That’s right. It’s back. Once again I have awoken to a fluffy white blanket covering my garden. It has snowed once again.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not one to grumble about the snow. It makes everything look so magical. But it’s the affect it has on the country that really gets me down. As soon as we hear one weather warning about ‘possible snow flurries covering up to 5inches’ we’re doomed. The whole of the United Kingdom comes to a standstill. Schools are closed, people skip work because they’re ‘snowed in’, roads are blocked off. We just can’t cope.

I was stuck on the Runcorn bridge for 30 minutes yesterday because of snow on the road. It was manic. Horns were blaring, a few expletives were thrown around (not from our car of course!) and a lot of “Daddy, I’m bored!” was being cried.

Red Panda in the snow. Courtesy of Chester Zoo twitter.

But then this makes it all worth it. The adorable photos that we get. Puppies pouncing about in the fluffy, white stuff melts my heart. The above is in fact one of Chester Zoo‘s red pandas called Lushui. That has to be one of the most adorable faces I have seen.

So we can moan, groan and any other adjective ending in ‘oan’, but in the end, we love it.

Yes, tomorrow brings a day where 24 hours are dedicated to the enchanting and wonderful world of books. I remember as a child, getting dressed up for the day as my favourite book character, being given my £1 book token and racing down to my nearest book shop as soon as the clock hit 3.30pm. Books were, and still to this day are, my life.

One of the very first World Book Day deals I bought was a collection of poems including the work of Alan Ahlberg, which to this day is lurking somewhere in my room. I must say though, I am extremely jealous of this years choices. Works from the likes of Anthony Horowitz, Shirley Hughes, Tony Robinson and Lauren Child. How the children are going to pick, I don’t know.

One way in which us ‘grown-ups’ can take part however is with ‘The Biggest Book Show on Earth.’ An online 1 hour book festival streamed live,

I for one am more than excited to hear from the maverick that is Mr Anthony Horowitz (@AnthonyHorowitz) who brought us the critically acclaimed Anthony Horowitz series and more recently has brilliantly rounded off his Power of Five series with ‘Oblivion’. Horowitz will be discussing how to plant clues and build suspense in your writing, something we know he can do extremely well in the likes of Foyles War and Midsommer Murders!

Anthony Horowitz

Before we hear from Horowitz we get to hear from the lovely Lauren Child, creator of popular children’s series Charlie and Lola. She has also recently signed on with HarperCollins to write a six book series about Ruby Redfort, an undercover agent. Whilst I have never read her work, I am interested in hearing her views on character development and so will be all ears at 11.15am!

Charlie & Lola

For more information on how you can get involved tomorrow you can visit their website here: http://www.worldbookday.com/

Just remember, tomorrow isn’t just for the children. So Mums & Dads, Aunties & Uncles, Grandparents join me in celebrating all things literary.

Happy reading folks!

1.  Welcome to London. What can I say about the Opening Ceremony that hasn’t already been said? English countryside, industrial revolution, Bond Girl Queen,  dancing nurses, 40 ft Lord Voldemort, flying Mary Poppins, piano playing Mr Bean, digital revolution, Team GB, Arctic Monkeys, Paul McCartney. It was a night that no one will forget.

Credit: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

2. Women’s Football. This has been such a highlight for me over the past 2 weeks. I used to play for a local football team when I was younger, unfortunately quit because of multiple injury, and to see the status of women’s football being raised in such a massive way is so inspiring. Team GB played some absolutely amazing matches. Steph Houghton (@StephHoughton2) was my absolute heroine these past 2 weeks with 3 cracking goals in 3 games. Unfortunately they didn’t make it past the Quarter-Finals but played valiantly and I cannot wait for the season to begin again.

3. Golden Hoy. What an amazing man. 6 golds, the most any Brit has ever received in their whole career. He is the absolute dominator of the velodrome. The king on wheels.

