Not only did I have a lovely time with my one-year-old grandson last weekend at his little party, I also had another super touristy day out with my friend Gill. And tonight, Friday the second, I launch one of the best Dyson deals we’ve ever done! See below. Meanwhile, where did September come from?! It seems to have sneaked up on us! But I did put my heater on for the first time the other night in the flat… Okay it was a Dyson. But it’s not a heater/fan that’s the subject of this week’s headline… Read on 🙂
Gorgeous Greenwich
It was an early start for me on Wednesday, for my birthday celebrations part two. My friend Gill with whom I went to Buckingham Palace a couple of weeks back, I bought vouchers to go to see the Cuttysark, and also to walk around the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. I always wanted to go there, and she loves that stuff too, which is very fortunate! We both decided that it’s time we started ticking things off our bucket list, especially things we can do easily in one day out from home!
Found the Cuttysark very interesting and historical, learnt a lot of things about the tea trade and the speed of ships – it was the fastest boat of its kind in the mid to late 1880s until steamships came along. It carried tea for many years, then it carried wool from Australia and diverse other cargo. It changed name, which I didn’t know. And they kept pigs and chickens on board. I imagine it was very stinky! And there was a little bit about the history of tea in Britain, very apt for me since it’s my drink of choice!
Then we walked up the long hill to the Royal Observatory nearby. Most of the exhibitions were about the people who had lived there and the Astronomer Royal role. I got to straddle the prime meridian, the line on which longitude is 00° 00’. So one leg was in the eastern world and the other leg was in the western hemisphere. How about that! BTW anyone subscribing to my newsletter will see that photo, I always have a tiny bit of news and a special photograph which only the weekly newsletter subscribers see! (Feel free to subscribe by clicking here. You then get an email each week when the new blog is up so you get to be the 1st to read it!)
Vlog – go here to see a little vlog I did on the deck of the ship! A guide was showing two children what the sailors would have done back in the day.
We were very high up and could see right across London, that’s why the original observatory was cited there in the 16 and 1700s because it was right away from the smoke and the lights of the town!
Some of the interesting displays at the observatory
One of the most fascinating things was all about the navigation devices that were developed in order to stop ships running aground in the old days, because they didn’t know where exactly, in the seas, they were. They knew latitude (N/S) but they did not know longitude (east/west). To work out exactly where they were, E-W, using other tools and the skies, they needed to be able to compare it with the accurate time at home in the port they had set off from. Nothing worked. Many, many ships were lost, and a reward was offered for somebody who could solve the problem.
The accurate clocks on land back then were pendulum clocks, but on a ship which was rolling around on the water, they were no good. That’s why there’s a famous film and book called ‘Longitude’ all about John Harrison who invented, after 70 years of trying and four different versions, the famous navigation clock that changed history – the H4. And he was British! He won the £20,000 prize (a fortune in those days) even though he was in his 70s (I think) when he finally did so.
It made me come back and want to watch the film Longitude – apparently it’s on catch up so I must watch it! It’s been on my list for years. Anyway you know I’m a bit of a geek and I love science stuff. Had a great day with my lovely friend and a nice lunch afterwards. Next excursion is down to the south coast at the end of September! Then an exhibition called ‘Frameless’ which is an art experience, in October! Lots to look forward to.
SNIPPETS
Barbie at Banstead Wood
What amazing weather we had for our bank holiday Sunday annual barbecue for residents at the flats and my lovely sister and hubby came out with my niece Becky who is back from her travels and looking gorgeous. It was nice to relax, have a little bit of really healthy food of which there was plenty, and have a good old chinwag. I also enjoyed my sister’s no-chin-cocktail with lots of ginger and lime gosh, my mouth is watering now!
Kaleb’s First!
Lovely little grandson Kaleb, my son‘s youngest, was one and I was invited to a little get together at Bears on Saturday. Kari made the most amazing cake, and Kaleb loved his push along vintage style racing car that Brad told me to get him. Spent a really pleasant afternoon, including lots of playing with the new toys, and Kaleb falling asleep in my arms, bless his little heart. He is a really happy little lad, the kids are doing me proud!
Proud Debbie
I was also proud for a different reason this week. Finally had our residents ‘electric vehicle charging points’ meeting at the flats this week, and I was really relieved and proud, when Steve from the installation company, Zest, explained to everybody about the project I’ve been working on for a year, and how far we’ve come, and how it is going to work. Fingers crossed they will be installed from October and we will have five places people can charge their electric cars. And it won’t have cost our flats thousands of pounds to install them! (Nb if you’re interested in installing a bunch of charge points (not a single one, it has to be a place that needs a group of them) contact Steve at Zest Eco Ltd). Had a good turnout of residents come to listen as well, which made me pleased as I spent lots of hours delivering things through doors and putting up signs and posting on the social media. I will in part be glad when this is all installed!! My own car on order, taking at least six months if not more, he’s going to be the same as I’ve got now, a Kia Sport Taj, only the plug-in hybrid. I should get 40 miles electric before it needs to kick in with the combustion engine, so it should be brilliant for around the town! Looking forward to see how it goes. I wonder what my blogs will say in April or May next year when I’ve had it a couple of months! Watch this space…
Watch – A really interesting program, Days that Shook the BBC with David Dimbleby, on BBC one, catch up. A short series of shows that looks at moments in news history when the BBC was confronted with scandals, often of its own making, from Jimmy Savile to the Iraq war, the Diana interview and more. Really, really interesting. I’ve always loved the history of television and there were lots of fabulous clips. It was weird watching a program where the BBC actually slated the BBC in certain ways. But it was very well-made and worth a watch if you like this sort of look back at our televisual history!
