Don't Forget The Lyrics

It's the heat.  It gets to me, certain songs just go better with the warm weather.  And so, my brain started singing In The Summertime.  I got to thinking about the song, and the 1995 cover version by Shaggy. More so, I got to thinking about the lyrics.

I love the Mungo Jerry version, with its crazy sound effects.  But if you listen to it, it's a pretty nasty song.  I can fully see why Shaggy changed "have a drink, have a drive, and see what you can find" for the sanitised "driving round, to see what I can find".  In fact, if my memories are accurate, I think the original lyrics were used as a public safety film against drink driving.  Even away from that bit, though, it's still an uncomfortable listen. "If her daddy's rich, take her out for a meal, if her daddy's poor just do what you feel".  Excuse me?  Is a woman's value & virtue entirely linked to her father's bank balance?  Gee, thanks 1970!

Shane - Doesn't Forget The Lyrics

And I carried on thinking, while listening to Squeaky's choice of music in the car.  Justin Fletcher.  No, don't panic, he's just got some good examples.  On one of his CDs he sings Nelly The Elephant.  And his elephant doesn't slip her iron chains, she simply runs away.  I don't think she goes to Hindustan either, but I'm too warm to go & find out for sure.  Fair enough, animal cruelty isn't something to encourage in toddlers.

Then on his latest CD, he sings The Clapping Song. You know, "3, 6, 9, the goose drank wine..." Only his monkey doesn't choke, he thinks it was a joke. And I still have no idea what his momma wouldn't buy him, but it's not a rubber dolly (and I was very disappointed that he didn't kiss a soldier!).  The thing that strikes me strangest about this particular sanitisation is that the goose is still drinking wine and the monkey chewing tobacco, two things that really aren't pre-schooler appropriate, probably more so than the monkey choking.  Couldn't the monkey chew spearmint gum or something?  And the goose drink lime?

(While I was googling for the non-existant lyrics for the Justin version, I found more covers of The Clapping Song than I ever wanted to know about. Aaron Carter, Lady Gaga, dear oh dearie me)

I'm not sure how I feel about sanitising lyrics. On one hand, I'm glad that drink driving isn't an acceptable theme for pop music, but on the other, aren't there enough other songs to cover that don't need the dettol treatment? They're the product of a different time, with different norms.  There's plenty of S Club, Steps, Hannah Montana, TakeSpiceBoyzLife type songs out there, just dying for a cover for a new audience, that don't need their lyrics messing with.  It gets to the point of that atrocious "Christmas Is All Around" from Love, Actually.  Seriously, that was just horrifying.

Sweet Dreams Aren't Made Of This

Don't even get me started on switching the gender of a song for the cover version. Especially when it's completely irrelevant. Cher, I'm looking at you.

What do you think?

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Don't Stop Me Now!

Have I ever told you something very special about me (and a few hundred/thousand other people born in the UK within a month or so of me).  Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody was number 1 in the UK charts on the day I was born, and on my 16th birthday.  Some of my earliest memories are of listening to Queen in my dad's car.  And I get really excited when I hear the Queen songs I grew up with on the tv or radio.  They're part of me, who I am, and I don't even need to think to sing along.  In fact, on my good friend (and fellow blogger)'s hen night, I'm fairly sure I was singing Don't Stop Me Now louder than the drag queen with a microphone.  Some things just happen, I can't apologise.

Well, on the subject of Don't Stop Me Now... have you seen the new Visa ad?  Where Grandad doesn't want to be stopped from getting to the birth of his grandchild?  I love him, I really do. The haircuts, the trainers, it's just so happy-making.  (Yes, that is a real word, don't look at me like that!)  I've got to be honest and say I haven't used contactless payment yet myself, my main bank account is with someone small & behind the times, but they do what I need them to.  But I love the idea of contactless & quick payments, and mobile payments, as long as I keep good hold on my phone.  That said, my phone is almost as old as Grandad on the video, so the likelihood of someone wanting to steal it is pretty slim.

Have you seen the advert yet?

Honestly. how cute is that?  I think I'm in love!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, as part of the Spreaditfast network. I have not been told what to write and opinions remain my own.

