#i wonder how long itve taken him to worry

[girlnadian]

has it occurred to anyone else that ken and wato could have died when the farmers were attacked and wifies, just… wouldnt have known. that he wouldve just stopped hearing from them and would have had no idea what happened

[fyeahsharonrooney]

'Finding Alice' star Sharon Rooney on silencing the social media bullies and why her granny was her greatest inspiration (Sunday Post, 17.1.21)

'...Fire up social media on your phone and within moments you’re free to interact with a world full of people. Holiday photos from your cousin in New Zealand? Click like!

Your pal’s video of a Yorkshire terrier that sounds like Brian Blessed? Hit retweet! Don’t like the way someone looks? Tell them to lose some weight!

Hang on, that last one is probably a bit rude. You wouldn’t wander up to a stranger in the street and casually advise them to give the sweeties a miss, not unless you were desperately craving a sore face.

Yet that kindly advice is precisely what someone like Sharon Rooney is offered when she logs into sites such as Instagram.

Sharon, who starred in Disney’s recent live action Dumbo remake, E4’s My Mad Fat Diary and hit sitcom Two Doors Down has endured her fair share of trolling.

“It’s the unsolicited medical advice I enjoy,” she laughed. “Telling me not to eat jellybeans. Thanks!

“I learned quite quickly people will pick apart anything. They will find something. Even if I was five sizes smaller, someone will tell me I looked better before. You’ll never please everyone.

“There’s a lovely mute button now. If someone writes something rude I just quietly say ‘Shhh’ to them.

“With My Mad Fat Diary I’m already saying, ‘Hello, I am fat human’. What can they say?

“I have eyes, I know what I look like and I’m fine with that. Sorry if you’re not. I’m doing OK, so please don’t worry about me.”

(© Carlo Paloni/BAFTA/Shutterstock)

Sharon, 32, is doing more than OK though, which you’ll see if you tune into new ITV drama Finding Alice tonight.

She stars opposite Keeley Hawes and it’s a role that saw Sharon cross the Bodyguard star’s name off a special list.

“I’ll let you into a secret. Every actor has a dream list of people they’d love to work with and Keeley was on mine,” she said.

“I told Keeley. She just rolled her eyes and told me to shut up.

“Why would you not want to work with her? She’s fantastic in everything she does.

“Keeley’s everything I thought she would be. Whe’s one of a kind. A special human being. Look, Keeley’s not paying me to say this! Maybe she should…?”

Praising a colleague is, of course, second nature to an actor. There’s a reason they call them luvvies; plus you don’t want to end up working with someone you’ve bad-mouthed on a project in a year’s time, do you?

This isn’t merely empty platitudes for a thespian pal. Sharon’s praise is warm, generous and genuine. It’s how she herself comes across, along with a dash of wry humour.

Perhaps it’s the influence of her late granny, who Sharon describes as her soulmate.

“This sounds so cheesy but she truly was,” she added. “You know you get one human who you just chime with? I just loved her. We were two old souls.

“She taught me so much. I think grannies have that magic where they teach you to deal with life after they’re gone. I just enjoyed every minute I had with her.”

The pain and sadness we’ve all experienced over the past year, along with the forced holiday she’s had to take with being locked down, has let Sharon think about the grief she felt when her gran died.

“Even if you’re preparing for a death I don’t think it’s any easier than if it’s unexpected,” she said.

“When it is unexpected, like the way Harry dies in Finding Alice, you’re left reeling from it for so long before you can take in what’s happened.

“With Nicola, the character I play, the initial shock has happened. Her big brother has died. So how do you move forward? Grief itself is such a complicated thing. There’s no guide book. When you feel sad, you feel sad.

“Grief sneaks up on you. You think you’re fine then it appears with a ‘Hiya!’

“I still get it. I’ll think I can’t wait to show my gran something before going, ‘Oh yeah’.

“My gran spoke about it before she died. We were talking about how thinking of someone after they’ve died is like ringing a bell for them.

“She said, ‘Don’t think of me too much, hen – I’ll get no rest.’”

(Sharon Rooney as Miss Atlantis with co-star DeObia Oparei in Tim Burton’s Dumbo)

Happily, Sharon brought her sardonic and garrulous Glaswegian spirit to the set of Dumbo, in which Sharon appeared alongside Hollywood legend Danny DeVito.

“You forget they’re still humans, which is easy to do when you’re standing in front of Danny DeVito. All I could think was that this was Danny DeVito. Has anyone told him?

“You just talk on set. Gab, gab, gab. That’s all we did. I was shouting over to Tim to ask for two minutes so Danny could finish his story.

“That’s Tim Burton, by the way. Listen to me, I just call him Tim now.”

Casting for a Disney blockbuster like Dumbo was straightforward, although it did come with an ironclad ban from telling her friends about the project until it was announced.

My Mad Fat Diary focused on the plus-sized character Sharon played but, since then, the roles she’s taken don’t normally specify anything about her character’s weight.

“A lot of parts I go for don’t say the character must be plus-size or look a certain way,” she said.

“I’ve only been doing this for eight years or so but for me it’s never been an issue but I know for some it has been.

“It’s about owning who you are. I realise that’s difficult because of social media. What I try to do is take jobs with people who are authentic characters.

“If it does specify a plus-size actor then my response is to ask why. Let’s investigate this.

“These days – well, before the pandemic – I would go to auditions and the room would be filled with so many different people, which I love. The room isn’t filled with girls who all look the same.

“And I love seeing a role that I didn’t get go to someone completely different to me. Well, I don’t love it because then I’ve not got the role, but it’s still nice to see.”

(The cast of Finding Alice © Joss Barratt)

A closeness with her other granny (the pair are bubbled up) has developed during the lockdowns of the past year, from which Sharon has taken heart.

Other than that she’s been enjoying her break ahead of Finding Alice’s release, as well as browsing social media.

Although these days she’s a lot wiser in how she does it; retaining the enjoyment with the help of that handy mute button.

“I used to follow every celebrity and every celebrity magazine,” added Sharon. “But it just made me doubt myself. I’d go to post a video then I’d wonder if I should put more make-up on first.

“I’ve stopped doing that. On Twitter these days I post videos where I’ve just woken up.

“I mean if you do post a video where you look great and have all your make-up on, then great, but I don’t know how you do it! I look forward to my no-make-up days.

“Oh you should see the state of me. I live in loungewear now. I put on jeans the other day. What are these things? What is this material we wear? These are awful!”

Finally, some feedback with which we can all agree...' X

[hlupdate]

Here he comes, one of the planet’s most conspicuous young men, stepping out of the London drizzle and into a dusty suburban pub. If there was an old vinyl record player in the place it would scratch quiet. Instead, the two-dozen punters turn hushed and intent, as if a unicorn has just trotted in off the street, and nobody wants to scare it off. “That’s frickin’ Harry frickin’ Styles,” whispers a young man at the bar, “in this pub.” The pop star is asked what he wants to drink and in a voice already inclined to undertones, quietly orders a cup of tea.

A former teen star who is now 25, a happier and rockier solo artist since his boyband One Direction split a few years ago, Styles has hidden himself inside a large, swamp-green parka. He’s tall, around the 6ft mark, and carries himself with a slight stoop. If Styles could only do something about his appearance from the neck up (elfin brow, wide Joker smile, a face that’s recognisable across multiple continents) you sense he could drink in pubs like this anonymously enough. As it is, cover blown, he removes the parka. A woolly jumper beneath has a picture of the planet Saturn on it. Maybe they’ve heard of Styles there, too.

We take a seat in the corner. On nearby tables, conversations start to sputter as people try to keep their own talk ticking along on autopilot while straining to hear what Styles says. I ask him about the sheer strangeness of this and other aspects of fame. Full stadiums, swooning admirers, an excess of opportunity and cash. Why isn’t Styles an absolute ordeal of a human being by now? Keith Richards, at a comparable stage, imagined himself the pirate leader of a travelling nation-state, unbound by international law. Elton John was on vast amounts of cocaine. Meanwhile, here’s Harry, known in the music industry as a bit of a freak, medically, having maintained abnormally high levels of civility in his system. 

Styles tilts his head, flattered. There are others, he promises. “People who are successful, and still nice. It’s when you meet the people who are successful and aren’t nice, you think: What’s yer excuse? Cos I’ve met the other sort.”

Styles read Keith Richards’ autobiography a while back, and he recently finished Elton’s, too. (“Soooo much cocaine,” he marvels.) We talk for a bit about whether extreme dissolute behaviour and artistic greatness go hand in hand. Styles, who has just released his second solo album, Fine Line, the penultimate track of which is called Treat People With Kindness, has to hope not. “I just don’t think you need to be a dick to be a good artist. But, then, there are also a lot of good artists who are dicks. So. Hmm. Maybe I need to start scaring babies in supermarkets?” 

A couple of lads hustle over to offer drinks. A photo is requested; they say they’ll wait. I’m weirdly anxious about Styles’s phone, which is slung on the table in front of him. What must be the black-market value of that thing? If fans were to get hold of it, would they want to open Styles’s music app first, to listen to tracks from the new album, or rush to see his messages and calls, to find out who Styles has been flirting with late at night? The interest in his music has always run at a ratio of about 50/50 with the interest in who he is dating.

It’s a ratio Styles tries to adjust in favour of the music by being vague about his ex-partners, real and rumoured (Taylor Swift, Kendall Jenner, Parisian model Camille Rowe), diverting to discuss his songs about failed relationships. A year ago, when Styles was floating around near this pub in north London, where he lives, and California, where he tends to record, looking for inspiration for the new album, his close friend Tom Hull told him: “Just date amazing women, or men, or whatever, who are going to fuck you up… Let it affect you and write songs about it.” 

Styles, who writes in collaboration with Hull and producer Tyler Johnson, sounds as if he took the advice. The new album, Fine Line, is at its best when capturing late-hours moments, drunk calls, “wandering hands”, kitchen snogs. A golden-haired lover recurs. There are up tracks, down tracks, some with the trippy delirium of harpsichord-era Stones, others with the angsty Britpop swell of strings. While I listened, I couldn’t help scribbling down names, possible subjects. On the lyric “There’s a piece of you in how I dress” I wrote: maybe Kendall? In a song about a lover “way too bright for me”: surely Taylor.

Styles says he keeps to a general rule: write what comes and don’t think about it too much afterwards. The only time he worries about an individual lyric is if it risks putting an ex in a difficult position. “If a song’s about someone, is that fine? Or is that gonna get annoying for them, if people try to decipher it?” Has he ever got that judgment call wrong and taken a bollocking from an angry ex? Styles raises an eyebrow. “Maybe ask me in a month.” 

I quiz him on something I’ve often wondered about. Why are the very famous so inclined to hook up with the very famous? From the outside it looks twice the hassle, with twice the odds of ending badly. “Don’t we all do that, though?” Styles asks. “Go into things that feel relatively doomed from the start?” I ask him why he doesn’t date normals. He seems tickled: “Um. I mean, I do. I have a private life. You just don’t know about it.” 

Styles doesn’t particularly like being asked about his love life, but is amused all the same, as he is about most things. When I ask about the logistics of someone as well known as him dating someone anonymous (“Do you need to give them, like, some sort of primer?”), Styles snorts with laughter. 

“Uh-h-h. Like any conversation, I guess, it’s easier if you’re honest. But I try to let it come up when it comes up. Cos that’s a weird thing to talk about, y’know? If you’ve just started seeing someone, and you’re, like: [he adopts a throaty, mission-briefing voice] So! This is what’s gonna happen!” Styles holds out his hands: no, ta. “I don’t wanna have that conversation, man. It would be fucking weird.” 

And not very sexy, I say.

“Not sexy,” Styles says, “no.”

A quick aside about his accent, which is hard to capture in print. (“Nat sexy, no.”) After a workout in a hotel gym recently, Styles says he was taken aback (“taken abeck”) to be asked by a stranger whether he was speaking in a fake voice. He was appalled. But after so long crossing borders and time zones, living and working between England and the US, the accent has undergone a jazzy remix, and tends to get farthest from its Cheshire roots when he’s around strangers. Once Styles begins to get comfortable in the pub, the flatter, no-nonsense sounds of his youth return. Nowpe he says, for nope. Fook, for fuck.