4. Track and Field. Saturday 4th August. What a night for British athletes. Jessica Ennis, the poster girl of the 2012 Games won Gold in the Heptathlon. 10 minute later Greg Rutherford won the first British Gold in the Men’s Long Jump. Within an hour Team GB had secured 3 athletic Golds with Mo Farah winning the last of the night in the Men’s 1o,000m putting Team GB in 3rd place in the medals table.

5. Grainger and Watkins. 3 previous attempts. 3 silver medals acquired. It was only fitting that Katherine Grainger fulfilled her ultimate dream of Olympic Gold on home ground. Anne Watkins of course pulling half the weigh to help the due cruise to victory.

6. Golden Gymnasts. I am of course talking about Team USA’s five golden girls who won the Team Gymnastic gold medal, dominating over all of their rivals, including Team GB’s girls. McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and Kyla Ross showed a display for the history books with flawless performances on the vault, beam, uneven bars and the floor. Well done girls.

7. Magic Mo. I know I’ve already mentioned him winning the 1,500m but that wasn’t enough for Mo Farah. He’s expecting twins any day now so it’s fitting that he wins two golds to match.

8. Bolt of lightning. I am of course talking about the machine that is Usain Bolt. This man is gone in a flash and gave us two heart stopping finals in the Men’s 100m and 200m. Which he of course won. He then went on to win the Men’s 4x100m relay. What a week for Usain Bolt.

9. Diving Daley. Didn’t perform spectacularly in the preliminary rounds. Came out much better for his semi-final dives. The pressure was on for Daley to win Gold. It wasn’t meant to be but our boy gained himself a Bronze medal, a brilliant achievement for such a young  man!

10. Wimbledon Winner. After losing out just 28 days prior on the Wimbledon title, Andy Murray came out and played the match of his life beating Roger Federer to the gold in straight sets. Murray seemed like a whole new man and didn’t falter during the entire week. It was double the victory for Murray who managed to secure another silver medal with Laura Robson in the mixed doubles later that same day. Well done guys!

So the Olympics has taken over the lives of millions these past 2 weeks, but all good things must unfortunately come to an end. Kudos to the BBC for putting on a fortnight of brilliant entertainment. Their coverage has been great, giving us the chance to watch sports we wouldn’t before think of.

It has been a fortnight of drama, sweat and tears, Team GB sit snugly in 3rd place with 29 golds and 62 medals in total. Every athlete taking part should be incredibly proud of themselves and their achievements. I know I am. So everyone enjoy the closing ceremony tomorrow, should be sure to send it off with a bang! And bring on Rio 2016!

xxx

P.S – Remember the Paralympics start on the 28th August as well so expect more sport talk soon!

I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadow; if I fail, or if I succeed at least I did as I believe.

Whitney Houston – ‘Greatest Love Of All’

11th February 2012. The date that brought the tragic loss of another great icon in our life. Singer, actress and all round legend Whitney Houston passed away in her hotel room on Saturday afternoon. The news brought shock and devastation all around the World, with celebrities taking to Twitter to pay their respects. She will be greatly missed by everyone and will forever live on in our hearts.

August 9, 1963 – February, 11 2012

This is wrong, it is wrong that they felt that they couldnot live on this planet one more second because they were bullied. Bullying and discrimnation against LGBT people is wrong, why should they suffer for being themselves?

Tyler Clementi – A 19 year old student at Rutgers University.

Raymond Chase – A 19 year old student at Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island.

Seth Walsh – A 13 year old middle school student.

Asher Brown – A 13 year old eighth grader at Hamilton Middle School outside of Houston.

Billy Lucas – A 15 year old freshman at Greensburh High School in Indiana.

And many more. The death toll this year is already at 7. 7 kids, 2 of whom were only 13! Let’s not make it more.

Today people all around the world wore purple to show support for these children and to help fight the battle against anti-LGBT bullying, I was one of them.

Doing something small like just wearing purple, whether it be a tshirt, a headband or a bracelet can help create awareness around your area and prevent this from happening again. So, if you’re not already, throw on something purple and help this great cause. You still have 6 hours to show your support

xxx