Following on from my interview with Antonio Banderas and review of the new SpongeBob Movie today I have the second in my series of interviews from New York. This one is with Tom Kenny and Bill Fagerbakke, the real, actual voices of SpongeBob SquarePants and his best friend, Patrick Star.

spongebob and patrick

Bill and Tom were both lovely and it was hard to get them to stop talking; I only had to ask a few questions and they were away, bouncing off each other. I could see the assistant in the corner of my eye, gesturing for me to wind things up, but it was hard to get a word in edgeways; Bill and Tom clearly have a fantastic relationship, both on and off screen.

I was a little disappointed that neither of them admitted to accidentally slipping into character in the bedroom, but they were fantas

I flew to New York with Paramount to see the new SpongeBob Movie and interview the cast.

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Yes, that’s right, Antonio Banderas. And me. Face to face. In New York City.

Boom.

I was in New York to talk to Antonio Banderas about his role as Burger-Beard the Pirate in The SpongeBob Movie: A Sponge Out Of Water and the location for my interview was The Ritz Carlton, overlooking Central Park. I’d dressed up nice and brushed my hair and had a notebook and pen. I’d put together my questions at breakfast that morning and was imagining myself as pretty cool.

Although I was feeling reasonably well prepared for this interview, having already interviewed the director and figured out how things worked,* I was completely thrown the minute Antonio Banderas opened his mouth as he IS Puss in Boots.

If you’re not sure what I mean, listen to this short clip before you listen to my interview. It’s rather disconcerting to feel like you are actually interviewing a cat. View Post

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Last week you got to hear what my boyfriend thought of the Harptree Court treehouse, now it’s my turn…

Harptree court treehouse review

I feel a little bit under pressure going second with the review writing. First off, a lot of the lovely things about Harptree Court treehouse have been said already; I can’t tell you all over again about the lovely food we were left, or the comfy bed, or the fact that I won the chess tournament. (Oh dear, I appear to have mentioned that again anyway.)

I mention the chess though not to gloat over my victory, although I admit there is a certain amount of pride there, especially as, unlike some people, I have never actually been the captain of a chess team. I mention it because it was one of my favourite bits of our stay. I know chess isn’t everyone’s idea of fun on a romantic night away, but I love a bit of mental battling; I’m super competitive and don’t like losing, so there is also something about things like chess that leaves me feeling strangely vulnerable and exposed. I quite like that. It feels like it’s probably good for me.

Of course this isn’t meant to be a glimpse into the depths of my psyche, it’s meant to be a review of a treehouse. View Post

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I saw some people out at the weekend in t-shirts, which means it’s time to start thinking about summer festivals – hoorah!

This year we are off to Standon Calling. We’ve never been before, although it’s been going for ten years now, and it looks pretty cool – a perfect summer escape for festival-lovers and families alike, offering an intimate three day celebration of renowned and upcoming acts, art, comedy, fancy dress for all, the hilarious Standon Dog Show(!), workshops, family entertainment and of course its own heated outdoor swimming pool! I can safely say I have never been to a festival and packed my swimming costume before!

Set in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside from 31st July – 2nd August the festival has already announced a plethora of unmissable acts including a UK Festival Exclusive from The Dandy Warhols, Little Dragon, Basement Jaxx, Ella Eyre Roots Manuva.  View Post

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Last weekend my boyfriend and I spent a night in the amazing treehouse at Harptree Court. The idea was to tick off the ‘live in a tree’ item on my list of 40 things to do before 40, although it was so luxurious it almost feels like cheating. While we were there we talked about how strange it is that two people can experience the same event and have such different memories of it, and that made me think it might be rather fun to have a boy’s eye and a girl’s eye view from the treehouse.

This is his, mine will follow next week.

Harptree court treehouse

“Do you want to come and stay in a tree house with me?” Josie asked. 

“Yes” was my obvious reply, not just because of the obvious opportunity to spend time alone together, but because Josie has a wonderful way of asking questions – even about mundane, dull things (which this is not) – and making them sound like wonderfully exciting adventures.  Perhaps it’s just a sparkle in her eye and the way her lips twitch with excitement after she’s asked a question.  