“What the fook are they?” This was the response of his childhood pals, he remembers, back in the village of Holmes Chapel, when little Harry had the gumption to show up in the playground wearing Chelsea boots instead of the approved chunky trainers. Styles’s parents had separated when he was very young, but there is no origin-story trauma: he has always stayed close to both. His mother, Anne, would praise his singing voice in the car, and when Styles was 16 it was agreed he could audition for a singing contest on TV.

“The craziest part about the whole X Factor thing,” says Styles, who auditioned for the ITV reality show in 2010, “is that it’s so instant. The day before, you’ve never been on telly. Then suddenly…” Suddenly you’re a piece of national property. “You don’t think at the time, ‘Oh, maybe I should keep some of my personal stuff back for myself.’ Partly because, if you’re a 16-year-old who does that, you look like a jumped-up little shit. Can you imagine? ‘Sorry, actually, I’d rather not comment…’ You don’t know what to be protective of.”

By the winter of 2010, Styles was a fan favourite, a key member of One Direction, a five-piece that enjoyed enormous national exposure and gathered millions of fans before any music had been released. Cameras filmed every part of their rise. There wasn’t any time in the dark to practise, test things out, mentally brace. “We didn’t get to dip in a toe,” Styles says. “But, listen, I was a kid, all I knew was: I didn’t have to go to school any more. I thought it was fucking great.” He remembers having a lot of fun, and being well taken care of. He jokes: “Maybe it’s something I’ll have to deal with a bit later. When I wake up in my 40s and think: Arrrggh.”

In February 2012, One Direction were feted at the Brit Awards, hours before they were due to fly to the US for the first time. On TV that night they looked young, silly, chuffed – on the precipice of something huge, and with no clue at all. Their subsequent wonder-run (five platinum albums, four world tours) had its foundations in their ridiculous popularity in the States. Right away, Styles remembers, “We were fuelling a machine. Keeping the fire going.” He remembers it as a stimulating time; maybe overstimulating. “Coming out of it, when the band stopped, I realised that the thing I’d been missing, because it was all so fast paced, was human connection.”

I first met Styles in 2014, around the time the lack of human connection was starting to bite. One Direction were promoting their penultimate album and I’d been commissioned to write about themthe Guardian. Management felt the boys were so exhausted that my minutes in their presence had to be strictly counted. Inside a circle of cripplingly hot lights, while someone ran the stopwatch, we interacted as humanly as we could.

I remember how jaded the best singer in the group, Zayn Malik, seemed. (Malik was weeks away from quitting.) I also remember how flattered and bewildered the others were to be asked a few grownup questions – and not what Louis Tomlinson would later describe to me as “who’s-your-favourite-superhero… all that shit”. Styles was watchful and quiet that day. By total chance, a week later, we were in the same London cafe and he tapped my shoulder. He was having lunch with friends. “Will ya join us?” 

t struck me as a quietly classy move. I was fascinated to see him interact with mates he’d chosen for himself. Styles was dry and funny, older than his years. After lunch we said the usual things about keeping in touch, and followed each other on Twitter. I kept an eye on his updates, about leaving One Direction, releasing an impressive, self-titled debut album in 2017, playing for 36,000 people in Madison Square Garden in New York, acting in Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-nominated war movie Dunkirk. Meanwhile, I did my best to manage the mess that had been made of my own account after Styles’s Twitter follow ignited a small explosion of teenage longing in my mentions. For at least a year I received weekly, sometimes daily, pleas from people who wanted messages conveyed to “H”. Still now, every few days, fans in America, Asia and Europe follow me to “see what H sees” in their timeline. 

He has around 50 million social media followers, and with that comes the ability to ripple the internet like somebody airing a bedsheet. I’ve noticed, though, how rarely Styles directs people to support specific causes, last doing so in 2018, when he encouraged people to join a march against gun violence. Why don’t you use your influence more, I ask? “Because of dilution. Because I’d prefer, when I say something, for people to think I mean it.” He runs his fingertips across the table. “To be honest, I’m still searching for that one thing, y’know. Something I can really stand up for, and get behind, and be like: This Is My Life Fight. There’s a power to doing the one thing. You want your whole weight behind it.”

It’s one of the things that sets Styles apart, the way he puts his whole weight behind the different aspects of this strange job. If you watch footage of him as a guest host on Saturday Night Live last month, Styles plunges in, fully inhabiting the silliness of every sketch. He has good songs in his repertoire (2017’s ballad Sign Of The Times stands out), and would probably admit to some middling songs that attest to his relative inexperience as a writer. But whichever of his songs Styles performs, he goes all-in, trusting that his zest and energy will hold an audience’s attention. He approaches this interview in roughly the same spirit, not enjoying every question, fidgeting, pleading for clemency once or twice, but giving everything due consideration.

I bring up something Styles joked about earlier: the possibility of waking up in his 40s with deferred mental health problems.

“Mm,” he says

Have you thought about therapy, I ask, to get ahead of that?

“I go,” he says. “Not every week. But whenever I feel I need it. For a really long time I didn’t try therapy, because I wanted to be the guy who could say: ‘I don’t need it.’ Now I realise I was only getting in my own way.” He shrugs. “It helps.”

Lately he’s been reading a lot (Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women stood out). He’s watched a lot of Netflix (crime thrillers and music docs). He recently cried through Slave Play on Broadway. I sense in Styles, at 25, a pent-up undergraduate hunger, maybe a desire to make up for lost time. “I’ve definitely been wanting to learn stuff, try stuff,” he says. “Things I didn’t grow up around. Things I’d always been a little bit sceptical about. Like therapy, like meditation. All I need to hear is someone saying, ‘Apparently, it’s amazing’, and I’ll try it. When I was in Los Angeles once, I heard about juice cleanses. I thought, yeah, I’ll do a juice cleanse.”

How messy were the results?

“You mean…?” Styles raises an eyebrow, recalling the poos. “They were all right. I was just hungry. And bored.”

One notable feature of Styles’s solo career has been his headlong embrace of unconventional clothing. A 2017-18 tour could have been sponsored by the Dulux colour wheel: mustard tones in Sydney, shocking pink in Dallas. In a more serious sense, some of Styles’s choices have fed into an important political discussion about gendered fashion. In May, as a co-host at the Met Gala in New York, he stepped out in a sheer blouse and a pearl earring. One evening’s work challenged a lot of stubborn preconceptions about who gets to wear what.

He says: “What women wear. What men wear. For me it’s not a question of that. If I see a nice shirt and get told, ‘But it’s for ladies.’ I think: ‘Okaaaay? Doesn’t make me want to wear it less though.’ I think the moment you feel more comfortable with yourself, it all becomes a lot easier.”

What do you mean, I ask?

Styles is leaning forward, hands folded around his cup of tea. “A part of it was having, like, a big moment of self-reflection. And self-acceptance.” He has a habit, when he’s made a definitive statement, of raising his chin and nodding a little, as if to decide whether he still agrees with himself. “I think it’s a very free, and freeing, time. I think people are asking, ‘Why not?’ a lot more. Which excites me. It’s not just clothes where lines have been blurred, it’s going across so many things. I think you can relate it to music, and how genres are blurring…”

Sexuality, too, I say.

“Yep,” says Styles. “Yep.”

There’s a popular perception, I say, that you don’t define as straight. The lyrics to your songs, the clothes you choose to wear, even the sleeve of your new record – all of these things get picked apart for clues that you’re bisexual. Has anyone ever asked you though?

“Um. I guess I haaaaave been asked? But, I dunno. Why?”

You mean, why ask the question?

“Yeah, I think I do mean that. It’s not like I’m sitting on an answer, and protecting it, and holding it back. It’s not a case of: I’m not telling you cos I don’t want to tell you. It’s not: ooh this is mine and it’s not yours.”

What is it then?

“It’s: who cares? Does that make sense? It’s just: who cares?”

I suppose my only question, then, is about the stuff that looks like clue dropping. Because if you don’t want people to care, why hint? Take the album sleeve for Fine Line. With its horizontal pink and blue stripes, a splash of magenta, the design seems to gesture at the trans and bisexual pride flags. Which is great – unless the person behind it happens to be a straight dude, sprinkling LGBTQ crumbs that lead nowhere. Does that make sense?

Styles nods. “Am I sprinkling in nuggets of sexual ambiguity to try and be more interesting? No.” As for the rest, he says, “in terms of how I wanna dress, and what the album sleeve’s gonna be, I tend to make decisions in terms of collaborators I want to work with. I want things to look a certain way. Not because it makes me look gay, or it makes me look straight, or it makes me look bisexual, but because I think it looks cool. And more than that, I dunno, I just think sexuality’s something that’s fun. Honestly? I can’t say I’ve given it any more thought than that.”

In our musty corner of the pub we’ve somehow passed a couple of hours in intense discussion. We’ll lighten up, before Styles heads home, with some chat about clever films (Marriage Story), stupider viral videos (the little boy who’s just learned the word “apparently”), that favourite-superhero stuff that, after all, has its place. He talks about the curious double time scheme of a pop star’s life – those crammed 18-hour days and then the sudden empty off-time when Styles might find himself walking miles across London to buy a book, afterwards congratulating himself: “Well, that’s an hour filled.”

Before we stand up I ask if he’s minded any of my questions.

He pushes out his lips, possibly recalling them one by one, then shakes his head. “What I would say, about the whole being-asked-about-my-sexuality thing – this is a job where you might get asked. And to complain about it, to say you hate it, and still do the job, that’s just silly. You respect that someone’s gonna ask. And you hope that they respect they might not get an answer.”

I tell him I do.

“Cool.”

Styles has to find those lads who wanted a photo. He scoops his phone off the table and flicks his thumb around the screen. Lately, he says, when he messes around on his phone in an idle moment, it’s mostly to look at videos – clips that his friends have sent him, in which their kids sing along to music he’s made. “Never gets old,” Styles says, beaming.

A few years ago, when he emerged from the boyband, blinking, shattered, he set himself three tasks: prioritise friends, learn how to be an adult, achieve a proper balance between the big and the small. Full stadiums, provocative outfits – Styles genuinely loves these things. “But I guess I’ve realised, as well,” he says, “that the coolest things are not always the cool things. Do you know what I mean?” He grabs his parka and his phone and, a little stooped, heads for home.

[australian-desi]

Qurbaan Hua ~ Episode 10-14: Of Murder, Bel-Gadis and The Death of My Favourite Character

There’s a lot of shouting, sorry in advance 

Episode 10

Wow he really had the audacity to ask forgiveness 

Do not tell me he’s the one that killed Saraswati 

He’s trying to intimidate her??????? With what????? 

She actually packs a punch, she pushed him right off of her

See this is the stuff I love about her 

SHE LOCKED THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE AS WELL!!!!!! OMG WHAT A DAY IT HAS BEEN A TELLYWOOD CHARACTER WITH INTELLIGENCE 

And that’s on saying Sarasti instead of Saraswati you swine 

Where is this goddamn mandir, and why did she not take a car or something 

He’s found her (it’s not her fault, she tried her best to hide) and omfggggg she’s right next to a cliff 

I THOUGHT SHE DIED IN CHILDBIRTH OR SOMETHING WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS 

HE THREW HIS HEAVILY PREGNANT WIFE DOWN THE STAIRS AND HE WANTS TO BE THE HEAD PRIEST

HOLY SHIT 

OMG 

WHY AM I HERE 

AND HER COUSIN IS JUST WATCHING THIS HAPPEN

ofcourse Neil’s rakhi breaks just as is sister is dying 

NAVELI BE OUT HERE ACTUALLY JUSTIFYING KILLING HER SISTER WTAFFFFFFFFFFFF 

CAN NEIL LISTEN TO HIS GODDAMN THIRD SENSE AND GO GET HIS SISTER FFSS

WHAT DID I TELL HIM, TAKE YOUR SISTER AND LEAVE BUT NOOOOOO 

MANS IS KILLING HER RUTHLESSLY 

He’s also comparing a position to the love of his unborn child????????????