Pepsi's Gone Crazy

You know me, internet. I need my caffeine.  Particularly, I need my cold, fizzy caffeine.  I'm the only person in our office who doesn't chip in to the tea/coffee fund, because I'm always armed with a can, bottle, or multipack of something carbonated.

So, now you know this about me, you can imagine how excited I was when I saw Dynamo levitating alongside a London Bus alongside a huge Pepsi Max poster.  Seriously, I always thought the best way to catch a bus was to stand at the stop and raise your hand to the driver, not just grab it as it drives past!  Move over Superman, Dynamo's in town!

Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, take a look at this video...  Go on, seriously, it's amazing.  Even more so as he comes from a notorious area of Bradford (I worked there for a while, and saw things I'll never forget!)


I love magicians & illusionists.  Particularly, I love trying to figure out how it's done.  I remember, many moons ago, being in the front row of a Wayne Dobson show (I'm showing my age now, I know), in a really intimate theatre.  And while I was amazed by the tricks, I was close enough to, not quite see how they were done, but to get a good idea.  They are tricks, illusions, the clue's in the name.  Magicians & illusionists are incredibly talented people, and I've got no idea how Dynamo is floating alongside that bus, but I'd love to find out, and to try it myself!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, as part of the Spreaditfast network. I have not been told what to write and opinions remain my own.

Lizi's Granola - Review

This is a long overdue review post.  The problem is, see, I promised SqueakyDaddy (and myself) that I wouldn't open another carton of breakfast cereal until we'd finished at least one of the existing boxes, because the cupboard is bursting at the seams.  And so the packet of Lizi's Granola has sat tormenting me on the side of the worksurface for far longer than it should have done.

However, today that long-awaited day arrived, and I was able to rip the top off the packet & pour myself a bowl of very grown-up Belgian Chocolate Granola.  This is great, chocolate isn't just for children's cereals any more! Equal opportunities breakfast, though admittedly I'm not one to shy away from a bowl of coco pops when I'm faced with a hotel breakfast.

Not a hotel in sight!

Well, anyway, yeah. Granola. That was the point here, right?  Granola seems to be the in-thing in breakfasts at the moment, and I can find it a bit hit & miss.  I've tried some that I've loved, and then I ended up feeding a rather expensive box to the birds because I just couldn't get on with it.  Open minded though, I approached the bowl of Lizi's Granola.  And with the first mouthful I wasn't quite sure.  The chocolate flavour is quite subtle, but the seeds are pretty strong.  I'm not sure which seed I could taste, as there's pumkpin seeds, sunflower seeds & linseeds, along with dessicated coconut, cashew nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and the obvious oats & chocolate.  And no added sugar.  Healthy breakfast!

As I said the first mouthful, I wasn't quite sure, but I persisted, and after a couple of spoons I got used to the seed flavour & actually quite liked it.  It is definitely one for the adults, the combination of the seed flavour and the bitter chocolate would be too much for children.  I did offer Squeaky a try, in the interests of a full review, but she declined, saying "It's got bits in!" and went back to her jam on toast.  I don't know, it's a little bit "marmite", you'll either love it or hate it.  Personally I love it, and I'm glad I didn't just go with that first taste & turn my nose up.  It's grown on me, and I'm glad.  I stayed properly full until lunchtime, despite a crazy morning of running around, shopping, delivering, and preschool dance club.  As I'm the person whose sandwiches are usually gone by 10 o'clock, this is quite an achievement.

The packaging really impressed me as well.  The granola is in a light bag, heavy & opaque to protect the contents, but lighter and easier to transport than a traditional cereal box, meaning less environmental impact.  But ahead of most other cereals I've seen in bags, it's got a reseal strip at the top, so I don't have to get all Stepford Wives & pour it out into my plastic cereal dispenser boxes.  A brilliant bit of thought, and makes my life much easier.

Lizi's Granola is available in a range of flavours, including the Belgian chocolate I was sent to try, and is available to purchase directly online, or from Tesco, Ocado & Waitrose.  And you can keep up with all the Lizi news on their twitter feed: @lizisgranola

Disclosure: I was provided with a package of Lizi's Granola free of charge for the purposes of this review. I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for convenience, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Discovery Instagram Competition

You know me by now, dear reader. There are two things I like (aside from cocktails!), competitions and food.  What better way to make me smile than something that combines the two?

