Nothing like a good brew

A BREW can help people in times of stress, it’s official.

Psychologist Dr Malcolm Cross from City University has released findings of a study he has done which shows just one cup of tea can reduce anxiety after experiencing stress.

In the study people were put through a stressful situation and those who were not given a cup of tea had a 25 per cent rise in stress. While individuals who went through the same ordeal and were given tea had a four per cent decrease in stress.

Mr Cross believes the actual act of putting on the kettle can help alleviate stress.

He said: “Put simply, the findings illustrate what most mothers would tell us: if you’re stressed, anxious or just feeling blue, make yourself a nice calming brew.”

Meanwhile why is it that the winning lottery numbers often come in a close sequence, i.e. Saturday’s draw was 16, 31, 32, 46, 47, and 48.

I bet not many people would have had 46, 47, 48. Oh well, there is always next week’s draw.

Moving on, it is good to see tennis player Andy Murray has moved up to world number 2 in the world, replacing Rafael Nadal.

Nadal and Roger Federer have each been one or two for the last five years.

I now think Andy Murray has a good chance of winning this year’s US Open, the first Brit to do so since Fred Perry in the 1930s.

Flying iPods

I think the decision about Freddie Flintoff’s selection should have been decided upon on Thursday, ie the day before the fourth test was to start at Headingly.

To leave it to the morning of the test was unwise as it must have left a feeling of unease over the England side.

The matter should have been sorted out sooner because a team very rarely relies on just one man.

This was a crucial test that if England had won, they would have taken back The Ashes.

There is nothing worse than seeing a field of happy Australian players, or an England batting collapse. When England start to collapse, there is an almost inevitability about it.

Meanwhile it was disturbing to read that an 11-year-old had claimed her iPod Touch had “popped, emitted a big puff of smoke and flown 10ft in the air.” Apple has refused to comment on the issue.

Also it is now being said Facebook is uncool.

The suggestion comes after Ofcom, which is a media regulator, recorded a 10% drop in 15 to 24-year-olds using the site while there was a 25% increase of 35 to 54-year-olds on them.

Facebook may be uncool, but I think it is here to stay.

It may not be used very much by those people in their late 30s but those in the teens, 20s or early 30s rely on it more and more to communicate with friends.

The Street goes from strength to strength

With all the fuss over the licence fee, one programme is proving it is worth the money.


The Street, which is written by Jimmy McGovern, returned a month ago to BBC1 for a third series and I have been gripped ever since.


This year the programme has already attracted the Hollywood names of Anna Friel and Bob Hoskins.


In the first episode, Hoskins played a landlord who stood up to the local hard nut. The story was similar to the film High Noon and saw Hoskins bar the son of the local gangster after he caught him having a cigarette in the pub’s toilets.


The local gangster viciously beats up the landlord, but Hoskins shows up his son when he serves him a drink with a decorative umbrella in it and saying he is treating him just like his father does.


The second episode saw Anna Friel play a mother of two who has to turn to prostitution to pay for her sons to go to a better school.


She starts a relationship with the man who comes to do some work in her house, little does she know his father is one of his clients.


This episode had more ups and down than a fiddler’s bow, but it did finish with a happy ending.

The following week’s stories told the tale of how a soldier coped after coming back from Afghanistan injured and on Monday (August 4) we followed the man who is mistakenly called a hero.

It such a shame this is the last ever series to be made.

TV decisions

IT was a shame The Open golf clashed with The Ashes Test at Lords.

The Open is the greatest prize in golf and The Lord’s Ashes test is the most prestigious event in the world of cricket.

Those lucky enough to have Sky were able to switch between the golf and the cricket.

It was hard to concentrate on one event, when both were on at the same time.

Just like last year at The Open it was a golfer in his 50s who was making the headlines. Last year at Birkdale it had been Greg Norman, while this year it was Tom Watson.

Tom Watson went very close to winning the Claret Jug, but you almost knew when he made five at the 18^th that he would lose the play-off.

Stewart Cink seemed to be in the dominant position throughout the play-off and there was an inevitability he would win in the end.

Turnberry proved to be an excellent venue for The Open and it provided some amazing back drops to some memorable action.

The Lord’s test was equally exciting.

England fought back well after the draw in Cardiff and notched up their first win against Australia at Lords since 1934.

On Sunday night I was unsure if they could pull it off, but there was no need to worry as Freddie Flintoff was on a mission taking five wickets in the second innings.

The Ashes now looks like it could go either way.

You're hired

THE Apprentice is reaching its last couple of episodes and it has proved to be for me addictive viewing again.

On Wednesday night the contestants had to sell a number of items on a live shopping channel.
It seemed to be a difficult task, and one I think would be challenging to have a go at.

Surprisingly Debra, who had been one of the weaker contestants, took to it like a duck to water and the producers at the channel said they would be happy giving her a job.

Lorraine and Howard struggled, but it was surprising to see Howard fired, as he seemed to be fairly good at selling.

This Wednesday (June 3) the contestants will be interviewed by a panel of Sir Alan Sugar's business colleagues.

Moving on, I think Susan Boyle was better in the final than the overall winners Diversity. Susan's performance of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables was powerful.

I thought that Diversity's audition was stronger than the dance they did in the final.

Anyway that's the end of Simon Cowell's shows for a few months.

Big Brother next! The 10th series of the show will start this week, yes it has been going that long.
Davina McCall will be hosting the show again this year.

We will be introduced to this year's contestants on Thursday.

The Happy Gilmore

I WAS not fair on 10-year-old Natalie Okri that she was made to stand in front of the cameras as The Britain's Got Talent judges decided on her fate.

She had already been made to sing live in front of millions, a feat most adults would find difficult, let alone a child.

Natalie then had to wait while the public were given their chance to vote.

Susan Boyle went through first, while Diversity and Natalie had to go infront of the judges, who had the final say.

Amanda Holden went for the singer, but Piers and Simon chose Diversity.

The 10-year-old was obviously devastated and she broke down in tears. It was not right someone so young was built up and then knocked down, ie exploited, just for the purpose of television.

Meanwhile golfer Padraig Harrington has been trying out a new golf swing that involves the player running up to the ball before he or she hits it.

The new shot has also enabled the player to gain an extra 30 yards.

This new swing has been named The Happy Gilmore following the 1996 film featuring Adam Sandler.

Harrington is not planning in adopting the routine into tournament golf as he looses accuracy.

The Royal and Ancient Golf Club, the sport's ruling body, said it was something they would not want to encourage.

Blackpool is worth a look

THIS year many people are deciding to spend their Summer holiday in this country in a bid to save money.

So it is good to see that Blackpool has come up with a good advert on YouTube to try and encourage more people to visit the town.

At first in the advert you think you are watching something about Paris as the trailer has a French actress and shots show iron towers, but by the end you realise the subject is Blackpool.

Ok, so Blackpool does have its negative aspects such as it is used by many people for drunken nights out. However it has many good attractions too.

I have many happy memories of visiting Blackpool with family and friends. Blackpool Pleasure Beach has some truly scary rides.

I can first remember going on the Pepsi Max Big One and being petrified as the carriage was pulled hundreds of feet into the sky and then dropped almost vertically. It didn't help that the week before we went on the ride it had broken down at the very top.

Another good rollercoaster is the Grand National, where you race an opposing carriage.

I have other happy memories of visits to the Sandcastle, which had a wave machine and water slides.

One musn't forget too the Blackpool illuminations, taking a car ride as a child down Blackpool promenade to see the illuminations is like entering another world.

Maybe Blackpool doesn't have the weather of a Mediterranean resort, but it does have plenty to provide hours of fun and entertainment.