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Last summer we were still in the grip of the pandemic and while the world is still not a Covid-free zone, things are slowly starting to return to some kind of normal. Which means a lot of the usual summer activities will resume such as visits to the park; days out to the beach, road trips and all sorts of outings that will most likely require people to bring a packed lunch. And that can only mean one thing - sandwiches! It was a craving for salad sandwiches - something I haven't had since I was about six - that got me thinking about all those old-school sandwiches that we don't seem to indulge in as much as we used to (yeah, I probably do have too much time on my hands!) Although a lot of 'classics' are still around - cucumber; prawn mayonnaise; egg salad; cheese and pickle; peanut butter and jelly etc. - take a look at sandwiches on sale today and there's a whole array of swanky fillings: tricolore; crayfish and mango; avocado and pine nut salad; tuna and spicy tomato salsa... And then there's the million types of bread that's used, including tortillas and other flatbreads. Back in the day it was usually just regular sliced bread, and being fancy meant using bread of the brown or whole-meal variety! We take a look at five sandwich fillings that many a child of the seventies, eighties and nineties could be found tucking into at lunch time (or maybe it was just me!) 1. SALAD When I say salad, I don't mean cheese salad, or ham salad, or prawn salad... I really do mean just salad. So it really would be a vegan's dream come true! I remember my little five year old self thinking how badass I was because I thought I was the inventor of the great salad sandwich. I'd certainly never seen one before or even heard of anyone else having them. That was until I heard a fellow five year old classmate tell 'Miss' that his dad had made salad sandwiches for lunch - which kind of burst my bubble a little bit! Back in the eighties a salad sandwich would have simply consisted of lettuce, cucumber and tomato. With perhaps a bit of raw onion. Today a salad sandwich would be much more zhuzhed up than that with an array of ingredients including avocado, rocket, pickled and marinated veggies etc. With some chilli flakes thrown in for good measure! I recently succumbed to the temptation of the good old salad sarnies I used to indulge in when I was a kid. And while I admit it did need some salt and pepper to give it more of a kick, it was very satisfying; definitely hit the spot and I felt so much healthier. Who would have thought something so simple could be so good? 2. BANANA Before the age of eight, I used to balk at the idea of banana sandwiches as I just couldn't see how that was a 'thing'. (I also used to balk at the idea of pineapple on pizza. I still do - but that's a whole other story!) However it was at the garden party thrown by my parish, to celebrate us having made our first communion, where I encountered for the first time the infamous banana sandwich - and life was never the same again! Slightly sweetened, mashed banana, spread between two slices of regular sliced white - it tasted like heaven so it was just as well our parish church put banana sandwiches on the menu! And far from being bizarre, it was actually quite delicious and made perfect sense. Let's just say over the years, I've had more than my fair share of banana sarnies! Or should I say... banarnies!!! I don't think I've had the basic banana sandwich since childhood but I've had a lot of elevated versions of the humble banana sandwich. I've had them toasted; made with different types of bread; fried in butter; with chocolate spread; had the stuffed French toast version... oh and then there were the Elvis sandwiches! While visiting The Man, who was then living in the Pacific North-West, I read that Elvis Presley not only loved fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches (now affectionately known as the Elvis sandwich) but he used to eat sixteen of them in one sitting! As it sounded absolutely delicious, greedy-guts me thought it would be quite easy to demolish a plate of Elvis sandwiches and to prove my point, I made sixteen Elvis sandwiches... and could only manage two! But at least I had breakfast ready for the next few days! 3. FISH FINGERS Until I saw John Torode create a fabulous looking fish finger sandwich on This Morning about a year ago, I really thought that the fish finger sandwich was my mum's own invention, as I really didn't know anyone else who made fish finger sandwiches. It was pretty much a staple in our house, especially for breakfast. But whereas John made the fish finger filling from scratch, we just made do with Bird's Eye fish fingers straight out of the freezer section! Not that we minded though. But there were times I took fish finger sandwiches to school as part of my packed lunch, and was met with some odd looks at lunch time: "What's in your sandwich?" "Fish fingers." "Fish fingers?" "With ketchup." "Never heard of a fish finger sandwich before." Well they have now! I also remember there was a novel, it could have been Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (but don't quote me on that!) where the protagonist talks about a little girl who was so poor that she came to school with fish finger sandwiches made from the fish fingers leftover from her breakfast. And one day there were no fish fingers, so she just had ketchup sandwiches. Well I can assure everyone that even though we didn't grow up with very much money, that was not the reason why we scoffed fish finger sandwiches. They really were delicious and as I write this, I have a severe craving for them now! I don't think I've had a fish finger sandwich since my teen years, and as I left home a long time ago, I haven't had my mum make me one in ages. But what's there to stop me from making them myself? Absolutely nothing! Frozen fish fingers, or fish sticks seeing as I'm State-side - will be going back on the shopping list! 4. CHIP BUTTY Who couldn't like a good chip butty? Yes, it's carb overload but it's sooo good and definitely something I crave after a good night out. Some of us will remember making chip butties: hot, fat chips - NEVER fries - in between two thick slices of bread or in a roll, with a bit of salt and pepper and a some ketchup. Beautiful! Even though we are well aware that Mr. Oliver wouldn't approve it definitely hits the spot every time. For my non-British followers who aren't sure what a delightful-sounding 'butty' is, well in short it's a colloquial term for a sandwich which stems from the north of England (the southern version is 'sarnie.') The bread was generally slathered in butter - hence the word 'butty' - before a hot filling was added such as chips, bacon, sausage, or a fried egg. But anything could be a 'butty' provided it was placed between two slices of bread, so don't be surprised if people talk about munching on cheese butties; mashed potato butties; savoury pie butties; jam butties; golden syrup butties; condensed milk butties... That's a whole lot of butties! And no - I didn't make up those fillings! The all-important chip butty was what most of us teens used to classify as a filling lunchtime snack. Or an anytime snack for that matter. And if it wasn't a chip butty we made do with it's cousin, the crisp sandwich. As you can see, nutrition wasn't really high on most people's list of priorities! Nowadays, however, I don't see people gorge on chip butties like they used to. Perhaps that's down to people turning towards more healthier eating habits. But those in need of a bit of comfort food, can't go far wrong with chip-shop style chips in between two slices of thick bread, smothered in melted butter. Purists may forgo the salt and vinegar and other condiments but for me, it's a welcome addition! I reckon if you combine chip butties with number three on this list, you may well end up with the perfect sandwich! 5. PASTE I have to be honest here, I'm pretty sure in my life, I've had sandwiches filled with some kind of paste less than a handful of times - and even then it was at school or some kind of event. We never made them at home. But I do know that they were very popular during the years in which I was growing up, and were even more so long before then. What exactly are these pastes I speak of? Well simply put, it's poor man's pate! They are sold in little jars and there are various kinds of sandwich paste: tuna; salmon; beef, the ever so exotic sardine and tomato... Many of these meat and fish pastes still exist. No one I know indulges in fish or meat paste sandwiches - and if they do, they're keeping very quiet about it. But a glance at supermarket shelves, and a look on forum boards, tells us that people are still scoffing them. But opinion seems to be mixed. Some believe they taste every bit as good as when they were kids; others believe they taste pretty grim now, while there are some who don't mind them, but only have a paste sandwich when nostalgia takes over. Though I did come across an interesting tip, and that was to try fish or meat pastes on hot buttered toast, as they tasted so much better warm than cold. Might give that a go! Did you ever scoff any of the above sandwiches back in the day? Do you still eat them now? What's your favourite retro sandwich? Photos: Angel Noire and Wix Word cloud: Angel Noire

It seems like only yesterday we were all eagerly awaiting the beginning of a new decade, and wondering what fabulous things might be coming our way. Well you don't need me to tell you that for many of us, the things we hoped for didn't quite go to plan! It has been an extraordinarily bad, mad year - and one that we hope we shall never see the likes of again. It wasn't just Covid, a lot of people had more than their share of hard luck in lots of other ways. It's just been one of those weird years where nothing seems to go right. When in say fifty or sixty years time, and people look back at this year, they'll see 2020 as being the year where people felt as though they were living in a zombie apocalypse movie; toilet roll was more valuable than gold; supermarket sweep became a reality rather than a TV show; we had to stand outside our grandparents' living room window to talk to them; we had to stand outside the supermarket as though we were waiting to get into a nightclub; Zoom became a key connection to the outside world and not just the name of an ice-lolly; masks were not just for surgeons; there was a pasta famine; it was more likely to spot a UFO than hand sanitizer on a supermarket shelf; 'quarantine,' 'self-isolation,' and 'pandemic' were buzzwords; it took a pandemic for us to show the NHS our appreciation; everything from schools to offices to places of worship were closed; sporting and music events ground to a halt, and as for going on holiday - forget it! 'Home' was very much the order of the day as we were told to stay at home; most of us realized we needed a home office; our kids had to be home-schooled, and we desperately needed companies to make home deliveries. Let's not forget the whole world went banana bread crazy! And in a year that saw more death than we ever thought possible, 2020 started to resemble 2016 when a host of well-loved famous faces sadly passed away. But let's not forget that in the midst of uncertainty and despair, there was some good to come out of a year that saw much hardship and suffering caused primarily by the coronavirus. People started to reevaluate their lives, take a good look at their relationships with family and friends and decide what really mattered. People volunteered their time as best they could to help others. We used the time we were at home to rest, learn something new, exercise more or take up a hobby. We grew to appreciate the people in our lives more. We looked out for people who were vulnerable or alone, whether we knew them or not. Medical staff, supermarket staff, delivery drivers and a whole host of frontline workers became the heroes of the hour and rightly so, rather than the latest attention-seeking 'celebrity' who was famous solely for being famous. And I for one, hope that that will continue. 2020 was a year in which we saw the best and worst in humanity. It's still uncertain what next year will bring. But I'm trying to remain optimistic and hope that next year will bring much better things our way. I know that the normal we once knew may never return and whether that's a good or bad thing - who knows! But I'm keeping everything crossed that things will improve immensely for all of us. Come on, 2021 - show 2020 how it should have been done! Happy new year, everyone. Wishing you all a happier, healthier, and more peaceful 2021 xx Photos: Wix Blog graphics: Angel Noire

