Apologies if this post is littered with errors but, as well as the laptop, I have a puppy and a dog on me knee - the other dog is asleep beside me.

On Saturday, I finally got out to do something fun: a trip to see Steve Coogan at City Hall. If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’ll know I used to be a huge fan, and met Steve in London (and very pleasant he was). However, he later described some of his loyal fans as ‘bunny boilers’: I was unimpressed, and lost interest in his work. I decided to give it another chance, and my mam kindly bought me tickets for his first tour in years.

My first concern came via Facebook, when one of my friends commented on the show, mentioning that he forgot lines and seemed unrehearsed. I decided to look at the reviews online and saw that many people had felt they had not got their money’s worth, and indeed a number had walked out. How do you feel about online reviews? Do they affect what you buy/see or where you go? I wanted to go to the show with an open mind, but I was less enthusiastic about going than I had been.

Did Steve prove them wrong? Yes and no. The show was funny, though less impressive than his previous offering (which I saw at three different venues). Yes, he fluffed his lines, but it didn’t affect our enjoyment - he’s only human, if a well-paid one. There were too many musical numbers for my liking, but I’m just not a fan of musicals (though I loved Boogie Nights 2). Generally, it was a good night, and judging by the laughter around us, other people agreed.

I’m not feeling too good (going out in yesterday’s rain was not the best idea) so was going to relax today. However, I’m really quite annoyed by some of the things I’ve read on the internet during my surfing, and seen on TV this morning.

1. Why does ANY issue that Newcastle United FC have lead to the mocking of Geordies. I’ve read so many derrogatory comments about us, which do not relate to football at all. Someone called us “poor people who are lowly educated” - a rather sweeping, and poorly written, generalisation. I have a real problem with ‘internet trolls’, those posters who appear out of nowhere, leaving a message that will provoke others into responding to them. For what it’s worth, I’m an Arsenal fan, but disagree with the way Kevin Keegan has been treated. Oh, yes, I do have an opinion on football, and I’m female. I also understand the offside rule (although preferred it the way it was, before the rule change) and can hold a conversation on the game.

2. The new Nice ‘n’ Easy hair colour advert, which claims that 93% of Red readers would recommend this product to a friend, the rest probably don’t have any friends: for a start, there were only around 245 responses to this particular survey, if you read the small print. Does this mean that Red are a commercially viable magazine with such a small readership? This is what I consider to be misleading advertising, and statistics like this really annoy me!

3. Obviously I haven’t had enough sleep and should probably stop typing before I give Victor Meldrew a run for his money!

Apologies for being so quiet lately. Between a cold and the new puppy, I haven’t had much sleep so bogging is way down on the priority list. The pup is still loaded with cold, and is keeping us awake almost all night. During the day, she is full of mischief and I don’t know how she doe sit. Maybe I should start eating puppy food, as it seems to give her plenty of energy! I can’t remember the other two being this much trouble…

The other night, however, we were on track for our first full night’s sleep in a couple of weeks. We’d had a stressful evening: smelled gas when I got home. My dad tested this by…lighting his lighter!!! It’s a wonder I’m here to type this. Went into kitchen and noticed he’d knocked gas ring on. Didn’t explain overwhelming smell in porch, so (fortunately) didn’t cancel emergency call-out. Did indeed have a leak from a worn gas pipe to the meter. Why am I telling you this? Well, at about 1.15am was awoken by a MASSIVE series of bangs. Half expected to look out of window and see porch on the way into outer-space. The bangs went on a while and seemed to be coming from very close by. The next day, we found that some idiots had decided to let off fireworks! Our whole estate is very angry, as many have children and/or pets who were disturbed. These are the same neighbours who thought it would be more amusing to use our garden bin for their household rubbish than their own wheelie bin… Some people just have no consideration for those around them, and I just don’t understand that mentality. I was just glad the house was intact when I got up!

To follow on from my last post, there has been no response from my publishers with regard to my royalty statement. I know I’m not an isolated case. A shop owner has also told me that she has records of all the books that she bought/sold, which can be produced, if necessary. I don’t think it will make a bit of difference, as they seem to be a law unto themselves.

Gotta go as there’s a game of tag going on in my sitting room, between two dogs!

I’ve been terrible at posting lately, as life has taken over from leisure acitivities such as blogging. I’ve been caught up in a whirlwind of DIY, tidying and making-do, in anticipation of a survey on my house (I’ve hated having to sit and watch others work, while I’ve had no energy to join in…although even at 100% I never would have done the garden for fear of worms and insects). The surveyor’s report was deemed adequate, but I’ve heard no further, so am still on tenterhooks (have just looked up ‘tenterhooks’ as it’s a weird word, which I use but don’t know the meaning of).

I also found out on Friday that I’m getting a new puppy. We went a-visiting on Sunday, and she will fit into our family just fine - just the right mixture of relaxed and mischievious. We are collecting her on Friday, and I can’t wait to see what my other two think of her. There are some photos in the gallery, for the curious among you.

I am waiting for the postman, too, as the prize I won (vouchers) hasn’t arrived yet. I can’t wait to spend them, and every day, they fail to appear. All I really want is a little stereo for my spare room, as I love music, and haven’t replaced my old stereo which broke years ago! It’s after 12pm now, so I doubt they’ll be here today. Back to waiting again!