Summer is officially here !!!!!!!

Summer is officially here as the summer sport and leisure season starts. 

It kicked off last week with the Chelsea Flower show and what a fantastic week of weather they have had....long may it continue. We have International Football friendlies this week with England playing Norway and Belgium. 

And of course the tennis really gets going with the French open starting today, then Queens, a nice warm up before the big one.... Wimbledon. The weather is definitely heading in the right direction, and lets hope it stays that way as we have a lovely long weekend next week for the Queens Jubilee. That, I really am looking forward to!

Eurovision........oh how predictable

What an unbelievably predictable outcome once again for our Eurovision hopes.
Engelbert Humperdinck did us proud though, I thought, coming out first, it was always going to be an uphill struggle........and thats even before the political and tactical voting started! At the tender age of 76, he said that he had done his best for his country, and that the rest was out of his hands. And so it was. I still dont think we are particularly popular in Europe, but on the bright side, at least we dont have to fork out millions of pounds staging next years final! That privilege has been given to Sweden, won by the former Swedish Idol contestant Loreen with her club track Euphoria. Well done Sweden.......I think !!!

England Footballs Solid Start

With only a few weeks until England's Euro 2012 campaign starts, it was a much anticipated match against Norway last night as Roy Hodgson took the reigns.
It was to be expected that it was a taster to see how the team worked together. Not the most spectacular of football matches, but they got the job done.
I was a little disappointed with Steven Gerrard though I have to say. He made a mistake, but had already committed himself to the tackle. It was not malicious by any means, but the Norwegian fans punished him for it, and he let them get to him. As a result he made several silly mistakes which coming from someone with his experience, should never have happened. I was quite relieved to see him come off, as I think he really was shaken by the response from the fans.
Other than that it was business as usual for England, predictably, I am afraid. Lets hope we see a little more spark from our lads on Saturday against Belgium, before Hodgson has to hand his final squad into FIFA on midday Tuesday.

Loan Warnings

Just a quick word of warning. A friend of mine was in need of a quick loan, so trawled the internet. He put his details onto a form and within literally minutes had a phone call from a loan company. They promised he could have the money in his bank account before the day was out. He just assumed it was the company he had given his details to. It wasnt. They had picked the details up from the internet and got in there quick before any one else could. They turned out to be a loan broker, but didnt tell him this. They asked for some more details to clarify for the credit search and asked for his card details. This is the bit that gets me. They asked for the security number on the back of the card and when he queried  it, they said it was for the bank details to go in. My friend wasnt aware that you only use this to take money OUT of your account. And with that, they took his last £60 out of his account only to tell him after they had done it, and it was for their fees as they were just the brokers and passed him onto someone else.
 Needless to say, he didnt get a loan with them and fought long and hard to get his money back. In short, always look at someone before you take out a loan with them. After he had the phone call, my friend then looked up the said company on a search engine and found nothing but complaints of a similar nature about them.
Whether it be a payday loan, or secure loan, ALWAYS do your homework........it pays!

Who has the Premiership title......

When I went to check the current scores at 4.45pm on Sunday afternoon, I thought the race would be all over bar the shouting.......how wrong was I? When I got onto the internet, Man Utd were winning their game 1-0 away to Sunderland.
Man City on the other hand were losing, at home, to a 10 man QPR ! But wait......1 minute into extra time and City score to level the game. This doesnt give them the title however as Man Utd won their game. But again, just to keep every one on their toes, City score again, and take the title!!
Sir Alex Ferguson must be absolutely mortified. Just a few weeks ago, they were just about the only contenders for the title, with even City's manager conceding that they were probably too far behind to make any real challange.
This is what Mancici had to say after the match.
 "The football was incredible. This is for our supporters, they deserve this. To win like this is incredible. I've never seen a climax like this. We didn't deserve to lose this game. We had a lot of chances. We deserve to win this Championship. After 44 years I dedicate this to all our supporters. This is incredible. It's been a crazy season and a crazy last few minutes."

Britain's Got Talent.........has it really ?

Last night 17 year old Ashleigh Butler, and her dog Pudsey won £500,000 and a coveted spot on the Royal Variety Performance after coming first on Britains got talent...........how????? It should be re-named Britains got No Taste (as they were voted by the public).
The duo were a good act, but lets face it, there was some REALLY good talent on there this year. I think there will be more stars to come out of this show, than any previous years. The singers alone were phenomenal.
It was also nice to see the lighter side of Simon Cowell, although I dont really think he had a choice with David Walliams sat a few feet from him.