If ever there was a day that was better than Thanksgiving and Christmas combined, National Retro Day would come pretty damn close, we think! Nostalgia addicts are coming together to celebrate one of the biggest days in the nostalgiac calendar - National Retro Day! It's a day when we let the wave of nostalgia wash over us; reminisce over our childhoods and teen years; remember the simplicity of the past, and try to get through the day with as few distractions from modern day life as possible! Although National Retro Day is celebrated in America, there's no reason why nostalgia addicts all over the world shouldn't participate in this fabulous event. So let's take a look at what this day is all about and how to observe it. WHAT IS NATIONAL RETRO DAY? It's a day in which we celebrate our love for all things retro and let our nostalgiac flag fly - with the emphasis on embracing simpler times and avoiding the distractions of modern day life. It's a day to forget about likes, followers and hashtags; it's a day to ignore who's saying what on social media, and it's a day to switch the devices off and party like it's 1999! WHEN IS IT? 27th February - which is also the day of: The first Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans (1827) The godfathers of psychology Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud meeting for the first time in Vienna (1907) Birth of Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor (1932) Female suffrage granted in Egypt (1956) Birth of TLC's Rozonda Thomas aka Chilli (1971) Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder recording Ebony and Ivory (1981) Angel Noire getting engaged! HOW DID IT ALL START? National Retro Day is the brainchild of Hermelinda A. Aguilar and her son and daughter-in-law Robert and Tina Duran (yep, we're thinking it too - great name!) Together they founded National Retro Day which has been observed since 2018 - making this year's NRD the fourth to ever take place - when the folks at National Day Calendar declared that National Retro Day was to be held on February 27 every year. WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF NATIONAL RETRO DAY? Do you remember when that little rectangular device in our pockets was for making and receiving calls only? Do you remember even further back when leaving the house with a phone seemed like the impossible dream??? Well today we can't live without our mobile phones which seem to perform a million and one functions! In fact we can't seem to live without any kind of technological gadget, and if Wi-Fi is down even for five minutes - it almost feels as though someone has cut off our oxygen supply! There's no denying that there are huge advantages to living in an age of great technological advancements and where we can get everything at the click of a button and at our door the next day. But many of us are also well aware that there is a downside to being connected all the time. And one of the disadvantages is that ironically it has made us a little disconnected - from ourselves, from reality and from each other! We find ourselves at the beck and call of our gadgets; we buy into the seemingly perfect life of the latest social media darling, and despite having five thousand 'friends' on Facebook, loneliness has become a severe issue of pandemic-like proportions sweeping over the nation. So what's the point of National Retro Day, you ask? Well besides being a day to celebrate all things retro - both for those who want to relive a past decade they grew up in and for those who want to know what life looked like at a particular time - it's a chance to bask in the memories of the good ol' days, and fly the flag for nostalgiacs everywhere; it's a day to unplug and take it back to more simpler times before the internet, Wi-Fi, and social media started to take over our daily lives. Whenever we think back to highlights from our childhoods, we think about simple pleasures and quality time spent with the people we love. National Retro Day reminds us of how good it is to look back at these great times and remember to spend some time away from the demands of new technology and modern day living. It's a day to create some new retro-inspired memories, and live in the moment without a gadget in the palm of our hands! SO WHAT COUNTS AS RETRO? Good question! The definition of 'retro' will mean different things to different people but the emphasis is always on 'old school' 'back in the day,' and times gone by.' While we can all agree that retro basically constitutes, er, 'old,' it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what point in time is considered 'retro.' To some people, retro is all things 1950s. To others is 1980s. Some believe 'retro' denotes a time when comic books, pinball machines and superheroes ruled the world, while others would say it's before dial-up connection and floppy disks... before mobile phones... before Wi-Fi... before reality TV... Before Little Mix... Your guess is as good as theirs. But yes - retro still means old! But in a GREAT way!!! WHICH DECADES CAN WE CELEBRATE FOR NRD? The time considered to be 'retro' are the fifties right up to the nineties. But as we've said, there is no concrete definition as to what constitutes a 'retro period' so nostalgia fans can celebrate any retro time period they prefer. SO WHAT EXACTLY DO I HAVE TO DO FOR NATIONAL RETRO DAY? One of the prerequisites for National Retro Day is that you stay as unplugged as much as possible - or better still, you stay completely unplugged. Which means no endlessly scrolling through your phone, no constant social media use, no being glued to your laptop. The aim is to live as simply as possible - for one day! We're taking it back to the days of in-person, face-face-connection;* family meals eaten around the dining table and not in front of the telly; when kids spent time outside the house and explored more than just the web, and participated in activities that didn't require Wi-Fi. Do you get it now? National Retro Day is a day to do all things the old school way! There are many things you can do in order to celebrate retro-ness in all it's nostalgic glory. The creators of NRD encourage celebrants to participate in activities that fall into one of these four categories: wear it, play it, drive it, and show it. Nostalgia Pie decided to add a few more unofficial categories just because we wanted to: make it, attend it, consume it, read it, watch it, do it! Read on for celebratory ideas. WEAR IT Wear retro clothes relating to your chosen decade. Some classic retro clothes might include ra-ra skirts, drainpipes, bell bottoms, ripped jeans, 'Choose Life' T-shirts, leather jackets, platform shoes, shell suits, puffball dresses etc. Certain designers are synonymous with certain decades so you could always dress in Chanel, Mary Quant, Karl Kani, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ossie Clark etc. Think about classic retro hairstyles. Get your quiffs, pompadours, beehives and perms in order! Rock make-up that is associated with your chosen decade. Accessories often get overlooked, so don't forget those chokers, peace sign medallions, bandanas, and retro hair bobbles. Wear a watch. We know, right! Who even does that any more! PLAY IT Play those retro video game consoles - Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Atari 2600, Sega Saturn, etc. Play a classic board game such as Scrabble, Monopoly, Ludo, Risk, Axis and Allies etc. Listen to your collection of vinyls, cassette tapes, or compact discs. Pick a particular musical genre - rock 'n' roll, glam rock, disco, techno, hip-hop, punk - or a particular artist - Elvis, Diana Ross, Rolling Stones, David Bowie. Or you could just listen to a big retro selection! Play music on a non-internet jukebox. If you're the proud owner of a vintage instrument - play it! DRIVE IT If you have a classic vehicle, be sure to get it out on the road. SHOW IT OFF If you collect any kind of vintage memorabilia, now's your chance to show them off: Milk bottles, vintage magazines, sports cards, movie posters, action figures... This'll be your opportunity, if you're a pop fan, to display all the merch you've collected over the years. If you're into retro styling, showcase the hair and make up skills you've learned with the help of your trusty polaroid! Rock retro-style clothes that you've sewn/crocheted/knitted yourself Those of you who have styled your home in retro fashion may want to take this opportunity to highlight your interior design skills MAKE IT Indulge in crafts that were popular back in the day - macramé, tie-dying, paper marbling, model aeroplanes etc. Cook or bake something from a vintage cookbook Sew/knit/crochet a retro-inspired item of clothing Create old-school soft furnishings for your home ATTEND IT See a movie at a drive-in theater. Have a date at an old-school fifties style diner Go to an arcade. Head to a roller rink. Roller disco anyone! Go to an eighties event CONSUME IT Have dinner around a table with your family or friends. Eat at the oldest restaurant/café/diner in your neighbourhood Grab dinner at a drive-in restaurant. Scoff a pack of those sweets and chocolates you couldn't get enough of as a kid. Create a three course meal based on dishes that were popular at your chosen time. READ IT Read a print newspaper or magazine. Read a book - not an eBook! Choose a well known retro novel - Valley of the Dolls; The Handmaid's Tale, Midnight's Children, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit Read something by an author who was popular during a particular period - Harold Robbins, Jackie Collins, Barbara Taylor Bradford Reread a book from a series you were addicted to as a teen - Sweet Valley High, Nancy Drew, Babysitters Club WATCH IT Stick on a VHS tape/DVD and watch a retro film: Rebel Without a Cause; Psycho; The Graduate, Diamonds