Well, Discovery Foods, the fab Mexican food people, have just launched an Instagram channel, and to celebrate, they want people to upload their Mexican food creations, made with Discovery ingredients.  The competition runs for 4 weeks from 1st July 2013, and each week there's 10 chances to win £25 of Amazon vouchers.  And you know what Dale Winton says, you've got to be in it to win it!

Lacking in inspiration?  Well, take a look at their recipe page, there's plenty of ideas there.  I rustled up a Spanish/Cajun fusion dinner over the weekend, of Cajun Chicken & Chorizo wraps with soured cream & salsa, and had enough of the filling left over for tea the next day with some rice & veggies.  I'm not going to show you my final creation - that's my entry for the competition, but here's the work in progress!

Think you can do better?  Well, whip up something amazing, get your camera out, and upload it to instagram, using the caption "My #deliciousdiscovery entry for a chance to win a £25 Amazon voucher with @Discoveryfoods"

What are you waiting for? Get to it!

Disclosure: I was provided with a selection of ingredients from Discovery Foods in order to be able to take part in the competition in return for this post. I was not told what to write and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme and will not receive reward for their use.

Retail Royalty Challenge with Money Supermarket

Money Supermarket.  You know them, the price comparison people that DON'T have a really annoying advert.  Well, they've set a challenge to bloggers.  On signing up, and picking a charity, they sent me £30 and challenged me to get shopping.

It was a difficult decision to pick a charity to support.  After all there's so many.  I work for a charity myself, it would be so easy to find ways to spend that money on our services, but they get my time, and the sweat of my brow on a daily basis, I couldn't do that!  People might get the wrong idea!  So I thought a bit wider, and about some of the charities that support the work we do.  That's when it came to me, and I paid a visit to the Merthyr Cynon Foodbank, part of the Trussell Trust.

The work they do amazes me.  This is the 21st Century, we're a developed nation, filled with internet, mobile phones, satellite tv, cars, double glazing, and the kind of comforts people in the developing world aspire to, comforts that only a couple of generations ago wouldn't even have been dreamt of.  And yet every night, here in the UK people are going to bed hungry, parents are going without food to make sure their children are fed, people are relying on local foodbanks in order to get a decent meal.  In the 18 months since the Merthyr Cynon Foodbank opened their doors, they've fed over 3,500 people.  Over 1200 children.  And that's just in one small area of South Wales.  There's over 350 foodbanks in the UK, and they fed over 350,000 people last year.

The foodbank provides 3 days worth of emergency food, non-perishable & nutritious food to get people through a crisis - losing a job, benefit delays, banking problems.  And they're amazing people too.  Whenever you visit our local foodbank centre, they greet you at the door with a smile and a free cuppa, a chat, advice, a friendly welcoming place to go when the world seems a bit greyer than usual.  They're a ray of sunshine.

As I said, I paid the foodbank a visit, and asked them for their wishlist, which items were they most in need of?  They hold collections at the local supermarkets & through churches, but obviously what they receive through that can be a bit hit & miss, so I wanted to make sure I spent my £30 on the items they needed the most.  I was asked for variety packs of breakfast cereal (so they can split them up for single people, rather than giving huge boxes), 500g bags of sugar, and tinned fruit.

So, armed with my shopping list, I hit the internet, and browsed mysupermarket.co.uk to see who had the best deals, and marched around the local discounter stores to see if they could beat them.  I found my best bargains, and popped out to fill my car.  And fill it I did!  What you can see in the picture below is: 12 variety packs of breakfast cereal, each containing 8 boxes, 16 500 gram bags of sugar, and 11 tins of mandarin oranges.

My haul!

I got some rather odd looks in the supermarket when I filled my trolley up with this little lot, let me tell you!  But it came to a grand total of £30.08.  I subbed them the 8p, it's the least I can do.

I was amazed how much I could get for my £30.  I really didn't think I'd get a trolley load.  It sounds like an insignificant sum, I know I spend way more than that a week on our shopping, but I managed to buy so much food, that will make a real difference to people in crisis.  Someone will be able to go to bed tonight having eaten well, be able to get up in the morning & have a decent breakfast, and that could make all the difference.

Many thanks to Money Supermarket for giving me the opportunity to support their work.

This is my entry to the Retail Royalty Challenge, from Money Supermarket.