HOLY SHIT THIS MAN IS GOING TO PIN THE WHOLE MURDER ON DOCTOR BAIG 

KILLLLL MOIIIIII

I KNEW THIS SHOW WAS INTENSE BUT I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR A FULL FLEDGED MURDER 

IT TOOK NEEL AN UNANSWERED PHONECALL, BROKEN RAKHI AND A LECTURE FROM A SAGE TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE

NOT THE FEELING OF IMPENDING DOOM AND PANIC 

Here Daddy Pandit is preaching that all human beings are equal, and being Hindu does not make you better or worse than those of other religions 

If these are his thoughts, why does he refuse medical help from people of other religions, I do not understand 

Ummm surely the doctor can tell the marks all over her body are from being physically assaulted and not just from a trivial fall

GOTTA LOVE CHAHAT, WHO IS A FRESH NEW DOCTOR, WAS ABLE TO TELL THAT SOMETHING’S UP, SHE DIDN’T JUST FAINT AND NOT A SENIOR DOCTOR

ALSO SHYAM1.5 IS OUT HERE FULLY READY TO SHIFT THE BLAME AS IF HE BROKE A GLASS OR SOMETHING AND NOT FULLY KILL HIS WIFE 

Episode 11 

Neel, is still running around the house screaming for his sister when it is quite clear no one is there, so good on him

Again I say, for a doctor this man is quite daft - DOCTORS ARE TRAINED TO LOOK FOR ABUSE

The fact my girl has to conduct CPR in the hospital really shows how much it is lacking in medical technology, so I guess Anjali2.0 was fucked from the start

And he’s now talking to Daddy Pandit, who is continuing the pooja as if Neel isn’t even there 

VYASJI IS USELESS, GO LOOK FOR HER ON YOUR OWN YOU DIMWIT 

This dumbass doctor is asking him point blank if it is a case of domestic violence as if he will just admit to it

YOU CALL THE POLICE FOR THE INTERROGATION YOU DONT JUST CONDUCT IT YOURSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY 

Pehla banda dekha jo pandit banne ke liye itne paap ekhate kar raha hai 

Also since when did pandits become gunde 

The baby has survived?????? Wow I am proud

Well this is just, holy shit, ummm, religion is an absolute joke when taken to these levels and like the joke is really all on them, because one of their own is a murderer/abuser/womaniser/manipulator 

SARASWATI GET UP AND MURDER HIM BACK COZ WTAF

CAN THE DOCTOR MOVE OUT OF THE GODDAMN WAY SO IT DOESNT LOOK LIKE SHE’S POINTING AT HIM

I KNEW THIS WOULD FKN HAPPEN

HOLY SHIT AND SHE’S GONE 

There goes the only person in Neel’s whole household (apart from Neel) that I liked 

These people are proper dumb, she was clearly pointing at the doctor 

AND IS NO ONE LOOKING AT HIS GLEE OF HIS WIFE’S DEATH

ITS DADDY PANDIT NOT GIVING A SINGLE SHIT THAT HIS DAUGHTER IS MISSING 

HOLLLYYY SHIETTT NEEL GO SEE YOUR SISTER RATHER THAN CARRYING OUT YOUR AINVAYI KE DRAMATICS 

GOOD NOW SHE’S DEAD AND YOUR KAMINA JIJA IS ABOUT TO GET AWAY WITH IT

Omgggggg why have they hit me with the manpain so early in the show, im going to cry 

Holy shiettt my dude is going to get so fucked over this, I can’t 

Episode 12-14

Basically, I’m just very triggered by this whole thing

Neel has lost all sense and is after blood, because murder as revenge does not count as a paap apparently 

Chahat is the only one with half a brain in this whole show, the person with the other half is now dead #rip #IAmStillTraumatisedFromHerDeath

Daddy Pandit is a horrible actor, coz I felt nothing, when he sees his daughter’s dead body, and the fact that I showed more emotion at Saraswati’s death 

Fake Kamini knows something’s up between Shyam1.5 and Naveli, and she does not bat an eye which is worrying 

When Neel ‘saved’ Chahat it was quite hot, it got me going (coz his whole body covers hers, and she clutches on to him tightly and that whole thing)

Ofcourse she faints coz she wouldn’t be an ITV female lead if she didn’t 

Gotta also love how dramatic Neel got, with the whole, the person who’s blood I’m after, his daughter is in my arms, and my sister would also want me to avenge her death

Neel darling, yes she does want you to avenge her death, but I really wish you were a bit smarter to know/bother to find out who actually killed her even though I know this whole thing is a mess, you are an emotional mess and can’t think straight, but please calm down and think 

Also, if I was Daddy Pandit or Neel I would’ve lost my faith in God a long long time ago, so proud of both of them in keeping this religion thing up

HAVE THESE CRAZIES REALISED THAT THE CHILD IS WELL AND ALIVE 

OMFG THAT IN ITSELF IS ENOUGH PROOF THAT THEY DIDN’T KILL SARASWATI

COULDN’T THEY GET A POST-MORTEM REPORT DONE AS WELL WHICH WILL TELL THEM SHE DIED FROM TRAUMA NOT FROM POISONING 

Awww that scene when Saraswati’s spirit comes to Neel to snap him out of his bullshit, that was sweet, hopefully he calms down and is able to get some much needed therapy, and go live happily with Meera

Who am I kidding

HOLY FUCKING SHIT, HE HIT HER WITH A BELL, AND IT FELL AROUND HER NECK, AND THEN LIKE A BEL-GARDI, HE IS DRAGGING HER 

OMG WE’RE LITERALLY AT THE POINT WHERE THE ABUSE HAS LED TO A COMPLETE DEHUMANISATION OF THE FEMALE LEAD 

ALSO ENJOYED THE WHOLE BELL HITTING HER MAANG, SO IT LOOKS LIKE SINDOOR - THAT’S VERY VERY FUCKED 

I CANNOT

WHAT THE FUCK

WHY AM I WATCHING THIS

We’ve gone from occasional forceful arm grabbing to tying a bell around the girl’s neck AND PULLING IT BY IT 

and I’m also lolling at the warning about how they don’t promote this behaviour

OMG DADDY PANDIT IS THE ONLY ONE WITH HUMANITY IN THIS WHOLE VILLAGE HOLY FUCKING SHIT (he’s said how burning the hospital down, going after their life, rioting etc. is not okay and is against everything he has taught his followers) 

NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS DID I THINK THIS MAN WOULD COME OUT AND BE THE MOST SENSIBLE

And he’s keeping her hostage, lovely 

It’s amazing how it’s taken them this long to call law enforcement

Well Neel has well and truly lost it, now he’s having another go at his dad

And Mami has found out that Chahat is in a room and coz of the blood/bell/sindoor situation has assumed that she’s Neel’s gf who he has just gotten married to

I don’t blame her, that’s on Neel locking a woman in his house 

Now I’m wondering can this show get even more fucked than it already is

[acciomatthewdavelewis]

Matthew Lewis Discuss His ITV 'Girlfriends' Character

HelloGiggles has released a new interview with Matthew Lewis talking about his character Tom in Kay Mellor’s new drama Girlfriends.

HelloGiggles: What excited you about the role of Tom, and Girlfriends as a show?

Matthew Lewis: I’ve worked with Kay several times before, and she has consistently — throughout actually my entire life — been turning out some wonderful television in the U.K., which has always championed not only my area, my hometown [of Leeds], and the whole region of Yorkshire, but also championed very real northern working class people who are very rarely seen on television. Probably more so now than ever before, but historically very, very rarely seen on television — particularly on this side of the pond [the U.S.], when all people tend to see is James Bond or Sherlock Holmes and London and that kind of world. Kay has always been a keen champion of the north.

So when she sent me the scripts for this, I devoured them very, very quickly. Then I called her up and I told her that I was a fan of the series. She explained [Tom’s story] to me, and [she had] such a passion for this one. I mean, she’s passionate about every story that she writes, but this one felt like it had more of her in it than any of the previous ones ever had — her and her friends. She said herself, it was a real passion project for her.

I think that Tom is just so incredibly relatable to so many people. Previews or character descriptions, I don’t think do him justice. I think that people have to watch it to really appreciate Tom because he’s a good man. He really is. He has a good soul and he means well. But, he’s been so doted on by his mother that he is incapable of taking control of his own life. He’s incredibly selfish at times and he doesn’t think. And, he’s irresponsible and immature. He’s not capable of looking after his son. But, he tries. He does try.

This series is a real journey for him, of maturity, and the relationship between mother and son and when a mother dotes on her son too much. When is the time to draw the line? How far is too far? … That’s what we see between them. It’s very interesting, very tender at times, explosive other times, and it’s a really interesting journey for both characters.

What can we expect from Tom, looking ahead? Will there be a confrontation between Tom and his mother, with her drawing that line with him?

Absolutely. Gail is attempting to get her soon-to-be ex-husband to not divorce her and that is very difficult with Tom because Tom and Dave have never seen eye-to-eye — probably because Dave tells Tom like it is. It’s something that Tom actually knows. It’s the idea that Tom knows that he pushes it too far. He knows that he dumps everything on his mother. But, he doesn’t want to admit [that] to himself yet. So when Dave comes around and tells him like it is, he reacts badly to that because he knows it’s true. Tom will never change. He will constantly blame other people until his mother calls him out on it. When he realizes he’s got no one to blame but himself. But, while he [has the] support of his mother, he’ll constantly think other people are the problem.

This obviously [will] have to change and that is where we’ll go. We’ll start to see Gail become much more empowered, believing in herself — she’s not just an old woman ready to be thrown on the scrap heap. She’s got so much more to offer. She’s stronger than that. That’s her journey, which obviously encompasses both Tom and Dave, and how their relationship will have to improve because Tom can no longer be selfishly thinking of himself. I think the thing that a lot of…children tend to do, they forget that their parents had entire full lives before they came along, that their parents have needs and wants and dreams and aspirations and it comes to a point where you have to stop being so selfish and start thinking of other people for a change.

Part of what’s so great about the show is you have these three mature women in the lead, which is, unfortunately, all too rare. You mentioned Gail finding her strength, but can you expand on how the show empowers women?

It’s a real thing at the minute, obviously. The fact that they’re women, straight off the bat. We may well be seeing more female leads on our TVs than there ever has been, but it’s still not parity; it’s still not equal. We still got a long way to go in so many aspects, which has become abundantly clear in the last few months, that we have a long way to go. So I think just the fact that it’s [led by] three strong women is wonderful. But, also, there’s an age issue. Whether it’s in all life — I can’t speak for every industry, but particularly in our industry — there is a belief that men can continue well into whatever age they want to continue into, whereas women are often unceremoniously, as I said before, tossed on the scrap heap, whether it’s in news anchoring or in Hollywood movies. That’s something that needs to change.

Kay said herself in the read through…”Women so often, particularly women of that age, are playing people’s mothers or people’s secretaries.” Or whatever, she was making all these different [references to] women always having to play these supporting roles. And she went, “But it’s never been,” as far as she was concerned, “the men supporting these women, having all the women lead, the men be their husbands and be their sons and be their secretaries and all that kind of thing.” Finally, in this, she said, “That’s what I’m doing. It’s the men that are the supporting here, and the women are all focus.” I thought that was wonderful. You’ve got three astonishingly good actresses to play these roles. It’s something that everyone’s concerned about actually, male and female. But, in our society, it seems to be much more of a concern for women, unfortunately.

Everyone’s worried about getting old, and your relevance in society. The world is moving so fast now. You can see it with the way people vote, for crying out loud. It’s an entire generation of people who feel like they’re being ignored or they’re no longer wanted or they’re being left behind. It’s just wonderful that Kay is writing a thing that empowers those people. Not really empowers, just something for them to relate to, to feel like they’re actually being represented on TV. I think it’s great. I think the more diversity of this kind of thing that we can get, the better it will be in the long term.

What have you taken away from working with these powerhouse ladies? Did they impart any advice to you? Or, is there anything that you observed through their performances, or through Kay’s writing?

I’m still very much learning my craft. I came out of Harry Potter at 21. I felt that I had to start on the bottom rung of the ladder and really learn. Being on Harry Potter was a breeze, in truth. It was very comfortable. I played [Neville] for a long time. I was comfortable in the role, and knew everyone on set. I knew coming out of that, that comfort would all be gone and I’d have to start afresh from the ground up. That’s what I intended on doing.

I spent the last seven, eight years, trying to hone my craft and do theater, do television, do film, do all different schools of acting to try and learn as much as possible. And, this is an opportunity to watch three women who have an extensive career of brilliant work that spans all mediums of the craft. I got to sit there for weeks and watch ’em do it, and it was fabulous. I’m always learning. I’m always absorbing as much as I can.

