It’s a hard old life

HOW is it that when are in a rush there is always a queue at the nearest cash point.

And when you have loads of time to spare there is no queue for a cash machine. 

Last week, I had to be somewhere in the evening and went to the village to get some money out.

Unfortunately there were three people in front of me at the machine outside the bank.   

Why do some people spend ages at the cash point?

Either they spend ages typing their code in or they take forever to decide how much money they want to take out. 

Surely taking money out of the hole in the wall should be a simple operation, taking a couple of minutes at the very least. 

Also when there is a queue, it always seems to be raining. Why are there not shelters at cash points? 

Meanwhile I enjoyed watching the Australian Open tennis on BBC interactive. It is good to see that during a cold January day there was somewhere sunny, albeit on the over side of the world.

I didn’t realise the tournament was on the BBC, they hadn’t advertised it anywhere, so I missed the first week.   

It was an interesting tournament, with some shock results, such as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both losing in the semi-final.

Finally one lucky winner took last Saturday’s triple rollover, the first of the year. Unfortunately it wasn’t me. Despite all the lottery draws over the years, I don’t know anyone who has won a big prize.

MANY studies that are reported on seem like just a waste of time, but one caught my eye last week and it was about lying.

The drinks brand WKD were behind the poll and they asked 2,500 people how often they lied.

Those who took part admitted, on average, four fibs a day, with men telling five lies a day and women three fibs.

The most frequent lie was ‘Nothing’s wrong – I’m fine’ and 28% of those interviewed said they had told that one.

Next in the list was ‘Nice to see you’, followed by ‘I haven’t got any cash on me’, ‘I’ll give you a ring’ and ‘Sorry, I missed your call.’

I’ll have to admit I have told a white lie today while at the shops. I was asked by someone to answer some questions for market research, and responded: “I haven’t got time.”

It was just that they always take so long and you never know what the information is going to be used for.

One of the lies I think people tell often is “he/she is in a meeting.” I think that one should have been further up the list.

According the poll women are the better liars.

Meanwhile, I am glad that Trial and Retribution has started again on ITV. Now, there is a good drama programme. It is fast moving and always has good story lines. The latest episode has been split over two parts and I can’t wait for the second part. 

I HAVE to disagree with critics of the new 150in television plasma screen, which was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. 

The Panasonic TV they were talking about is 6ft high, 11ft wide and costs £50,000 and is so large it can show footballers in their actual size. 

Although it is very expensive and large the new invention represents a real step forward from the first TV sets, which showed grainy pictures in black and white. 

Today the picture clarity of televisions, with the help of modern technology, is almost life like and those with satellite have over a hundred channels to choose from. 

I don’t understand those people that moan and say this new television is too big. Do they want us to return to the age of having to get out of the armchair to manually switch over TV channels? 

In many cases advances in technology are for the better, although many people do feel impelled to have the latest invention.  

I’ll have to admit I only bought a DVD player less than two years ago, but it was well worth the money. They are much better than the old videos and go straight to any part of a film at a touch of a button. 

Do technophobes want us to return to the days of vinyl records and gramophone players? I don’t think so.

IT is that time of year when millions of people across the country make a New Year’s resolution.

Whether it is losing weight, learning a new skill or doing more exercise many of us have made a resolution.

It would be interesting to find out how many new gym memberships are started in January in Southport. I bet many of these people are not going to the gym a few months later.

I think the start of January is the month when people make resolutions, because it follows Christmas - which is a time of relaxing and often over-indulging - so people are looking for a change.

Although come the end of January I am not so sure how many of us will have stuck to our resolutions. Everyone must know a smoker who says they are giving up cigarettes this year, but when you see them a couple of weeks later they are smoking again.

Why do we find it so hard to change our habits? As it is said a leopard cannot change its spots – people do not change. No-one is assessing us though, I think it is just that people are looking each year to make improvements in their life.

And for how long should a New Year’s resolution last? Does it start on January 1 and then run till New Year the following year? I don’t know.

I can’t remember what my New Year’s resolution was last year it seems so long ago

This year I am making an effort to do more exercise. What’s yours?

MOST people love Christmas Day and the festive period and all that surrounds it.

It is a time when you can enjoy good food with your family, while also having a rest.

The problem is that it goes too quickly, and the build up to the day seems to get earlier and earlier each year.

And as soon as the shops close on Christmas Eve the sales period starts, which sees millions of people rushing to the shops.

This year it was reported that UK consumers spent £84m online on Christmas Day in an attempt to pick up a bargain in the sales.

It was estimated that 4.4m Britons bought goods online on December 25, which is a staggering one in 13 of the population.