Are Forever; The Shining; Jaws; The Omen; Star Wars, The Godfather; Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, E.T. The Terminator; Sister Act; Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump... take your pick! Watch an old television show: Dallas, Dynasty; Friends; Happy Days; Hill Street Blues; St. Elsewhere; Cold Feet; Starsky and Hutch Dukes of Hazard... Check out documentaries about past decades Watch a TV show or film that absolutely screams a particular decade: Valley of the Dolls (1960s) Abigail's Party (1970s) Wall Street (1980s) Watch a type of TV format that was once super popular but now... not so much (damn you, reality TV!) - quiz shows; comedy sketch shows; candid camera type shows, TV anthology series etc. DO IT! Call someone on a landline telephone - rotary, cordless, or push button. It's all good! Send someone a handwritten letter Go outside and play some sports Go for a bike ride Don those rollerblades and go for a skate along the beach/in the park Use a clock, an actual clock, for the time. And not your phone If you have trouble adding up digits, use a calculator. And actual calculator. Not your phone Use a non-digital camera to take pics Pretend it's 1985 and use a notebook and pen! This may seem to be a bit of a contradiction considering that we're all supposed to be offline, but one of the official suggestions for National Retro Day is to share what fantastical retro magic you're getting up to on social media, using the hashtag #NationalRetroDay. But there's no reason why you can't post something the night before of what you plan to do. Or you could take pics on the day and post them the next morning. That sounds fair enough and we're sure you won't get carted away by the retro police! The important thing is that you enjoy this day and have fun - lots of it. *At the time of writing this post, we are well aware that the world is still in the midst of the pandemic which will inevitably limit the kind of activities you can do this year depending on the rules of where you live. Remember there's always next year when hopefully life will return to some kind of normal! Happy Retro Day!!! Enjoy! Photos: Pixabay Blog graphics: Angel Noire

Some of us are crying out for a hot weather snack - especially those over in Britain who are currently battling a record-breaking heatwave. So we have just the thing for you - yogurt bark! Relatively healthy; mega cooling; super delicious and very easy to make! Yogurt bark is one of those relatively new desserts that the Pinterest community have gone mad for in more recent years: Sheets of frozen yogurt topped with things like chocolate, fruit, cookie pieces... whatever you fancy really! THE HISTORY OF YOGURT BARK As with a lot of food items, it's not easy to pinpoint the exact moment of creation when yogurt bark came to be. But we do know that yogurt bark's older cousin, frozen yogurt, was first created in New England in the 1970s by an entrepreneur named H.P.Hood. This healthier alternative to ice-cream was known as 'frogurt', and initially it wasn't hugely successful as there were limited flavours and a tartness to the product that many consumers didn't really take to. But it was a good attempt at a product that was very similar to ice cream and a good introduction to the frozen yogurt products that would go on to take the world by storm. But it was throughout the 1980s that frozen yogurt continued to grow in terms of popularity and success, with the first frozen yogurt shop opening up in 1981 by ice cream company TCBY in Little Rock, Arkansas. By 1984 there were more than one hundred branches of this frozen yogurt chain around America. It was throughout this decade that manufacturers of frozen yogurt began to experiment with different flavours and textures so that it went on to resemble the soft-serve frozen yogurt that we know today. So for the first in our new Nostalgia Tastes Like This... feature, we're looking at yogurt bark, a descendent of soft-serve frozen yogurt that we're willing to bet is even easier to make and every bit as delicious. And for that nostalgic twist, and a bit of old meets new, we're basing our bark recipes on the flavours of various yummy retro desserts that we all know and love. And just in case you're interested, National Frozen Yogurt Day falls on February 6th. A bit of an odd day to be devouring bucketloads of frozen yogurt but whatever floats your yogurt pot we guess. National Frozen Yogurt Month is in June. Now that's more like it! THE BASIC RECIPE 2 cups yogurt 3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk 1 tbsp. honey EQUIPMENT 1-2 large mixing bowl depending on recipe 1-2 wooden spoons depending on recipe 1-2 saucepans depending on recipe 1 baking tin 8"x13" parchment paper around 10"x15" COOK'S TIPS: You can use any type of yogurt you like including dairy-free. But we recommend using whole or full-fat Greek yogurt which gives the creamiest taste and texture. The less fat there is in your yogurt, the icier the texture will be. The more fat there is in your yogurt will result in a softer-textured bark. The flavour of the yogurt is up to you. You can opt for plain and unsweetened, or a flavoured, sweetened yogurt - just make sure the flavours you choose will work with the given recipe. If you're using a low-fat or fat free yogurt and you want to boost up the creamy factor a bit, based on the basic recipe in this post, here are some things you can add: 2-3 finely mashed bananas (you will definitely get that banana taste so make sure your recipe works with this flavour!) 1 cup of chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of heavy/double cream 1 cup of double/heavy cream An extra half cup of condensed milk If you add two or more of the above it'll really increase those levels of creamy fantasticness! Depending on which yogurt bark you choose to make, add the following ingredients to the basic recipe. 1. BLACK FOREST GATEAU INGREDIENTS: 2 1/4cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 tbsp. heavy/double cream 1/4 white chocolate chips 2 1/2 cups pitted cherries (fresh, frozen or tinned) 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1/2 cup white granulated sugar 2 tbsp. kirsch METHOD: Place 2 cups of the cherries in a pan with the sugar and 1 tbsp. kirsch over a medium heat. Simmer until cherries reduce to an almost jam-like consistency. Remove from the heat and add the remaining kirsch. Set aside to cool. While cherry mixture is cooling, mix together all the ingredients in the basic recipe. Melt 2 cups of the semi sweet chocolate chips with the cream. When cool enough, gradually stir chocolate a little at a time into the yogurt mixture. Line baking tin with parchment paper. Pour in yogurt mixture. Swirl in the cherry mixture, creating a ripple effect. Freeze until set firm. This usually takes around two hours. When frozen, turn out onto a board, peel off parchment paper, and cut into any shape and size, you like. 2. PEACH MELBA INGREDIENTS: 2 1/2 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen 4 peaches, skin removed, pitted and sliced OR 2 tins peaches, sliced or chopped 1 vanilla pod 2 tbspn. lemon juice 1 Strip lemon peel 1 cup white granulated sugar METHOD: In one saucepan, place half the peaches with half a cup of sugar and one tablespoon lemon juice and the vanilla pod. In another place half the raspberries and half a cup of sugar. Place over a medium heat and wait until mixture reduced to an almost jam-like consistency. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Be sure to remove the vanilla pod and lemon peel from the peaches. Mix together all ingredients for the basic recipe. Line baking tin with parchment paper. Pour in yogurt mixture. Swirl in one of the cooled fruit mixtures creating a rippled effect. Do the same with the other fruit mixture. Top with remaining peaches and raspberries. Freeze until set firm. When frozen, turn out onto a board, peel off parchment paper, and cut into any shape and size, you like! 3. BANANA SPLIT 4 bananas, 3 tsp. lemon juice 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 tsp. honey 2tsp. powdered sugar 1 cup maraschino or fresh red cherries, pitted and halved 2 tbsp. strawberry sauce 2 tbsp. chocolate sauce 1/2 cup strawberry slices 1/2 milk chocolate chips 1/4 flaked almonds METHOD: In a bowl, mash together two of the bananas with one teaspoon of the lemon juice, honey and vanilla extract. Set aside. Slice the remaining bananas and toss with the remaining lemon juice and powdered sugar. Add the basic recipe ingredients to the mashed bananas and combine well. Line tin with parchment paper and then place half the yogurt mixture into the tin so that it covers the base of the tin. Now place sliced bananas and half the amount of cherries. Top with remaining yogurt mix. Swirl in the sauces to create a rippled effect. Top with strawberries, chocolate chips, cherries and almonds. Freeze until set. Cut into and shape and size you like. 4. LEMON MERINGUE PIE INGREDIENTS: 1 small lemon, zest and juice 1 tbspn. honey 5 tbspn. lemon curd 100g meringues, crushed 50g marshmallows 50g biscuit (cookie) pieces i.e. - digestives, Graham crackers etc. 25g candied lemon peel METHOD: Mix together the basic ingredients. Add the extra honey and the lemon, adding the lemon juice a little at a time. If you want to add crushed meringues to the yogurt mix. Add 50g of meringue to the mix. If you need the lemon curd to be a little more runny, heat it up ever so slightly so that it's the right consistency for swirling into the yogurt but not warm. Line tin with parchment paper Place yogurt mixture in tin and even out. Swirl in lemon curd. Top with remaining meringue, biscuit/cookie pieces and marshmallows Freeze until set. When frozen, turn out onto a board, peel off parchment paper, and cut into any shape and size, you like! 5. S'MORES ROCKY ROAD 2 cups Greek yogurt 1-2 tbsps. honey 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips, melted 1 tbsp. heavy/double cream 1 cup butterscotch chips 1 cup pretzels, broken up 1/2 cup flaked/chopped almonds 1 cup white chocolate chips 1 cup broken up Graham crackers 1 cup mini marshmallows 1 cup dried cherries METHOD: Melt 2 cups of the semi sweet chocolate chips with the cream. Set aside to cool. When cool enough, gradually stir chocolate a little at a time into the yogurt mixture. Mix together ingredients for the basic recipe in a separate bowl. Gradually add the cooled melted chocolate and combine well. Line baking tin with parchment paper. Pour in yogurt mixture. Top with assorted toppings: Graham crackers, nuts, chocolate chips, etc. Freeze until set firm. When frozen, turn out onto a board, peel off parchment paper, and cut into any shape and size, you like! Enjoy! Let us know what you think if try out any of these recipes. And to our friends over in the UK, keep cool but above all stay safe, and look out for anyone who is likely to suffer problems due to the heatwave. Photos: Angel Noire Blog Graphics: Angel Noire

