Ladbrokes Challenge The World of Kitsch- Do Lucky Charms Work?

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Does luck exist? Can trinkets or magical items change the outcome of of events? Of course not, no, but it is worth a HIGHLY SCIENTIFIC investigation by myself on behalf of Ladbrokes? YES.

Ladbrokes sent me a box of lucky bits & bobs, armed me with Casino credit and set me loose on Ladbrokes.

Unfortunately I can't get my head around poker, but I spied Roulette & reckoned I could manage 'red or black' easily enough.

First up was the lucky golden cat. Will kissing his shiny brow bring me a winning bet? I put a bet on red and won. 

Conclusion: lucky cats DEFINITELY work. I didn't repeat the experiment but obviously this ground-breaking scientific  result will be the subject of papers for years to come.

NEXT! Little teeny, tiny horseshoe necklace.

I placed my bet, spun again & lost. 

Conclusion: although lucky, this horseshoe was freakishly small, so didn't contain the full strength of magical powers. Obviously.

The next lucky item was a box of Lucky Charms. You know I love my imported American food, so this was my favourite item in Ladbrokes' box of tricks. 
My luck was out though. Because the goodies arrived last week, it seems a certain five year old has eaten all my Lucky Charms. Maybe rubbing his belly would bring luck, but he's at school, so I held the enchanted cardboard box & placed my bets.

I won again this time. 

Conclusion: no idea. Cardboard boxes are lucky?

Last spin, and it's the turn of the lucky four leaf clover. Although not planted or grown, the seeds must be lucky too, right?

Conclusion: nope, the seeds aren't lucky. Unless maybe you combine holding the seeds with stroking a Leprechaun's beard at the same time to condense the luck.

Do lucky charms work? Not in my eyes. 
Does my son like Lucky Charms cereal? Too much. 
Is playing roulette on Ladbrokes easy for a beginner like me? Certainly. 
Do I have a career as a professional gambler? No. 

Maybe if I'd had a lucky rabbit's foot..... 
Next time.

Do You Want to See My Die Hard Christmas Jumper from Dark Bunny Tees?

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To hell with your snowman jumper, I have a John McClane jumper.

www.DarkBunnyTees.com have created what must be one of the coolest Christmas jumpers ever, by printing a Die Hard themed knit design on a Christmassy coloured sweatshirt. No wool means no itching, which means you can wear it over your white vest with no problems.

It goes on sale on 18th of December, as demand has been so high that ordering is temporarily on hold. If you want to place an order then, I suggest adding their Twitter @darkbunnytees and Facebook Page www.facebook.com/DarkBunnyTees to be the first to know when they go live.

There are also lots of limited edition movie tshirts available to buy today on www.darkbunnytees.com
Here are four of my favourites.

Doctor Who Christmas Tree Ornaments

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Memories of Leisure World & Toys of Then and Now

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Here is my column from December's Junior Magazine (not sure why my intro still talks about Halloween though).

You can read it below the pic.

Children's toys aren't what they used to be. In 'Our Day' we had He-Man, She-Ra, The Get-a-long Gang, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 
Obviously far superior to today's Ben 10 and Monster High sought after toys.

It makes me a little sad that my son won't know the absolute joy of a trip to Belfast's Leisure World. The three-storied palace of giddy consumerism for the under-12 year old. It seemed like a magical kingdom set apart from real life, with rows of Ghostbusters' Fire Station play sets & plush Wuzzles. Of course to our own children, it's likely that a trip to Smyth's Toystore invokes the same response, but secretly we know our days were best.

We recently bought a series of Thundercats off www.amazon.co.uk and plonked our 4 year old down in front of it, eager to see his reaction to this 1980s' classic. He just asked could we put Cbeebies back on. 

Never mind, here are three retro products that have been brought up to date for today's kids, but that will give you a warm feeling of nostalgia too.

1. The Sodastream.
www.Sodastream.co.uk and via Argos

Then:

Now: 

The 2012 Sodastream is more akin to your swish espresso maker than its 1980s' beige predecessor. They start from around £55 and can save you a small fortune on branded fizzy drinks.

2. The Furby
Available at Smyth's Toystore

Then: 

Now:

The neon 2012 Furby is what your grey 1998 Furby was only now he interacts with a special iPhone and iPad app. You can feed the new Furby different kinds of foods via the app, for example feeding him chillis makes his LED eyes flame. 
From £49.49

3. The Playtent
www.themonsterfactory.com

Then: 

Now:

These play tents were your own little sanctuary away from Mum & Dad, and they are still a great Christmas gift. 
The VW tent from The Monster Factory is available in pink or blue and would look very impressive on Christmas Morning. Priced at £54.99