Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Belt it out!


Oh the weather outside is frightful, 
But the fire is so delightful,
And since we've no place to go,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!


It doesn't show signs of stopping,
And I've bought some corn for popping,
The lights are turned way down low,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!


When we finally kiss goodnight,
How I'll hate going out in the storm!
But if you'll really hold me tight,
All the way home I'll be warm.


The fire is slowly dying,
And, my dear, we're still good-bying,
But as long as you love me so,
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! 

Raising money for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

By 6pm tonight, my friend Carmen will have raised £350 for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. 

She will have: 
- Done 45 hours of hot yoga
- Burned approximately 41,000 calories
- Drunk approximately 150 litres of water
- Grown an inch taller
- Sweated and cried loads in classes
- Almost passed out in 5 classes
- And even done half a class with a mouthful of vomit at one point

Please help her raise a wee bit more by donating a £1 or two here on her JustGiving page.

Thank you!!

Christmas Quiz 2011!

So, here it is ... the Christmas Quiz 2011!! (courtesy of my friend Andrea)

Q1:      In what year did Band Aid release their record "Do They Know It's Christmas?"?

            (Bonus Point: whose is the first voice to be heard on the original recording?)

A1:       1984 (Paul Young)

Q2:      London's Trafalgar Square Christmas tree is traditionally given by which country?

A2:       Norway

Q3:      True or False: only male reindeer have antlers?

A3:       False

Q4:      Name 5 of Santa’s reindeer?

A4:       Comet, Cupid, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph

Q5:      Which city is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth?

A5:       Bethlehem

Q6:      Which European football league does not take a winter break:
            a) Italy, b) Netherlands, c) Portugal or d) Austria?

A6:       Portugal

Q7:      What was the name of Queen's 1984 Christmas single?

A7:       Thank God it's Christmas

Q8:      What is the name of the cake traditionally eaten in Italy at Christmas?

A8:       Panettone

Q9:      What is New Year's Eve called in Scotland?

A9:       Hogmanay

Q10:    What is St Stephen's Day more commonly known as?

A10:     Boxing Day

Q11:    In the song The Twelve Days of Christmas, '...my true love brought to me nine...' what?

A11:     Ladies dancing

Q12:    In Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol, what was the name of Bob Cratchett’s youngest child?

A12:     Tiny Tim

Q13:    Which country did St Nicholas come from?

A13:     Turkey

Q14:    Who wrote the book ‘how the Grinch stole Christmas?’

A14:     Dr Seuss

Q15:    What is the chemical formula of snow?

A15:     H2O

Q16:    What type of animal is Snowball in George Orwell's book Animal Farm?

A16:     A pig

Q17:    In Britain which vegetable is often included in the ingredients of a Christmas pudding?

A17:     Carrot

Q18:    In which year did Wham get a monster hit with "Last Christmas"?

            a) 1983  b) 1984  c) 1985  d) 1986

A18      1984

Q19:    Traditional in Germany at Christmas, what sort of food is stollen?

A19:     Cake

Q20:    If you were born on Christmas day, what would be your Zodiac sign?

A20:     Capricorn

Q21:    Who had the Christmas 2010 no. 1 single?

A21:     Matt Cardle

Q22:    From which country does the poinsettia plant originate?

A22:     Mexico

Q23:    How many points does a snowflake have?

A23:     Six

Q24:    What are ‘pigs in blankets’?

A24:     Sausages wrapped in bacon

Q25:    Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean is a territory of which country?

A25:     Australia

Follow Me

Inspired by @utterben


FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER!! www.twitter.com/debsa

Autumn Colours

Here are a selection of photos from today's #photochallenge on Twitter

by @utterben

by @willgthompson

by @balconyshirts

by @ImTheBigOJ 1/2

by @ImTheBigOJ 2/2

by @jjlechat

by @johnjfar

Fake Autumn ;) by @paamx

by @RichardHesketh1

by @SisterLedge

by @TanteRos

by @ThuckFat

140 Characters

I was lucky enough to be featured in Chris Floyd's excellent 140 Characters exhibition recently.  A great night was had by all who went to the opening night of the exhibition (still on until 17th November).  


Chris Floyd is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet and a brilliant photographer.  He's been lucky enough to travel the world and photograph some famous faces, so I feel honoured to have had him take my photo too - FOR FREE!  How cool and generous is that?