Name: Jay Mackie Age: 46 From: Cardiff Lives: Cardiff Occupation: Freelance composer/instrumental music teacher Favourite Pastime: Collecting and reading magazines Us creative types remember only too well when upon being asked what we wanted to be when we grew up, we excitedly shared our dreams of seeing our name up in lights at the West End; becoming the next Picasso, starting a girl group that would go on to be bigger than the Spice Girls, or launching our new collection at Paris Fashion Week, and we were very encouragingly told by our parents to... get a proper job! Well meet Jay Mackie. Not only did he follow his dreams of pursuing a career in music but he proved that it is very much a real job (not that he was ever told that it wasn't!) Angel's brother-from-another-mother Jay is a composer and music teacher, who not only studied at the prestigious Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (where Angel would have killed to have gone to!) but he also went on to work there. He has a career in music composition that spans more than twenty five years which is hard to believe as he still only looks about twenty five! We'll have whatever he's having! Welsh born and raised, Jay still resides in his beloved Cardiff with his lovely family, and when he's not composing his musical masterpieces, he's an avid vintage magazine collector; a lover of old-school telly; an eighties enthusiast, and is addicted to retro fashion. As with music, vintage was made for Jay the same way eyeliner was made for Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes - a band of whom Jay is a big fan. We caught up with Jay to find out more about his career in music; what's influenced and inspired him over the years... and why he played Give Us A Clue during PE! A big, fat welcome to you, my lovely! Help yourself to a slice of pie and something to wash it down with. What are you having? I’m already with a slice of my favourite pie (Cherry Bakewell) and a large mug of Earl Grey Tea Excellent choice! I'm partial to a cherry Bakewell myself. Let's take this way back when! What do you define as 'your era' and why? Well my favourite era is the 1980s which was during my childhood and teenage years from 5-15 years. My happiest memories was of primary school and my large family. I have a lot of cousins (30 odd!) as my father was one of 11 - large Catholic family! So we were very close as a family and I spent a lot of time playing with my cousins. I also have lovely memories of family holidays during this decade. So I’d say this is ‘my’ era. Gotta love the eighties! You’re a composer. Tell us a little bit about your work. I started composing when I was 15 as it was a component of my GCSE music course. On spec, I sent some early pieces to a music publisher which was accepted for publication when I was 16, just after I’d begun my A-levels in Music, French and Spanish at sixth form college. I knew then that I wanted to go far with composing as it was getting more serious and taking up all my time. I was hooked on it and just wanted to be a professional composer. The idea of creating music then hearing it played was just so thrilling to me and an unusual career. After A-levels I worked for four years to gain some experience in the ‘real’ world and obviously to earn my own money. During this time I also paid for private composition lessons at music college as I’d decided by now to study composition as the main subject of a music degree. I started my degree in 1997 and graduated in 2000. I went back for more as I did a Masters in composition from 2002-2004. Composing is a funny thing as only a tiny percentage of composers actually do it as a full-time job. The rest combine it with a main teaching or lecturing job or work as a professional musician. Some just do a totally different job and compose as a hobby. For me it took years to realise I wasn’t going to be a full-time salaried composer so over the years I’ve done various main jobs. These include retail in my younger days and following that I trained as a primary school teaching assistant. I did this for 15 years off and on and after that I worked as an instrumental music teacher in piano and woodwind and a classroom primary music teacher. After that I moved to Nottingham and resumed teaching assistance. During all my full-time jobs, I’ve always composed and still had things published and performed. So I guess it’s always been a part-time job in a way. You’re also a music teacher. What do you remember about your music lessons when you were at school and how awesome were your music teachers? I started piano lessons when I was 8 years old as my uncle had lessons and I used to love messing around on his piano. My teacher was 83 at the time but he was too strict and I didn’t take to it as I hated practising! So I quit but always knew I’d go back to it later as it felt like I was a bit young to appreciate it. My real musical epiphany didn’t come until I was 13 and at high school. A very inspiring new music teacher called Liz York started and I just wanted to be involved in all the great things she was offering as she turned the musical life of the school around. I could already play recorder and a bit of piano and I started guitar lessons after school, sang in the school choir and began flute when I was 14. A year later I felt more mature and experienced enough to resume piano lessons with the same teacher - who was 90 by now! But with my extra experience and musical knowledge I took to piano better second time round. I had a lovely flute teacher at school called Trish Jones who I idolized. She and Liz encouraged me no end as in my last year of high school I was already grade 6 standard. After GCSEs I won a scholarship for free flute lessons for 2 years at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. I did these flute lessons weekly and had passed my grade 8 flute by the time I was about to sit my A-levels in the summer of 1993. During this time I was also playing in a small jazz ensemble full of other high school and sixth form students. This was really cool and about a year previously, I’d acquired another instrument - the clarinet - which I’d taught myself to play and was a useful addition to the flute in the jazz ensemble. Aside from flute and clarinet, are there any other instruments that you can play? I play piano and flute (my main instruments) but I also have grade 6 recorder, and I can play the clarinet and saxophone too. Man of many talents - and instruments! Who are your musical influences? My popular musical influences haven’t really influenced the music I write but I’ve always loved these artists and followed their careers: Gloria Estefan, U2, All About Eve, Matt Bianco, Basia, Pink Martini. I have really eclectic tastes in music encompassing classical and jazz but I also love old school popular music by legends such as Elton John, Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac and many others. You’re a fan of TV shows from the seventies and eighties. What’s your favourite TV score? This is a hard one. I used to love the very jolly old theme tune to the iconic ITV holiday show, Wish You Were Here…? but I’ve always liked film scores. Anything by John Williams so any film score to classic 80s films by him such as E.T. Indiana Jones films etc. Is there a theme for a film that you wish you’d composed? Wish I’d have been good enough at music technology as I might have become a successful film composer then! So yes, I wish I’d composed a John Williams’ film score to make my Hollywood name and fortune!! Who in the world of music would you most like to work with? I’d love to have collaborated on a film score with John Williams - obviously! What influences from your childhood and teen years steered you towards the path of a career in music? My biggest influences were my high school music teacher Liz York and my high school flute teacher, Trish Jones. I owe all my subsequent musical experiences and successes to them! This or That 1980s or 1990s? 1980s for the memories and fashion Chocolate chip or vanilla bean? Chocolate chip definitely - mint chocolate chip is my favourite ice cream! Grunge or Techno? Do I have to choose between grunge and techno? Well, neither is my bag but I’m not a fan of clubby dance music so I’ll go grunge! Neighbours or Home and Away? Always followed Neighbours much more than Home & Away. Top of the Pops or The Chart Show? TOTP no contest! That’s what kept me up-to-date with the week’s new releases. I lived for 7.30 on a Thursday night! It’s a shame it was stopped, as now, I haven’t a clue what’s in the charts any more. And I could be missing some great new artists. (Agree a hundred per cent! - Angel) LA Gear or British Knights? I was never a ‘must-have-those-cool-new-trainers- kind of kid, or adult really! But if I made a choice based on how they look I’d go for British Knights. West Side Story or Grease? Two iconic musicals - what a choice!! It’d have to be West Side Story, mainly for the music. Leonard Bernstein wrote some of the finest musical songs in WSS. Still sound awesome today. Loungewear or Sportswear? Never been sporty really so sportswear has been always been largely absent from my wardrobe - but loungewear rocks. I have many pairs of fleecy loungewear trousers. I live in them - well during lockdown staying in was the new going out, wasn’t it? Even before that for me actually..! Take That or Bad Boys Inc? Bad Boys Inc! I Had a major crush on David Ross for ages and you’d have found him adorning my bedroom walls c. 1994. I only actually recently found out he is gay and lives in Los Angeles. Yes!!!! P.E. or Double Science? Oh god - horrible memories of high school. Wasn’t a fan of this period in my life - except for the music but I hated everything else. I’m lucky as I was medically excused from PE and Games due to me being born blind in my right eye, so during this time I’d have a laugh with my friends who used to take it in turns to bunk off and keep me company. It’d usually involve us finding an empty classroom and trying to avoid getting rumbled by a wandering teacher. I think we used to play Give Us A Clue and muck around with those silly stories you’d all take it in turns to write a line, fold it over then pass it on so you’d end up with a very silly and often hilarious story! Hated all sciences at school and was rubbish at them. I used to zone out, chat and muck about with friends and generally have a good laugh! And Finally… What do you think of sea shanties? (that one's from The Fella!) Sea shanties?! Well…I heard recently a guy has tried to make them popular again?? Nathan Evans that’s him. Apparently he loves them and he’s gone viral singing them on TikTok! They were essential during long sea voyages to maintain morale amongst the sailors and rowers below. I think shanties were the equivalent of the black workers in Africa singing blues songs whilst working on the plantations. Just one musical style was at sea and the other on land. I bet if I delved into it sea shanties have an interesting history…I wonder if anyone has written any contemporary ones? (Um, maybe you could??? - Angel!) If you enjoyed our post with Jay and you'd like to collaborate with him on a project; hire him as a music teacher; ask him more about a career in music composition, or just say hi (he's super friendly!) You can connect with Jay at any of the following: www.jaysonmackie.com Instagram - @greenjourney94 Facebook - @JayMackieMusic Jay - it's been a pleasure. Cheers mate! xx Photos: Courtesy of Jay Mackie, Pixabay and Wix Word Cloud: Angel Noire

