Recently rockstar games released their new Grand Theft Auto IV, but while a majority of people think it’s just a game there are also those that think it could possibly lead to crimes acted out in the game for real. Personally I am against any game that involves crimes of this sort and prefer to stick to silly little platform games like Bandicoot, Rayman and maybe the occasional swing of Laura Croft. Do games such as Grand Theft or  Hitman actually encourage youngsters to want to do it for real or is it just escapism.

In the past it has been known that students have had shoot outs in schools, and certain  types of music they listened to was blamed, driving them to commit such a dreadful crime. It will only be a matter of time before games such as Grand Theft Auto get blamed for something. In my opinion there are too many gun crimes, drive-by shootings and violent acts for real, without having to play out dodgy fantasies on games, What next ? games where you can be a suicide bomber. 

In my household I make sure my stepsons play games that are appropriate for their age, but unfortunately their own mother doesn’t seem to understand the age restrictions on the games she allows the boys to play, bearing in mind they are only five and nine she  allows them to play Grand Theft already, only last week the eldest of the boys saw the advert on TV and said to us his mother is going to get the game, that’s when I told them that they knew the rules here.

The day the new game came out on sale, people queuing to buy the game were asked what they were buying and who for, in one case a middle aged woman told the reporters she was buying for her thirteen year old grandson, when asked what game, she replied the new Grand Theft, What point is there of putting age restrictions on games if adults are only going to buy it for the young ones anyway, who is held responsible then if their child breaks rules as they get older when the adults themselves are breaking the rules.

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Today is St Georges day in the UK and while we all celebrate St Patricks day by smothering almost every object with clover and offering gallons of Guinness, not a lot is done to celebrate our patron saint.

History claimed that George a modest soldier showed example of bravery in defense of the poor and the defenseless and of the Christian faith. George apparently held the rank of tribune in the Roman army and was beheaded for protesting against the Emperor’s persecution of Christians. Legend has it that he also slayed a dragon but was first credited to him in the twelfth century, long after his death.

There are many versions of story of St George slaying the dragon, but most agree on the following:

St. George had travelled for many months by land and sea until he came to Libya. Where he met a hermit who told him that everyone in that land was in great distress, for a dragon had long ravaged the country.’Every day,’ said the old man, ‘he demands the sacrifice of a beautiful maiden and now all the young girls have been killed. The king’s daughter alone remains, and unless we can find a knight who can slay the dragon she will be sacrificed tomorrow. The king of Egypt will give his daughter in marriage to the champion who overcomes this terrible monster.’

So determined was George that the following morning he made his way to the village on his steed where he told the princess to return to her home and confronted the dragon and eventually slayed it, piercing it in its heart.

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I’m seriously thinking about becoming a vegetarian, I think what has made my mind up is watching a programme the other night where Chinese slaughtered a pig because there was a death in the village (Bodyshock, I Am The Elephant Man), I can still hear the squeals now.

I don’t really eat a lot of meat anyway, if I do it’s mainly chicken, even so another programme I watched a few weeks back made me think twice about what I was sticking in my mouth. I can’t see myself eating that dodgy stuff known as Tofu so will stick to things such as pasta, fish and vegetables, no doubt if I search  the net I will come up with  some interesting tasty recipes that doesn’t involve eating meat.

This is going to be a bit tough for me when it comes to cooking as my fella is very much a meat eater and loves his bacon and black pudding or steak and chips, I just know the smell is going to be torture, but at least I won’t feel guilty by participating, I’d rather hear chickens clucking,cows mooing,pigs oinking and cute little lambs bouncing around than sitting roasted,boiled or fried on my dinner plate.

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Two days ago I got a shock when I opened my curtains to find a carpet of snow outside…in April.

This time last year I was walking about in just t-shirt and jeans and making sandcastles with the kids on the beach, this year it’s thermals and hibernation. The poor old spring flowers have now frostbitten buds and will never see their full glory.

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I was sad to hear that Charlton Heston died Saturday at the ripe old age of 84. A great actor who made his name in good old fashioned made movies like Ben Hur, The Ten Commandments and not forgetting The Planet Of The Apes.

I remember watching these films with my parents in my youth and thinking how striking he looked with his blonde hair blue eyes and chiseled jawline, my favorite of all the films was Ten commandments, even though I’m not a religious freak I enjoyed the storyline and he made it interesting to watch, he did many of his stunts himself especially in Ben Hur.

Charlton was married for an astounding 64 years which is fantastic for a Hollywood marriage, not many get past ten years these days, his wife was at his side when he died. Charlton was reported to have said back in 2002 that he was getting symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease it is unknown as of yet whether it is the disease that finally took his life.

Sleep in peace Charlton.

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Well hello again everyone , I’m back from my Easter break with my mum, we had a great time, even though not one drop of alcohol passed our lips.The choccy eggs made up for that, I’m sure some of them had booze in as come Monday I felt I had a rotten hangover.

We decided to take my mum out for the day on Saturday, to Eastbourne, she’d never been before so we just got in the car and drove, she had a bad bout of motion sickness on the way, I don’t think it helped with the dodgy overpowering perfume she sprayed all over herself ,even I felt sick and I travel well. She was OK when we got there though ,the fresh sea air cleared her lungs and the cobwebs which in turn made her hungry so we ended up getting fish n chips. We then took a pleasant walk into the town which I have to admit ,is no different from any other seaside town, the usual tacky seaside shops selling rocks ,candy floss and the sorts, it did make a change though. I don’t think any of us will rush back mind.

