Proud Momma

Mr Ryan Patrick Burns

I apologise in advance, but I am going to be one of those annoying parents who shouts from the roof tops about their children’s achievement’s.

I know it can be tedious trying to be impressed about little Tommys amazing ability to recite Twinkle Twinkle little star whilst hopping on one foot – but we do don’t we?...We ‘WOW’ along with the clearly deranged parent, not wanting to burst their bubble, at their little ones amazing talent…sometimes we even encourage this behaviour and suggest things like “oh they should keep that up – it will make them famous one day!!!”

But for this day only – and I promise I will keep bragging to a minimum in the future – I am going to unashamedly gloat about my first-born sons achievement.

Proud Momma with her first-born

Now you might think – he is not the only 22 year old to obtain a First Class Masters in Civil Engineering – but he is in my family – so there lies my justification to brag..

He comes the gloating….

I was so proud to witness the ceremony to begin with, as I wasn’t sure if he was going to make it. The original ceremony date was back in July, but he was travelling around East Asia, having a ball whilst the rest of his fellow graduates where being honoured in their gowns.

It was a refreshing change not to have been the organiser of a large scale event for once - didn't have to worry if everything was poised ready to go, as the guests start to arrive...

I wish that the ceremony invitations could be extended to siblings and grandparents but unfortunately they are so strict with the numbers that it was just the two parents. Obviously I took  few shots and videoed Ryan going up for his award - one for the grandparents!! Spending a small fortune in the process!!

Ryan with Prof Nigel Smith



Ryan with two of his Uni mates

Awkward moment when you are not ure if you are meant to be in this group shot!!!



So after the ceremony, and the copious amounts of photography, it was off to have lunch at one of the famous Italian eateries in the area.

Salvos Italian Restaurant - Leeds

All in all - it was a wonderful day. One that will stay in my memory forever..
Well done darling...

OK - thats the gloating over - I promise normal blogging shall resume in the New Year....
Have a great Christmas y'all

Oh and if you are in the Leeds area - check out Salvos

Youtube clip of Salvos on Gordon Ramsays F Word



One of the owners, has a blog which I was delighted to stumble across a lovely recipe for Melanze - one of my fave items on the menu...Thank you Gip

After the Christmas party…

Well I survived!!

The Christmas party is always met with fear and trepidation, no matter where you work. I have worked in organisations of all shapes and sizes and there is always someone that struggles to drum up a little festive cheer – until they have had a few sherry’s that is.

I stumbled across this survival guide - very funny!!

Christmas guide to survival

Thankfully, I work in an organisation that lives to party – so the only fear at this do is how to survive!!   

I have known some of the ‘in-house’- parties go on till very late – I mean well after the dawn chorus has performed!! But the less said about some of those nights the better!!

So Friday started off well – luckily we had a few hours in the afternoon, to begin the preparations of blinging ourselves up for the night ahead…

Rachels falsies - added by yours truly!!

Brett's amazing Swarovski crystalised shirt - created by Brett

The getting ready started after the Secret Santa – which is always funny. Some people grimace at the thought of buying something for one representative of the entire organisation and it actually appealing to that individual.

The secret santa did come with some guidelines and there were many hints dropped (not always discreetly!!) as to what they would like, especially if their secret santa was in the room at the time.

I was very happy with my Secret Santa - but I didn't have too high hopes once I seen the wrapping!!!

There was at least 6 layers of plastic bags to get through!!

This was clearly to lull me into a false sense of security!!

But underneath all the layers was a Jo Malone bag - and as Olly Murs sang at Lytham Proms earlier this year - my heart, skipped, skipped a beat!!

But knowing what practical jokers my fellow colleagues are - I thought, they will get a Jo Malone bag and put some joke toy inside, so I won't lie, my heart almost stopped, at the thought of being so elated one minute, to sheer disappointment on a grand scale!!, but I did practice my "oh thats lovely - thank you face" so all was not lost!!

Luckily one of the Directors got me - and I was thrilled with my Secret Santa gift - now OK, it is fair to say that I have dropped several hints in the office on occasion, but one can never guarantee that the message has got through - luckily on this occasion, the message did get through!! Thanks Boss!!

Beautiful Candle from Jo Malone!!!

So once we were all glammed up – it was off the Peter’s house for luxury Canapes and a bit of fizz.

Mr Peter Taylor - aka hostess with the mostess!

The C&T family - enjoying luxury canapes at Casa Taylor-Robson

We hailed a taxi to Green Drive Golf Club – which was our destination for the majority of the evening. I say majority, as the event finished at midnight and no self-respecting C&T member of staff would have conceded at such an early hour!!!

Even the taxi ride was eventful - Jason realised the taxi driver had the same namesake, and it sparked the most amazing conversation - well every 'Merry' person thinks his conversation is amazing!!

Jason and Jason!!