Everyone knows that nostalgia is very heartwarming. And no one knows that more - apart from us of course - than those lovely people at Neighbours. Over the last few years, they've brought back a number of past characters who have had us going "Oh I remember them!" - not to mention references to characters and storylines of yesterday. And as the soap is due to end very soon, not only have they been amping up the nostalgia which has been a real treat for viewers, but there seems to be a crossover between fiction and reality which has led to a series of references that die-hard fans will get straight away. A recent one that had us guffawing here at Nostalgia Pie was Harold Bishop's very powerful and bemused "Who?" when he heard that former resident Lisa Elliot had contributed to his Ramsay Street history book. True, Lisa and Harold never crossed paths due to having lived on the street at different times. But the joke was that while there are many memorable and iconic characters who have called Ramsay Street home at one time or another and have lived on in the hearts of fans long after they've left, there are also a lot of characters just like Lisa who are unfortunately long-forgotten and when mentioned have everyone scratching their heads and asking... 'Who?' And what made us laugh out loud was that Nostalgia Pie was actually planning a post about forgotten Neighbours' characters and Lisa Elliot was going to be one of them. Hold on - maybe she's not that forgettable after all! And those very witty Neighbours' writers have from time to time very cleverly written in-jokes and special references which sharp eyed and eared viewers will spot straight away, and will understand the special historical and nostalgic significance to the show. We take a look at these little in-jokes and references that had us reminiscing, some of which started even before we knew that the end was nigh... 1. Karl and Susan's 25th Anniversary (2019) When Neighbours introduced the Kennedy family back in 1994, nobody thought, during a time when most characters remained in the show for two or three years on average, that two of them would still be on the show just as Neighbours was drawing to a close... Three years ago, viewers saw the show commemorate twenty five years since Karl (Alan Fletcher) and Susan (Jackie Woodbourne) first appeared on Neighbours with a very touching scene in which Karl presented Susan with a piece of jewellery. Dr. Karl, known for his cheapskate ways, gave his wife a beautiful locket which she was dismayed to find was already engraved with 'Happy 25th Anniversary.' As fans watched this scene, we already twigged what this was in reference to... "Oh well, it's got to be twenty five years of something" mused Karl in the very cleverly written scene, and as the two characters shared a knowing smile, viewers knew it wasn't Karl and Susan they were watching... but Alan and Jackie! We wondered if both characters would be on the show for another twenty five years but alas it was not to be... 2. Ned Willis Feeling Torn (2020) Paige Smith was finally going to realize her dream of becoming Mrs. Mark Brennan but just hours before the wedding, her stepmother Therese handed her a list of songs, reminding her that she and Mark still hadn't picked a song for their first dance. As Paige reeled of a list of names including Ty Harper and Nina Tucker, viewers would have remembered that these were former Ramsay Street residents who were there long before the second generation of Willises moved to Erinsborough. But it was Paige's brother, Ned, whose song suggestion really made fans chuckle: "How about Torn? My mum used to sing it all the time!" Ned's mum was Beth Brennan - his dad Brad's first wife. And she of course was played by the legendary Natalie Imbruglia who smashed onto the pop scene with her debut hit Torn shortly after leaving Neighbours. However Paige wasn't very impressed by Ned's suggestion. "It's not exactly romantic," she said. Perhaps someone should have thought of Especially For You... 3. Don't it make you feel good (2021) Toadie's fundaraising lipsync battle was remembered for all the wrong reasons - Dipi and Amy's massive catfight fight! But long time Neighbours' fans and eighties' pop aficionados will remember it more for Toadie and Dr. Karl's lip sync battle where they were really giving it all they had while performing a very familiar number... It was Don't It Make You Feel Good, the first pop hit for Stefan Dennis who plays Paul Robinson. And while Paul sat there watching the performance he was mulling over the catchy song that he hadn't heard for a while and was trying to think of who had originally sung it. A very amusing moment for Neighbours' fans! 4. Lucy Robinson's 'Makeover' (2022) At a time when we're all feeling the love and the nostalgia, Harold Bishop's history book which has been written in by pretty much anyone who's ever in the street, has never been so significant. And while the Ramsay Street neighbours have enjoyed reminiscing about the um, Neighbours, past and present, it's also stirred up a lot of memories for long-time viewers too. Who chuckled at Glen Donnelly's observation that his sister Lucy had had quite a transformation? "Wow, Lucy really likes a makeover, doesn't she!" exclaimed Glen as he flicked through Harold's book of memories. "She looks like three different people!" For those of you who didn't get the joke, you clearly haven't been watching since the show first started. The role of Lucy Robinson has indeed been played by three different actresses, starting with Kylie Flinker when Neighbours first started, before Sasha Close took over to play the teenage Lucy. Close then passed the baton on to Melissa Bell in the early nineties who has played Lucy on and off ever since and has currently stepped back into Lucy high heels once again though sadly for the last time. 5. The Rodwell Family: An Official part of Ramsay Street History (2022) This one is more a poignant reminder rather than an in-joke. As Wendy Rodwell signed Harold's history, she proudly announced that the Rodwell family now officially had their place in Ramsay Street history. That comment is very significant for the simple fact that a lot of fans feel that the Rodwells have been short-changed, coming into the show just as the axe fell on it. We will never get to see the Rodwells grow and develop and see which direction the family will go in. We can only wonder at the storylines that might have been. They've only been on the show for a short time but already they haven't disappointed especially with Sadie Rodwell's gradual transformation from fire-starting bad girl to a sweet girl with a good heart. But the Rodwell family - and the actors who play them - are very much a part of Neighbours' history and will be remembered as the last ever family to move into the street and take residence at number 26, the home that was the residence of the iconic Robinson, Scully and Canning families. It's also highly poignant that it's the Rodwells who are responsible for a new history book being created after they accidentally ruined the old one, which marks the end of the old history and the beginning of a new chapter... though unfortunately it's one that viewers will never get to see. Photos: YouTube Blog graphics: Angel Noire

In 1946, a French teenager stood in front of the world's press in Paris, wearing a bathing suit that looked more like... underwear! Although she might have known that this was indeed a newsworthy event, she probably didn't know just how a big a deal this tiny garment was going to become... When we're off on our hols, one of the items that's almost guaranteed to be in our suitcase, is a bikini. Unless of course you're going to a ski resort. Or you're a fella! But yes, beach holidays, more often than not, equal bikini. So it's astounding to think that there was a time when our favourite style of beachwear didn't exist. In actual fact the bikini is only seventy five years young and celebrated this milestone birthday this month. Since it's launch, there has never been an item of clothing (OK two items of clothing) that has been quite so controversial. Apart from the shellsuit, that is! It's believed that bikini-style clothing had existed for thousands of years. For instance, women during the Roman era used to wear bikini-style garments during competitive sporting events. However this wasn't necessarily beachwear and certainly not the bikini as we know it today. So while a similar style of clothing has existed throughout the ages, the two-piece bathing suit that we now refer to as the 'bikini' has only been around since 1946. No one bats an eyelid at a woman in a bikini nowadays (unless she's travelling on the Tube!) so it’s hard to believe that there was once a time when people found this bathing suit shocking. Even the fashion models who were approached to wear it for the launch refused to do so, fearing the scandal that might ensue. Thank goodness times have changed! We take a look at the swimwear that was no overnight sensation but has now become a holiday fashion staple. So the bikini recently turned seventy five? Yes it did. The bikini was launched on 5th July 1946. Bikini? It sounds very Italian. Was it created in Italy? Funnily enough, no! The bikini actually has origins in that other great fashion capital of the world - Paris! So the bikini is as as French as a Citroën. Where did the bikini get it's name from then? The bikini was named after the Pacific Ocean coral reef in the Marshall Islands -Bikini Atoll - where nuclear tests were carried out after the Second World War. In fact the first test was conducted just four days before the launch of the bikini. So before the bikini came along what did women wear to the beach? Well before the creation of the modern-day bikini, modesty and decency were always key with regards to swimwear. In the 1900s, for instance, beachwear typically consisted of long bloomers and a tunic-style top - which meant that the wearer was very covered up. Not exactly fun beach attire, is it? And not the easiest thing to swim in either. Fast forward to the 1930s, and swimsuits were starting to resemble what we know and wear today. Swimsuits had lower backs, thinner straps, and were cut to show off more leg. And while two-piece bathing suits were becoming popular and showed off some of the midriff, the bottom part was high-waisted and came well over the belly button. Complete with a brassiere style top, the overall look was fairly structured - but definitely more comfortable than the beachwear of previous decades. There is of course another reason for why swimwear was decreasing in size and that was due to fabric shortages during the war. So designers and manufacturers had to cut back on material wherever they could - but they still wanted to preserve that sense of modesty. But it wasn't until the forties that things took a very dramatic turn which would change the course of swimwear forever - meaning that a return to bloomers and tunics was not likely. And thank goodness for that! Who do we have to thank for creating the bikini? That honour goes to French engineer-turned lingerie business owner-turned costume designer, Louis Reard. What inspired him to design the bikini? Two things really. One of them is Jacques Heim - and we'll come on to him in a moment - and the other