Funny
Remind me never to sit wrapping up presents on the floor, preparing Sellotape by sticking it to my thigh, when I’m on HRT. Guess where one of the patches ended up… Oh my God I laughed till I cried 🙂 fortunately I spotted it! #MenopauseMoments
Podcast
From Monday Will catches up with Justine Jones, Julian McDonald’s brand ambassador and cousin! She is always good for a tale or two. Don’t miss that one :-). Search for ‘inside QVC’ on your favourite podcast app or go to our website here.
Vlog – Here’s a little bonus this week since I’ve already posted one above. This is the link (see it here) to last night‘s Thursday balance on my Facebook live. With an update on where the MDD /60th bd afternoon tea will be in November. On Sunday the 13th at 2:30 pm, a group of us will be gathering at Carshalton tearooms, Dottys. Would love to see you there, just email me on the email address on my homepage, for more info.
Book of the Week – Well I’m currently reading ‘The Chalk Pit’ with Ruth Galloway (again, but I love spending time with the characters and let’s face it a lot of us are just waiting for the main two, to get together eventually!) And it’s another good mystery featuring the forensic archaeologist and her tangled relationships, set in Norfolk. But the big news of the week has to be that Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling), has a new Cormoran Strike book out.
I absolutely love this series and will be getting my teeth into it when I drive 4 hours to see Lolly Pop next week for her birthday! The Ink Black Heart is very long – 32 hours long, almost twice as long as most audiobooks.
I’m going to be in my element, with the private detective and ex-veteran, Cormoran Strike, and his sidekick Robyn, as they tackle another murder mystery, featuring a cartoonist whose work has impacted on her death in a sinister way, testing the duo’s powers of deduction to the limits, and threatening them both in weird and mysterious ways… squeeeee!!!
QVC TOP DEALS FOR THE NEXT SEVEN DAYS
Friday (today) – Go to qvcuk.com to see and buy what’s left of The clipper pro 2.0 finger or toe nail clipper with a clever swivel head, making it better than ever to help clip hard to reach nails. And at 9 pm tonight join me for the…
Saturday – Best Dyson haircare offer ever! The Dyson Corrale is here, at a huge reduction compared to normal, with new technology and style. (See it here). Join me and Abby Horne on Friday (tonight, 2nd) at 9 pm and midnight and through the day on Saturday when I also have a Laura Geller make up hour at 6 pm. This is very exciting, do look out for the timelapse of me in the make up chair on my social media in the run-up to tonight, and here is the finished result! It’s also already online now and it’s a massive saving!
Sunday – Hair offers don’t stop there. Also, already online is the three-piece super size coconut shampoo and conditioner collection together with the bonding product, from Philip Kingsley, Sundays deal (which I will also be featuring at 2 pm!) I’m then getting Blake my granddaughter overnight on Sunday and taking her to the cinema on Monday before she starts proper school next week. It’s been ages since she had a sleepover at mine so I am looking forward to it! That’s why I have an earlier finish this Sunday 🙂
Big deals are available on air for usually a week, they may be longer online if stocks last. New ones every Sunday night!
These ones mostly finish on Sunday:
– denim and co cosy checked cardigan
– Masai Copenhagen printed knitted jumper, Fansala Design, on style channel
– Gatineau deafly lift firming facial collection on beauty channel 3 easy pay payments
– and continuing the KitchenAid 1.19 L food chopper at a great price.
New Big Deals from this Sunday:
- Le Creuset’s premium nonstick 4pc bakeware set is on three easy pays, On the main channel.
- Helene Berman brings us the Diana wool mix button up blazer, on style channel.
- The beauty channel big deal is an ultra sun three-piece collection, good to stock up now.
- and Qvc extra one, is the Ninja perfect temperature kettle, this will be interesting!
Now back to the today’s special values for the rest of the week –
Monday – there is a fitness focus with the Fitquest flex express exercise bike with a special app.
Tuesday – looking forward to bringing you the famous ‘eight hour balm’ intensive top to toe 4 piece collection from Elizabeth Arden on Monday night at midnight and through the day while stocks last it should be here hopefully! Snap it up! Massive beauty brand 🙂
Wednesday – it’s fashion with the Badgley Mishka colour block knitted poncho with pocket
Thursday – Nails Inc return with a super six piece collection
Friday – and it’s JM fashion time with Julien MacDonald’s amazing metallic biker jacket
We have a big celeb event for fashion on Friday 5pm onwards too, including Ruth Langsford and Dannii Minogue, look out for Ruth‘s super new classic watch! Her first for us 🙂
Friday 9 pm – Ruth Kangsford’s faux suede coatigan arrives too, with a rib shawl collar, and you won’t believe the price. More about that next week 🙂
Next week – I will be down in Wales hoping to celebrate my lovely daughter’s 33rd birthday, including a spa day for the girls! Plus a girly day of a different kind with my four-year-old granddaughter who is about to start school and I get to have her for all of Sunday night and Monday daytime!
Another blog 4 pm next Friday and every Friday here on my website (now that the Web team are taking a break from presenter blogs for this summer). Enjoy the week!
Best wishes
Debs
PS – in case you didn’t find out on my blog last week, the weird signs on my back were made from a process called cupping! It’s what osteopath and therapists use to help to bring blood flow deep down to muscle tissue! I actually quite enjoyed it and I hope I get it again LOL although the marks didn’t last on me. One of my friends, who is much more skinny than me, was bruised for days when her therapist did it! Let me know if you’ve ever had it done or if you can recommend anything else for tense tight muscles, if it’s a consumer device I bet I’ve sold it in my lifetime LOL
