Firstly, thank you for your kind birthday wishes for my granddaughter Honey who was seven years on the 6th<\/sup> May.\u00a0 I drove up in time to collect her from school and then we went to the local carvery for her birthday tea but saved her cake until we got home.<\/p>\n Lucy had suggested I make \u2018Pickle\u2019, a Pokemon character for her, and luckily she was delighted!\u00a0 It was actually one of the tastiest chocolate sponges I\u2019ve made as I swapped out the caster sugar and replaced half of it with muscovado – of course, all mixed in my KitchenAid. \u00a0I think I\u2019ve only missed making one birthday cake out of the last seven, and it\u2019s a lovely thing to be able to do for her. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n Honey\u2019s proper party with her school friends was on Saturday when Colin and I looked after our youngest grandson Corey (who\u2019s just turned one) and his seven-year-old brother Rhys.\u00a0 We had such a lovely time, playing football, feeding the ducks and generally pottering about. It gave Joe and Hayley a day out at Ascot too, so definitely a win win situation!<\/p>\n I had a very belated celebration of my own too \u2013 a dance lesson with the Strictly Come Dancing star Ian Waite that my friend Jo bought for me for my 60th<\/sup> birthday present. What with the pandemic and then Ian\u2019s various TV and touring obligations I\u2019d not been able to book in with him until now, but my salsa lesson last week was amazing! I\u2019ve always been an avid fan of the TV series for years so this was literally a dream come true.\u00a0 Mind you, I\u2019d not got a clue what to do, but Ian made it so easy.\u00a0 Not only is he a fantastic dancer, teaching me the routine in less than 40 minutes but he is also charismatic, friendly and a very genuine man.<\/p>\n I have the memory forever on film and you can find it on my Instagram page @alikeenan1<\/a> if you fancy a watch?\u00a0 I was too nervous to look up and away from my feet, but you\u2019ll get the general idea! When I was younger and fitter it was always my dream to be on Strictly but this was definitely the next best thing.\u00a0 Just magical. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n I\u2019ve digressed, and I really do need to tell you about this very special four-day event at QVC that runs from Saturday 14th<\/sup> May and finishes just before midnight on Tuesday 17th<\/sup> May.\u00a0 There\u2019ll be a \u2018Summer Garden Celebration\u2019 over the weekend, and then our \u2018Looks to Celebrate\u2019 event for the following two days with FOUR EASY PAYMENTS ON EVERYTHING \u2013 including clearance and sale items too! So let\u2019s celebrate summer together with everything you need for the home, the garden and yourself! Maybe you\u2019re planning a weekend get-together or a Jubilee street party?\u00a0 If so, we\u2019ve got food, lighting, BBQs and fire pits – everything you could possibly need to get your space ready for all manner of feasts and fiestas!<\/p>\n If you bought our Ninja Dual Zone Air Fryer<\/a> you\u2019ll know I\u2019m a huge fan of this brand so I\u2019m delighted to be launching the Ninja Creami Ice Cream and Dessert maker with Gail Samways at 9pm on Saturday 14th<\/sup>.\u00a0 This incredible machine makes ice cream, gelato (which is denser than ice cream), sorbets, milkshakes and frozen yoghurts. Plus, with five tubs to enable you to pre-freeze and prepare ahead of time, you can make up to 2.25l of frozen desserts! I paid \u00a33.80 for a single scoop of ice cream in a cone at the weekend and I wasn\u2019t sure exactly what was in it either! Buy this and you can create your own desserts, your way with YOUR ingredients.\u00a0 So, if you prefer soya or oat milk, maybe skimmed or full fat, or if your choice is dairy-free, low sugar, keto or vegan, you take control.<\/p>\n You can create a much healthier dessert by adding fresh fruits, your favourite ingredients, and no artificial flavours, and it may be possible to get the fussier ones in the family to drink milk or eat eggs when they\u2019re disguised! Fill the tub with your ingredients and freeze for 24 hours then process it within minutes! \u00a0Join Gail and me at 9pm and then again at midnight and we\u2019ll show you how. We also have a fabulous stand mixer from Cooks Essential\u2019s<\/a> if you fancy making other desserts, and a 22L multi-oven<\/a><\/em> incorporating an air fryer and a rotisserie \u2013 perfect for cooking your party food in half the time.