being a trip to St. Tropez, where Reard noticed that a lot of the sun worshippers on the beach were having to roll up the hems of their swimsuits in order to avoid those dreaded visible tan lines. So Louis Reard is the first person ever to create the bikini. Who's Jacques Heim then? Jacques Heim was a successful French fashion and costume designer, and owner of a chain of sportswear boutiques who is often regarded as the 'co-creator' of the bikini even though he did not work on the design with Reard and neither did he come up with the name. Instead he set the wheels in motion in creating the design that became the inspiration for the modern day bikini - the atome. In the early 1930s, Heim brought out a range of swimwear aimed at young women, and one of these were two piece sets which consisted of a ruffled bra top and shorts-style bloomers. The overall look of the atome was very pretty and feminine. But perhaps because it closely resembled lingerie, many women were reluctant to publicly wear something so risque and opted for the more conservative styles of beachwear. But then in 1946, Heim decided to revamp the atome. Despite women's concerns about wearing something so skimpy out in public, Heim decided that going small was the only way to go and advertised the new look atome as 'The world's smallest bathing suit.' It was launched in May 1946 - just two months before the launch of Reard's bikini. Atome... Bikini... I see a bit of a nuclear theme going on here... True. It would seem as though both creators were anticipating a very explosive reaction from the launch of such risque beachwear. Heim even declared that he was calling his swimwear set the atome because it was small and devastating - just like a nuclear atom. Not sure that the poor inhabitants of the Marshall Islands where nuclear testing was being carried out, wanted reminding of that. Then Reard decided to have a go? Yes. Hot on the heels of the launch of the atome, Reard decided to come to come up with a design that was even smaller than Heim's. Reard's was a string bikini that consisted of four small triangle. And knowing that this bathing suit was going to make headlines, Reard cleverly went for a newspaper print fabric. Tell us about the bikini's launch The bikini was modelled in front of the press at the Piscine Molitor, a well-known public pool in Paris. Whereas Heim had skywriters advertise the atome as 'the world’s smallest bathing suit,' Reard also hired skywriters to do something similar - except he promoted the bikini as "smaller than the smallest bathing suit in the world." So what was the difference between the atom and the bikini? They're both two-piece bathing suits but the bikini is a lot smaller and the midriff section is a lot more exposed with the wearer's naval on display - something the atome never did. Furthermore the bottoms of Reard's bikini design were thong style which no doubt caused a major stir. Who was the young lady who modelled the bikini on launch day? That would be Micheline Bernardini. Reard had been looking for a fashion model to wear the bikini but all the professional models he approached were reluctant to do so (probably wish they had now!) So thinking outside the box, he approached nineteen year old striptease artist Bernardini from the Casino de Paris to model the two-piece... and the rest is history! Why is she holding a tiny box in the photo? Bernardini held a box - a little bigger than a ring box - as she modelled the bikini because the entire two piece could fit neatly into it! Further proof to Heim and the rest of the world, that Reard had indeed created the world's smallest bathing suit. He is also believed to have declared that a bikini is only a real bikini if "it could be pulled through a wedding ring." So did fame and fortune beckon for the Micheline Bernardini? Bernardini has gone down in history as the first woman to do a photoshoot in a bikini. After the launch, a much photographed Bernardini received more than fifty thousand letters from fans. She later moved to Australia and then America, where she had worked as an actress. Although she has lived most of her life out of the spotlight, Bernardini did don the bikini again forty years after that launch to pose for more photos. She also appeared in an episode of TV documentary series Love Lust, entitled The Bikini in 2011. Having married an American soldier, Bernardini is now in her nineties and is believed to be living in the United States. Was the bikini an instant success? It was an instant talking point! But sales weren't exactly sky-rocketing at that point. You have to remember that this was the 1940s and many women were used to a more modest style of dress. Even countries such as Italy and Spain had banned people from wearing them in public. But the bikini was slowly finding it's way around the world. And when celebrities and glamour icons such as Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot and Raquel Welch started wearing them - both on and off-set - the general public decided to give them a go too. Though it's believed that it's Ursula Andress's 1962 role in Dr. No as Honey Ryder where sales of bikinis are said to have soared. What were some of the controversies regarding the bikini? Boy, where do we start! Reard knew that there would be a certain degree of shock factor involved when he designed the controversial two-piece. By the time the bikini was launched, women were no longer covered up on the beach the way they were in the Victorian or Edwardian times. But a bathing suit that showed so much more flesh was bound to cause a stir. That said, Reard probably wasn't expecting the Vatican to condemn the bathing suit, or for various countries around the world to ban them from being worn in public. In 1951, the winner of The Miss World beauty contest was crowned while wearing a bikini. There was outrage and calls for the swimsuit round to be scrapped - something that has continued throughout the years as it is complained that such garments objectify women. But the bikini also brought some good stuff too, right? Oh of course! Aside from the fact that bikini sales have contributed to a global swimwear industry that is worth over $19 billion today, it's also significant in providing choice for women and giving them that sense of liberation. It boosted the careers of many actresses in the fifties and sixties actress careers with the swimsuit’s soaring popularity reinforced by its use in contemporary films such as Girl in the Bikini; Lolita; Bedazzled, and One Million Years B.C. Furthermore, in 1964, The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue debuted featuring a cover girl clad in a white bikini. And while there were many who took offence at the swimwear section of beauty contests, there were plenty more who disagreed with that view, deeming it old-fashioned and patronizing to women, and instead saw it as a celebration of female beauty and liberation. And that is one debate that will continue to rage on! Reard was right - his bikini design absolutely did create shock-waves around the world and was very much a headline-grabber. But the two-piece bathing suit turned out to be so much more than a flash in the pan phenomenon. Today, if you walk along the beaches of St. Tropez, California, Skegness... and beyond, you'll find ladies wearing the variations of the same skimpy two-piece outfit that caused such a stir... proving that the bikini really is here to stay. Here's to the next seventy five years... Check out our post for what we think are the five most iconic bikinis ever! Photos: As stated Word Cloud: Angel Noire

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom GENRE: Sitcom CHANNEL: BBC1 Produced by: BBC Years: 1988-89 NUMBER OF SERIES: 2 EPISODES: 12 CREATED BY: Adrienne Conway THEME MUSIC: Composed by David Mackay THEME SONG: Sung by Neil Lockwood STARRING: James Hazeldine - Bernie Amanda Redman - Sylvia Desmond MacNamara - Cliff June Barry - Jenny Julie Saunders - Tiffany Anna Murphy - Mandy Neil Kagan - Paul Edna Doré - Gran Ever remembered something so fleeting from your childhood that you thought you imagined it? Well that's how we felt about Streets Apart! This little-repeated BBC sitcom, written by Adrienne Conway, was first shown thirty three years ago having first been broadcast on BBC1 on 24 October 1988, starring the late James Hazeldine and a virtually unrecognizable - but nonetheless stunning -Amanda Redman, as childhood sweethearts, Bernie and Sylvia, who reunite after being apart for two decades. Only two series of this superb comedy were made and despite being shown in numerous countries, and pulling in an audience of ten to twelve million a week in Britain, we don’t believe Streets Apart was ever repeated again on BBC1 which is a real pity as it was a great sitcom. We take a look at the sitcom that was all about reminiscing, first love and second chances. Some might say it's got nostalgia written all over it... PLOT Sylvia and Bernie were childhood sweethearts who dated and drifted apart, taking different directions in life. They meet almost twenty years later and try to pick up where they left off… but it’s not easy when you’re now different people each with a different set of circumstances. How The Story Goes... You've heard all those old romantic clichés before: 1. You never forget your first love 2. Some people are just meant to be 3. It was as though they'd never been apart 4. They just picked up where they left off Well for reunited lovers Bernie Walters and Sylvia Grant, number one is true for them; two might be true for them; three isn't true as they're very different people now, and as for four, well they've certainly got their work cut out for them picking up where they left off! When Sylvia and Bernie meet up again by chance after having been apart for two decades, they find that they are now two very different people who have taken different paths in life: Bernie is now a taxi driver and a widowed father of two, while never-been-married-and-childfree Sylvia, having worked hard to escape her East End roots, works as a successful literary agent and has a plush central London home. But as they discover that that spark is still there, they set about trying to recapture what they had... with hilarious results! While the feelings are still there and the couple often reminisce over their teenage romance, it seems as though neither is totally prepared to put all their cards on the table and what follows are a series of misunderstandings; lovers' tiffs, and episodes of playing hard to get... and that's all before we get to the obstacles! The obstacles being Bernie's children from his first marriage, and while Sylvia makes an effort to get along with them, it's clear that she's not exactly the maternal type. And Bernie's daughter, Mandy, isn't a fan of hers either! Then there's the sister of Bernie's best friend, Cliff - Rene - who has romantic feelings for Bernie. To top it all off there's Sylvia's overbearing Gran who looked after Sylvia after her parents had died. Sylvia feels a sense of responsibility to her grandmother which sometimes comes before her own needs. It's also very clear that Bernie and Sylvia's outlook for the future is also very different. Bernie is very happy with his lot in life; he enjoys driving his cab