A Walk in the Park......

I needed something to brighten my day, I have had a very stressful week, both at work and at home, so what better than a collage of photographs that I took whilst strolling in Central Park in December. I spent my last morning walking through the park, people & dog watching!

Central Park is a vast space in the middle of a noisy and exciting city, however you only have to walk a short distance into it to be met with peace and calm.... a truly magical space.

The park hosts some iconic buildings and landscapes which feature a lot in films & TV. The morning was bright and clear and very cold!.....
Friday saw me leave work at a reasonable hour, which allowed me to get to the cinema, where I saw It's Complicated. I had no expectations of this film, and was thoroughly entertained.... I haven't laughed out loud so hard at the cinema in ages. Much recommended viewing... it was a great stress reliever to a rubbish week!

all i need now is a long walk in the park!.... enjoy.

Fab TV to look forward to in the next few weeks...

Earlier this month I blogged about TV that I was looking forward to in 2010... well I have some additions from over the pond!...

This trailer crept up on me last week and I'm hooked already!.... The Good Wife, Julianne Margolis is a lucky lady... 6 seasons of kissing George Clooney in ER and now Mr 'Big'!... I am also hooked after 2 episodes on Glee, which is a camper adult version of High School Musical!

Brothers & Sisters (spoiler alert!)season 4 begins next week as well... mmmm back also for a third season is the critically acclaimed Mad Men which is just fantastic.

So set the record/series link for :

Y The Good Wife starting 25th Jan Channel 4 ~ 10pm

Y Glee - Mondays at 9 on E4

Y Brothers & Sisters 21st Jan More 4 ~ 9pm

Y Mad Men 10th Feb BBC4

happy viewing....

Skating at Tiffany's.....

Each year I try to get to one of London's Ice Rinks that 'pop' up for the Holiday Season. This has become a bit of a festive tradition, probably because it reminds me of New York.

My rink for the last 2 seasons has been Somerset House, which in itself is a beautiful setting but with the added feature of the 'blue-lit' rink it becomes truly stunning.

The other draw is that this rink is sponsored by Tiffany's, so the Tiffany blue is everywhere!

Due to no time on the run upto Christmas, I saved my trip until the early new year, (rink closes 25th Jan) and managed to get over there after work just before the deluge of snow hit the country.

Skating is not one of my strengths, so I am just a viewer who indulges in a Hot Chocolate & cupcake! which is found in the Tiffany Tuck box!

I Y Tiffany's.... the 5th Avenue store is breathtaking glamour, even when it is filled with Christmas shoppers in December!... obviously with the popularity of the silver floor over the last few years, it has become distinctly recognisable... however within the diamond hall the glamour of yester-year is still around.

Here are some photo's from my trip to Tiffany's New York in December......i'm coveting the cake stand complete with boxes!

A reason to be out in the cold......

now there's not much that has enticed me out in the cold recently, BUT... an evening looking at Johnny Wilkinson' s thighs tempted me out from under the duvet!.... well can you blame me!

Johnny now plays for Toulon in France, so glimpses of the great man himself are rare, so rain/snow/sub zero temperatures were never going to keep me away from watching him run out onto the pitch at Vicarage Road last night. Saracens were playing Toulon in a cup round match.

2 minutes into the game Johnny scored one of his legendary drop goals!.... however Saracens retaliated and even with Johnny's 3 goals they still won!... so Sarries winning and Johnny's thighs resulted in a fab night!

also in the terraces was the England coach Martin Johnson... obviously checking on Johnny's form!

As you can see from some of the pictures it was a little cold, (hence the steam rising off the 'boys'!)... but plenty to keep a girl warm!.........

A Week of Hibernation!....

as the country has been blanketed in snow... I've spent a week in hibernation.... only venturing out for work and the rest of it under a duvet watching TV!....

London was relatively snow free, however that doesn't help when the surrounding counties are snow covered and frozen! and you have to explain why it takes so long to travel 20 miles! As you can imagine the commute was long and often very cold! therefore I have read 1 of my "books to eat" this year and another charity find.