If you’ve not come across Harptree Court before, it really is beautiful, nestled in some of the county’s most beautiful countryside. The village of East Harptree ies to the east, and, to the west, the aptly and unoriginally named West Harptree.  One likes to think that the village naming committee was in something of a hurry at that particular naming ceremony.  Perhaps they were exhausted after naming the nearby Nempnett Thrubwell and, feeling that they peaked too soon, decided it to play it safe for a while.   View Post

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“You’ve definitely lost weight,” says my boyfriend, very sweetly.

“I don’t think I have,” I say, in a way that he would call stubborn and I would call realistic, “you’re just saying that to be nice.”

He looks exasperated with me.

“You definitely have. You look amazing in that dress.”

I try to be quiet because although I’m not entirely convinced I do, I love to be told it and don’t want him to stop saying nice things.

Although I don’t actually own a pair of scales, it may well be true, as January was my ‘get super fit and slim and gorgeous‘ month, aided by the Garmin Vivofit from Halfords. Throughout the month Halfords were challenging people, with their #31fitterdays campaign, to increase their levels of activity with the help of a simple exercise plan. The Vivofit is an invaluable tool as part of any bid to get in shape as it helps you keep track of exactly how lazy you have been.

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Looking for cool things to do in New York?

Forget Times Square and the Empire State Building.

Central Park? Sure, it has trees, but who cares? OK, lots of people, but come on, it’s just a park. We’ve all been to a park. Also I visited New York in January and New York in the winter is COLD.

Have you ever taken a ride on a wooden escalator though?

No, I didn’t think so.

When the flagship Macy’s store moved to 34th Street in 1902 is was the very height of innovation and sophistication and its wooden escalators were no exception. Today you can still find several sets of the escalators in the middle of the store, so after checking in at my hotel and giving everyone I saw two dollars just in case, because I don’t understand how to tip, I headed to Macy’s – one more big tick on my 40 things before 40 list.

A few kids have apparently had fingers severed in the steps but that is surely a small price to pay for the preservation of heritage?

Macy's wooden escalatorOne peril of travelling alone is that most of your holiday snaps are massive close ups of your own face, with something interesting just about visible in the background. Like this one: View Post

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Weather permitting, tomorrow I am flying out to New York to interview some of the cast of the new SpongeBob movie: A Sponge Out of Water.

*acts nonchalant*

Who am I kidding? I am about as chalant as it gets. (Why is chalant not a word? You feel like it should be.)

Firstly, there is the snow. I’m not good in snow. I will fall over and it will be embarrassing.

Second, NEW YORK BABY!! I have only been to America once and that was to go to Arkansas. Even the guards at airport security looked at me funny and asked me why I was bothering.

And finally – the thing I am most chalant about – I have to conduct video interviews with celebrities. When they asked whether I wanted to do written or video interviews I figured ‘in for a penny’ and all that, and so said video before I had chance to think about it. I figured it would look far more impressive and then you would know that I had actually been there and not just sent an interview by email. View Post

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I have always wanted to live in Bristol. I’m not sure when the feeling started, but it has been there as long as I can remember – a sort of tingle of excitement, mixed with a happy contentment from knowing a place is just right for you.

The move was a long time coming – Bee started using air quotes whenever she said ‘when we move to Bristol’ – but I had to wait for the right moment. It happened though, and although it wasn’t easy moving to a new place, especially with the Chuckle Brothers as our moving team, I never doubted my decision.

Circumstances conspired unfortunately to make living in Bristol difficult for me last year, and so we moved back to Somerset. It sucked at first. I’m adjusting, but I still miss Bristol and hopefully one day I will go back.

While I don’t want to sound negative about Somerset – it has plenty of good points – Bristol is, I’m fairly certain, the city I love most in the world.

Here’s why: View Post

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This is a two part review.

First off I’m going to tell you a little bit about Bluestone National Park Resort and what they’ve got going on over Christmas, then Bee is going to add her two pennies’ worth as a pay-off, as she mentions, for getting the double bed for a night. I thought this might give you a nice perspective on what teenagers are really thinking when they are made to go on family mini-breaks. (It’s not what you might be expecting, although Bee may not be a typical teenager.)

My bit first then, as I am the tallest. (Bee once said she just always thought of me as being in charge of the family as I am the tallest. God help us when Belle grows.)

Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire was to my mind a kind of mini Centre Parcs without the forest. (I don’t know if every Centre Parcs has a forest, but the one I have been to did.) I’m not sure if this is a comparison Bluestone like, but given that Centre Parcs is rather lovely, I hope they would take it as a compliment.

The general format is similar in that you stay in self-catering lodges and chalets in beautiful surroundings, get to enjoy a well-equipped water park, and then can book extra activities on top depending on your own interests. There is also a rather luxurious spa. In the middle of the park is the ‘village’, a small cluster of shops and restaurants, plus a play area. The Christmas lights are up now, so in the evening it’s very pretty and has a nice festive feel to it. The benefit of it being smaller is that everything is within a sensible walking distance so you aren’t forced to hire bikes, although bikes and golf buggies are available should you want a little extra help getting around.

As well as lights to get you into the Christmas spirit, Bluestone are also running the ‘Kingdom of the Elves Elf Workshop’, an interactive festive journey, where children get to meet different Christmas characters, take part in mini challenges and games and collect items for their elf aprons. I have to be honest and say that there was a certain amount of reluctance on Belle’s part to don her elf pinny but she is 12 and the average age of the other elves was about 6, so perhaps it’s to be expected. The experience was really well thought out though and the small children definitely enjoyed being spun around on a giant penny, collecting coloured snowballs and getting squirted with bubbles. View Post

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I love a good Christmas market.

I’ve been to a fair few – Bristol, Bath, Edinburgh, Bruges even – and one of the things I love is that actually, wherever you go, you get vaguely the same loop of bratwurst, Russian dolls, furry hats, handcrafted wooden candlesticks and weird wine bottle holders made out of metal. There’s something comforting in the familiar, like visiting a National Trust property anywhere in the country and knowing you can bank on a nice cup of tea and lavender soaps in the gift shop.

Bruges Christmas market

Bruges Christmas market

In 2010 I went to Birmingham Christmas market. I had only recently met my boyfriend at the time – he was a student there – and we (or me at least, I’m not sure it’s something everyone does…) were in that exciting yet awkward phase of trying to do and say everything you think the other person would like, meaning that neither of you ever make a decision about anything.*

“Shall we go to the Christmas market?”

“I don’t mind. Do you want to?”

“Sure, if you do?”

That sort of thing.

We did eventually get there and it was really lovely. There is always something magical about being out in the dark, Christmas lights twinkling everywhere you look, crowds of people laughing, scoffing their bratwurst and chugging back the mulled wine. The smells of a Christmas market are glorious – food cooking, festive spices brewing – it captures the very essence of Christmas.

TOP TIP: If you do fancy a trip to Birmingham Christmas market I would recommend treating yourself to a nice Birmingham hotel rather than staying in a student house in Selly Oak where central heating is considered an unnecessary luxury.

The downside of Birmingham, in my experience at least, is that it can get very busy. We did end up in one of those shoulder to shoulder situations at times, where you can’t really look at anything as you are just trying to walk upright and not slosh your tepid mulled wine over anyone. If you fancy a bit of a quieter location for your Christmas shopping, you could try staying in Coventry instead.

Same bratwurst, shorter queues.

Do you have a favourite Christmas market?

Bee in Bruges at Christmas

Bee in Bruges

*I have to confess that I probably don’t grow out of this as a relationship grows. Something to talk to the therapist about.

Sponsored post.

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Visit all the counties in England.

Tick.

See the Dark Hedges.

Tick.

I made some pretty good progress on my list of 40 things to do before 40 over the summer, so I’ve been thinking about what I can do next to keep the ball rolling.

One of my favourite items on the list is ‘Hang out in a 19th century Ottoman mansion and take a cruise up the Bosphorus’, so with work deadlines looming and a pile of dirty washing festering in the basket on the landing I decided that the best thing to do with my time would be to look at pretty pictures of Turkey on the internet. Pinterest obviously is lovely for pictures, travel blogs for personal recommendations, and travel companies like First Choice can be useful for information about flights, accommodation and places of interest.

The list item was inspired by this newspaper cutting, so obviously I have to stay here, but what should I do when I’m not chillaxing in the rainforest shower, tucking into the Godiva chocolates and admiring the statement lamps? View Post

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