What a super time I had last weekend with the children, when we all stayed at Brad‘s for our annual early Christmas weekend. The little boys played more with each other than they have done previously, but the little girls really had a lovely time!
We had some great fun once the kids had gone to sleep, playing games as well, including Qwirkle. I love it!
Plus we went skating at Somerset house!
Vlog – anticipating the Rink! (See it here).
Most of the little ones didn’t last long, the girls really loved it, helped by the Zimmer frame type skating aids, which also helped me as well LOL!
Oh my gosh my feet were killing me afterwards! But it was quite exhilarating. My kids both had lessons but their kids have a long way to go LOL. Anyway that’s it for another year with them, Lauren is coming down to be with me this year at Christmas because Brad is with his in-laws, they take turns. Only a couple of weeks to tidy my flat before Lauren arrives! Eek!
SNIPPETS
Lighting up Chiswick Park
The lovely stag is huge! And there’s a giant present and lots more, now the illuminations are out – lighting up the park where we work in Chiswick. I love this time of year don’t you?! Are you a ‘more lights’ or a ‘fewer lights’ person? I think I’ve got to be a ‘more lights’! Just got to work out whether to decorate the white twig tree that I’ve had for the last couple of seasons, or get a surprise real tree for the kids when Lauren visits this Christmas 🙂
Baby Shower
Went to my lovely niece Chloe’s baby shower as well last week. It was really well done, well organised, great food, Nikki, her mum, did her and everyone proud. There was a baby competition guess which one is me, on the newsletter this week! (That’s the exclusive on this week’s Friday newsletter – press the word newsletter at the bottom of this page to sign up so you get it every week! See the PS at the bottom of this blog for more info).
It’s only a couple of months and she will be due – along with her sister, that will make great grandbaby number 20 and number 21, for my lovely mum! Who looked like this, this week, when she sent us a video from her bowling club trip away! Can’t believe she’s 80, can you?!
Looking after Luka
My turn to look after the cat for my niece since her mum, my sister, who usually looks after him when Becky is away, is also away in Disneyland with her kids for her 60th – (birthday date is coming up soon)! Lovely big fluffy pussycat Luca knows his way round the flats and even comes up in the lift to the third floor! Hilarious! And then lays on his cozee home blanket for hours on end, well he is a bit old. But very cute don’t you agree!
Watch – Well, I would say I’m a celebrity get me out of here, because Sam is just a star. He’ll almost certainly win in my opinion! Tommy is also really funny. But I haven’t seen much of it, just snippets mainly clips online. However, what I did see with the kids last weekend was really moving and exceptionally philosophical. The animated version of a very popular children’s book, but you can watch it on BBC iPlayer I believe. ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’. If you’re with kids this Christmas make sure you watch it with them if you haven’t seen it already! It’s a little bit of a tearjerker in places and really makes you think! Long time since I said that about the children’s program!
I also started watching a Richard Curtis 2023 movie starring Melissa McCarthy called ‘Genie’. Wow, I thought, that bodes well. But unfortunately it will be enjoyed more by people who love slapstick and pastiche, because the main guy is less than impressive, lacking in pathos and playing it as a stereotype, a bit over the top. He was also in a BBC thriller drama about AI taking over and changing a politician’s interviews live on air; he was the lead, but wasn’t very good in that either. What a shame. I might go back to Genie because Melissa McCarthy just about makes it watchable, when I’m wrapping presents, but it’s quite obvious what happens in the end. Hopefully there’ll be some good Christmas films out soon as well! Although I did catch the end of National Lampoon Christmas Vacation this week so that’s one down!
Blooper – it had to happen didn’t it, when I was trying to plug the upcoming Liz Earle today’s special value midweek, having held up the box and revealed several times, I ended up dropping it! Live on air, during a denim and co-fashion show at 11 pm, my silly weak arthritis hands lost their grip, and it clattered to the ground! So they showed all the corn chip packaging pieces all over the floor at my feet! If I can find a clip I’ll put it on here later :-). What a klutz, sometimes, honestly!
Podcast – Go here to get the latest Inside QVC podcast from Will, and the current one if you haven’t listened yet :-). Don’t forget there’s a massive back list to catch up on, too!
In advance of the new Amazon Fire tablet today special value launching next week and, it’s all about our IT expert Lee Hohbein, 30 years of QVC, and how much he loves tech!
Book of the Week – Went back to one of my favourite series of books in the category of Crime/Police procedural – the latest featuring Jackman and Evans by Joy Ellis, which was out this week. It is very well-narrated, thankfully. I’m now used to the mostly northern accents in fenland England, used for some reason I can’t explain. But the narration and dialogue is pretty good. Was relieved at least to hear the best rendition of one of the best characters, Rory the pathologist! (He also appears in another book series by the same author but it has a different narrator, who annoyingly gave him a ridiculous ‘witch in a kids book’ accent! This easy-on-the-ear Gay Scottish version used throughout the Jackman and Evans series, is much better!) The detective duo’s arch nemesis returns into the frame once more, and although it’s not one of Joy’s best, plot-wise, there are a couple of great twists, and once again I’ve enjoyed it! It’s called ‘The Rivers Edge’, performed by Richard Armitage.
I did actually start a Christmas book too, by someone I met ages ago when I started publishing my own books, Sue Moorcroft, and the book is called ‘The Christmas Love Letters’. She’s now a Sunday Times best seller, and this latest one is about family secrets being revealed when a guy called Raff turns up with some long lost love letters, much to Maddie’s dismay… So far so good, I’ll keep you informed!
QVC TOP DEALS FOR THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS
Friday (today) – go to qvcuk.com and search ‘today’s special value’ to see and buy what’s left of the fab value, excellent gift-budget 4 nail files in a case from Spa-Rific. Nano-etched they can shine as well as shape and file. Bought 4!
Saturday – Shark are back with the CarpetXpert deep carpet cleaner and built in stain striker!
Sunday – it’s Neom! With the ultimate luxury four-piece collection.
Big deals ending Sunday night
Go to this section of our website each week to discover the current ones which often end on Sunday nights if there are any stocks left!
Big deals are available on air for usually a week, they may be longer online if stocks last. Occasionally they last a couple of weeks but there are new ones every Sunday night so come back again and see them on the link above.
Next week should include:
– style – Kim & Co foil paisley Brazil jersey long sleeve blouson top
– extra – GTech 20v combi drill with battery and charger and bare oscillating multitool
– beauty – Elemis 3pc pro collagen skin care collection in their ever popular Rose
– main tbc
Now back to the today’s special values for the rest of the week –
Monday – steel by Diamonique, the bracelet and hoop earring set for a super low price, gold plated and with real cubic Zirconia, to mimic real diamonds!
Tuesday – bath and Bodyworks are here with the Ultimate four-piece collection – great giftgiving if you’re not sure what to get.
Wednesday – cozee home or back with their final bedding today’s special value before Christmas Christmas, the velvet soft and fluffy bedspread with diamond quilt in a winter weight.
Thursday – Cover FX Makeup range with a three-piece complexion essentials set, going on sale earlier in the week.
Friday – Revamp progloss volume and style hot brush styler and at 9 pm and midnight I will be on with the…
Friday 9 pm… latest Amazon deal, the 2023 Fire HD 10 tablet in a choice of colours.
Plus look out for the molton brown super size body washed duo in three different choices, going on sale earlier in the week..
Next week – coffees with friends, Christmas countdown, and time travellers Wife at the theatre! Yay!
Best wishes
Debs
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