My charity find was Recipe for Disaster by Miriam Morrison, a fab read that i just loved. A cynical journalist undercover as a waitress in a restaurant... can she write a scoop or be side-tracked by the chef?... mmmmm very yummy!

and the second in the I Y series... Angela's off to Hollywood to interview a heart-throb actor! in I Y Hollywood, this is follow on from I Y New York by Lindsey Kelk which is just fabulous! Much recommended, it filled some long journeys on the district line last week!

Last monday my friend and I went to the theatre, we went to see The Priory, which I raved about before Christmas. I enjoyed it as much even though I had seen it previously. We had dinner in a small restaurant in Sloane Square before the theatre and the very talented Rachael Stirling who is in the play was on the accompanying table learning her lines for the forthcoming A Midsummer Night's dream, starring Judi Dench. She was lovely and gave us lots of gossip on the cast! The play finishes on the 16th Jan and all performances are now sold out.... all in all a quiet week, hope everyone is well and have survived the snow!

Books to Eat....

is a regular feature on my blog, and as you all know I devour books on a weekly basis. My commute into London would not be complete without a book. (One always has to be prepared for travel disruptions!)
Here are my favourites from 2009:
Katie Fforde ~ Wedding Season
Jane Green ~ Second Chance
Lucy Anne Holmes ~ 50 ways to find a lover
Isabel Wolff ~ A Vintage Affair
Adele Parks ~ Tell me Something
Adam carter ~ Spooks
Miranda Dickinson ~ Fairytale of New York
Lindsey Kelk ~ I heart New York
Louise Bagshawe ~ Passion
Lucy Dillon ~ lost dogs & lonely hearts

As we move into 2010, here are some of the releases that i'm looking forward to, thankyou to amazon pre-order! and the local library!... nothing better than curling up in the chair with a good book and a large mug of hot chocolate!

Sarah Duncan ~ A Single to Rome
Jill Mansell ~ Take a Chance on Me
Carmen Reid ~ Celebrity Shopper
Jane Costello ~ My Single friend
Lindsey Kelk ~ I heart Hollywood
Sophie Kinsella ~ Twenties Girl
Milly Johnson ~ A Summer Fling
Chris Manby ~ Getting over Mr Right
Sue Moorcroft ~ Starting Over
Trisha Ashley ~ Chocolate Wishes

so sit back and enjoy.....
(all highlighted books link to a synopsis or preview of the story!)

A Holiday to dream about.....

As today is probably the first day back to work for some of you I thought i would share a little treat to brighten a dull January morning!
January is always the time when we start to think or book our holidays for the year, from Boxing day and through the festive season we become deluged with holiday adverts.... it gives us something to look forward to..... however if we got to spend our holidays with this gorgeous man, it would make our holidays even more special!.. I am of course talking about the Thomas Cook advert featuring the Redknapps! it may be a little twee, but the eye candy far surpasses that! I met this couple some weeks ago, they were both gorgeous, & glamorous and a really lovely couple.....
In 2009 I had a long weekend in the Lake District. I hadn't been to this part of the country and was blown away by the scenery it was beautiful. I would definitely make a trip back... and of course I had an unexpected week in New York, which was amazing.

The Top 10 Holiday destinations are
1. South Africa ~ Home of the 2010 World Cup.
2. Vancouver ~ home of the Winter Olympics
3. Croatia ~ a beautiful part of the Balkans
4. Lake District ~ stunning part of the UK and featured in a new TV series
5. Las Vegas ~ a resurgence in Stag weekends following the success of The Hangover!
6. Abu Dhabi ~ often overshadowed by Dubai... now featuring it's own Grand Prix circuit!
7. Istanbul ~ European city of Culture 2010 and outside of the euro currency a draw for all.
8. Morocco (Marrakesh) ~ watch the bookings rise following the release of Sex & the City2 ~ Girls weekends away.
9. Egypt ~ offers both stunning culture & history and amazing beach resorts.
10. Newport Wales ~ home of the Ryder Cup!


I am planning a couple of weekends away in 2010, and hoping to go to New York for Christmas!... not sure how the finance fairy is going to pay for it but we can all dream can't we!... have you booked your holiday yet?... where is your dream location?....