Well we danced all night - to the wonderful delights of The Love Rats, who were amazing, at Green Drive Golf Club. We even got a little number from Mr Ryan Brooks - who thought he was having a night off!!!!

Jason , Peter et Moi...

And then it was back to Chez Taylor-Robson to continue the celebrations…..

Let the craziness begin!!

Peter and his girls...Rachel and I

The rest is not for print...:)

Here's to next year!!

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas…

Merry Christmas - HO-HO-HO

Well whether you are an avid seasoned Christmas lover,  or you hate the thought of anything to do with it…there is no denying Christmas is on its way...in fact as I write this it is precisely 21 days to the big day.

This year I have chosen to be well organised and like a true Christmas geek – I have been writing my cards and wrapping presents during my lunch break.

I really do love the build-up – I know it is all about the children, but I love adding to the mystery and magic of Father Christmas (who I met a few short weeks ago at the Lytham Christmas Lights Switch on with Russell Watson.)

Ryan from our office has a beautiful little girl called Harriet, who is at that adorable and naive age, where they believe everything that they are told about Father Christmas, so he told me about some of the things he has done for her so far this year… 

Iphone APP - Santas calling



Firstly, let me tell you about an app for the Iphone, that lets Father Christmas call you, and you can have a very creative conversation with the big man, making sure you are in ear-shot of a little one (otherwise it would just be weird!!!)

I did this to my daughter – who I might add is 17 in a few months – unfortunately she didn’t appreciate it and just thought I was a freak…but as I said to her “Well you are taking a risk, by not believing – you might end up with nothing on Christmas Day…” to which she just shakes her head in complete dismay.

To be honest, I am not sure who is the child and who is the parent at times….I blame the fact that I was told a few weeks before Christmas – I was 8 years old – that there was no Father Christmas….I couldn’t have been more distraught.

Obviously this is why I smothered my children in all things Christmassy! Well that is my story and I am sticking to it.

So it's 3rd December and I am all trimmed up - cards posted and the gifts wrapped - not bad huh?

My little Christmas Tree

Well - thats it from me for today..

Countdown to Christmas in Lytham

Saturday 17th November saw the biggest Christmas Lights switch on that the sleepy seaside town of Lytham has seen in years.

The Crowds at Lytham Switch On

Over 4,000 members of the public flocked to the piazza to enjoy an afternoon of entertainment, that was promoted by Lytham Business Partnership,

Brenda Blackshaw, Helen Vavaso et moi

in asociation with Cuffe and Taylor (my place of work), BBC Radio Lancashire and RSS Events.


Shaun and Claire Foy of RSS Events with Peter, Rachel and Jason



Catherine of Zime Design and Stuart Hurst

It was an early start on Saturday, and the first thing to arrive on site was the stage.



Coffee at Java



Whilst this was being built we all congregated in Java, for a well earned cup of coffee, to warm us all up.

Java is normally a high-end eating establishment, but as you can see it was momentarily turned into a glamorous truckers cafe.

I am sure Helen and Tony wanted us out of there as quick as possible, before we affected trade...

The Switch

The event was a a roaring success, that culminated in Russell Watson switching the lights of Lytham on.

But not before we had a little bit of role play back at the office!!.

Here you see the famous switch that is normally reserved for the Blackpool Illuminations, this highly technical piece of equipment allowed Russell to illuminate the whole of Lytham..but not before it was fully tested by our team Rachel, Brett and Aidan.



Helen presenting Russell with a beautiful bouquet courtesy of Zime Design

I have to say that the event went really well, but if I was pushed to determine my favorite moment, it would have to be when I met the Big Guy himself - Father Christmas. I just thought I would put my order in early - well seeing as he was in the area, it would have been rude not to!!!

The Big Guy - Father Christmas

Other special guest appearances where from Nickleodeon - the glamourous Dora the Explorer, and Sponge Bob Square Pants.

Me and Jason - starstruck!!!

The Town Cryer also made an appearance, to encourage the crowds to gather at the stage to be entertained by the likes of Lytham Community Choir, Freckleton Brass Band, Boy Band Re-connected,Silver Medallist Shelly Wood, and local party band The Love Rats.



The Love Rats

The Love Rats base player Paul Farrel amazed Russell Watson with his amzing likeness to himself. Paul has been mistaken for the Voice before now, but even the real thing couldn't believe his eyes when he caught up with him at the side of the stage!!

Russell Watson meets his twin

All in all - it was a brilliant night - and we hope that 2013 will be even bigger!!!!

Susan shall go to the ball....

We (Cuffe & Taylor) kindly received a Black Tie invite to the The Mayoress of Wigans annual Charity Ball, as guests of Wigan and Leisure Culture Trust last week.



Delicious Daniel Craig sporting Black Tie



 After the initial feeling of appreciation faded, I was faced with every woman’s nightmare….”Oh my Lord; what shall I wear?”

