Royal Acot 17th - 21st June

I adore Royal Ascot. Even if I am not going, which I’m not this year; the event conjures up such lovely images surrounding the uniqueness of British Summertime. Royal Ascot dates back to 1798 and is one of our most internationally renowned sporting and social occasions. It’s steeped in tradition, pomp, fashion and excess all in one magnificent setting.

It conjures up high stakes both on the finance and fashion fronts with careful selection, preparation and planning needed for outfits, especially for Women’s Day. So even if you can’t get there, still take inspiration from the style, the affluence and the fun of the fare for you summer wardrobe.

On my last outing to Ascot I noticed a big fashion faux pas spotting heaps of people all wearing the same distinctive Karen Millen white and red flowered dress. So my money would be on avoiding high end high street chains and go to designer boutiques. Or settle for cheap chic like this perfect Ascot dress from Marshall Ward.  I bet no one else will have found a frock this good for under £50.

Beaded prom dress £49.00

I’m fed up of boyfriends, husbands, brothers, co workers, cousins, uncles, and sons moaning about the female enjoyment of the books, the TV shows and now the screen debut of Sex in the City. Please guys give it a rest. Women don’t go down the pub to discuss the transfer market, match performances or test match highlights. We don’t watch on tenterhooks as football teams do battle on the pitch, texting each other furiously as every drama unfolds only to go over it all again, in detail the next day.No, we get our drama, our tears (John Terry), our suspense and our sporting highs and lows from shopping. The joy of being first to bag a bargain, the satisfaction when you beat others to  a “must have” dress. The excitement when you find the perfect pair of shoes and the loss of morale when your size is no longer in stock.Yes, we love gossiping with our friends over new season trends and best buys. We adore sharing in each others experiences. Who wore, what, where, when? This is our sporting life. Not netball, or hockey, just the emotional ups and downs of shopping.

So when we get a movie that celebrates our sport, is brimming with Manolos and Miu Miu’s, Vera Wang and Vivian Westwood and throws romance into the mix as well, we love it - just as you love watching the emotions of the FA Cup so we love watching the enriched drama of friends and fashion unfold. So please guys, leave us to our after “love” match analysis of Carry, and Mr. Big and girls, dress up, drink up and go enjoy the show.

With Spring in the air it’s time to spruce up your home. But if the thought of DIY leaves you full of dispair then worry not. A few carefully placed accessories will brighten up a tired decor and bring in the much needed new season freshness you’re yearning for. These new floral looks are perfect, with a neutral setting they will fill your room full of colour and really make you feel you’ve leapt into Spring.

 50 / 50 Embroided Flower Ribbon Bedset £19.50

 John Lewis How Does your Garden Grow? Duvet Set £40.00

 Zenor Pink Cotton Cushion £25.00

Flower Cotton Cushion £20.00

 Funky Flowers Room Makeover Kit £39.95

It’s not often I look at Victoria Beckham and feel she personifies working mums. The problem with such yummy mummies is that it’s very hard for working mothers like me to keep up such appearances without first employing a staff of 10 to help.

Victoria’s wardrobe is always impeccable; no outfit ever has any little chocolate or jam finger prints visable and her make up never looks like she dashed out the house having negotiated her way through the tenures of getting three children ready first. And I’m absolutely certain she never accidentally pulls out an old lolly stick or apple core from her Prada handbag instead of her Montblanc pen when she signs an autograph.

So it was with sheer delight that I saw recent pictures of her on an outing to celebrate her son Brooklyn’s 9th birthday with her youngest son, Cruz in full batman costume. For mums everywhere who have tried to coax their insistent kids out of tutus, trailer trash heels or super hero costumes to no avail, it was refreshing to see that Victoria , just like very other mums,  picks her battles carefully and was not going to get into a fight with batman. So next time we reluctantly take Spiderman with us to Sainsburys we can do so,  safe in the knowledge that we’re still sky high in the fashion stakes.

And just like his mum, it seems Cruz Beckham is also setting trends as Asda is just one of many stores that have seen the sales of super hero costumes soar since the pics first appeared in the press. What a hero.