It took us just over five hours to return today, my head is pounding,but it’s soooo nice to be back home, I love my mum dearly and love to spend time with her but it’s always good to get home to your home comforts, especially my bed, she bought one of them foam mattresses for the bed, you know the sort, astronauts supposedly use them, it’s like sleeping on a brick I can tell you, the only advantage I found was it stopped the other half snoring, mind you that might of been because of the lack of sleep rather than sorting his sinuses out. All in all though we did have a great time with surprisingly no tiffs or barnies (which usually happens after more than 2 days).

So with that my lovely readers It’s back to reality and I will speak to you tomorrow xx

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Well I’m of to my mums for the easter Hols so am not gonna be around for a few  days, so heres hoping you all have a sweet time, and fun hunting them choccy eggs the bunny left lying around.

See you in a few days xx

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Being a 38 year old  I think I’m pretty "with it" as far as music goes and enjoy most types of modern songs, but today on my way home I was irritated by a couple of youngsters  that got on the metro.

I was sitting there peacefully looking out of the window when a young lad and lass got on, they must’ve only been about 16. The lad was your typical Chav wearing trackie bottoms and matching top but in a different colour, with more bling than a jewelery shop. The lass weren’t much better, In fact I weren’t even sure if she was a female as she looked so much like a boy, the only thing that give her away was the bumps in her top, unless they were man boobs (she was on the plump side). Anyway as I was saying, I was sitting there daydreaming about being on a nice hot tropical beach somewhere when these two sat in front and beside me, I continued to observe the passing scenery outside, when they both pulled out their mobile phones and hit the music button.

Omg how anyone can call speeded up music that makes them sound like a load of chipmunks is beyond me. The lass was playing a Chav rendition of country roads at least I think it was, I got the country roads bit anyhow, what made it worse was the lad was playing a completely different song but of the same style and louder which made it sound even worse. They were both swearing and cussing for no particular reason except to make them get noticed, if playing that crap music wasn’t enough. So poor little me was sandwiched  in by these two annoying Chavs for most of my journey home. I was getting more irritated by the minute and couldn’t wait til they both got off. When they did disembark I was so relieved and the usual sound of  the wheels clambering over the tracks seemed so calming in comparison, you could just about hear the conversations among the other passengers.

Some old girl was tutting and complaining about the "racket" she’d just heard, while a young girl behind me was obviously chatting to her lover or boyfriend on the phone because she was whispering as quiet as she could, but you could just make out she was talking dirty to whoever was on the other end of the line, I remember those days well. I couldn’t help but smile to myself, then my stop came and I had to walk into the gusty winds and rain to reach my destination …home.

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Yup, today is the day when all of us smokers are meant to quit smoking for one day, tell me what is the point, if your gonna quit smoking for one day, you may as well quit for good. My new years res was to stop but having smoked for 20 years I’m finding it hard, I keep making excuses not to quit, like I enjoy it , It’s my only vice, I’m addicted. My stepsons often bring it up, the youngest one who’s 5, not so long ago said " Ella why do you smoke? it will make you old and you will die". Wise head on little shoulders.

So maybe some day soon I will take courage and beat the habit just not yet and certainly not for just one day.

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Another dog attack has happened yet again this time a 9yr old boy from south shields in the North East of England. The boy suffered facial injuries when he was attacked by a Staffordshire bull terrier-type dog. An 18-year-old man, was arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control. Not so long ago Six-year-old Alicia Duff was savaged by a Rottweiler. Alicia had been told that the dog was safe to stroke before it lashed out. The incident happened when she went to a nearby house to call for another youngster of the same age.

With so many dog attacks happening it makes you wonder whether it is irresponsible owners at fault or the breed of the dog, maybe even both. Rotties, Bull Mastiffs, Akitas, Pitbulls, German Shepherds and Staffies are all known to be dangerous, and no matter how loving owners may be, how devoted or even how well trained they are, a dog can still turn. Is it just an aggressive breed of dog they are owning or lack of knowledge, discipline and control. Even if you have a cute little poodle it may turn out to be a devil in disguise. I am personally an animal lover, but there are breeds such as these that I am always cautious of.

I once owned a dog called Fluke who was a German Shepard cross he was well trained and totally devoted to me, but that was his downfall. Even though he knew I was his master if anyone came near me he didn’t like it one bit. Eventually I had to give him to a security firm. I had been sitting in an armchair and fluke was behind me, my nephew then 5 came toward me when Fluke lunged forward and bit him on the lip, luckily it was only a small nick it could have been much worse, but it was that action that made me give him away, it broke my heart to part with him because with me he was soppy as anything, but I just could not take the chance it was going to happen again.Was I at fault for his behavior?I don’t know, I had control of him, he obeyed me. Was he jealous? probably or was it just his breed. With so many new breeds these days it’s difficult to determine which ones belong on the dangerous dogs list. In reality they all could be classed as dangerous dogs, they could all change personality in the split of a second, it takes just one bite.

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