I’ll tell you one thing that I think of more than anything is that these three are all leading ladies. When I say that, I don’t mean in terms of their acting credentials or their abilities, which is not up for debate. I’m talking about the way they lead. It’s a responsibility that anyone who wants to play a leading man or a leading woman in any film, TV [show], or whatever has to have. They are leaders, and the environment on a set is taken by them. The environment that those three created was wonderful. It was such a pleasure to come into work. It was so much fun. It was so relaxed. It was so enjoyable.

They had mountains of dialogue. Kay writes very wordy stuff that moves at such a pace that it’s hard to keep up as a viewer, never mind the person trying to learn the dialogue. Things are happening all the time, and it never felt pressured. It never felt like anyone was struggling or finding it difficult. Everyone was just having so much fun. I think that’s a testament to the material, of course, because it was a lot of fun to perform. But, it’s a testament to those three women and their ability to lead, and to make everyone feel comfortable and enjoy their time.

[bulletproofcarats]

The policeman and the drunk

Requested by @mymisstina

JungkookxReader

Fluff, slight angst

He’s been your best friend for seven years. But you’ve never had the courage to confess to him.

“Can you please listen to me for once and take care of yourself?”

You rolled your eyes as you leaned against the wall, near the door to your apartment.

“Look at how you almost got robbed just now!” He gestured angrily. “If I wasn’t on patrol, you might have been in danger!”

“Don’t you have a girlfriend to take care of, Jungkook?”

“I’m on night patrol tonight. And don’t bring Eunhua into this.”

“Well, you do have to take care of her. And I have a social life to take care of.” So go away and continue your job as a wonderful policeman. Thanks.” you unlocked the door and slammed it in his face.

Sighing, you pulled your hair from its ponytail as you sat down on the sofa.

It was two a.m. in the morning, and you would be lying if you said it didn’t hurt that Jungkook was only probably angry at you because you were his best friend.

-

“Why on earth were you involved this time?”

“Uh, because I tackled the snatch thief to the ground?” You said as Jungkook typed away furiously, taking down your statement.

“Y/N, what if he had been holding a knife?” You ran a hand through your hair.

“I’m a black belt Jungkook, just like you. I’m not the little girl you knew as a kid anymore.” You stopped short as his phone buzzed.

Jungkook picked up the phone. “Hello Eunhua? Yeah I’m still at work. Y/N got called in for a case, I’ll see you for dinner tonight?”

There was silence for a few seconds before Jungkook shook his head, “No, its nothing like that! Okay, see you.”

You raised an eyebrow at him. “She thinks you’re two timing her?”

He turned back to you. “Its nothing. I know you aren’t a little girl anymore, Y/N, just, be more careful for your own safety okay? I don’t want to lose you just because you were busy living as your reckless self.

You gave him a soft smile. “Okay Jungkook.”

-

You leaned against the pillar during lunch, eating your apple as you watched the younger students play in the field.

Jungkook had been asked out by Mina to the school dance.

You were supposed to be happy for your best friend. He was after all, finally dateless for the dance.

Still, you weren’t too pleased about it, considering the fact that you had wanted to make a move, but Mina had beat you to it. The girl was blameless really, she didn’t even know you, but you were unhappy.

You were taken by surprise when a Frisbee came flying towards you, but you were yanked aside by someone and it barely missed your head.

“Whoa Y/N, careful.” You turned to see Jungkook looking at you in concern.

“Oh Jungkook, weren’t you with Mina? She asked you out after all.”

“I declined.”

You looked at him in shock. “You what? Why?”

Jungkook shook his head. “I don’t like her that way. I didn’t want to give her false hope.”

You missed the long look that he gave you as you picked up the frisbee and threw it back to the field with a small jump.

-

You were shocked when Eunhua snapped at you outside the door of the bathroom at Jungkook’s house.

It had been a social gathering, and you two had been in the same place at the same time.

“Back off from Jungkook, okay?” She glared at you.

“Eunhua, what do you mean? He’s my best friend.”

“Please,” she scoffed. “I know you want to be his girlfriend.” She gave you a contemptuous look. “But then again, you don’t have what it takes. Ungirly? Too rough as well. He’s too good for you.”

You struggled to hold back your tears as you looked at Eunhua. She was kind of right. Her hair was done up in a perfect bun while yours was in a messy ponytail. She wore a shiny black dress while you wore a simple blue one with white flats.

Jungkook didn’t need someone as simple as you. Your best friend since childhood didn’t need a blemish like you.

You blinked away the tears as Jungkook appeared beside the both of you.

“Hi. Uh what’s going on?” You shook your head and smiled at him before walking away.

“Nothing oppa.” Eunhua said as she linked her arms through his. “We were just talking.”

-

“You think you can actually beat me at sparing?” Jungkook raised an eyebrow at you.

You grinned at him. “Why not, I’m obviously better at kicking than you.”

“Well, I can react faster than you.”

You snorted. “You are always too shook to react to anything. Besides, I remember hearing from your mom, what was it again? Jungkookie is scared of girls.”

“You aren’t that much of a girl to me. And that was four years ago.”

You ignored the sting that you felt at that, looking at Jungkook’s cute bunny smile that lit up his face as he grabbed you by the wrist.

“Come on, lets go do some sparring. Loser treats the winner to dinner.”

-

You were absolutely gone and drunk.

Why did the world look so blur? Why was everything so funny?

Your phone buzzed with messages from Jungkook and you blueticked them.

Jungkook: Y/N why did you leave suddenly?

Jungkook: Are you at the club again?

Jungkook : don’t leave me on read.

Until,

Jungkook : I saw your snapchat story. Your hair is an absolute mess. And you can’t dance.

Y/N : Jungkook you asshhh.

Jungkook: Wait, what?

Y/N: I’m not a pvrfect pevsron am itv ivnd my fualt iom nvt ur ideap tywpe ike Eunhqa.

Jungkook: I’m positive you are drunk right now.

Y/N: So shut if I and? I dunttt cureee. Jus guuu baxk to whdeva u qere dng.

Y/N: you shunt care abt mi cause I am nurt unhua.

Jungkook : You’re still my best friend .

Y/N: Screw binnng ur bes frun. It huuuurrrttts cus it remind s me that I ain’t ur gf n tht thaaatts Eunhud .

Jungkook: Eunhua’s not my girlfriend anymore.

Y/N: Wuai? Wha?

Jungkook: I heard what she said at the gathering, no one treats my best friend like that.

Y/N: But you luv har.

You were slowly getting back to being sober, texting Jungkook for the past twenty minutes suddenly seemed like a stupid thing.

Jungkook: Not as much as I love you.

Wait, what?

Y/N: Yu wha me?

Jungkook: Oh shit. I shouldn’t have said that.

Y/N: Is it true?

Jungkook: Its been true for seven years.

You could feel your heart beating rapidly. This couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t.

You shut down your phone and went back to dancing. This couldn’t be happening. Tonight, you would just dance it all away and it would be just like a dream tomorrow. You’d deal with it tomorrow, after you were done with burying your head in a pillow.

Half an hour later, when you were almost halfway lost into the music, you felt a pair of arms wrap around you.

You were about to scream when you heard him whisper in your ear.

“It isn’t very nice to leave people hanging Y/N. Especially after your best friend just confessed to you.”

Why the hell was Jungkook here?

Turning around, you glared at him. He was dressed in a tee shirt and long blue jeans. You had forgotten that he was off duty the whole day. “Quit kidding.”

“I’m not.”

“You are. I mean, Eunhua was right. No one would fall for someone like me. I party almost all the time. I don’t do my make up as well as other girls. I get drunk easily. It doesn’t matter if I like you Jungkook, you won’t ever-”

You were silenced by Jungkook, who had placed his lips on yours.

His lips tasted like a mix of cinnamon and chocolate and you couldn’t help but melt into the feeling that buzzed through you.

Jeon Jungkook was kissing you.

Your eyes widened in surprise as he pulled away slightly and used his tongue to swipe your lips gently.

“Did you even read my messages after that?“

Jungkook sighed at the dumbfounded look on your face.

"Nevermind that. But seven years Y/N. You’ve known me for seven years and you think I’m lying?”

-

The next morning when you checked your phone, you buried your head in your pillow. This time, to muffle your giggles

Jungkook: Before you think I’m lying, let me tell you a short story about a girl whom I’ve known for seven years.

Jungkook: She was my childhood friend, as well as my Taekwondo best friend.

Jungkook: We managed to stay in contact even after graduation and becoming adults. Still, I worried for and got annoyed at her and her risky ass.

Jungkook: I loved her too. But instead of being direct, I tried to put it through being harsh towards her sometimes.

Jungkook: But I reached my limit when I saw another girl putting her down.

Jungkook: So now here I am, telling her about how I feel and- Y/N did you seriously go offline?

~Admin Waffle

[olehistorian]

