The Time Bubble

I haven''t blogged for a couple of weeks as I've had lots of small things I could write about, but none that could really justify a full entry on their own. I could have expanded some of the topics out in long rambling anecdotes interspersed with a few pictures nicked off other people's websites, but instead I've decided to combine them all into one omnibus edition. Here we go then: in random order. I-Spy books: One of our trips out over the Easter holidays was to Blenheim Palace, a most enjoyable outing. Whilst the kids were enjoying the various rides and entertainment on offer, I was delighted to discover that the outdoor barbecue did a most agreeable "Gloucester Old Spot" hot dog. Now that is what I call a proper sausage. I really can't be doing with those cheap and nasty hot dog sausages that come in a tin, eight for a quid and are made of goodness knows what. Oh dear, I've rambled off topic already. I probably could have got a whole blog...

I got the boxset of that old Batman TV show from the 1960s for my birthday - a show I loved as a child and it's fascinating to watch it again all these years later. Despite the campness and Adam West's hilarious moralising, I absolutely love it. One thing I did notice that I didn't remember from the original is the absolute uselessness of the police characters in the show. This got me thinking - there are basically three types of coppers in television as follows: a) Maverick Geniuses b) Corrupt or c) Thick and/or useless. Quite what the average real policeman makes of all these portrayals is anyone's guess, presumably most of them in the real world are fairly ordinary but that wouldn't make good television. Therefore I thought as a bit of fun I would present to you my 10 most useless policeman in TV history. Note this is based only on my own personal experience of shows I've actually watched, so I apologise if there's any glaring omissions but I can't ...

I tend to look forward to the Easter school holidays more than most of the others because they fall at the beginning of spring. After months of cold and darkness, suddenly the weather is getting better again (in theory), the days are longer and there's suddenly lots of places we can go and things to do. Since New Year, I've been more or less sat at my desk 24/7 writing my latest novel which came out in March. The kids have been at school every week except the half-term break in February and there's not a lot going on at that time of year. So, here we are in the Easter holidays and I'm determined to shake off the chains of winter hibernation and get out there and do things. The children are getting older now which increases the range of things we can do. There are all sorts of days out we can now have, however, like most families there are budgetary limitations. Much as I'd love to spend all our days out at theme parks, all of those things cost money. There are p...