So as I worked out the amount of time I had to spend on my outfit, it dawned on me that I had hours, as opposed to days – weeks being my preferred option!!!

I had a few emergency options to fall back on – but I knew I was going to have to be creative with what was in my existing wardrobe, as I did not have the luxury of time to do an emergency shop or what is realistically known as an ‘impulse buy’!!!

So just to be sure that my emergency options were in with a chance of being suitable, I checked with Debrett.



The Infamous Debrett logo



Debrett's is the modern authority on all matters etiquette, taste and achievement, and have led the way for the past two centuries.

According to Debrett – “The dress code for an evening occasion will usually be specified as white tie, black tie or, less frequently, lounge suits.

White tie is the most glamorous and formal of eveningwear, and is usually reserved for official functions such as state banquets and ambassadorial functions. Ladies would usually be expected to wear a ball gown.

Black tie can be used to describe formal evening dress generally, but it requires a black dinner suit with a white dress shirt and black bow tie. For ladies, a cocktail dress - long or short is appropriate.

For ladies, a smart dress - such as a cocktail dress - is appropriate. It can be long or short, as long as it's not too short. It need not be black.” (Phew!! – this was exactly what I wanted to read!)

Thankfully my creativity, lack of time, and reference to Debrett all paid off, and I didn’t stick out like a sore thumb, the ladies were all dressed in an even mix of ball gown and cocktail attire. Result!!

I do think it is so much easier for men when it comes to adhereing to Dress code - but despite Black trouser suits / tuxedos being pretty much the same, it is the bow tie that sets them apart. True to form - Mr Peter Taylor - aka @upnorthpromoter is never willing to be outdone, and proudly wore a hot fuscia pink and purple number.

Note to self – always be on the lookout for an emergency dress, just in case this happens again!!

It is that wonderful time of year  - Award Ceremony Season - when industries come together to recognise and celebrate that years contributions, and we are very proud to have been nominated for Best Small Festival for Lytham Proms Festival Weekend.

The reason why I like these awards is because the public vote for the winner rather than industry experts, who are generally looking at the entry from a different angle.



"Can't find Lytham Proms Festival Weekend"

 But how do you encourage people to vote??

When asking a question like that, I always put myself in those shoes and wonder how I would respond?!

My first reaction is - how much time is this going to take me? because if it is too long winded, it would not matter if it was the best event I had attended to date, I aint doing it.

Luckily the UK Festival Awards voting system is quite simple though it does have a few steps to go through to get to the final submission page - but by breaking down the steps and adding a screen shot here and there, it makes it easier for people to vote for you.

The next thing is...
How do we get the thousands of people that came and enjoyed Lytham Proms Festival Weekend to vote for us?

Obviously we are only ever going to be able to reach a certain percentage of those who attended, but website and social media certainly help.

So here are my 4 quick steps to vote for Lytham Proms Festival Weekend to win Best Small Festival

STEP 1 - Click on the link below:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ukfa2012

STEP 2 – Click the drop down box for BEST SMALL FESTIVAL

STEP 3 – Choose LYTHAM PROMS FESTIVAL WEEKEND

STEP 4 – Scroll down and enter your details and click DONE

All done

Decisions, decisions...

It is that time of year when all the tickets for winter tours and 2013 dates go on sale, and having an avid interest in concerts in general I struggle deciding who I will go and see and who I won’t!!!

Don’t get me wrong, I would go to them all if I could, but there are the obvious constraints, like location, travel, and not forgetting the main one cost!!



Delicious Rick - Lytham Proms 2012



So how do I decide which artist / band to see and who will I go with?

Again the latter is laced with issues – I consider myself very blessed to have a plethora of different groups of friends and some are just couples and some form a larger group – so who do I ask?

Ultimately, if I make the suggestion – and given my occupation as Head of Operations for an Event Management organisation – I am assumed to take on the arranging of the whole thing, from purchasing the tickets to arranging travel to and from etc, and to be honest it can sometimes be easier to organise an outdoor concert myself; rather than organise attending one with my group of friends. Sometimes, I just want someone to organise it for me….so I just have to turn up

I see concert tickets as the perfect gift whether it be Christmas, birthday or even just a surprise but seeing as I also want to share the experience, I am met with the age old issue of who to ask!

 

Firework Finale - Lytham Proms 2012



So once I have got through all of the above dilemmas, I now have to purchase the tickets – the nervous anticipation of not getting a good seat – or worse still, none at all as it sold out in 0.000009 seconds!!! How does this happen???!

But it is  worth all the hassle when you are there, engulfed in the electric atmosphere of a live music event, with the thousands of people all sharing the same interest….such an addictive hobby.

And so the circle continues when you learn of the next tour or performance that you want to attend.. how do I decide amongst them and who will I go with?...

Decisions…decisions