B is for Brits

During last year's challenge I didn't manage to visit every single blog, but the majority of those that I did were written by Americans. No surprise really since a lot of the A to Z hosting team live in the States (I think). So, assuming that most of you reading this are from the other side of the pond, I've decided to take it upon myself to educate you on how to be the perfect Brit. Because that's something you've been dying to learn. Obviously.

(To any Brits who may be reading, feel free to add to this list in the comments. Remember - stereotyping is fine if you're doing it about yourself!)

1. You must like tea.

According to the UK tea council, as a nation we drink 165 million cups of the stuff every day. With only 62 million of us living here, that works out at almost 3 cups per person per day. (In case you're wondering, we drink a measly 70 million cups of coffee a day.)

2. You must complain about the weather.

British weather could never really be described as 'extreme'. We don't have very hot summers; we don't have very cold winters, but give us a little more sun/snow than we're used to and we'll gladly go on about it for days.

3. You must never actually complain.
If someone cuts in front of you in a queue (and believe me, we take our queues seriously), you tut and mutter, you loudly point out their mistake to people around you, but you never, ever actually complain to them. Because that would be rude.

4. You must love 'u'.
Why have just an 'o' when you can chuck in a 'u' as well? 'Flavour', 'neighbour', 'colour' and 'humour' will just look more right to you.

4a. You must hate 'z'.
You avoid using 'z' wherever possible because you just don't trust it. (Incidentally, you must pronounce it 'zed', not 'zee'.) You must ignore the fact that 'recognise', 'organise' and 'realise' definitely sound like they should contain a 'z', and instead you must use an 's'.

And finally...

5. You must drive on the left.
Seriously, you'll cause accidents if you don't.

Question: What do you think makes a typical Brit?

A is for Aims

With one A to Z challenge under my belt, I'm starting my second attempt with a somewhat smug sense of confidence... It's okay folks. The situation is under control. I've been here before and I know what I'm doing. Everything is fine.

Give it a few days and the smug look will be long gone; replaced by panic and the distinct feeling of things-are-getting-out-of-control... Why oh why oh why did I sign up for this again? What the bloody hell can I write about for 'q'? People won't want to read this rubbish! What was I thinking?

So, in the meantime, before those nasty little imps Doubt and Despair creep into the picture, allow me to share my aims for this year's challenge so that, if you do decide to come back, you'll know what to expect. (Please feel free to mock these aims if you are reading this in the future, when it will be clear that I haven't managed to stick to them.)

- My bloglets* will be published each day at 9am GMT
- My bloglets will be as un-rambly as possible (though bear in mind the name of this blog)
- During the month, I will read and comment on as many A to Z blogs as possible
- My bloglets will not follow a theme
- I will try to make you laugh at least once while reading my blog
- Language will not get any more colourful than 'bloody hell'
- I will ask a question at the end of each bloglet. Don't feel obliged to answer it, but it would be nice to hear your thoughts!

Question: What are your aims for this year's challenge?

*bloglets is what I like to call individual blog posts. I've been doing it for some time now but it still hasn't caught on. I'm a slow trendsetter.

A to Z Challenge

You know what the A to Z Challenge reminds me of? Childbirth.

I should point out that I have yet to experience labour, but bear with me.

Apparently giving birth is rather unpleasant. It's messy, it's painful and it takes a long time (sometimes a bloody long time - sorry Mum). But at the end of it, after all your efforts, you're rewarded with something pretty amazing: the knowledge that you are responsible for creating something in which you can truly take pride.

That and a tiny, screaming, poop-filled, vomit-producing infant.

Anyone who has taken part in the A to Z Challenge in previous years will probably agree that parallels can be drawn. Apart from the part where you end up with a child. That bit doesn't quite fit into the analogy.

Blogging almost everyday for a month is tough. Last year I signed up at the last minute and found that it very quickly turned into an exercise of how well I could make things up as I went along (could you tell how little forward planning went into my bloglets?) Having to think of 26 different topics to write about was difficult enough, but then actually having to write about them in a way that others would (hopefully) enjoy? On some days that seemed darn-tootin' impossible, my friends.

But, with lots of metaphorical blood, sweat and tears, I got there.

And just like the mothers who, having forgotten the pain they experienced, decide to do it all again for a second time, so have I signed up for this year's challenge.

This time, though, I'm considering having a theme for my bloglets so that they at least give the appearance of being planned ahead of time, rather than being randomly plucked from the ether.

Any advice on whether or not a theme is a good idea, or what you think the theme should be would be very gratefully received.

Also, are any of you thinking about taking up the challenge this year?

Book Suggestions Please!

I didn't make many new year's resolutions this year, but one that I really want to stick to (and have so far) is to make sure I read every day. No limit on how many pages I read, or how long I spend doing it, as long as I pick up a book/kindle and read something.

So I'd really appreciate some suggestions.

What book or books have you read recently that I really must check out? 

And before I'm accused of asking for something for nothing, here are a few that I've enjoyed:

Paper Towns (John Green)

The Most Beautiful Thing (Fiona Robyn)

The Killing (David Hewson)

... and I've just started The Life of Pi (Yann Martel)

Advent Calendar

Morning/afternoon/evening all! (Please delete as appropriate)

If you've not been reading my X Factor recaps, then long time no see! If you have been reading my recaps, then it's still long time no see - I was lazy last week and didn't get round to recapping the show - apologies.

Anyway, in a fit of insanity a while ago I decided that it would be a good idea to make a video advent calendar. I have no idea whether it'll actually continue all the way up to Christmas (bit concerned about having enough ideas), but seeing as it's now December, day one is uploaded and ready to watch if you're interested.

(Day One)

Many thanks if you do watch today's or any other future video!