But haven’t these people better things to do on Christmas Day, like talking to the family or helping with the Christmas dinner? Surely there must be one day of the year when people can switch off to the outside distractions.

Boxing Day sees the traditional sales period begin, with many retailers offering half priced goods for sale. But there are never any really good bargains in the sale.

I usually think that what’s in the shops on Boxing Day is what has not been bought over the Christmas period.

Meanwhile, I always think there is a quiet time between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. It is a lull period, 2007 hasn’t finished and 2008 is only round the corner.

Roll on 2008! Happy Hogmanay!

YOU know Christmas is days away when you walk into the shops and hear festive tunes being played.

They start getting played on about December 1 and add to the Christmas excitement.

These tunes can be heard on the radio, on the television, in the clubs and bars well into the New Year.

With downloads now being included when the top 40 is compiled the chart has been flooded with Christmas songs this year.

The old favourites that could be found this Saturday include: Pogues - Fairytale Of New York; Wham - Last Christmas; Andy Williams - It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year; Wizzard - I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday; and Band Aid - Do They Know It’s Christmas.

Among my favourite pop Christmas songs is The Pogues’s Fairytale of New York.

One of my least favourite is Wizzard’s I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, because it is being played everywhere you go over the Christmas period.

I probably liked it once. I would like to hear other people’s favourite Christmas songs?

Meanwhile at this time of year record companies compete against each other for the coveted number one spot. In the last few years winners of the X Factor held the top spot over Christmas.

The surprise winner of this year’s X Factor Leon Jackson is the 1/6 favourite for next week’s Christmas No 1 spot. He will be releasing his debut single When You Believe this week.

Often the Number 1 spot at Christmas is not connected with the festive period. Who remembers Number 1 in 1993? (Answer - Mr Blobby - Mr Blobby).

I WAS pleased to hear a new James Bond book is to be published.

It is being written by Sebastian Faulks, author of Birdsong, and is called Devil May Care, and will be published next year.

The cover of the book was released last week and it will be interesting to see what the story is like.

I was surprised that Faulks had been chosen, because he is well known for his romantic wartime novels. Charlotte Grey is a world away from Dr No.   However we are promised that the book will have all the ingredients of a classic Bond story, including exotic locations, glamorous women and villains who are megalomaniacs.

I HAVE just spent the weekend at a youth hostel in Ambleside in the Lake District, with some friends, and was amazed at how good they are.

Although they don’t offer the luxury of a hotel, they are very comfortable and reasonably priced.

The hostel at Ambleside can be found by the side of Windermere, with tremendous views over the lake and surrounding area.

There where people from all other the world at the accommodation – and even somebody, who had come from as far as Australia.

Most of the folk staying at the hostel where under 30 and included a junior rugby team and lots of couples and friends.

We paid a minimal fee and that gave us a shared room and breakfast. The breakfast was comprehensive with something for everyone, from bacon and eggs, to croissants and tea and coffee. A hearty breakfast is what you need before a day walking.

On Saturday morning we took off on our walk along the fells in the inclement weather. It was definitely a day for the waterproofs and hats. There was a strong wind, but still good views of the nearby peaks.

We stopped at a pub along the way. And had our packed lunch, while sheltering from the wind by one of the stone walls.

The hostels provide breakfast, and have facilities where you can make your own lunches and evening meals.

One of the people in our group had provided the evening meal of spaghetti for Saturday night, which was excellent.

More information on Ambleside Youth hostel can be found here.

IT was hugely disappointing to watch England fail to qualify for Euro 2008.

With over 15 minutes to go it seemed the team had done enough to qualify for next year’s tournament, although you just knew Croatia would score a winner.

Next year’s tournament won’t be the same without England in it.

After the game it has been annoying to listen and read some of the pundits reactions. I didn’t agree with the so-called experts, who said this country is a nation of sporting failures, and then mentioned Lewis Hamilton as an example.

Hang on a minute. Hamilton is a top class driver, even though he did not win the F1 World Championship in his debut year - something no over driver has managed to do.

He has shaken up Grand prix racing this year and made it much more exciting. Schumacher had dominated the sport for years, each race you could guarantee he would win, or finish on the podium.

Maybe Hamilton should have won the World Championship, but he is only 22, and hopefully will have many years of racing in front of him. It surely must be a matter of time before he wins the World Championship.

While the fortunes of our national football team have taken a nose dive, our country’s Premier League sides have been dominating the Champions League. Liverpool won the trophy in 2005 and were losing finalists in 2007. The year before Arsenal lost to Barcelona in the final.

In golf this country is again producing some good home-grown talent. England’s Justin Rose took this year’s European Order of Merit.