Would you be a traitor or a faithful

What a TV show. I hadn't watched the #Traitors before until watching the Celebrity Traitors and I am hooked and sad that it is over. I really hope it is not going too be long wait for the next one. I even dreamt that I was in the show and I was a Traitor, but I was being sussed out and I really thinks I'd be no good. I am not good at staying quiet and want to tell people. 

I can see why other TV channels have tried their own type of show like the Fortune Hotel, The Genius Game, but the Traitors is a different type of show and see why it has become a hit in peoples choice of TV. 

The fact that Australia and other countries have also followed and doing the traitors. It is amazing how someone's mind can be clever and invent something that has become a success. I imagine it took some filming and writing. 

I remember when the X Factor first came on our screens, but wasn't so successful in America, but then came The Voice, which began to be on BBC first, to then move over to ITV and then there is BGT, Masterchief and Strictly come Dancing, along with Dancing with the stars (the American version) and I wonder if Strictly will still be a success now Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have gone?

I think it depends on the audience and how TV catches your attention.   

When I was a kid it was full of shows. I loved Cannon and Ball Show, Little and Large and The Comedians and sitcoms like Only Fools and Horses, which was going to be scraped. Now it is a household favourite and then came French and Saunders and Family Fortunes.  

Yet some of the shows never crossed the river, but I think it was because US had a different sense of humour to us Brits, so I thought, but then didn't realise that they had, but they did their own interpretation and I loved the American Comedy shows. I still watch Cheers, Friends, Taxi and Will and Grace. 

I have seen shows recorded that haven't lasted, like there was one could The Big Big Talent Show hosted by Bradley Walsh and Every Second Counts with Paul Daniels and some I can't remember, but I think it is about what captures the mind of people, at that moment.

They have bought back shows like Blankety Blank and Catchphrase which my son loves, The Gladiators and in the week is full of quiz shows. Is the TV world changing? I am not a fan of shows like Big Brother or Reality shows. I was watching TOWIE for a bit, during my pregnancy of my son, as it took my mind off my indigestion.

I think there will be changes to what we consume in terms of TV and feel that it is good for writers to watch for inspiration and what is grabbing us viewers attention. So would you be a traitor or a faithful? Please share in the comments below. 

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

Is online shopping taking over

It is surprising how I felt today walking and having look in M&S and TKMaxx how it felt. I do convenience rather than logic and it was good to take a break from planning and reading that I do at the Library when my son does his learning and picked up some burger buns for dinner, for Wednesday and plan to do this again on another day. I really want to buy another book from Waterstones but I have quite a lot to read, and decluttered some books I have in Wimbledon. 

When ordering online, remember that it doesn't always save you time and money and actually it can be better to buy products on the high street because of the worry of the item not being delivered and having to stay in, waiting for the delivery. 

It is good to have the high street if we need bread or milk. The only thing is it hard to find clothing for my son and so been ordering from Amazon as it seems that not many kids clothing on the high street are catering for kids 14 years above. 

I feel that the high street need to catch up, because there seems that peoples shopping habits have started to change. Yet at the weekend, taking the bus that went through Brixton and I was surprised with how lively and how many shops there were and I really want to check it out. 

Then there is Banstead another place I want to visit and walk around, in surrey and we needs towns and the stores on the high street but feel that some just can't stay open. People like to do click and Collect, order food to their doorstep and you don't even have to leave the home at all with UberEats and Deliveroo. 

In researching in Lockdown the stores on the high street suffered a lot with revenue and now you can buy items from Tik Tok, Facebook Market Place and Instagram. 

The Body shop has gone, Wilko's, Debenhams, Whsmiths, some House of Fraser stores have gone. Whsmiths have been taken over but now I prefer to get my notebooks from either TKMaxx or Amazon. 

There is Shein. My nieces buy from there and it is because it is just a click of a button. 

So I do feel the Online world is taking over and a lot will be changing in terms of shopping. 

What is your opinion? You can leave a comment below. Have a great rest of the week and, 

many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

Are Charity Shops Closing down?

Today we went to see a school for my son and going passed where I would walk to his Primary School, the Charity shop that was there on route, has closed down and the same in Epsom, one in Morden and Horton Centre in Epsom and so are we losing them? 

I love a charity shop but in some aspects it still costing money and people are changing their shopping habits and like me I mainly buy online and we now in Epsom have a Primark, M&S and the big supermarkets. This is leading to many shops, like Charity shops struggling to compete and that they not affording the business costs and feeling that they will all eventually go.

Charity shops have been around from the 1800''s one being in Mayfair and was a flower shop. There was time where I wouldn't step in one as, for example Oxfam because I remember at Primary school it was seen like a bad place to shop and so wouldn't be caught dead in one. Now though it is a must to me. I like to buy books and each year like buying winter clothes and I like second hand. 

Many Charity shops are getting overloaded by stuff and not accepting donations. It appears they can't get rid of some items and over stocked with stuff that is not selling. 

I like to see what they have, but like many of us we are decluttering and I don't need anymore books at the moment or clothes so I have no purpose in going into one and will be buying items from the Charity just for the sake of it.

Will things improve I wonder? 

I am not sure because the government need to decide and it is out of our hands. It out of the people running Charity shops, hands and so to save the high street they need to lower costs otherwise Charity shops and other stores will close because the costs are too high for them to survive and have hardly any stores open, so may lead to the high streets becoming ghost towns.

I did a video about the high street. If you'd like to check it out: FL: Living On A budget, STOP Waste, Shopping on the High Street, Versatile Foods

Stores like B&M and Home Bargains will survive I think because of the variety of products they sell and TKMaxx and Homesense but I think it will effect the smaller stores like Charity shops and affording the rates to stay open. 

With the stores clothing the bigger stores will be on the high street and it is trends. 

Its the in thing to buy from Temu, Vinted, ETSY and Amazon. 

I buy a lot from Amazon because it is convenient. 

So I hope things change and there is help for the Charity shops to survive and not fade away. 

Please share your views. You can comment below.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

Who Would I have dinner with if I could choose anyone

If you could have dinner with someone, anyone, who would it be?

Would it be a friend you've not seen for a long time or family member not seen for a while.

It doesn't have to be love affair but just someone you can see a possible friendship and that you have a massive interest with. 

For me I love Jennifer Anniston so I'd like to go shopping with her. Nigella Lawson would be a contender for her cookery skills and I'd love to have her pantry and I love Celine Dion because of her music and she has a massive collection of shoes. It could be a man. I'd be to star struck if it was Jon Bon Jovi and be frightened to eat. 

I would loved to have sung with Cannon and Ball and tap dance with Bruce Forsyth. I loved it when he did the generation game and did a dance routine and seeing him live at the London Palladium. He was terrific and had no warm up man and was so entertaining so perhaps Bruce. He was into Golf so not sure if he'd liked Crazy Golf or Pitch 'n' Putt. 

It would be nice to eat with Alan Carr. He helped my Auntie when at the air port with her suitcase. What a gentleman and love Amanda Holden. 

Simon Cowell I feel he is a fussy eater and Mike Nolan who was in The Fizz as they are called now so couldn't do with that. Yes my husband but I see him every day so would be someone I know of but that I would get to know. 

I love Superman but he's off the cards being a fictional character, but we can only dream. 

I watch Come Dine With me and so I'd do a restaurant for a meal as Beans on toast wouldn't cut it, but getting better at making a roast and would for safety cook a Chicken. Or I can cook Steak and chips so couldn't be a vegan or vegetarian. 

So in comments tell me who would you like to have dinner with? Or if you could swap with a someone's life for the day, who would that be?

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X