around London, hanging out with Cliff and being with his kids. Family and friends are very much his focus. But Sylvia is very driven and dedicated to her career, having worked hard to get to her position in the literary world. It's clear that Sylvia is not going to allow her career to take a backseat to marriage and motherhood. So where does that leave Bernie and Sylvia? THE WRITER Streets Apart was written by the very talented Adrienne Conway who, before successfully turning her hand to comedy writing, started out as an actress - rubbing shoulders with some of Hollywood's elite in the sixties and seventies. She even made a cameo appearance in Streets Apart in the second series! The sitcom was Adrienne's first - and very successful - attempt at comedy writing so naturally she was delighted when it was immediately picked up the BBC. When Streets Apart ended, Adrienne then wrote A Slight Hitch starring the eternally handsome Nigel Havers THEME TUNE Oh if only we could hear that bittersweet theme tune again, sung beautifully by Neil Lockwood! It had been a long time since we'd first watched Streets Apart, but as soon as we heard those opening bars of the theme, it was instantly recognizable and transported us back to our childhood years. The lyrics for this tender theme tune - written by David Mackay - are full of longing, wistfulness and second chances. And the emotion in Neil Lockwood’s amazing vocals do this song justice. FAMOUS FACES Amanda Redman who played Sylvia has gone on to have a very extensive career in TV acting and is a very familiar face to British audiences, having appeared in everything from Dangerfield to At Home With the Braithwaites to New Tricks. In fact - is Amanda ever off our screens??? James Hazeldine had been on television since 1970 and after Streets Apart went on to to star in Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years, Midsomer Murders, and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries as well as many other shows but it was Hazeldine's role as Bayleaf in London's Burning that the late actor - who sadly passed away in 2002 at the age of 55 - is best remembered for. Edna Doré, who was fabulous as Sylvia's gran in Streets Apart, went on to play the role for which she is best known to British audiences - that of Frank Butcher's battle-axe mum Mo Butcher in EastEnders. Then of course there was Diane Langton (Rene) who viewers would have recognized as Del Boy's former girlfriend June Snell in Only Fools and Horses. Today she is best known for her role in Hollyoaks as Nana McQueen and also starred in EastEnders as the mother of that wicked woman, Cindy Beale. June Barry (Jenny) who has been on TV since the early sixties would have been well-known to viewers having appeared in Jackanory, The Forsyte Saga, Armchair Theatre and Coronation Street. Desmond McNamara has had roles in EastEnders, Doctors, Casualty and played several roles in The Bill (just not all at the same time of course!) Julie Saunders (Tiffany) has starred in Between the Lines, Holby City, and Emmerdale Farm. She has also set up a drama school in West London (not a million miles away from where Angel used to live!) WHAT WE THINK We thoroughly enjoyed watching Streets Apart again years later - and wished we hadn't left it so long! Despite the fact that Streets Apart hasn't been given much of a repeat compared to other sitcoms - though it has been repeated on UK Gold - it was amazing how much of the show we remembered. And there were plenty of laugh out loud moments with much hilarity: Bernie picking up a fare who wanted to go to Torquay but pronounced it ‘Turkey’; Sylvia talking seductively over the phone to her bewildered assistant Tiffany in an attempt to make Bernie jealous; Cliff’s sister making a play for Bernie – who only had eyes for Sylvia. The first time you watch the show, you might feel quite sympathetic towards Bernie’s daughter, Mandy, even thought she came across as quite bratty. Watching the show again, you'll see that there is definitely fault on both sides but we still felt for Mandy. Even though it's unfair that she'd want to conspire to keep Bernie away from Sylvia, Mandy is a child who is still missing her mum very much, and you can't help but feel sympathetic as she struggles to hang on to family life as she knows it. And with far-from-maternal and seemingly stuck-up Sylvia as a prospective stepmother, can anyone blame Mandy for being apprehensive? Spoilt and snooty some of the characters may have appeared but all the characters are likeable in their own way and there is something quite touching in the close bonds that are formed between Bernie and Sylvia and their respective best friends Cliff and Jenny as the latter two provide the necessary support and encouragement that their friends need in order to resume their relationship. It’s such as shame that only two series of Streets Apart were made before the show was cancelled. There was so much that could have been done with the show in terms of storyline and character development. Viewers were left hanging after watching the final episode; deliberately intended, we're sure, just in case a third series should be commissioned. However, we're optimistic enough to think that Bernie and Sylvia did make it work despite their differences. TEST-OF-TIME TEST We adore this ever-so-charming sitcom. More than thirty years on, Streets Apart is still very watchable – but it makes you yearn horribly for the 1980s! Streets Apart is superbly written by Adrienne Conway, well-acted, funny and has a tale of first love that many people can relate to, so in that sense, Streets Apart will definitely hold viewers' interest. In a way, Streets Apart was ahead of it's time as it had a female lead who was strong, independent, go-getting and didn't feel that intense yearning for marriage and babies. Sylvia wanted to be with Bernie because she loved him and not because she felt she had to have a man in her life, or because she was in her late thirties and and the ticking of 'the clock' had sent her into a panic. A lot of women in the eighties who were still single and child-free at that stage in their lives say that they were often made to feel quite odd (women today who are single and child-free at that stage in their lives have also said that they've been made to feel quite odd! Though while some things never seem to change, we do hope it's gotten better.) Somehow though it's hard to believe that a determined and driven woman like Sylvia would be phased by the unimportant opinions of others. It's hard to watch Streets Apart again and not feel that connection to your childhood and the 1980s, so this sitcom really struck such a chord with us. We could also relate to Sylvia’s desire to make something of herself and of her love of the literary world. There was so much that was familiar to us that we actually wanted to climb inside the TV set and be transported back to the 1980s! If only it were that simple... Despite being moving, funny and very well written by the very gifted Conway, with stars Hazeldine, Redman and Doré all achieving a great level of fame, Streets Apart never reached the same iconic comedy status as the equally short lived but extremely popular Fawlty Towers - and we cannot understand why as more than two decades later it’s still very watchable, very relatable, and nowhere near as dated as you may think considering it's an eighties sitcom. We also can't understand why it hasn't been repeated more often. And why there's very little to be found online regarding the sitcom is a complete mystery to us! For those of you who remember the sitcom, you'll remember how charming and funny the series was. We’d like to think that it’s streets ahead of a lot of the drivel that passes for comedy today. They certainly don’t make them like that anymore. So come on BBC - a repeat is long, long, LONG overdue! Photos: As stated Blog graphics and Word Cloud: Angel Noire

Everyone who knows me that I have a special affinity with the seventies. I love so much about that decade. But admittedly the seventies wood panelling in certain rooms in my house might be a bit much even for me! The previous owners had painted over the wood-panelled walls in the dining room, but in my kitchen, the seventies is very much alive and well, and it really does make the place look dated - and not necessarily in a good way. It's left me with something of a dilemma because on the one hand, as much as I love the seventies, I don't feel the full-on wood panel look is really me. But on the other, I feel as though I need to keep it as it is because of well, that seventies vibe! There's also a bit of nostalgia in the sense that it reminds me of my grandfather's home, where he had a wood-panelled section in the living room. The difference was that his seemed to be a more natural looking wood and it looked a lot better than the faux wood panels that I have here. He used to pin his Christmas cards to that section every year, so whenever I see a wood-panelled wall, it reminds me of my grandfather, his home and my childhood. So the panels shall stay until we make up our minds about what we want to do. But it did get me thinking about houses in the 1970s and common key elements in terms of furniture and décor that existed around that time. Check out our upcoming post That Seventies' House to see what no home in the 1970s was complete without. Photos and word cloud: Angel Noire

Halloween is about to descend upon us which means that it's scary movie season again. However for this girl who was brought up on a diet of classic horror, thanks to my dad and my mum's side of the family who got me watching blood-chillingly frightening movies at an age when I had no business to be watching them, every day was pretty much Halloween! Is it any wonder that for years I had to sleep with the light on??? The Poltergeist, Halloween, Carrie, The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby... I'd seen them all. And as I got older, and we'd go to pick up movies from Blockbuster (damn, I miss Blockbuster!) you could bet your life it'd be something nightmare-inducing whether it was classic horror, suspense, a whodunnit or psychological thriller. And I have to say those are still among my favourite film genres today. I'll leave the sci-fi and fantasy to the fella! There's loads of horror films that I could watch over and over again without getting bored of them. Here's a list of my top five horror flicks. It wasn't easy picking just five and I know there's a couple here that a lot of people might not be familiar with. But I have great memories of watching them the first time round, and there were some parts that scared the hell out of me... which is exactly what a good horror movie is supposed to do! And just in case anyone is wondering why The Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn't on this list, well that's because despite being a great film, it didn't do what it was supposed to and frighten me. Instead it made me laugh. A lot. And hard! 1. PSYCHO Year: 1960 Director: Alfred Hitchcock Country: United States Starring: Anthony Perkins Janet Leigh The film considered to be the Master of Suspense's great masterpiece and the film that made everyone afraid to step into the shower, Psycho turned the big 6-0 this year, and I still remember the very first time I watched this Hitchcock spine chiller. I was probably about eleven, it was a school night, and my sister and I had stayed up with Dad to watch it. It freaked me the hell out - especially the final scene - but Psycho did go on to become one of my fave movies. How The Story Goes... After stealing a huge sum of money from her employer, secretary Marion Crane flees Phoenix in order to go on the run with her boyfriend in the hope that he'll marry her. But overcome with exhaustion and eager to escape the heavy rainstorm, Marion decides to check into the rundown looking Bates Motel for the night. There she meets the owner, the seemingly sweet but slightly odd, Norman Bates, who has an interest in taxidermy and has a rather difficult relationship with his domineering mother. But Marion doesn't realize just how difficult until she decides to take a shower... and when no one hears from her, Marion's very worried sister raises the alarm... 