There's been some negativity about those that took park in this, that we're part of the "twitterati" or some bullshit clique.  Utter crap.  Twitter is YOURS, you follow who you enjoy seeing in your timeline.  I like to interact a lot, I'm proactive, I get involved - I'm like this offline too.  I'm on far too many local community groups, or helping friends with their local businesses, for my own good.  But I enjoy it.  I get pleasure out of it and so do others.  That's also how twitter works for me: it gives me pleasure.  So don't grumble, get involved.


Here's my pic and accompanying text. Apparently I do this pose a lot when I laugh.

@WH1SKS, @debsa and @themanwhofell

"I'd seen @PoppyD talk about the Twitter Portrait project on her feed, but didn't think that "normals" could get involved, but me and @WH1SKS spoke about it and he passed on Chris' details - he was glad to have us both on board.  We scheduled our "shoot" to follow on from Greg's (aka @themanwhofell) so that we could kill two birds with one stone and catch up with him. This resulted in him muscling in our slot, which was a lot of fun - as you can see from the picture of all three of us.  

Whilst Chris was clicking away (technical term), Greg was asking Rich (@WH1SKS) if he shaved his chest or if he waxed it. Most surreal.  He uses an electric razor, if you're curious too.  The whole experience was wonderful, very entertaining and I felt totally at ease.  Chris also let us keep our clothes on, which made a nice change. 

Twitter is a great thing/place/experience but only to those that are "in it" (I don't mean this in a cliquey way).  I'm often met with blank looks when I talk to non-twitter types about tw1tterband or a cheese survey I once did.  I'm grateful for being a part of twitter, its ability to make me laugh out loud, cry or learn something new never ceases to amaze. Vive Le Twitter!

I'm now almost 3 stone lighter than I am in that photo.  It wasn't anything Chris said; he was very nice.  I don't like celery."

#tweetathon

The wonderful @diaryofaledger, with the staying awake support of @kyelani and 1,000s of you on twitter, have raised over £4,500 for Chapter 1.

Congratulations!  Wonderful stuff.

Why NHS reforms are totally wrong

Via @bc_tmn (Tim Hardy)


Watch Dr Phil Hammond on why NHS reforms are totally wrong @leftfootfwd http://t.co/9Y6tiMHth/t @latentexistence #savethenhs

Save the NHS campaign

Update from "38 Degrees" - Save the NHS campaign

"This is certainly disappointing. But over the last few days the 38 Degrees petition had a real impact, bringing the concerns of the public into the chamber of the House of Lords. It is not over yet. The legislative process will take several more months. It won't be easy but there's still a chance we can secure changes." Lord David Owen, proposer of the amendment for a special scrutiny committee It was close, but we lost the vote. 262 Lords voted in favour of a special scrutiny committee for the dangerous NHS plans. 330 voted against. If just 35 more Lords had voted the right way, we would have won. Over 150,000 of us signed the emergency petition, in just 24 hours. It was all over the news. [1] Many Lords and Baronesses mentioned us in their speeches as they pledged to vote the right way. Lord Hunt stood up to announce how many of us had signed the petition and said: "That is but one small reflection of widespread concern within the community about the NHS." [2] All across the UK we were crossing our fingers - could this be our breakthrough moment? But it wasn’t our day. The government managed to twist just enough arms for their plans to move forward to the next stage. It’s nowhere near over yet. Lansley's NHS plans still have to pass several more crucial stages in the House of Lords. There will be more crunch votes and more breakthrough opportunities in the next three months. [3] One 38 Degrees member, Yvonne, summed it up on the 38 Degrees Facebook page: “We may have lost the battle, but we have not lost the war!” Here's what some other 38 Degrees members have been saying since the news came in: Anthony: “Keep the spirit up, everything is possible.” Emily: "Let’s see if we can facilitate LOCAL protests (not just the big city ones)." Ivy: "Please people, keep campaigning, we mustn't lose this jewel in our crown." Ann: "It seems there were about 150+ peers who did not vote; I wonder why and maybe we could target these next time?" Adam: “The best option is for us to continue campaigning. There may be more amendments during the committee stage and third reading.” Julie: “We have lost two battles but NOT the war...we actually got a lot of support from the cross benchers and some lib dems re supporting the Owen amendments, so the ground work has been done.” You can join the conversation with other 38 Degrees members, and share your thoughts on lessons we've learned for next time, on the 38 Degrees Facebook page, on Twitter, or on the website. In September, thousands of us helped write a people powered plan to influence the House of Lords. [4] Then thousands of us donated the money needed to get it started. [5] Really, we've only just started putting that plan into action – and we're already only 35 Lords short of a big breakthrough. We did not have that breakthrough this week. But we saw that our strategy can work and we still have time to do more. We can send more messages, sign more petitions, pay for more briefings from legal experts and organise more local campaign events. We can work together to come up with new ideas for people powered tactics.If we keep going, there's a real chance we can change an extra 35 Lords' minds before the final votes in a few months' time. Some Lords, particularly Liberal Democrats, said they wouldn't vote in favour of a special scrutiny committee because it was unnecessary. They claimed it will be possible to address 38 Degrees members' concerns by following the standard House of Lords procedure. [6] Now, we're going to have to do all we can to make them keep their word on this – it certainly isn't the time to give up! We've done an incredible amount to sound the alarm about the threats our NHS is facing, and highlight all the reasons why having a public health service is one of the things Britain should be most proud of. It's obviously a bit depressing that yesterday's vote went the wrong way. But the fight is nowhere near over. Dr Clare Gerada, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, contacted the office after the vote with this message for all of us: "Members of 38 Degrees have played an important role in speaking up for our NHS and highlighting concerns. Today's vote is by no means the end of the story, keep going!" So let's keep going, David, Hannah, Becky, Marie, Johnny, Cian and the 38 Degrees team PS: One of the really exciting things to happen this week was that over 30,000 more people joined the Save Our NHS campaign. There are now well over half a million people involved. The more of us there are, the more we can do together and the bigger the impact we can have. You can help the campaign grow even bigger by forwarding emails like this to all your friends and asking them to get involved. PPS: Andrew Lansley was expecting his changes to have been finalised 6 months ago. And together we've already reined in some of the very worst bits of Lansley’s plans. Click here for a quick recap of some of the things we have done together so far to protect the NHS: https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/nhs-recap