 Three of the best:-

Batman by George at Asda, Age 3-10 years old £12.00

 Child Batman Begins Batman at Joker’s Masquerade, £16.49

 Licensed Batman costume from allfancydress, £16.99

January is over and all the promises of well being start to waiver. By February, a few more cups of coffee, glasses of wine and empty calories are consumed again and the promises of a new you slow down. So you didn’t end up losing as much weight as you had hoped and you don’t look as svelte and radiant as you’d hoped. Well worry not; help is at hand we can still look and feel gorgeous and glamorous - easily.

Start with this detoxifying body exfoliator to smooth skin and boost cell renewal. This toning antistress body scrub leaves skin velvety, smooth and radiant.

Ultima Bio Feeling detoxifying body exfoliator £16.00

Next add a final glow to your revitalised body with St Tropez whipped self tanning mouse for instant colour in just 60 seconds or try this self tanning gel from Sisley that gradually provides a healthy, natural looking tan without the airport queues.

St Tropez whipped bronze mousse £19.98

Sisly self tanning gel £44.50

Then your gorgeous body now deserves a flawless complexion. This Suki Tinted Moisturiser is the purest, most luxurious tinted foundation your skin has ever experienced. Not only does this tinted moisturiser enhance your complexion and even your tone it provides a luxurious hydration your skin craves and made with completely natural pigments and organic ingredients to allow you to add glamour with conscience.

 Suki Tinted Active moisturiser in natural or bronze £38.00.

And fianally, with your body and face radiant and glowing you can now put on your latest Spring look. And whilst you haven’t quite managed to work off all the excess weight this little stylist secret is perfect for showing off a slimmer figure.  The All Over Body Shaper from M & S flattens tummies, shapes bottoms and defines your waist. And with the multi way straps you can wear with any range of dress style.

 Magic Mutiway All Over Body Shaper £35.00

Now you are smooth, toned, radiant and ready to show off you new spring fashions, how easy was that? 

Every January millions of us decide to stop piling on the pounds and promise faithfully to return regularly to the gym. We desperately try to improve our diet, buy the latest Asic trainers, the best Stella McCartney Sportswear and hope the “feel fitter factor” will continue.

A couple of trips later and the resolution starts to wane. The gym in January is over-crowded, over-priced and over-rated. On top of the monthly fee, you have venture out on a cold, wet night, remember water, iPod, towel and wait until February to get on the equipment. And when it’s finally your turn, there is always someone next to you running faster, clmbing steeper or lifting heavier to further compound your feelings of inadequacy.

No, smart girls stay in the comfort and solitude of their own dwellings. 

With many low cost and space saving ideas available, you can now watch your favourite soap, sing along to your latest tracks and actually enjoy a regular workout at home.

Stow A Bike Foldable Exercise Bike £59.99

This is great way to get in shape, the foldable exercise bike includes a free on board computer to determine your ultimate workout and with a RRP of £299.99 this is a deal you can’t afford to miss.

Wooden Wobble Board £19.99

For less than £20.00 you can improve your balance, coordination and range of motion with this Wooden Wobble Board. A bit like surfing on the spot,  it’s billed as a secret weapon in the battle to stay in shape.

 Reebok Gym Ball £14.99

Gym balls are great for sit ups, back exercises and general fitness and as this one comes with an introductory DVD you’ll easily end up the belle of the ball.

 Peekaboo Pole dancing Kit £39.95 

Forget Pilates, from LA to London the fashionable aid to celebrity fitness is the Pole. With this kit you can learn “The Booty Shake” and “Thighs the Limit” and I’m guessing your partner might benefit as well as you! 

It has been really lovely over Christmas and New Year catching up with friends and relatives; parents, the in-laws, brother, sister, nieces and nephews. It was fantastic to see each and every one of them.

But I’m sad to say, nothing excited me as much as when, having popped into my local pub for a drink and a bite to eat after a long walk in the park, my family and I found ourselves sitting alongside Mark Owen from Take That and his gorgeous wife and son.

Both my daughter and myself couldn’t resist regular trips to the loo to get an extra peek at his good looks swooning as we did so. How caught up in today’s celebrity culture are we? Ouch!

No wonder Big Brother; Celebrity Hijack will be another much viewed program against all our resolutions for the New Year featuring promises of cultured participation and self improvement.