Spanish Grand Prix

The weekend started off promising for our British hopefuls in Spain this weekend, with Button setting the fastest time in Fridays practice sessions, and Hamilton tipping him (Button) to take pole. Oh well, it started off well!
 By the end of qualifying on Saturday, Jenson button had been squeezed out of Q3, going very quickly in the dying seconds of the session from a comfortable 6th place to a very UN-comfortable 11th  when several drivers came in faster.
As for Hamilton, he was doing fabulously all day and managed to get himself on pole position with Williams' Pastor Maldonado close behind in P2. But as the McLaren car of Lewis Hamilton was doing his in lap he received an urgent radio message to stop the car. F1 rules state that you must have enough fuel in the car to get the car back to the pits with 1 litre for testing by the stewards. As it turned out, he didnt have enough (there was found to be 1.3 litres of fuel in the tank) and so was stripped of his qualifying times, and started the race last in Q24.
So the race started with Williams' Maldanado in P1, and Ferrari's Alonso in P2.......and that is how the race finished! The first Venezuelan to EVER take a Grand Prix. What pride he and his team must be feeling as it is also the first win in 8 years for the Williams team. They made some brilliant strategic choices in the pit stop timings during the race, and Maldonado did some fantastic driving! The Lotus of former World Champion Kimi Raikkonen came in 3rd.
McLaren managed to drag some points out of this one with Hamilton managing to crawl back up the pack from last, to 8th place, and Button gaining a few spots to come in 9th. Lets see if McLaren can sort themselves out for one of my favourite races...........next stop, Monaco : )

Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy governs the manner in which Elizabeth's Thought's collects, uses, maintains and discloses information collected from users (each, a "User") of the http://whatsonelizabethsmind.blogspot.co.uk website ("Site"). This privacy policy applies to the Site and all products and services offered by Elizabeth's Thought's.

Personal identification information

We may collect personal identification information from Users in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, when Users visit our site, fill out a form, and in connection with other activities, services, features or resources we make available on our Site. Users may be asked for, as appropriate, name, email address. Users may, however, visit our Site anonymously. We will collect personal identification information from Users only if they voluntarily submit such information to us. Users can always refuse to supply personally identification information, except that it may prevent them from engaging in certain Site related activities.

Non-personal identification information

We may collect non-personal identification information about Users whenever they interact with our Site. Non-personal identification information may include the browser name, the type of computer and technical information about Users means of connection to our Site, such as the operating system and the Internet service providers utilized and other similar information.

Web browser cookies

Our Site may use "cookies" to enhance User experience. User's web browser places cookies on their hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about them. User may choose to set their web browser to refuse cookies, or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If they do so, note that some parts of the Site may not function properly.

How we use collected information

Elizabeth's Thought's collects and uses Users personal information for the following purposes:

- To personalize user experience
We may use information in the aggregate to understand how our Users as a group use the services and resources provided on our Site.
- To improve our Site
We continually strive to improve our website offerings based on the information and feedback we receive from you.

How we protect your information

We adopt appropriate data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information, username, password, transaction information and data stored on our Site.

Sharing your personal information

We do not sell, trade, or rent Users personal identification information to others. We may share generic aggregated demographic information not linked to any personal identification information regarding visitors and users with our business partners, trusted affiliates and advertisers for the purposes outlined above.

Third party websites

Users may find advertising or other content on our Site that link to the sites and services of our partners, suppliers, advertisers, sponsors, licensors and other third parties. We do not control the content or links that appear on these sites and are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from our Site. In addition, these sites or services, including their content and links, may be constantly changing. These sites and services may have their own privacy policies and customer service policies. Browsing and interaction on any other website, including websites which have a link to our Site, is subject to that website's own terms and policies.

Advertising

Ads appearing on our site may be delivered to Users by advertising partners, who may set cookies. These cookies allow the ad server to recognize your computer each time they send you an online advertisement to compile non personal identification information about you or others who use your computer. This information allows ad networks to, among other things, deliver targeted advertisements that they believe will be of most interest to you. This privacy policy does not cover the use of cookies by any advertisers.

Google Adsense

Some of the ads may be served by Google. Google's use of the DART cookie enables it to serve ads to Users based on their visit to our Site and other sites on the Internet. DART uses "non personally identifiable information" and does NOT track personal information about you, such as your name, email address, physical address, etc. You may opt out of the use of the DART cookie by visiting the Google ad and content network privacy policy at http://www.google.com/privacy_ads.html

Changes to this privacy policy

Elizabeth's Thought's has the discretion to update this privacy policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. We encourage Users to frequently check this page for any changes to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to review this privacy policy periodically and become aware of modifications.

Your acceptance of these terms

By using this Site, you signify your acceptance of this policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our Site. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

Contacting us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, please contact us at:
Elizabeth's Thought's
http://whatsonelizabethsmind.blogspot.co.uk
elizabethfrankcom@gmail.com
elizabethfrankcom@gmail.com

This document was last updated on May 10, 2012

Privacy policy created by http://www.generateprivacypolicy.com

Roy Hodgson.....New England ?

Last week the FA finally put pay to months of speculation from the press as to who would lead our proud England team to the European Cup finals. Against huge odds that Harry Redknapp would be getting the call, Roy Hodgson was revealed as the England camps new boss, as of close of season on 14th May 2012.
The FA also said that Roy had been the one and only contender for the job and that they didn't speak to any one else. This I find a little hard to believe. Had you heard of Roy Hodgson before last week? It does feel a little last resort doesn't it?
So with this I looked up Roy on the internet, and his CV is rather impressive. He has managed sixteen teams in eight different countries including the Swiss and Finish national teams. He currently manages West Bromwich Albion, who under his reign have spent a third consecutive season in the premiership for the first time in three decades. He has also led out the likes of Liverpool, Blackburn and Fulham.
I have to say that after reading his credentials, he is probably a very good man for the job.............lets watch this space. Lets face it, he cant do much worse than the last guy !!