Tips for updating to iOS 5

Collated tips for a successful update to iOS 5. Add your tips as comments below or tweet me @debsa and I'll add them.

The key points seem to be:

• Back up first
• Upgrade iTunes
• Switch to Airplane mode during update
• Make a big pot of coffee

HAPPY UPDATING!!

@comedyfish
iOS5 done. Time taken: almost exactly 2 hours. Think trick is, to update when in airplane mode (I learned after 1 hour)

@sfendle
Here's my tip. Wait for iOS 5.1

@TummyCustard
PROTIP: Authorise iTunes yesterday.

@nicktheguitar
Failing to update iOS? have u learnt nothing from the last few releases? U always wait a day!

5 Tips to prepare for updating from GottaBeMobile's Josh Smith





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One Hundred and Forty Characters

Come and see me and many other twitter lovelies at this exhibition, as photographed by the awesome Chris Floyd.


"In July 2010 I decided to begin photographing people that I follow on Twitter .... " READ MORE

A Date for Debsa

I haven't quite worked out what I'm doing with this idea yet, so I thought I'd publish this to make me think about it some more.

What I would like is some input from those that know me, or think they know me, to pen a couple of lines about "why you should date Debsa"

First and foremost, this is serious.  You may like to read this first.

I've been single for rapidly approaching 7 years (come February 2012) and I don't want to be single anymore.  I've tried the usual forms of internet dating and it's not for me.  Twitter is different.

Two provisos so far to qualify for a "Date with Debsa": 1) you must be male; and 2) you must be single.

Do not be afraid to approach me .... I've only every asked a guy out once before in my life.

#DateDebsa

Steve Jobs: on death

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.


Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.


Steve Jobs - 2005


RIP Steve Jobs


(thank you for posting @kyelani, so I could share it here)






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National Poetry Day 2011

National Poetry Day 2011 will be held on Thursday 6 October. This year's theme is 'Games'. 


Let's all write a poem!  I'll post your contributions here.


From @weespekky
Games. 
Not Cluedo or Ludo, but Nintendo. 
Games


From @angryplumber
I'd love to have sex,
With Becks,
Whilst sniffing his,
Dirty kecks.


From @the_hux

Queenio cokeio who's got the ballio now no one plays outside?

Who's coming out and who's in goal you or me? 

Hide and seek the kids in streets, manhunt for the older boys.

Let's play tip or off the ground give the parks a childhood sound. British bulldog one, two, free.

From @judwa

The silver balls are glistening upon the coloured rods, settled, so content like little peas in pods.

Me - I anticipate my move, my heart a little sunk.