Catch Celebrity Hijack daily on E4

I managed it! All the gift buying is now done, wrapped and under the tree. It’s now time for food shopping. And the question that pops up annually in my house is, ” do we have turkey or goose for Christmas lunch?”

Apparently goose was always preferred even by the bouguesie in Victorian times until the larger turkey became cemented in the tradition of popular culture by Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

And that’s why I deliberate and conjugate. I do actually prefer a succulent goose but the fond memories of Christmas past are encapsulated in the taste and aromas of Christmas cooking and my family have always roasted a turkey.

I’ve looked at celebrity chefs for inspiration this year. On Jamie Oliver’s Christmas TV special he suggests cooking both and gives delicious tips on how to get the best from your birds. With goose he suggests lightly rubbing in five spice and uses a simple orange inside the bird for added fragrance.

To provide deliciously seasoned and moist turkey he suggests carefully pulling away the skin and rubbing in butter blended with the zests of lemon and clementines. He finishes off with some sage leaves under the skin for additional flavour.

Both recipes have me simply salivating with excitement but I don’t have enough people coming round for both a turkey and a goose and don’t want to start inviting neighbours or more family just make up the numbers.

So I’ve come to decision. I will stick with turkey and all the trimmings for Christmas lunch but will order a goose for New Year’s Day and therefore begin my own family tradition.

For the perfectly cooked turkey use the roasting calculator at www.britishturkey.co.uk how easy is that?

Yes, I know I said I was going to be totally organised this year and I did promise I’d have Christmas “all wrapped up” by now……it just hasn’t happened. I’m not sure why, the intention was there. I just seem to have been too busy or too distracted to even think about present buying. I’m now left with the inevitable panic, stress and concern of getting eveything done in very little time.

Whilst resigned to the inevitable pressure, I’m also starting to feel quite smug about my predicement. Damage limitation is minimalised. My son, who at the beginning of the month was besotted with Dr Who now prefers Ben 10. My daugher who originally asked “Santa” for Babychams and now prefers Reebok pink neon trainers. By waiting for their “final choice” I don’t have to spend the night before Chrsitmas trying to pursuade them their original choice was definitely best.

One more reason to feel smug about the delay in gift purchasing is the discounts and deals now available both on line and on the high steet. As a last ditch effort to win our business (and they would have had mine anyway)  prices have been slashed.

I’m now really excited, My kids haven’t got time to change their mind about the content of their wish list, I still have time to shop, (just) and there’s more bargains to be had than in Oxfam.

So whilst I know I should have done everything earlier, I’m now quite pleased I didn’t.

Picoo Z Remote helicopter was £29.95 Now £19.95

Action Man- Hybridon Attack vs Axel Was £20 now £10

Doctor Who Time travelling Action Game. Was £29.95 now £14.95

Disney Pixar Cars. Was £39.95 now £19.95

Chip and Pin Monopoly was £24.95 now £18.95

Another day and another celebrity launches a new fragrance. Today it’s the turn of super cool R n B singer Usher. This will sit nicely on the shelves alongside other male celebrity smells from artists including Prince, Sean John (Diddy), Ronan Keating and David Beckham. 

Whilst the men are doing well in the marketplace it’s the celebrity fragrances from women that have really taken off this season. The trend began with A listers such as J-Lo, Mariah Carey and Britney but now, the ladies that adhorn the pages of OK magazine , have followed suit and added an enourmous volume of designs to the celebrity mix.

And proving these girls can sell purfume as well as papers this year’s list of top 10 selling smells includes scents from Katy Price, (Jordon) and uber WAGs Coleen and Alex Curran.

So to add my traditional mix, (I’ll never stop buying Chanel) I’ve decided to embrace this trend and see if a squirt of VIP glamour really does help me to be the belle of the ball. But how shall I make my choice? Do I want to achieve super model status with the debut scent from Kate Moss, be a dancefloor hit with the help of Sweet Darling from Kylie Mynogue, or become a stylish fashionista wth a spray of Covet from Jessica Parker? Yes I do, I think I’ll take all three.

Kate for Women by Kate Moss (was 21.00 now £19.55)

Sweet Darling by Kylie Mynogue. (was £19.50 now £17.50)

Covet By Sarah Jessica Parker. (was £29.00 now £26.55)