TV Treats ~ Past & Present

As with my film posts, I would like to share with you my favourite TV from 2009 and a few things I'm looking forward to for Spring 2010!
Spooks season 8 ~ my idea of heaven, Lucas North & a room at Claridges!.. fantastic series as always!
Flashforward ~ addictable!....
The Mentalist ~ Simon Baker, all the reason you need to watch this! ER Final series ~ fantastic season ... not a dry eye in the house!... Doug & Carol back for 1 last time! Mad Men ~ fantastic series, thankyou to BBC4 for all the re-runs!
Kirstie's Homemade Home & Homemade Christmas ( Full episodes available on You Tube)
Brother's & Sisters Season 3....eye candy for all!
Whitechapel .... gripping thriller with the added bonus of Rupert Penry- Jones!
Top Gear.... boys, toys and lots of fun!
Gossip Girl ~ fabulous wardrobe, eye candy, & city... a girls idea of heaven!
Dr Who ... will it be the same without David Tennant? a fantastic last episode
I'm looking forward to ~
Delia Through The Decades the Queen of Cuisine is back with a blast from the past & something new starts Monday 11th jan 8.30pm BBC2
Material Girl ~ based on the fantastic book Fashion Babylon ~ a must for any fashionissta's - 14th jan 8pm BBC1
Lark Rise to Candleford ~ a sunday hot chocolate & sofa treat!.. 10th jan 8pm BBC1 (no preview available)
CSI New York Season 6 ~ who will survive the cliffhanger from season 5, an absolute fav on my favourite city! saturday 9th January @ 9pm Channel 5.... can't wait!
The Delicious Miss Dahl ~ I hope the TV series is as delectable as the book.... checking out the kitchen and garden my taste buds are already watering!
Ashes to Ashes season 3.. what will happen to Alex?... will her & Gene get together?
Whitechapel II ~ Rupert's back!
Secret Diary of a Call Girl 3 ... she's back in all her 'naughty' finest!
CSI Miami season 8..... introducing the gorgeous Eddie Cibrian
A Passionate Woman ~ written by Kay Mellor and starring Billie Piper I hope that you have enjoyed my preview of TV in 2010... books, holiday's & glamour still to come!...
Tx
(all highlighted Tv shows link to a clip/preview!... enjoy!)

9 films from 2009 & 10 films for 2010...

as posted New Years eve this week I'm sharing some of my favs from 09 and things I'm looking forward to in 2010...
2009 was hotly anticipated in the film industry as the year of the blockbusters... however only 1 makes its way onto my 9 films from 2009 list:
favourite films from 09 were:~
Coco before Chanel
Julie & Julia
The Proposal
The Hangover
An Education
The Time Travelers Wife
The Ugly Truth
The Young Victoria
Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince.

my 10 films for 2010, which i am looking forward to are:

Its complicated ~ Meryl Streep having a ball.

Leap year ~ would you propose?... a romp through the Irish countryside

The A Team (no preview available) but starring the lovely Bradley Cooper

Footloose (no preview available) but the gorgeous Chace Crawford (Nat from Gossip girl!)

Sex & the City 2 the girls are back in town!... hurrah..

Brothers ~ Jake Gyllenhal ..& army fatigues what more can a girl ask for!

Valentines day ~ a feast of Eye candy... valentines movie for the single girl!

A Single Man ~ could be the Brokeback mountain of 2010

The Bounty Hunter ~ Gerard Butler.... no need to say anything else!

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows. ( no trailer released yet!)

my person to watch in 2010 is the lovely Matthew Goode, who features in 2 of my films ~ Leap year and The Single Man......
What film are you looking forward to?.....
(all highlighted films link to a trailer... enjoy!)

New York ~ New Year

unfortunately my new year wasn't spent there, but I was in the infamous Times Square in December... here are some pictures of this amazing space. It's often likened to Leicester square/Piccadilly but nowhere else matches it on enormity of buildings and huge graphics.

Times Square has had some major re-development over the last few years. It's much more a family environment, especially now they had pedestrianised parts of it..... how amazing would it be to welcome in the new year here with all the ticker tape fluttering down from the skyline.

My new year was quiet.. I was awake which is a first for about 5 years, as I'm usually asleep! i watched the fireworks in London which looked fantastic, although very cold!... much better viewing from under the duvet on the sofa!

However you spent new year i hope that it was a happy one and that you all have a great 2010.