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\nWell hello there, how have you been? I do hope you\u2019re in fine fettle and not laid up \u2013 as I have been \u2013 with one of the various lurgies that seem to be infiltrating QVC Towers making us all drop like flies! Up until Thursday last week I was thanking my lucky stars that not only did I have sufficient petrol to get me to work that week, but I also had enough energy to dance the night away with Claire Sutton who joined me and a huge number of QVC staff for a bit of a do at a local bar on the Friday before!<\/p>\n\n
I\u2019ve kept in touch with Claire who left QVC last July, and those of you who follow her on Instagram will know she\u2019s been busy sorting out her son Tom\u2019s education, honing her renovation skills and beginning a new career! We\u2019ve not had much time to see each other what with life and the pandemic, but it was a joy to spend the evening with her and our mates, and although we didn\u2019t get to bed until 3am it was sooo worth it. \ud83d\ude42 Katy and Pipa also managed to join us and we all danced our socks off until they called time at midnight. Luckily our Uber didn\u2019t turn into a pumpkin and our blistered feet have now recovered to dance another day!<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t have been able to reach down to put on my dancing shoes this last week, so painful and achy have my limbs been, along with losing my voice and struggling with a shocking head cold. I did go and have a PCR test to be certain, but it\u2019s not Covid just some virulent lurgy which I\u2019m still trying to shake off.<\/p>\n
Before I took to my bed, Colin and I managed to see the latest \u2013 and in my humble opinion \u2013 pretty much the BEST Bond movie to date. Daniel Craig, playing Bond for the final time, was incredible. Hard to believe he\u2019s been in the role for 14 years now and is 52, but I\u2019m certain he is going to miss playing this enigmatic character.<\/p>\n
The plot in \u2018No Time to Die\u2019 is terrific as are the performances of every single one of the actors, and the suspenseful plot and special effects are superb. There were more than a few tears shed at the end of the movie and not just because Colin and I think Craig\u2019s been the best Bond, but because the writing was excellent and very moving. Treat yourself if you get the chance. Nail-biting tension \u2013 as it must have been for the movie makers while it sat on the shelf waiting for the cinemas to open \u2013 but so worth it and the music\u2019s great too!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stories.qvcuk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/ALi-and-Colin.jpg\")
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This month Colin and I also celebrated 15 years to the day since we met. I\u2019m not sure if I\u2019ve ever told you but we met online when Dating Direct was in its hey day. Very different to what I believe Tinder and Bumble are nowadays! I\u2019d been on my own for pretty much a year, and although I met two other chaps for coffee to see how we got on, Colin and I hit it off immediately. We\u2019ve been through a lot over the years like most folk, but I find it hard to believe it\u2019s been that long since he took me to lunch in The Fox at Harpenden and we decided we\u2019d definitely like to see each other again\u2026 the rest is history \ud83d\ude42 He took me to dinner at Monkey Island where we were married six years ago to celebrate, and we had a lovely evening.<\/p>\n
This month we also celebrate my daughter Lucy\u2019s 36th birthday. Another fact I find hard to believe, not just because I can remember giving birth to her like it was yesterday, but because she has a six-year-old daughter of her own \u2013 my gorgeous granddaughter Honey. They came to see us and we celebrated early with homemade carrot cake and some of her favourite things! Thank heavens for QVC as I bought her Olaplex<\/a>, Liz Earle\u2019s<\/a> No 20 fragrance (my personal favourite too) and some Molton Brown<\/a> goodies along with a few other spoilies.<\/p>\n Honey and I went shopping too and she bought her mummy a beautiful candle and some pretty jewellery. They brought their Chihuahuas and Poppy the puppy too \u2013 how cute is she now?! Her eyes are open and she\u2019s just started to walk. Just adorable.<\/p>\n I managed a walk in the sunshine and discovered a lovely park not far from where I live that I hadn\u2019t realised was there. Ray Mill Island is just alongside Boulters Lock in Maidenhead and it\u2019s a beautiful place to visit. There are landscaped gardens, trees, open grassy areas and even an aviary that the parakeets and budgies share with several guinea pigs! There are also some terrific wooden sculptures and this memory tree that I stumbled upon.<\/p>\n Every leaf has the name of a baby who has been lost by their family, and there are hundreds of leaves that hang from this touching memorial. It was funded and created by the Berkshire Sands Group \u2013 for all babies who died before, during or after their birth \u2013 and is a special place for their families to remember them.<\/p>\n I hadn\u2019t realized, but this week is Baby Loss Awareness Week. As a mother, I cannot even begin to imagine the pain of losing a child but I am so glad that the charity Sands offers support to anyone who finds themselves having to cope with such a desperate loss. The sun shone as I took this photo and there was a definite sense of peace \u2026 I thought you might like to see it.<\/p>\n Being poorly meant I had to miss the Le Creuset<\/a> launch on Friday, but I know Miceal did a cracking job and thousands of you decided to buy the two-piece cast iron set. I had been given the same set to trial and made a fab Tahini Chicken recipe in mine. Not only was it delicious and full of flavour but it cooked evenly and the dish held the heat for ages after it was out of the oven. I hope you enjoy using yours.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve got another fabulous kitchen appliance for you this Tuesday too. From QVC\u2019s own brand Cook\u2019s Essentials<\/a> we\u2019re going to see a return of the 1.8L Compact Air Fryer<\/a>. If you\u2019ve never used one or even seen one demonstrated then watch out for this on Tuesday. With temperature controls from 80 to 200 degrees, a timer for up to 30 minutes and uber effective filters, you can fry, bake, roast and grill all your favourite foods without changing a single setting. Crispy, flavoursome food cooked faster with rapid air circulation and healthier because there\u2019s less need for the oil and fat you\u2019d normally used. Gail Samways, chef extraordinaire, will be with us to show you how simple it is to use and store and we have an unbelievable price too.<\/p>\n I\u2019m hoping to be back with my regular Diamonique<\/a> show on Tuesday night at 8pm \u2013 it\u2019s been on a break for the last fortnight – and I have a spectacular collection of jewellery to treat you to. I bought myself the new pendant that we\u2019ll have on air, and also something special for my friend Jeanette who will be celebrating her 80th birthday on Saturday! There\u2019s plenty for you to choose from too and the quality just gets better and better! I do hope you can join me.<\/p>\n I think that\u2019s all my news for now, but thank you so much for writing to me with yours. I hope you\u2019ll keep in touch this month too and you know I\u2019ll get back to you. If you follow me on Instagram<\/a>, Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a> you can be part of the show and I can read your comments out on air too.<\/p>\n With my love,<\/p>\n Ali xxx<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well hello there, how have you been? I do hope you\u2019re in fine fettle and not laid up \u2013 as I have been \u2013 with one of the various lurgies that seem to be infiltrating QVC Towers making us all drop like flies! Up until Thursday last week I was thanking my lucky stars that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":110418,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[251,21],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/stories.qvcuk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Poppy.jpeg\")
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