Cough Warning

Sixteen years ago this summer, my husband lost his Grandfather at the age of 65. He had been a smoker but had given up more than fifteen years previously.
He had had a persistent cough for more than a few weeks and went to the G.P as he was starting to get worried. He was booked in quickly and had an endoscopy to look down his throat at what was going on. At this point he was told that it was lung cancer, but dont worry, because it can be dealt with quite effectively. Unfortunately before he got to receive any treatment, the cancer ate its way through one of his arteries around the lungs and he died of massive internal bleeding.
There has now been released, a government advertising drive, advising people with a persistent cough of more than three weeks, to visit their G.P, as it could be a sign of lung cancer.
Its a horrible disease, that effects most people at some point in their lives, whether it be directly or indirectly.
If this campaign can help prevent the pain that my husband and his family had to go through, then that would be brilliant. Some things are worth spending government money on.

Rip Off Box Office

We went to go to the cinema this weekend as a family of four and it wasn't a cheap affair ! As my children are now teenagers, we had to pay adult prices (dont get me started on this because its a whole other thing to rant about !). Then there was the obligatory popcorn (£5 x 2) and over sized drinks (£3.95 x4) which has put our 2 hour night out at a wallet busting £52 !! It is safe to say we wont be doing this on a weekly basis !
I do however suggest using Orange 2 for 1 Wednesdays, which gives you a free ticket with 1 full paying adult ticket. If you dont have an Orange contract, see if one your friends or families do as it costs the price of a text message to get the code. No hassle, well worth it if you dont mind going out mid week.

Biggest Box Office Weekend

This weekend saw the release in the United States of the new Disney film 'Avengers Assemble'. The film is a whose who of super heroes from the Marvel comics including Iron Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and Thor. They are brought together in this film to save humanity from the evil Loki and his sidekicks.
What a huge sigh of relief this must be for the film makers at Disney, who last month saw the resignation of their film boss, Rich Ross, after the huge flop of the film 'John Carter'. The film is thought to have lost the company around $200m.
In contrast, 'Avengers Assemble' seems to have blown all competition out of the water with the biggest ever opening weekend. Early figures show it has already made $200m in that weekend alone!
Other big opening weekend films include the last Harry Potter film at number 2 and The Dark Knight at number 3. I was absolutely amazed to find that Avatar was only at number 40 !! Now that shocked me. Cant wait for Avatar 2, that might get nearer the top, lets hope. And still waiting for the next Terminator to come out. Lots to look forward to I think. :)

How to make a rainbow cake

Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp vanilla essence

1 cup flour

1 cup white sugar

food colouring

Method:

Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease a round cake tin or what ever you have

Using a mixer, beat egg whites until firm, then add baking powder and vanilla.

Put the mixer on low speed and slowly add the egg yolks.

Sift the sugar, then add it one tablespoon at a time until all combined.

Sift the flour, and add it in the same manner as the sugar.

Remove bowl from the mixer and give a final gentle mix with a spoon to ensure all is combined.

Divide the mixture into as many bowls as you would like colours.

Add about 1 tsp of liquid colouring into each bowl of cake mix.

Pour each bowl into baking tin, dropping each into the centre of the tin - they will spread outwards to fill the tin.

Bake for about 20-25 mins. Cool and then slice.

You could also bake each colour in a separate tin and then once cool, stack them using a filling like jam to keep the layers together.

GOOD LUCK

I'm sorry Netflix.......

Last month I wrote what appears to have been a bit of a harsh write up about the site Netflix. Maybe I should have waited a little longer than 2 hours before casting judgement, which is approximately how long we had been joined up for before I had my little rant !! They still do not have amazingly new films to watch, but they do change the films around every few days though, so its not as bad as first thought............although my husband still says there is still no Star Trek !!!  (sigh)

Scream if you want to pay Millions $$$$

On Wednesday, the last version of Evard Munch's 'The Scream' to be held in a private collection was sold at auction, The other three versions in the series are all owned by Norwegian museums, this one was bought by an anonymous buyer for £74m ($119.9) with the proceeds of the sale founding a new museum, hotel and art centre in Norway.
 This version was also the only one to have a poem by Munch on the frame. It explains the inspiration  behind the series of paintings.
The previous owner was Mr Olsen, whose father was friendly with the Norwegian expressionist. Mr Olsen explained that he wanted to sell the painting because he wanted to offer the rest of the world a chance to own and appreciate this remarkable work.
Sothebys auctioneer Tobias Meyer said that the painting was "worth every penny"
"It is one of the great icons of art in the world and whoever bought it should be congratulated"
"This evenings sale was a dream for an auctioneer and to be able to sell The Scream for over $100 million was a moment that I cherish as an auctioneer"
I am not surprised, I hate to imagine the commission they picked up on that sale!      
Seven bidders were vying for the piece with a starting bid at $40m, and lasted a mere 12 minutes!!