Almost unrecognisable from her role as the dowdy housekeeper in Downton Abbey, Phyllis Logan is starring in an exotic new medical drama. She talks to Judith Woods about seizing the day and those Downton movie rumours… 'Obviously I never had a career to speak of before Downton Abbey,’ says Phyllis Logan drily, raising an eyebrow for further effect. ‘I sometimes wonder how on earth did I fill my time?’ It’s not true, of course, but we all know what she means: sometimes a jobbing actress is swept away by a juggernaut of a role that takes her a very long way from where she used to be. The Downton effect has had an impact on the career of every member of its award-winning ensemble cast. Lily James has starred in the BBC’s War & Peace and the movie Cinderella, Michelle Dockery landed a role as a criminal in the gritty US show Good Behavior, Joanne Froggatt played a serial killer in the ITV series Dark Angel – and now Phyllis is set to star in a new ITV drama series, The Good Karma Hospital. But it’s her years in service to the Crawley family that have made her a poster girl for ladies of a certain age who refuse to accept that life holds no more adventure. When her doughty but warm-hearted character Mrs Hughes finally found love with the pompous but kindly butler Mr Carson, it struck a blow for midlife love. In those days ‘Mrs’ was an honorific title bestowed on senior female staff, regardless of whether they had ever wed, so Mrs Hughes’s comical angst about whether he would be expecting ‘a full marriage’ struck a chord with any woman over 40 who has ever fretted about going to bed with a new partner. ‘Mrs Hughes was aerated about the sex thing because she probably hadn’t had much experience, but that turned out to be the least of her bloomin’ worries,’ acknowledges Phyllis. ‘God preserve us all from nitpicking middle-aged men who can’t abide change.’ In the phenomenally successful series, which ran for six seasons, Mr Carson (played by Jim Carter) turned out to be irrevocably stuck in his ways – the routines of the big house where he had been serving for many years. Ironically, it was his new wife’s performance in the couple’s kitchen (as opposed to the bedroom) that proved his greatest source of disappointment. Eventually, with affectionate pragmatism, the pair decided he should eat his meals at the Downton kitchen, cooked by Mrs Patmore, as before. ‘It’s a very identifiable scenario,’ says Phyllis, 61. ‘When a more mature couple makes a life together, each brings certain expectations and baggage and of course there’s always need for compromise, which some men in particular find difficult. Phyllis, once best known for playing posh totty Lady Jane Felsham in the 1980s and 90s series Lovejoy, was a late starter herself when it came to settling down. She met her husband, Pirates of the Caribbean actor Kevin McNally, in the 1993 miniseries Love and Reason when she was in her late 30s, but they didn’t get round to tying the knot until she was 55. ‘I had always sworn I would never have an actor in the house because they are so much trouble and so vain, but you can’t legislate for Cupid’s bow,’ she says. When she got together with Kevin, theirs was not a series of careful compromises but a classic coup de foudre. ‘I never thought real love – the sort where your blood tingles and your world explodes with joy – would happen to me at my time of life. I believed I had missed out. But I’m ever so glad it happened.’ A couple of years later, aged 40, she had their son David. He is now 20 and studying music and music production at university in Leeds. Once upon a time, reaching six decades was a milestone to be dreaded rather than celebrated, but, in well-cut jeans and a flattering floaty top, her burnished hair hanging loose, Phyllis provides incontrovertible proof that though life may not begin at 60, it sure as heck continues at a rip-roaring pace – as long as you have the right attitude towards the rollercoaster. ‘We packed David off to university not so long ago and as we drove back to our house in West London we were listening to the Elaine Paige show on Radio 2,’ recalls Phyllis. ‘She played Peggy Lee singing “The Folks Who Live on the Hill” and as soon as I heard the line “and when the kids grow up and leave us” I burst into absolute floods of tears and spent the rest of the journey splashing about in the passenger seat. But since then I’ve thought a lot about empty nest syndrome and how once your chick flies the coop it gives women the freedom to stretch their own wings once more, too.’ And as fate would have it, Phyllis’s new role in The Good Karma Hospital has allowed her to do just that and will doubtless prove a source of inspiration to a great many female viewers in a similar position. Set in India, the series features another estimable actress, Amanda Redman, 59, who plays an eccentric expat running a ramshackle cottage hospital, which is short on resources and long on compassion. ‘It’s a cross between Holby City and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel but with dark secrets, so it should be right up everybody’s street,’ says Phyllis. ‘I play Maggie Smart, who has come to India for her daughter’s wedding and becomes unwell, so ends up in hospital and falls deeply in love. Not with a man – she already has a husband – but rather with the community, the culture and the way of life. She’s a fascinating character who has such humour and joie de vivre and it was great to play a woman finding herself and connecting with a wider spirituality.’ Phyllis spent months filming the six-part series on location in Sri Lanka. She, too, found herself smitten with the place and the people and at one point Kevin flew over from the US where he is in the cast of the US television series Turn: Washington’s Spies and they managed a 12-day break together. ‘We stayed in a hotel on the beach and it was bliss. The majority of the population are Buddhists and seemed so calm, open and thankful for whatever life gave them; I think we could all learn from them.’ All the same, Phyllis isn’t entirely convinced she believes in karma as a concept. ‘It would be nice to think that if you are a decent human being then eventually things will turn out right,’ she says. ‘But fate can intervene and pull the rug out from under you without warning and there might be nothing you can do.’ It is something she and Kevin can speak of from personal experience. Phyllis’s mother died from a dementia-related illness aged 90, but it was the agonisingly slow decline of Kevin’s mother over many years that proved more devastating. ‘Kev’s mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her early 60s and from then on his father became her carer and it was so hard for him. She reached the point where she didn’t recognise her own son and was agitated and upset because she had no idea where she was or who she was; that was heartbreaking to witness.’ Phyllis is an ambassador for Dementia UK and does what she can to support the charity’s work. ‘It’s such a cruel disease. I am aware there’s a genetic component so I do brain-training on my phone every day. Will that help stave it off? I have no idea; I think of Iris Murdoch – such a clever woman who dealt with words and complex memories all her life, and yet all those things that made her so creative and unique were taken while she was still alive. Ultimately, all you can do is cross your fingers and make the most of every day.’ Phyllis is certainly doing that. Last year was a veritable Air Miles bonanza; as well as her sojourn in Sri Lanka she went to Sydney for a Downton DVD launch, Los Angeles where the ensemble cast of Downton won yet another Screen Actors Guild Award, and then to New York to receive the prestigious Great Scot Award from the US branch of the National Trust for Scotland (previous recipients include comedian Billy Connolly and actor Alan Cumming). She wore a dress bought in John Lewis embellished for the occasion with a tartan sash and matching ribbon. ‘I’m not interested in fashion,’ Phyllis confides. ‘It’s just not on my radar. Whenever I’m doing a contemporary role, the wardrobe mistress will usually say, “Let’s go to Selfridges and get a personal shopper.” Most women would probably love it, but my face falls because I absolutely hate trying on clothes. One of the things I loved about Downton was the fact I had two outfits and maybe a coat if I got to go into the village; the girls in the Crawley family kept having to go for fittings every time there was a big dinner, which would have driven me mad.’ Logan loves… Reading Alan Bennett’s Keeping On Keeping On. I love him; my husband Kev played him in the stage version of The Lady in the Van. Listening to The Today programme on Radio 4 and Classic FM. Watching I do enjoy a good nature documentary. Planet Earth II was spectacularly good. Guilty pleasure A whole bag of Kettle Chips with a crisp glass of Picpoul de Pinet. Beauty product Boots No7 moisturiser; it’s not fancy but it does the job. Desert island luxury A karaoke machine, stage, lights and all the songs from the 70s. I’ll make a row of coconuts for an audience and there’ll be no stopping me. The ongoing international popularity of Downton means Phyllis and various other cast members are still asked to appear at events to meet the fans and launch DVDs. She’s often asked about her wigs and whether she kept one; she had three identical hairpieces all of which she affectionately dubbed Elsie. ‘People ask me if I was tempted to take a wig or that big bunch of keys I carried, but that would be theft, because these things aren’t my property,’ says Phyllis emphatically. ‘Besides, if there’s a Downton movie, which I hope will happen, all the props and costumes will be needed.’ Ah yes, the Downton film; rumours still swirl but so far there’s been no confirmation. According to Phyllis it may yet happen if – and it’s a huge if – the cast members can ever be gathered in one place long enough. ‘It’s like herding cats!’ she laughs. ‘We’re all so busy and in different countries, but it would be such fun to get together again. The camaraderie on set was extraordinary.’ Phyllis was in every episode of the family saga. Her husband even appeared in a handful of episodes as Horace Bryant, the stern father of an army major who fraternised with housemaid Ethel (Amy Nuttall), getting her pregnant before he died in action. Horace persuaded her to hand over his grandchild to him, which was brutal but necessary as she had been sacked from Downton in disgrace and had taken to prostitution in order to survive. ‘I was quite miffed that the producer had offered Kev a job without even consulting me,’ laughs Phyllis. ‘I wouldn’t dream of queering his pitch – although I do think I’d be great as Johnny Depp’s mother in a Pirates of the Caribbean film [in which Kevin plays Joshamee Gibbs]. And every lad needs a cuddle from his mother now, doesn’t he?’ Her eyes glitter with the sort of mischief Mrs Hughes would most certainly not approve of, but now Phyllis has emerged from the shadow of her fictional alter ego, she is keen to push boundaries. Last summer she resolved to challenge herself by taking on a theatre role in a dazzling touring production of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter, alongside Samuel West. ‘The prospect of going back on stage was a bit frightening, but that is exactly why I embraced it,’ she says. ‘I can be a bit of a scaredy-cat so I have to push myself and I was so very glad I did. It took me right back to my early days as an actress: booking my own digs, sitting on the seafront on my day off eating fish and chips. I also got to see fascinating places such as Canterbury, Cambridge and Brighton.’ Seeing the world – be it near or far – is something she gently urges all women to do once the kids have left. ‘Travel does broaden the mind and fill the senses,’ she says. ‘It gives you a new perspective and there are so many beautiful regions in Britain that I can think of no better way to spend time than exploring them because you’re a long time dead – so carpe diem, ladies!’ The Good Karma Hospital will be on ITV next month. Phyllis is an ambassador for Dementia UK and is supporting its campaign timeforacuppa.org Styling: Natalie Read. Hair: Alex Price at Frank Agency. Make-up: Lucy Gibson at Frank Agency using Clinique. Table and vase, both Habitat Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-4128572/Interview-Downton-star-Phyllis-Logan.html#ixzz4WSbvI2CF Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[redqueenmusings]

They say once you have mastered being alone, if you are okay with solitude – life is easy.

So when the lock-down was announced, I wasn’t worried. We live in a world where we’re always surrounded by people; at work, in stores, on our phones and through social media.

I knew it was something most would hate, but I saw it as an opportunity. A chance to get those long overdue jobs completed and to not have to find an excuse for going out. As I have got older I have become a little agoraphobic. I’m OK if I plan ahead but these days, unlike in my youth, I can no longer do things on the spur of the moment.

Day 1 Sunday – passed in a blur. It was the same as any normal day, I was busy adding updates about the virus and the measures being taken by the government, I cooked Sunday dinner, watched a bit of TV, spent time on Facebook deleting a few groups that no longer interest me and applied to join a couple that were being recommended. At midnight, the same as usual I went to bed, read until the eyes got heavy and turned off the light.

Day 2 Monday – woke to a chilly but sunny morning then settled into the daily routine breakfast in bed while I checked official notifications to pass on. I expected as things were now in place these would get a lot less. Oh no, it was as busy as ever, as the mainland announced closing its borders and the Canaries announced drastic reductions in flights. My email and PM facility on facebook went into meltdown. Still it made the day go quickly, even though I hadn’t got around to my list of jobs. The first being clean the dust left by the numerous calimas off the top of the blades on the ceiling fans. Well, there is always tomorrow!

Day 3 Tuesday – dawned with a sheet of cloud the colour of steel and as I looked at it, cosy under my duvet, I thought it was the kind of day that could bring rain or sunshine. I also realised that my sleep pattern had changed. I’m no longer wide awake in the middle of the night, I’m not even getting up to pee and I’m waking like normal folk at around 7.00am rather than 8.00am. I’ve no idea why, as I’m not doing much different to normal. I kept myself quite busy reading, writing and pottering. It was a cold afternoon, so I had a little indulgence by filling the bath up to the brim and soaking until I turned into a prune. At teatime I had a message from Beccy, who lives in the village, making sure us oldies were coping and if there was anything we needed to let her know. It’s very comforting that there are young families who will put themselves out to check on their neighbours.

Day 4 Wednesday – and reality is starting to kick in. Surrounded by four walls, there was nothing else to do but stare at them to pass time, slowly going mad. Not me of course, but Jim is getting twitchy. He decided to go to Mercadona. We didn’t need anything, as whatever I use I always keep a spare in the cupboard. But he wanted cakes making so thought I may need more flour and eggs. I asked if he was going to go to Iceland as I wouldn’t mind some kippers, I quite fancied kedgeree but never found smoked haddock here. But he decided that was a great excuse to go out the following day.

As it turned out he left for the supermarket at 11.30 and there was a queue, he was 3rd so within 5 minutes he was in and shopping. Like the organised queue outside the checkouts were also marked making it easy to see where you should stand to allow the correct space between customers. There was no shortage of anything, except toothpaste and as it was on the list, he picked up the last one, although we’ve never heard of the make! Because he was so quick he decided to also go to Iceland and was back home by 12.15. It all sounded very civilised unlike the images I saw later on ITV News of what was happening in the UK.

Day 5 Thursday – Slipping back into the old ways I was wide awake at 4.00am but so were lots of others, it is amazing how many are on Facebook at the witching hour. So while we may be separate, we are together too.

This should have been a busy week, nails with Beccy on Monday, they are getting long and as I hit the keyboard all I can here is tap tap and all I see is spelling mistakes. Dentist for a clean on Tuesday, dinner with Chris and Dave on Wednesday and of course our usual Thursday night with the Quayles and now nothing!

This is the first time this week that any cleaning has been done, and we started upstairs in the bedrooms. Now everything is shiny and sparkling. While having lunch had a message to go to our main gate at 2.00pm as Beccy’s daughter Ellé had been baking. She had made us a little treat for afternoon tea.

Jim’s day was made because after being 2 weeks late his Military Magazine arrived so that will keep him amused for a few days. And for dinner I had a takeaway curry in the freezer, so we closed our eyes and pretended we were eating in Sher y Punjab with our besties Christine and Andrew 🙂 .

Day 6 Friday – I had anticipated with such relish to escape everything and everyone, but now it was here I longed for some company. This was also the day I realised I wasn’t a member of Facebooks Residents of Tenerife. My initial thought was my application had got lost due to a large influx of applications, I answered the questions, I met the criteria as a resident and would never dream of advertising. So I decided to re-apply but the group no longer existed, at least not for me. Totally vanished off facebook, so the only conclusion is I have been blocked. I wonder why?

Official information is gradually slowing down, at least enough for me to enjoy conversations with friends, albeit via messages. Chelsea and I had a long chat about crochet and cross-stitch. I spoke with my daughter on the phone and learnt that my granddaughter’s boyfriend who she lives with in the UK has the dreaded virus. After speaking with 111 they were both advised to stay home. If they were OK in 7 days they could return to work, but nobody is taking any tests, they are just looking at areas of the country generally and assessing how many cases there may be. It all sounds a bit hit and miss to me and I know where I would rather be even if at times it feels a pain.

Day 7 Saturday –  Not sure what the day will bring as I have scheduled this to be published early. Nevertheless, come tomorrow we will have completed a whole week. The experience has made me realise that for us introverts the thought of being alone might seem perfect except when being alone starts to feel a little lonely. I also realise, although this wait is tough, to do it now and do it properly is the only way through. Ignore the rules and there is the danger of it being extended.

