A recent episode of Back to Work featured a brilliant quote from Merlin Mann. The conversation was actually about sending spam-like emails to people hoping they will promote your business in some way. But I actually think it's an interesting idea to consider in all aspects of your life. I want everybody out there who is a listener to think about this. What if everybody was doing what I was …

I thought I had given up this tea tasting lark, but I was walking through the tea aisle of my local shop recently and all the packaging is just so tempting. I figured if I was going to ease myself back into the world of fruit and herbal tea, I should probably do it cost effectively, so I opted for a box of mixed flavours. And given that it is …

Apple's limited edition January-only new year's activity badge worked it's magic in our household. The first available week, Mr C and I were both working on maxing out our activity rings each and every day, and it got a bit competitive. Turns out when a badge is limited edition, it really does have a motivating effect. We managed this January one in the first week... come on Apple, what's next? …

Evolving sports to appeal to new generations of fans usually involves adapting to shorter attention spans, and that is something that can cause plenty of debate amongst the more traditional sport lovers. I'm in favour of making sport approachable wherever possible, but there's likely room for all formats - long and short alike. Tennis is taking this approach, it seems, and I recently learnt about a new format. I've talked …

I love Demi Lovato, but I realised recently that she is an expert at picking songs to be featured on. Whilst her own work is plenty good enough, when she is featured on a song, it's always a brilliant one! Don't believe me? Let's review. First up, The Vamps. Yeah, you! Then she teamed up with Olly Murs for the catchy Up, and took on the myth created by N …

Anyone who has been following this site for a while will know that at the end of each year, I like to hand over the reigns to Mr C to share his top five songs and films of the previous twelve months. Last year was an absolute disgrace as he was unable to narrow down his shortlist to five and after a full month of arguing about it, we ended …

Although I've stopped making specific New Year's Resolutions (for the most part), there's always one thing that I try and reboot each January 1st and that is being organised and staying productive. Whether it is trying out a new task list software, or actually finding a use for the notebooks I buy when I raid stationery shops, it is really difficult to end the year in the cool, calm state …

Over Christmas, the 80s TV show Pop Quiz returned for a two-part special, and it was brilliant! I've never heard of this show before, but was keen to give it a watch as it looked just like Question of Sport only about music. It even features genuine music acts, including Toyah Wilcox, some guy from Spandeau Ballet and other people I don't know but who were a lot of fun. …

It has been an incredible year for me, listening to 100 albums in total across 50 weeks and learning an enormous amount about albums, artists, and music in general. The biggest lesson, though, is that there is so much more to learn. This album listening thing will continue into next year, but it seems only right to wrap up what has been a brilliant 2016 of albums for me. Firstly, …

It has become a tradition in our household to watch Love Actually at some point over the festive holidays. It’s a sugary sweet treat, although usually ends up in both happy and sad tears, particularly as each year passes and makes us feel ever more closer to the characters involved. Anyway, we indulged this year and instead of the floods I was expecting, I actually found the whole thing to …

Apple have presented Watch users with a new challenge for January, hoping to encourage people to stick to their new year's resolutions and get active. A notification on the watch this week highlighted a new and unique badge that can be earned during January 2017 by completing the activity, stand and exercise rings for a full week Monday to Sunday. It's harder than it sounds, particularly if you've spent Christmas …

Earlier this year, I wrote about the return of Top Gear - the new and not-so-improved version with Chris Evans and Matt Le Blanc. My basic conclusion of that show was that it didn’t have enough new things to make it worthy of the revamp name. I was keen to see what the Clarkson, Hammond and May trio would do in their Amazon Prime odyssey, and six episodes in, I …

A while back, at the height of my new-found Star Wars obsession, I realised I needed to find a way to watch the Star Wars Rebels TV show. I discovered the DisneyLife iOS app, which allowed me to watch the series, and as long as I watched it within 30 days (which I did), then I could cancel the subscription and only have been charged for one month’s use. I …

I’ve managed to read quite a few books this year, dipping in and out whenever I get a spare five minutes. I post my reviews over on Goodreads, but thought I would share those books I’ve enjoyed in 2016 for which I’ve given five out of five stars. Lucky Man by Michael J Fox I was hooked from the beginning, revelling in this calm and rational way of looking at …

I've been obsessed with novelty mugs for many years, and occasionally have taken time out to blog about some of my favourites. In fact, I'm surprised to find that I've written five posts before, and that it seemed to be an annual event up until 2013. Given that it's been a couple of years since I had a look at what's available on the hot drink container market, I figured …