I slide the rod .... the balls drop down.

I'm rubbish at Kerrplunk!

From @nicky_t ... a haiku! 

I love playing games 

But don’t feel the need to win 

Taking part is enough

From @spallerina

I like scrabble
There are letters and stuff
It is very fun
I am a champion
FIN


From @DavieLegend

In pubs and bars around the world, and even on the bus,

There is a game that brings such joy, it is a nightly must.

It needs a man to start it off, but girls can join the fun

A simple choice, this or that, you must decide on one.

So gentlemen, pull down your zip, and stick your fingers in.

Have a rummage round down there and pull out a bit of skin.

Careful now, don’t be too brash, retain some mystery.

Don't expose your whole package, just enough for them to see.

Dick or Bollock, Dick or Bollock, it’s easy and it’s free.

Dick or Bollock, Dick or Bollock, which one will it be?

Dick or Bollock, Dick or Bollock, the atmosphere is tense.

Dick or Bollock, Dick or Bollock, let the games commence.

From @talktoteens
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy 

But he'll do better in his GCSEs 

The dullard.

From @mightytonka

I like to play games; I like to win; 

I don't like to lose; 

I like to win; 

I never cheat, but; 

I like to win; 

If I lose I may sulk, cos; 

I like to win; 

Is there a prize for this?; 

I like to win

From @diaryofaledger

When I think of games
I don’t think of sport
I think of a PS3
And a USB port

Call of Duty
Or Pro Evo
On the sofa you’ll find me
Eating something to go

It might not be healthy
Or in anyway good for me
But nothing tops the feeling
Of beating AT

From @philthD

quit playing games with my heart
    it doesn't understand the rules
    and when you explain them
    you keep leaving out important aspects
    until you need them to win

quit playing games with my heart
    it's neither round enough
    nor robust enough
    to be a suitable ball substitute

quit playing games with my heart
    it isn't square enough to be a die
    nor small enough to be a counter
    nor flat enough to be the board

quit playing games with my heart
    or if not
    at least let it win occasionally

Cycling Challenge

Next year, probably around April or May, my sister and I will be cycling to Le Havre.  The route is:

• Cycle from Chichester to Dover - with a stop or two en route.  Brighton or Hastings perhaps
• Ferry from Dover to Calais
• Cycle from Calais to Le Havre - with a stop or two en route.  Definitely Boulogne-sur-mer and ??
• Ferry from Le Havre to Portsmouth

We're not cycling nutters, we don't wear the maillot à pois rouge, we are not King of the Mountains.  We want to find coastal roads where possible, we don't mind a bit of a climb, but not thigh-burning, heart-pounding, eyes-bulging kind of climbs.  My face doesn't look great when it's a shocking shade of raspberry for more than a couple of minutes.


What I'd like help with is planning this.  What are the best apps or websites for mapping such routes, is there info on terrain, traffic etc??  If you can put us up en route, that would also be amazing.


We are also aiming to raise money for charity both on the English and French sides.  Suggestions also welcome.


I need your help twitter. Thank you.

Alternative way to grow cress

Shove damp cotton wool up each nostril (you can breathe through your mouth and ears anyway, or so an ex told me).

Then arrange a suspicious looking line of cress seeds on a mirror and snort.  The seed will be immediately attracted to the dampness (again, something an ex told me).

Et voila! Green stuff will erupt from your nostrils in an unattractive manner in no time.

How to grow cress

Under no circumstances read this if you're involved in #CressWars

Quite possibly one of the easiest things to grow and an ideal starter to get children involved. For a tasty alternative, mix garden cress seed and mustard seed together – the mustard seed is hotter and will give a bit of bite.

How to Plant

The best way to grow cress is by simply using a plastic tray (with no drainage holes) and adding a layer of tissue or kitchen paper - no need for compost at all. Moisten the tissue, but don’t get it too wet and sprinkle the seed generously on top.

By the next day (or even sooner) the cress will have started to germinate. Make sure the tissue is kept moist at all times and the cress will grow quickly. In about a week it should be 3cm (1½”) tall and ready for harvesting. Snip the stems when you want to eat it (it doesn’t keep well) and enjoy in sandwiches, salads or as a garnish.

If your cress goes mouldy when growing, simply throw it away, clean your tray and start again.

Guide lifted verbatim from www.gardeningdirect.co.uk

11/09/2001

I was working for Jobsite in Hampshire. A pretty regular day working in marketing for a successful online recruiter.