And… The dust is still on top of the ceiling fans, maybe I will get that done today but if not, no worries, there is always next week.

  Check Queenie’s Daily Snippets for Tenerife news & events

Living with Lockdown They say once you have mastered being alone, if you are okay with solitude - life is easy.

[healthcaretipsblog]

He's made his list, he's checked it twice, he already knows who's been naughty and nice. That's right: Santa Claus is coming to town – and you can follow him as he makes his way around the world. Every year, the boffins at Norad (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) kindly dedicate December 24th to tracking Father Christmas as he darts from chimney to chimney, country to country, and continent to continent, delivering gifts while voraciously consuming sweetmeats. Their service began by happenstance in 1955, when a Sears ad in a local paper offering the chance to speak to Santa mistakenly printed the top secret phone number of Conad – Norad’s predecessor. US Air Force Col. Harry Shoup took the first call from a young boy wanting to talk to Santa in good humour, and so a Christmas tradition was born. Now, every year, thousands of volunteers staff telephones and computers to answer calls and e-mails from children (and adults) around the world. As of 2007, search engine Google has also provided an online tracker, in partnership with Norad. Join us below to follow Santa's snow-flecked footsteps around the world. And keep your fingers crossed that when he arrives at your house, he'll find your name on the good side of that list ... 12:07AM Santa visits UK!  Father Christmas has visited the UK and delivered his gifts - have you got what you wished for? For all you Santa Trackers in the UK, it looks like #Santa is on his way to your house! How do you like to prepare for Santa’s arrival? Milk and cookies? A hand-written letter? Let us know in the comments! #NORADTracksSantahttps://t.co/gSvRD6ezKo— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   9:48PM Melania Trump: As soon as you go to sleep, Santa will be there More from the White House press pool: First Lady Melania Trump, wearing a red dress and white heels with floral print, spoke quietly into the phone, smiling and nodding as she listened to children on the other line.  “How are you? Merry Christmas. Are you tracking Santa? Do you know where he is right now?” she asked.  She asked them if they made their lists and assured them that Santa is en route: “As soon as you go to sleep, Santa will be there.” She wished the kids and their parents a merry Christmas.  US President Donald J. Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump participate in NORAD Santa Tracker phone calls at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida Credit: AFP   9:43PM Trump: Wishing for a relative to get out of hospital better than asking for some toy According to the White House press pool, the US president engaged with a couple of children: The president was receiving calls both before and after we left.  He told Casper from Virginia (not sure if Casper is a girl or boy): “What would you like more than anything?” [kid responds. Press can’t hear.] Trump: “Building blocks, that’s what I’ve always liked too. I always loved building blocks...well I predict Santa will bring you building blocks, so many you won’t be able to use them all.” He talked to another kid, Brian (unsure of spelling), 5 years old.  “So you want your grandma to get out of the hospital? That’s what your wish is? That’s great. That’s better than asking for some toy or something, that’s much better, right?” “So your grandma’s gonna be good,okay, she’s gonna be good.” Donald and Melania Trump Credit: Getty   9:41PM The Trumps help out Donald and Melania Trump have been manning the phones for NORAD: #NORADTracksSanta’s mission has reached the highest level of government. President Trump and the First Lady are working with NORAD to answer your calls. Call 1-877-HI-NORAD.— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   9:01PM The things we miss about Christmas TV This year’s Christmas programming is all very well but we can’t help hankering for the ghosts of telly past. Michael Hogan details his favourites from  Morecambe & Wise specials to a Bond film on ITV - read the full article. Morecambe & Wise   8:44PM How old is Santa? #Santa last seen in Beira, Mozambique. Did you know that NORAD intelligence indicates Santa is AT LEAST 16 centuries old?? #NORADTracksSanta— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   8:25PM The Acropolis Santa has just done a fly-by of another of the new wonders of the world - the Acropolis in Athens:   7:56PM Santa is on schedule #NORAD confirms #Santa has arrived over Chisinau, Moldova. #Santa reported the weather is clear and his is on schedule— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   7:43PM Santa is in Europe! The Big Man was last spotted in Vilnius, Lithuania. #NORAD confirms #Santa has arrived over Vilnius, Lithuania— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   7:33PM The 'Nanny State' Christmas lunch: Everything you should be eating, according to official advice With a measly portion of turkey, pallid boiled potatoes and just a quarter of a glass of champagne, this is what Christmas dinner might look like if public health guidelines were followed to the letter, Sophie Jamieson writes. Dubbed the "nanny state approved Christmas lunch", the menu to keep you below Public Health England (PHE) recommended calorie intake allows for only a quarter of a pig in blanket, a tenth of a serving of Christmas pudding and a twentieth of a mince pie.  Taxpayers Alliance handout showing a visual representation of a Christmas lunch as approved by the National Health Service's nutritional guidelines PHE guidelines say the average man should keep below 2,500 calories per day. The figure is 2,000 calories for women.  The bleak festive spread was created by the pressure group the TaxPayers' Alliance, who say PHE spend £40 million a year telling people how to live healthy lives. Read the full story. 6:57PM The best Christmas TV When you're taking a break from following Santa's journey around the world, here are the best TV offerings this year, including  All Star Musicals and  Mary, Mel and Sue's Big Chistmas Thank You. Dr Who Credit: BBC   6:25PM How does the Santa tracker work? People always ask how #NORAD tracks #Santa on Dec 24th! We use infrared sensors from Rudolph’s nose to determine Santa’s exact location throughout the night! To talk to a NORAD Santa Tracker, call 1-877-HI-NORAD. http://ift.tt/2kT4Z6P (Desktop browsers only)— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   5:44PM Children in Russia - it's time to go to bed! #NORAD Just spotted #Santa over Russia! Children in Russia, it's time to go to bed. #NORADTracksSanta— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   5:43PM How to host a family Christmas... without having a breakdown Do you remember waking up on Christmas day, filled with excitement and joy? Did you jump out of bed and rush downstairs to see if Father Christmas had successfully navigated the chimney/central heating system and delivered that all-important toy on your wish list? Good times. The chances are your first waking moments of Christmas Day are sprinkled with slightly different thoughts these days. Has the turkey finished defrosting? Will the kids like their presents? Is there still time to barricade the house to prevent the in-laws gaining access? Well, worry no longer. Read our guide that answers all you anxiety-ridden prayers. How to have the perfect Christmas   5:16PM Taj Mahal Santa has just visited India - cameras picked him up flying over one of the modern wonders of the world:   4:53PM The Christmas crystal ball Christmas Day is a bit like Groundhog. You wake up, stick the turkey in the oven, placate yourself with an odd concoction of coffee and Bucks Fizz, watch the kids tear open their presents, slave away in the kitchen some more, and finally pass out on the sofa. Tick, there goes another year. Here are the 24 things bound to happen at your big family Christmas tomorrow.  4:42PM Conquering Everest Santa is going to have to tug hard on those reins and get the reindeer flying high. He's coming into Nepal, home to eight of the 10 world's highest peaks, including the tallest Mount Everest. Nepal guess who is coming soon...that’s right����.Time for good boys and girls to get to �� and catch some ��.�� http://pic.twitter.com/7EQUPdofev— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) 24 December 2017 4:36PM Getting through Russia Santa is back working his way through Russia. It's a long, hard slog - Russia takes up an eighth of the Earth's land area - but Santa misses no one out on Christmas Eve. 4:12PM Christmas code-words Are you expecting to welcome friends and relatives tomorrow? Christmas day can be a bit of a war-zone, but everyone just tries to dust their resentment under the carpet because hey it's Christmas, and in the spirit of said holiday, thou shalt lie and deceive rather that tell the truth. If you do actually want to find out what everyone round the dinner table is actually thinking than read this: What people say at Christmas... and what they really mean 4:00PM No holiday on Christmas day in Thailand Santa is now dropping off presents in Thailand. 85 percent of the population in Thailand is Buddhist, and 14 percent practice Islam. As such, Christmas day is not taken as a holiday in Thailand but many lights and decorations still adorn the streets of Thailand's capital Bangkok during the month to celebrate the King's birthday on 5 December. Since the previous king passed away last year though, the celebrated holiday has moved to 28 July. 3:28PM From Saint Nick to Saint Graham Credit:  Christopher Baines/BBC From one jolly bearded fellow to another - read Graham Norton's Christmas special agony uncle column here while you wait for the other one to hurry up with your presents already. 3:19PM The Las Vegas of Asia Santa is about to go over Macau, an autonomous region on the South coast of China dubbed the 'Las Vegas of Asia' because of it's bounty of casinos, and the bustling nightlife. You might want to turn down the light on Rudolph's nose Santa - you're not going to need it to light the way over here. The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel Credit: Kin Cheung/AP   2:52PM What to do after unwrapping the presents? After the presents, there is the turkey, but then how about a winter walk or maybe a film (and none of those slushy romantic ones please)? You could even book yourself into a mindfulness retreat if it's all become too much. We've wracked our brains for a range of activities to try out once Santa has done his job and all the presents have been ripped open.  How to keep the family entertained over Christmas 2:37PM Great wall of China Santa has just crossed over the Great Wall of China, which was built by the Qin dynasty to keep northern invaders out of their territories.  