<\/p>\n But, you can also order ahead of the street parties from the fabulous range of food we have on offer. If you don\u2019t fancy baking your own cakes then let The Baking Boys do it for you! They bake tarts too, but if you want muffins then The Original Cake Company<\/a> are already on it and will be spoiling us with their 18-piece British cake selection too. Chunk of Devon<\/a> will be providing the pies and the 6\u2019O Clock Gin Company will have the alcohol and mixers. Remember everything will be available on 4 Easy Payments too! I might see if I can sample the gin before I\u2019m with you at 11pm for an hour of DIY when we\u2019ve got a brilliant lawn scarifier<\/a> from Darlac, the Sport-Brella Premiere<\/a> umbrella (I bought two for the grandchildren) and an aluminium folding ladder<\/a> with a platform from Buildcraft \u2013 perfect for hanging your bunting!<\/p>\n But before you do that, or send out your invites and bake your cakes, maybe have a think about refreshing your wardrobe and stocking up on beauty supplies ahead of the two day Bank Holiday? On Monday and Tuesday, we move into our \u2018Looks to Celebrate\u2019 event. Bearing in mind it\u2019s going to be a mighty Platinum Jubilee, we thought you might like to treat yourself to something new for what is bound to be one of the most photographed events in some years. We have a whole raft of your favourite fashion labels, headlining with DuJour<\/a> and a stunning Wrap Front Printed Maxi Dress in both regular and petite lengths. It\u2019s our Today\u2019s Special Value on Sunday at 9pm so if you can see yourself in this beautiful print and bold colours, then I\u2019ll be with you at midnight after an hour featuring another one of our original fashion ranges – Denim and Co.<\/a> Also featuring across the two days are White Stuff<\/a>, Masai Clothing Copenhagen<\/a>, Wynne Layers Fashion,<\/a> Moda in Pelle<\/a>, Monsoon<\/a>, Ruth Langsford Fashion<\/a>, Skechers<\/a> and Kim and Co. Many of these brands you won\u2019t find anywhere else but with us – online and on-air!<\/p>\n The same will apply to all the beauty brands showcasing their very best offers in skincare, nailcare, and tanning products. You\u2019ll find everything and more on our website QVCUK.com and remember, EVERYTHING including clearance items are on four Easy Payments across the entire four0day event! Phew! It\u2019s a lot to look forward to and it\u2019s been months in the planning, but we\u2019ve got something for everyone and I know you\u2019re going to enjoy it. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n And so, to my final bit of news\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n The midnight show on Sunday will be the last one I present at the Q for a while as I\u2019m taking some time away from work. As you probably gathered from my last blog, I\u2019m finding everything is taking so much more effort than it used to and so this three-month sabbatical will give me the time I need to recharge and regenerate and hopefully return rejuvenated! Colin and I also hope to get away for a while \u2013 he needs a break from the building work too \u2013 and then we plan to spend more time with the family over the summer.<\/p>\n Sadly, it means that there won\u2019t be another blog for a few months or more but I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll post up a few photos on Instagram or Facebook over that time if you\u2019d like to follow me and keep in touch? In the meantime, thank you SO much for your continued support and kindness over the years. It means more than you know. Take care and \u201cau revoir\u201d.<\/p>\n With my love,<\/p>\n Ali xx<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Well, we seem to be motoring through May and I\u2019ve definitely had a busy 10 days or so since I last wrote, but having turning up a tad early for my manicure in Windsor I decided to take a walk around the town and re-visit one of my favourite places in the town. The castle […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":115525,"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\/2022\/05\/Honeys-birthday-cake.jpg\")
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