Early afternoon, our Internet access seemed to be really dragging. A few of the more web savvy members of staff did some surfing and the news started to filter through about the unbelievable horror unfolding in New York.

The only online newstream we could find was Naked News. We crowded around a few PCs, transfixed with what we were seeing.

A handful of us went out to the quad for a cigarette. There was only one topic of conversation. A German guy who worked with us "got it". He knew that the world, politically and economically, would be changed from that moment onwards.

He was almost applauding what the terrorists had managed to pull off and the worldwide impact it would have.

Then the fire alarm went off, we had to evacuate. We shared a site with Lockheed Martin (an American defence and security technology company), apparently they'd received a coded warning. How true this was, or perhaps just Chinese whispers, I don't know.

While outside I tried calling my dad, who worked for the MoD. He said he couldn't talk, they were on a Code Amber in the Dockyard.

Eventually we were allowed back into the building, but our bosses were aware of the gravity of the day and sent us all home.

Much like myself, I'm in no doubt that my colleagues just sat glued to the BBC NEWS coverage on a loop for the rest of the evening.




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The first rule of 9/11 ...

There is a strong under-current on twitter today that you must only speak about what happened in New York 10 years ago. Anything else is tasteless and insensitive.

I've seen a young girl get abuse because her favourite band, One Direction, could get to number today. It's just coincidence that it's the same Sunday (when the number one record is announced) in September that this is all happening.

Had the 9/11 anniversary been yesterday, the girl's excitement at her favourite band's chart-topping would've gone unnoticed.

What saddens me is that there's some heavy-weight followers giving her grief, which will encourage thousands of others to jump on the bandwagon in a sycophantic way. She does not deserve this and you are being bullies. Just drop it.

There are only 365 days in a year, it is highly likely that very happy and very sad things will happen on a given day. Must we always kowtow to the misery and never joke or look forward to things on that day forever more?

I used to get very angry with people who didn't make their lives stand still and bow their head for two minutes at 11am on the 11th November, just because I choose too. The majority are aware, they're just getting on with life. They're not heartless bastards after all, it turns out.

As with millions of others that weren't in New York that day, I know what I felt when the news reports started coming through via the Internet and then what we saw on tv later. I felt an enormous sense of sadness and grief at the unbelievable scenes.

I've watched films and documentaries about it since and have felt the same strong feelings.

However, in times of sadness or tragedy people may occasionally indulge in a little humour. It doesn't mean they don't care.


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So, what about me?

This post is a random collection of facts/thoughts, which are all about me.

I am happy 97% of the time; I'm luckier than millions of people in the world and thankful for what I have.

I'm 41yrs old
I don't like celery
I try to forgive and forget, it's too consuming to bear grudges
Sometimes I just forget things
I was married for 4.5yrs (with my ex-husband for almost 10 years)
I love taking photographs.  I don't think I'll ever stop taking or looking at photographs
I've been single since February 2005
I work in a business change/communications role on IT projects
I do voluntary work for my local independent cinema
I'd love to be a mum, I really would, but I fear it may never happen
I enjoy cooking very much, particularly for other people
I have little patience for people who won't help themselves - i.e. the say-ers not the do-ers
In spring/summer 2012, me and my sister are going to cycle from Chichester to Le Havre for charity
Twitter is my preferred social networking site - I've met some incredible people through it, some of which are now genuinely close friends
I'm not very good with music.  It's like my relationship with wine, I know what I like when I hear/taste it - but I'm terrible at remembering it.  Some people wouldn't like my tastes in either.  Some people prefer silence and beer.
I often spend time helping friends through tough times as a way of (unconsciously) avoiding dealing with my own woes e.g. money worries, low self-esteem, loneliness etc
I've lost almost 3 stone since March last year.  This has been an amazing confidence-booster.  I highly recommend it; if you need to lose weight that is.
My mum left the family home and moved to New Zealand when I was 8yrs old - my dad (who isn't my natural father) brought me up. He's amazing.
I owe a lot of money to some "people" who I'll never meet (think about it)
I'd love to own a dog, I think I'm a natural with them
I need to do less of some things and more of others
I enjoy public speaking, although I get terribly nervous beforehand

This sounds like a dating site profile blurb. It's certainly better than some of the ill-thought out sentences I've assembled previously for such websites.

I'll keep adding to this and re-publish intermittently as more things pop into my head.




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Location:Chichester, UK