No such problems for Santa - nothing can get in the way of him and his reindeer tonight, they've got presents to deliver. Santa has a great view of the Great Wall #NORADTracksSanta thanks to @verizon for boosting our signal! http://pic.twitter.com/rEpRMxwkZW— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) 24 December 2017 2:20PM 1 billion presents delivered! A congratulations are in order for a certain Mr Claus, who has just dropped off one billion presents this evening. However with 6.6 billion more people still waiting for their pressies, Santa still has a long night ahead of him. 2:16PM Valentine's Day on Christmas Eve Santa is in Japan. Christmas Eve is a big deal for young Japanese couples, who treat the evening as we would do Valentines Day. No one is quite sure why the evening became an event for couples, but pop-star Tatsuro Yamashita’s 1988 song, “Christmas Eve” about the sadness of spending Christmas alone, popularised the romantic ideals of being close to that special someone on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile over here we're just thinking about all the pressies Santa is about to drop off. 2:02PM There's the Sydney Opera House It's flashback time. Here is Santa doing some sightseeing as he flys over some of Sydney's most famous landmarks. #NORAD spotted #Santa flying through Sydney, Australia! See the video! http://ift.tt/2BuqvW2 NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) 24 December 2017 1:54PM Have yourself a very smug Christmas Are you watching Santa scoot around the world safe in the knowledge that all your Christmas day plans are sorted? I bet you're feeling pleased with yourself, and so you should be. However, if you're still flying around frantically trying to tie up all the loose Christmas ends then have a read of our guide to having a smug Christmas, and catch a glimpse of how the other (more organised) half live? How to have a smug Christmas, in ten supremely self-satisfied steps 1:35PM White Christmas? Not in Australia Santa has touched down in Australia. No dreaming of a white Christmas here as it's the height of summer in Australia, with average temperatures of  30C However in 2010 the ssemingly impossible happened as 11 inches of snow fell in New South Wales just a few days before Christmas day. No such luck this year mind. 1:27PM Have you got Christmas dinner covered? While Santa is busy going around the world sorting out the presents, who is sorting out the turkey covered on the big day? We recommend you start your prep for the big Christmas day meal today and save yourself any extra stress on the day. You can prep the vegetables, make the stocks for the gravy and roll up your stuffing balls. Still feeling nervous about cooking Christmas dinner? Take a gander at our ultimate guide to cooking the perfect Christmas dinner. How to cook the perfect Christmas dinner 1:10PM We hope Santa has wrapped up warm Santa is currently flying over the Eastern tip of Russia with the temperature at -17°C. Chilly stuff - so make sure you put some warmed mince pies out on the side for when he eventually comes round to you. 1:02PM Change of Telegraph Christmas Elf That's me done for the year. Over to Richard Jones for more Santa tracking tracking... 12:41PM A peaceful place Santa is currently on his way to the Federated States of Micronesia, population 104,937, which we've previously listed as one of 16 countries that do not have an army. Can you guess the 15 others? 12:13PM The rise of the Christmas Eve box In case you haven't already heard, there's a new Christmas trend in town – and today is the day when it comes to fruition. The Christmas Eve box is a package full of small gifts that kids get to open the night before Christmas. Think of as an early bird's stocking, only without the connotations of mouldy feet. You can find out more about what to put in these boxes (there's still time to cook one up at home – though you'll need to get creative) by reading our useful guide. Ho ho ho, merry Christmas Eve. 11:41AM Q: Why is Rudolph's nose red? A: Because it's hotter than the sun. Here's some science from Norad, on how they use the heat from Rudolph's nose to follow their man... Santa spotted on DSP satellite from the heat off Rudolph's nose! http://ift.tt/2C3iyKJ NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   11:31AM Eyes to the skies He's off! We have our first Santa spotting of Christmas Eve 2017, with Norad reporting that his red sleigh is currently zooming over Russia, en route to New Zealand and Australia.  Now that they've got Santa locked on their radar, you can follow his progress in the video at the top of this article. Godspeed, Santa Claus. 11:31AM Urgent: Presents needed Are you just waking up to the realisation that it's Christmas Eve? Have you hitherto buried your head in the snow, unwilling to even countenance the idea that you might need to buy a semi-random assortment of objects for your friends and loved ones? Does the thought of a last-minute trip to the heaving High Street make you want to heave in an entirely different manner? Then fear not, because we've rounded up some gift subscription ideas that a) will make great presents, and b) can be bought from the comfort of your front room, without so much as the need to put on a pair of pants. Take a look at the below, and heave a sigh of relief. Last-minute Christmas gift guide: how to do all your shopping ... without going to the shops 11:30AM The wait is nearly over Well boys and girls, we're getting close. It seems that Santa is currently doing some last minute quality control. Here's a leaked image from his HQ in Greenland...   11:30AM Santa's journey in numbers Santa will travel an estimated 510,000,000km on Christmas Eve, which means he'll average 10,703,437.5km/hr, or about 1,800 miles per second. According to calculations in 2014, there are roughly 1.85bn children who can hope to receive presents. With an average of 2.5 children per household, that means Santa has to slide down 740m chimneys.  To hit those numbers, Santa needs to visit 390,000 homes per minute – or 6,424 per second. And what of the big guy's expanding waist line? Well, if each house places a 200ml glass of semi-skimmed milk and a mince pie by the fireplace, Santa will make his way throughy 148m litres of milk – enough to fill around 60 Olympic-size swimming pools – and chomp on 740m mince pies. As there are around 250 calories in a mince pie and 100 calories in the glass of milk, that means Santa will consume 259bn calories on Christmas Eve alone. Let's hope his trousers are elasticated. 11:30AM Fake news? A quick word on sources. This time last year, the Santa tracking world was split asunder by an apparent disagreement between the two main tracking organisations. While's Google's tracker reported its first sighting of Santa at 10am GMT, Norad's tracker lagged about 30 minutes behind. And it remained thus for the rest of the day: where one would see Santa arrive in, say, Madrid at 11pm GMT, the other would spot Santa in the same location half an hour later. Little has been said publicly about the confusion since then. The two organisations have apparently closed ranks after the division – leaving online conspiracy theorists to run amok. Are there two Father Christmases, sharing the burden of delivering gifts to every (good) child in the land? Was one tracker detecting an echo in time, the logical consequence of  the vertiginous speeds at which Santa must travel? Had Google picked up a genuine unidentified flying object? No one has the answers to these questions – but suffice to say that if the same happens again this year, we at The Telegraph will treat Norad's tracker as the official timekeeper. No disrespect, Google, but those guys have got the nukes... 11:29AM Why does NORAD track Santa? While we wait for Santa to file all the obligatory flight plans and put the finishing touches on his sleigh packing (we imagine he's much like any father on Christmas Eve right now, desperately pushing another bag of presents into a car boot that's already jammed full), let's take the opportunity to look back on how this Santa tracking business started. The year was 1955, and an advert promoting Santa's Toyland at the Sears department store had been published in the Colorado Springs newspaper, offering excited children the chance to speak to big man himself. The only problem? Rather than listing a dedicated Sears phoneline, the advert referenced a top secret hotline at Conad – Norad’s predecessor. The Sears advert that started it all Over at CONAD, all was calm and well, when US Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, director of operations at the nuclear missile base, noticed the red phone on his desk ringing. Col. Shoup had two phones, and you can imagine what the red one was for. "Only a four-star general at the Pentagon and my dad had the number," recalled his daughter Pam. Presumably fearing the worst, Col. Shoup picked up the receiver. Pam continues: "And then there was a small voice that just asked, 'Is this Santa Claus?'" Shoup was a straight-laced and disciplined man – much as you would expect for the director of operations at the US's nuclear HQ – and he reacted with due annoyance, suspecting he was the victim of a practical joke. But then the little voice started crying. "And Dad realised that it wasn't a joke," says Shoup's daughter. "So he talked to him, ho-ho-ho'd and asked if he had been a good boy and, 'May I talk to your mother?' And the mother got on and said, 'You haven't seen the paper yet? "'There's a phone number to call Santa. It's in the Sears ad.'" Shoup took the reins and ran with them. Soon, he was on local radio every hour, updating listeners on the whereabouts of an unidentified flying object that had the unmistakable look of a sleigh. From one small mistake, a tradition was born. Every year hence, the nuclear has run a Christmas Eve hotline for children, updating them on the whereabouts of the Great Benefactor In The Sky. The Norad Santa Tracking Operation HQ, in 2014 Over the years, Conad/Norad and Santa have proved to be a perfect fit. After all, who better to spot where Santa's sleigh is flying than a major operation dedicated to monitoring the skies? And what better way for the joint US-Canadian military division – men and women who routinely spent their time checking radar screens for signs of impending nuclear apocalypse – to spend their down time than talking to children about what they wanted for Christmas? In 2007, Norad partnered with Google to put the Santa tracking ritual online, and now children around the world can follow Santa's snow-flecked footsteps as he delivers presents during the night before Christmas. With the help of our live blog, of course. 11:29AM Good morning... ... and welcome to The Telegraph's Christmas Eve live blog, where we'll be tracking the movements of good ol' Santa (that's Father Christmas or even St. Nick to you and I) as he dashes around the world, delivering gifts and joy to all those children who have been well behaved over the course of the last 12 months. According to (un)official estimates, there's a while to go before Santa starts doing his thing. So, put the kettle on, get some breakfast inside you, fish out those dusty binoculars from wherever you left them this time last year, and get ready to join us for the ride.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines http://ift.tt/2psECJQ via IFTTT

