid back. They just hold it from on the sofa in their living room. It does feel a little bit like you have gate crashed their evening but it makes it feel very inclusive. On the particular one that we were doing all the Cheese and Wines were from England. It was a varied wine selection. We had White, Rose, Red and a Port with Sloe Gin combination. The Cheese’s covered quite a spectrum to including soft and blue.
It was fun to eat and drink online with them. The portions are quite generous but we still managed to finish all of the wine and most of the cheese. The whole thing lasts about an hour and an half. It did feel a bit like having a night out yet while still being at home, which in the current climate is great. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we have signed up for another one at the end of January. The company that runs it are called Love Cheese. They are it seems quite a small business who started doing this for customers in York at the start of Lockdown. It has now built up and gathered pace from all around the country. Best of luck to them!
I watched The Royal Variety Performance on the TV the other week. I normally watch it every year obviously things were a little different for this one. It came from a theatre in Blackpool which was in Tier 3, so they could not have an audience there. To get round this they had a Zoom audience and put them on big screens in the stalls, so that all the performers could see them and at least feel they were playing to an audience. Although due to the delay I suspect they all had to try to adjust their natural timing slightly. It looked a bit like a Science Fiction film where the machines had taken over and they were all performing to save their lives.
It was hosted by Jason Manford. I thought he did a brilliant job. It was always going to be a bit strange and tough but the pitch and the tone of it was perfect. I interviewed him once and he was fantastic so friendly and easy to chat to. I also saw his last stand up tour and that was very funny to. The line-up as you would expect for such a show was top class. I enjoyed all of the acts. All things considered it all worked out really well. Even with people having to quite rightly make sure they socially distanced on stage, unless they were in a bubble. It was ultimately fun and uplifting which is something we can all use at the moment. Thanks and well done to everyone involved.
Last Saturday I enjoyed some online live streamed theatre. The Old Vic in London is staging a production of “A Christmas Carol” over the festive period. The classic story which surely is a staple part of most people’s annual celebrations stars Andrew Lincoln as Scrooge. It is very clever how they are doing it. There is obviously no audience in the theatre. All the cast are performing in a socially distanced way. They have lots of different cameras which are all mixed together to give the illusion of the actors being next to each other.
Obviously you know what happens it is a narrative that everyone is familiar with. They do it very well and even though it is on screen I must say they keep you captivated and it does have that live feel to it. To be able to watch it you have to purchase a ticket online. Then on the day of the performance they send you a link via email. You then watch it from your home on Zoom.
It is proving quite popular there were four thousand people seeing it from all over the world on the night we saw it. It was great and sadly the closest that I will get to the theatre this Christmas. My favourite version of this age old story is The Muppets take on it. That is the only version to my knowledge that has comedy rats it in.
At the time of writing my team Tottenham Hotspur are still second in the Premier League. The one slight disappointment of this is that due to circumstances that I am sure you are aware of I cannot take my usual season ticket seat and cheer them on inside the stadium. Typical of Spurs to be doing better than usual with no fans in the ground! I do miss my days out at the football. It has not been all plain sailing. And I suspect there are still plenty more twists and turns to come yet.
This season so far has left me with that age old conundrum. We are possibly not playing as consistently exciting football as we were a couple of years ago but we are winning more games. Do not get me wrong we are playing some great stuff in patches and have so many amazing players. I have no complaints at all. But there is always that thought about if you would rather your team played brilliant football or were winning football matches. You think you want entertaining games but if you are honest you really just want them to win the match!
We of course have the busy Christmas period to come and there is still a long way to go this season but even to be in contention still is a huge positive. Personally I just hope that if we are at least still in the running for the title in April and May. That I will be able to safely go to see the last home games. I have admitted before that I had never really been a Mourinho fan prior to his appointment at Spurs. But clearly he does have something either top tactical knowledge or a philosophy that works, as he has definitely had a big effect on the squad and their attitude. I cannot believe I am saying it but he might actually be special you know!
This will be the last time we speak before Christmas. Unsurprisingly I am planning a quiet and low key one this year. It is what I feel is the most sensible and safest thing to do. Whatever you do and however you celebrate this year have a fantastic time. Do stay safe and look after yourself and each other. This year do make sure you call or text people who either you would normally see or who you think might be alone. They will really appreciate it and it will make you feel good and give you a nice warm glow.
It has not been the year any of us wanted or intended. We have all had things cancelled and been massively restricted in what we can do. However I have had as ever a good laugh, still done some cool and new things. For starters I had never even heard of Zoom and now I have an account and a green screen for my backgrounds. An example of taking something forced on you and making it fun and personalising it.
Things will improve and get better we are moving in the right direction. Look at it this way this Christmas will possibly be more memorable than most. However you choose to spend it. Have fun! Festive best wishes to you and yours!
My good friend Mike Sterling has a charity single out in aid of the DKMS, Anthony Nolan and The Aplastic Anaemia Trust charities. It is available at all major online music stores. In honour of a little girl he knows called Evie, who happily thanks to This Morning found the Stem Cell donor she needed. It is a cover version of Mariah Carey’s Hero.
You can listen to me still on Saturday afternoon’s between 2pm – 4pm on Radio Ninesprings https://www.radioninesprings.co.uk/
A very Happy Christmas to you! Thanks for reading the blog this year. Have fun and we will catch up again soon. Stay safe! Cheers Neil.