[morningusa]

He's made his list, he's checked it twice, he already knows who's been naughty and nice. That's right: Santa Claus is coming to town – and you can follow him as he makes his way around the world. Every year, the boffins at Norad (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) kindly dedicate December 24th to tracking Father Christmas as he darts from chimney to chimney, country to country, and continent to continent, delivering gifts while voraciously consuming sweetmeats. Their service began by happenstance in 1955, when a Sears ad in a local paper offering the chance to speak to Santa mistakenly printed the top secret phone number of Conad – Norad’s predecessor. US Air Force Col. Harry Shoup took the first call from a young boy wanting to talk to Santa in good humour, and so a Christmas tradition was born. Now, every year, thousands of volunteers staff telephones and computers to answer calls and e-mails from children (and adults) around the world. As of 2007, search engine Google has also provided an online tracker, in partnership with Norad. Join us below to follow Santa's snow-flecked footsteps around the world. And keep your fingers crossed that when he arrives at your house, he'll find your name on the good side of that list ... 12:07AM Santa visits UK!  Father Christmas has visited the UK and delivered his gifts - have you got what you wished for? For all you Santa Trackers in the UK, it looks like #Santa is on his way to your house! How do you like to prepare for Santa’s arrival? Milk and cookies? A hand-written letter? Let us know in the comments! #NORADTracksSantahttps://t.co/gSvRD6ezKo— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   9:48PM Melania Trump: As soon as you go to sleep, Santa will be there More from the White House press pool: First Lady Melania Trump, wearing a red dress and white heels with floral print, spoke quietly into the phone, smiling and nodding as she listened to children on the other line.  “How are you? Merry Christmas. Are you tracking Santa? Do you know where he is right now?” she asked.  She asked them if they made their lists and assured them that Santa is en route: “As soon as you go to sleep, Santa will be there.” She wished the kids and their parents a merry Christmas.  US President Donald J. Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump participate in NORAD Santa Tracker phone calls at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida Credit: AFP   9:43PM Trump: Wishing for a relative to get out of hospital better than asking for some toy According to the White House press pool, the US president engaged with a couple of children: The president was receiving calls both before and after we left.  He told Casper from Virginia (not sure if Casper is a girl or boy): “What would you like more than anything?” [kid responds. Press can’t hear.] Trump: “Building blocks, that’s what I’ve always liked too. I always loved building blocks...well I predict Santa will bring you building blocks, so many you won’t be able to use them all.” He talked to another kid, Brian (unsure of spelling), 5 years old.  “So you want your grandma to get out of the hospital? That’s what your wish is? That’s great. That’s better than asking for some toy or something, that’s much better, right?” “So your grandma’s gonna be good,okay, she’s gonna be good.” Donald and Melania Trump Credit: Getty   9:41PM The Trumps help out Donald and Melania Trump have been manning the phones for NORAD: #NORADTracksSanta’s mission has reached the highest level of government. President Trump and the First Lady are working with NORAD to answer your calls. Call 1-877-HI-NORAD.— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   9:01PM The things we miss about Christmas TV This year’s Christmas programming is all very well but we can’t help hankering for the ghosts of telly past. Michael Hogan details his favourites from  Morecambe & Wise specials to a Bond film on ITV - read the full article. Morecambe & Wise   8:44PM How old is Santa? #Santa last seen in Beira, Mozambique. Did you know that NORAD intelligence indicates Santa is AT LEAST 16 centuries old?? #NORADTracksSanta— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   8:25PM The Acropolis Santa has just done a fly-by of another of the new wonders of the world - the Acropolis in Athens:   7:56PM Santa is on schedule #NORAD confirms #Santa has arrived over Chisinau, Moldova. #Santa reported the weather is clear and his is on schedule— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   7:43PM Santa is in Europe! The Big Man was last spotted in Vilnius, Lithuania. #NORAD confirms #Santa has arrived over Vilnius, Lithuania— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   7:33PM The 'Nanny State' Christmas lunch: Everything you should be eating, according to official advice With a measly portion of turkey, pallid boiled potatoes and just a quarter of a glass of champagne, this is what Christmas dinner might look like if public health guidelines were followed to the letter, Sophie Jamieson writes. Dubbed the "nanny state approved Christmas lunch", the menu to keep you below Public Health England (PHE) recommended calorie intake allows for only a quarter of a pig in blanket, a tenth of a serving of Christmas pudding and a twentieth of a mince pie.  Taxpayers Alliance handout showing a visual representation of a Christmas lunch as approved by the National Health Service's nutritional guidelines PHE guidelines say the average man should keep below 2,500 calories per day. The figure is 2,000 calories for women.  The bleak festive spread was created by the pressure group the TaxPayers' Alliance, who say PHE spend £40 million a year telling people how to live healthy lives. Read the full story. 6:57PM The best Christmas TV When you're taking a break from following Santa's journey around the world, here are the best TV offerings this year, including  All Star Musicals and  Mary, Mel and Sue's Big Chistmas Thank You. Dr Who Credit: BBC   6:25PM How does the Santa tracker work? People always ask how #NORAD tracks #Santa on Dec 24th! We use infrared sensors from Rudolph’s nose to determine Santa’s exact location throughout the night! To talk to a NORAD Santa Tracker, call 1-877-HI-NORAD. http://ift.tt/2kT4Z6P (Desktop browsers only)— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   5:44PM Children in Russia - it's time to go to bed! #NORAD Just spotted #Santa over Russia! Children in Russia, it's time to go to bed. #NORADTracksSanta— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   5:43PM How to host a family Christmas... without having a breakdown Do you remember waking up on Christmas day, filled with excitement and joy? Did you jump out of bed and rush downstairs to see if Father Christmas had successfully navigated the chimney/central heating system and delivered that all-important toy on your wish list? Good times. The chances are your first waking moments of Christmas Day are sprinkled with slightly different thoughts these days. Has the turkey finished defrosting? Will the kids like their presents? Is there still time to barricade the house to prevent the in-laws gaining access? Well, worry no longer. Read our guide that answers all you anxiety-ridden prayers. How to have the perfect Christmas   5:16PM Taj Mahal Santa has just visited India - cameras picked him up flying over one of the modern wonders of the world:   4:53PM The Christmas crystal ball Christmas Day is a bit like Groundhog. You wake up, stick the turkey in the oven, placate yourself with an odd concoction of coffee and Bucks Fizz, watch the kids tear open their presents, slave away in the kitchen some more, and finally pass out on the sofa. Tick, there goes another year. Here are the 24 things bound to happen at your big family Christmas tomorrow.  4:42PM Conquering Everest Santa is going to have to tug hard on those reins and get the reindeer flying high. He's coming into Nepal, home to eight of the 10 world's highest peaks, including the tallest Mount Everest. Nepal guess who is coming soon...that’s right����.Time for good boys and girls to get to �� and catch some ��.�� http://pic.twitter.com/7EQUPdofev— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) 24 December 2017 4:36PM Getting through Russia Santa is back working his way through Russia. It's a long, hard slog - Russia takes up an eighth of the Earth's land area - but Santa misses no one out on Christmas Eve. 4:12PM Christmas code-words Are you expecting to welcome friends and relatives tomorrow? Christmas day can be a bit of a war-zone, but everyone just tries to dust their resentment under the carpet because hey it's Christmas, and in the spirit of said holiday, thou shalt lie and deceive rather that tell the truth. If you do actually want to find out what everyone round the dinner table is actually thinking than read this: What people say at Christmas... and what they really mean 4:00PM No holiday on Christmas day in Thailand Santa is now dropping off presents in Thailand. 85 percent of the population in Thailand is Buddhist, and 14 percent practice Islam. As such, Christmas day is not taken as a holiday in Thailand but many lights and decorations still adorn the streets of Thailand's capital Bangkok during the month to celebrate the King's birthday on 5 December. Since the previous king passed away last year though, the celebrated holiday has moved to 28 July. 3:28PM From Saint Nick to Saint Graham Credit:  Christopher Baines/BBC From one jolly bearded fellow to another - read Graham Norton's Christmas special agony uncle column here while you wait for the other one to hurry up with your presents already. 3:19PM The Las Vegas of Asia Santa is about to go over Macau, an autonomous region on the South coast of China dubbed the 'Las Vegas of Asia' because of it's bounty of casinos, and the bustling nightlife. You might want to turn down the light on Rudolph's nose Santa - you're not going to need it to light the way over here. The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel Credit: Kin Cheung/AP   2:52PM What to do after unwrapping the presents? After the presents, there is the turkey, but then how about a winter walk or maybe a film (and none of those slushy romantic ones please)? You could even book yourself into a mindfulness retreat if it's all become too much. We've wracked our brains for a range of activities to try out once Santa has done his job and all the presents have been ripped open.  How to keep the family entertained over Christmas 2:37PM Great wall of China Santa has just crossed over the Great Wall of China, which was built by the Qin dynasty to keep northern invaders out of their territories.  No such problems for Santa - nothing can get in the way of him and his reindeer tonight, they've got presents to deliver. Santa has a great view of the Great Wall #NORADTracksSanta thanks to @verizon for boosting our signal! http://pic.twitter.com/rEpRMxwkZW— NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) 24 December 2017 2:20PM 1 billion presents delivered! A congratulations are in order for a certain Mr Claus, who has just dropped off one billion presents this evening. However with 6.6 billion more people still waiting for their pressies, Santa still has a long night ahead of him. 2:16PM Valentine's Day on Christmas Eve Santa is in Japan. Christmas Eve is a big deal for young Japanese couples, who treat the evening as we would do Valentines Day. No one is quite sure why the evening became an event for couples, but pop-star Tatsuro Yamashita’s 1988 song, “Christmas Eve” about the sadness of spending Christmas alone, popularised the romantic ideals of being close to that special someone on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile over here we're just thinking about all the pressies Santa is about to drop off. 2:02PM There's the Sydney Opera House It's flashback time. Here is Santa doing some sightseeing as he flys over some of Sydney's most famous landmarks. #NORAD spotted #Santa flying through Sydney, Australia! See the video! http://ift.tt/2BuqvW2 NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) 24 December 2017 1:54PM Have yourself a very smug Christmas Are you watching Santa scoot around the world safe in the knowledge that all your Christmas day plans are sorted? I bet you're feeling pleased with yourself, and so you should be. However, if you're still flying around frantically trying to tie up all the loose Christmas ends then have a read of our guide to having a smug Christmas, and catch a glimpse of how the other (more organised) half live? How to have a smug Christmas, in ten supremely self-satisfied steps 1:35PM White Christmas? Not in Australia Santa has touched down in Australia. No dreaming of a white Christmas here as it's the height of summer in Australia, with average temperatures of  30C However in 2010 the ssemingly impossible happened as 11 inches of snow fell in New South Wales just a few days before Christmas day. No such luck this year mind. 1:27PM Have you got Christmas dinner covered? While Santa is busy going around the world sorting out the presents, who is sorting out the turkey covered on the big day? We recommend you start your prep for the big Christmas day meal today and save yourself any extra stress on the day. You can prep the vegetables, make the stocks for the gravy and roll up your stuffing balls. Still feeling nervous about cooking Christmas dinner? Take a gander at our ultimate guide to cooking the perfect Christmas dinner. How to cook the perfect Christmas dinner 1:10PM We hope Santa has wrapped up warm Santa is currently flying over the Eastern tip of Russia with the temperature at -17°C. Chilly stuff - so make sure you put some warmed mince pies out on the side for when he eventually comes round to you. 1:02PM Change of Telegraph Christmas Elf That's me done for the year. Over to Richard Jones for more Santa tracking tracking... 12:41PM A peaceful place Santa is currently on his way to the Federated States of Micronesia, population 104,937, which we've previously listed as one of 16 countries that do not have an army. Can you guess the 15 others? 12:13PM The rise of the Christmas Eve box In case you haven't already heard, there's a new Christmas trend in town – and today is the day when it comes to fruition. The Christmas Eve box is a package full of small gifts that kids get to open the night before Christmas. Think of as an early bird's stocking, only without the connotations of mouldy feet. You can find out more about what to put in these boxes (there's still time to cook one up at home – though you'll need to get creative) by reading our useful guide. Ho ho ho, merry Christmas Eve. 11:41AM Q: Why is Rudolph's nose red? A: Because it's hotter than the sun. Here's some science from Norad, on how they use the heat from Rudolph's nose to follow their man... Santa spotted on DSP satellite from the heat off Rudolph's nose! http://ift.tt/2C3iyKJ NORAD Tracks Santa (@NoradSanta) December 24, 2017   11:31AM Eyes to the skies He's off! We have our first Santa spotting of Christmas Eve 2017, with Norad reporting that his red sleigh is currently zooming over Russia, en route to New Zealand and Australia.  Now that they've got Santa locked on their radar, you can follow his progress in the video at the top of this article. Godspeed, Santa Claus. 11:31AM Urgent: Presents needed Are you just waking up to the realisation that it's Christmas Eve? Have you hitherto buried your head in the snow, unwilling to even countenance the idea that you might need to buy a semi-random assortment of objects for your friends and loved ones? Does the thought of a last-minute trip to the heaving High Street make you want to heave in an entirely different manner? Then fear not, because we've rounded up some gift subscription ideas that a) will make great presents, and b) can be bought from the comfort of your front room, without so much as the need to put on a pair of pants. Take a look at the below, and heave a sigh of relief. Last-minute Christmas gift guide: how to do all your shopping ... without going to the shops 11:30AM The wait is nearly over Well boys and girls, we're getting close. It seems that Santa is currently doing some last minute quality control. Here's a leaked image from his HQ in Greenland...   11:30AM Santa's journey in numbers Santa will travel an estimated 510,000,000km on Christmas Eve, which means he'll average 10,703,437.5km/hr, or about 1,800 miles per second. According to calculations in 2014, there are roughly 1.85bn children who can hope to receive presents. With an average of 2.5 children per household, that means Santa has to slide down 740m chimneys.  To hit those numbers, Santa needs to visit 390,000 homes per minute – or 6,424 per second. And what of the big guy's expanding waist line? Well, if each house places a 200ml glass of semi-skimmed milk and a mince pie by the fireplace, Santa will make his way throughy 148m litres of milk – enough to fill around 60 Olympic-size swimming pools – and chomp on 740m mince pies. As there are around 250 calories in a mince pie and 100 calories in the glass of milk, that means Santa will consume 259bn calories on Christmas Eve alone. Let's hope his trousers are elasticated. 11:30AM Fake news? A quick word on sources. This time last year, the Santa tracking world was split asunder by an apparent disagreement between the two main tracking organisations. While's Google's tracker reported its first sighting of Santa at 10am GMT, Norad's tracker lagged about 30 minutes behind. And it remained thus for the rest of the day: where one would see Santa arrive in, say, Madrid at 11pm GMT, the other would spot Santa in the same location half an hour later. Little has been said publicly about the confusion since then. The two organisations have apparently closed ranks after the division – leaving online conspiracy theorists to run amok. Are there two Father Christmases, sharing the burden of delivering gifts to every (good) child in the land? Was one tracker detecting an echo in time, the logical consequence of  the vertiginous speeds at which Santa must travel? Had Google picked up a genuine unidentified flying object? No one has the answers to these questions – but suffice to say that if the same happens again this year, we at The Telegraph will treat Norad's tracker as the official timekeeper. No disrespect, Google, but those guys have got the nukes... 11:29AM Why does NORAD track Santa? While we wait for Santa to file all the obligatory flight plans and put the finishing touches on his sleigh packing (we imagine he's much like any father on Christmas Eve right now, desperately pushing another bag of presents into a car boot that's already jammed full), let's take the opportunity to look back on how this Santa tracking business started. The year was 1955, and an advert promoting Santa's Toyland at the Sears department store had been published in the Colorado Springs newspaper, offering excited children the chance to speak to big man himself. The only problem? Rather than listing a dedicated Sears phoneline, the advert referenced a top secret hotline at Conad – Norad’s predecessor. The Sears advert that started it all Over at CONAD, all was calm and well, when US Air Force Col. Harry Shoup, director of operations at the nuclear missile base, noticed the red phone on his desk ringing. Col. Shoup had two phones, and you can imagine what the red one was for. "Only a four-star general at the Pentagon and my dad had the number," recalled his daughter Pam. Presumably fearing the worst, Col. Shoup picked up the receiver. Pam continues: "And then there was a small voice that just asked, 'Is this Santa Claus?'" Shoup was a straight-laced and disciplined man – much as you would expect for the director of operations at the US's nuclear HQ – and he reacted with due annoyance, suspecting he was the victim of a practical joke. But then the little voice started crying. "And Dad realised that it wasn't a joke," says Shoup's daughter. "So he talked to him, ho-ho-ho'd and asked if he had been a good boy and, 'May I talk to your mother?' And the mother got on and said, 'You haven't seen the paper yet? "'There's a phone number to call Santa. It's in the Sears ad.'" Shoup took the reins and ran with them. Soon, he was on local radio every hour, updating listeners on the whereabouts of an unidentified flying object that had the unmistakable look of a sleigh. From one small mistake, a tradition was born. Every year hence, the nuclear has run a Christmas Eve hotline for children, updating them on the whereabouts of the Great Benefactor In The Sky. The Norad Santa Tracking Operation HQ, in 2014 Over the years, Conad/Norad and Santa have proved to be a perfect fit. After all, who better to spot where Santa's sleigh is flying than a major operation dedicated to monitoring the skies? And what better way for the joint US-Canadian military division – men and women who routinely spent their time checking radar screens for signs of impending nuclear apocalypse – to spend their down time than talking to children about what they wanted for Christmas? In 2007, Norad partnered with Google to put the Santa tracking ritual online, and now children around the world can follow Santa's snow-flecked footsteps as he delivers presents during the night before Christmas. With the help of our live blog, of course. 11:29AM Good morning... ... and welcome to The Telegraph's Christmas Eve live blog, where we'll be tracking the movements of good ol' Santa (that's Father Christmas or even St. Nick to you and I) as he dashes around the world, delivering gifts and joy to all those children who have been well behaved over the course of the last 12 months. According to (un)official estimates, there's a while to go before Santa starts doing his thing. So, put the kettle on, get some breakfast inside you, fish out those dusty binoculars from wherever you left them this time last year, and get ready to join us for the ride.

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