2. THE OMEN Year: 1976 Director: Richard Donner Country: UK & USA Starring: Gregory Peck Lee Remick Billie Whitelaw Harvey Spencer Stephens My dad had had the David Selznor novel as part of his collection of books for years. But I only read it after seeing the film adaptation for The Omen. It freaked me the hell out (Dad, there's a reason why films come with a rating!) but I was incredibly fascinated with the film, and Dad's book came in very handy for explaining the bits I didn't get. And watching The Omen might explain why I've always thought twice about telling off naughty children! How The Story Goes... When the wife of an American diplomat living in London gives birth to a baby boy who is stillborn, husband Robert quickly and secretly adopts another newborn baby in order to spare his wife Katherine any pain; passing off the child as the baby boy she gave birth to. A classic case of 'it seemed like a good idea at the time!' And if they were wondering why baby Damien had such a thick shock of hair, well, there was a good reason for that! But as little Damien grows older, a series of bizarre happenings and tragedies - not to mention Damien's intense fear and hatred of places of worship - causes Robert to become suspicious. When a priest approaches Robert with a terrifying prophecy regarding Damien, Robert is forced to investigate and is horrified to discover the awful truth about both his sons... 3. THE SHINING Year: 1980 Director: Stanley Kubrick Country: USA Starring: Jack Nicholson Shelley Duvall Danny Lloyd Scatman Crowthers "Come and play with us Danny. Come and play..." What is it with horror movies and kids? There's a reason why I never thought identical twin girls dressed the same were cute. And if you need further explanation, all you have to do is watch The Shining. As my dad has always been a Jack Nicholson fan, he naturally loved The Shining and introduced me to it. The first time I watched it, I have to admit I didn't really know what was going on exactly but that didn't stop the film from scaring the bejeezuz out of me! How The Story Goes... When writer and recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance takes on the position of a seasonal caretaker at an isolated hotel in the Colorado Rockies, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to overcome his writer's block. So along with wife Wendy and son Danny the family settle into life at the hotel. But it isn't long before young Danny is plagued by terrifying visions of the hotel's disturbing past. It is the hotel's chef, Dick Hallorann who realizes that like himself, Danny has psychic abilities and can communicate telepathically; an ability known as 'the shining.' Things take a turn for the worse however when Jack, having ghostly visions himself, and is frustrated that his writing is going nowhere, begins to spiral into a psychotic rage and targets his family in a terrifying ordeal... 4. CROWHAVEN FARM Year: 1970 Director: Walter Grauman Country: USA Starring: Hope Lang Paul Burke John Carredine Lisa Eilbacher Now this little known, made-for-TV movie won't be instantly recognizable to a lot of people but it's definitely one of my favourites. Although for years, I thought it was called Craven Hill Farm (no wonder people said they didn't know it. The movie Craven Hill Farm hasn't been made yet!) I must have seen it for the first time back in the eighties because I have memories of watching it in our first family home. As the years have gone by, I sometimes feel as though I have what I now call Crowhaven Syndrome: it's where you're the only person who can sense that something isn't right but no one else will listen or take notice of what you're saying a la Maggie Porter - the movie's heroine. And the moral of the story is always trust your intuition. That and your wife is always right (eh, Mr. D!) How The Story Goes... A married couple, Ben and Maggie Porter, inherit a New England farm, hoping that the fresh start and change of scene might help to patch up their troubled marriage. But tales of supernatural activity and a weird sense of foreboding surrounds Crowhaven Farm. And while Maggie immediately picks up on something not being quite right with the people or the place, Ben takes to life at Crowhaven Farm like a duck to water, ignoring his wife's misgivings, and befriending the locals. It isn't long before the Porters are confronted by supernatural forces and Maggie soon learns who the locals really are... 5. THE DEAD ZONE Year: 1983 Director: David Cronenberg Country: United States Starring: Christopher Walken Brooke Adams Tom Skerrit Martin Sheen Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, I remember watching this for the first time with my parents and my sister, and I'd thought about it a lot over the years. I might call it a horror of the non-ghosts and ghouls variety but The Dead Zone also falls under the psychological thriller, sci-fi thriller or political thriller genres. If you watch it, you're sure to find it chilling, sinister, and tragic. How The Story Goes... Teacher Johnny Smith is in a relationship with his colleague, Sarah, and everything is going well until one night, following a date with Sarah, Johnny has an accident while driving home. When he awakes from his coma, he is shocked to discover that not only have years gone by, but Sarah has married and moved on with her life. Making an effort to move on and make up for the lost years, Johnny is unnerved when he discovers that he can see into a person's future through the power of touch. As these premonitions are disturbing, Johnny is quite unsettled by this. But after meeting and shaking hands with political candidate Greg Stillson, Johnny realizes the danger presented by the candidate should he be successful, so Johnny takes it upon himself to kill Stillson... Which scary movies do you like best? Photos: YouTube Word Cloud: Nostalgia Pie

The New Kids - who were now calling themselves NKOTB - were back with an album that could only be described as banging. So why wasn't the awesome Face The Music more successful? Where do we begin! The New Kids were one of the biggest names in the biz, and Face The Music was a quality album. The two together should have been enough to make a winning combination. But it wasn't as simple as that... If You Go Away... But perhaps one of the reasons why the album didn't do as well as it should have done had a lot to do with the band's long absence. New Kids On The Block were the pioneers for boy bands as we know them today, and part of the problem was that when they left, a whole plethora of boy bands suddenly emerged ready to take the boy band crown, and many Blockheads switched allegiance to other groups, which in the UK were Take That, East 17 and Boyzone. Not 'real' music Even when the New Kids were at the height of their fame, there were haters who saw them as 'uncool' and a group for thirteen year old teenyboppers. Despite the fact that the New Kids sang, danced, played instruments and were getting into writing and producing, they were still not considered 'serious' musicians, and many people who were once fans caught on to this way of thinking and started taking their New Kids posters off the wall. The music scene had changed a lot since the New Kids were on their break, and most Blockheads grew up and moved on to other musical genres. Grunge was pretty huge and all the cool kids were looking up to Kurt, Courtney, Layne et al. In Britain, Britpop was fast emerging, and most people would rather live like Common People than Hang Tough . No one likes change Even though NKOTB still had a pretty large fan base, much was said about the band's change in direction in terms of music and image. Even before fans had the chance to listen to the album, and judge for themselves, there was a lot of talk about how the New Kids had ditched their teeny-bopper sound, becoming more hip-hop - 'hardcore rap' even! One magazine stated that the band had traded in 'cheesy grins for gold-toothed sneers!' Er, not exactly true although admittedly the boys did smile a lot less. Let's face it - most people don't like change, and the perception of NKOTB at the time was that they had morphed into a completely different band; a band that the fans didn't recognize and couldn't relate to. True, Face The Music showed a harder more mature sound than their other albums. And the change of image from the 'bubblegum pop' days was purely because they'd grown up from teenagers to young men so that was bound to happen. For the Blockheads who were already fans of urban music, the change in musical genre wasn't too much of a pressing concern - in fact it was welcomed. As Joe McIntyre said during the Clive Warren interview: "We haven't strayed too far from our old stuff... it's just better." But it seemed that too many fans listened way too much to what was being said about the band and didn't give them a chance. The media weren't their bezzie mate! There's no denying that although some of the media were rooting for the New Kids, there was probably an even greater part that wanted to see them fail. It's true - the media can build you up when they want to, and knock you down if they see fit. And that's exactly what happened with the New Kids. Much of the hysteria that surrounded them was gone, and it seemed as though they were faced with a barrage of criticism. And when Dirty Dawg was released, the press really went to town, with cries of 'misogynistic,' 'anti-women,' 'hating on women,'... quite funny really considering the large, overwhelming proportion of their fan base are... women! And maybe because of this, accusations of misogyny may well have hurt the boys' chances of success a second time around. Sadly there was just too much against the album and NKOTB, and not enough support which is why Face The Music didn't do as well as it could have. But there were a couple of surprises. At the time of its release, many urban music stations started playing tracks from Face The Music when previously many of them wouldn't touch New Kids' stuff with a barge pole. Not just because it wasn't the right genre, but because the New Kids just weren't cool enough! But it was great to see NKOTB get some much-needed support albeit from an unlikely source. The second big surprise is that Face The Music started shifting more copies around the time of the boys' 2008 comeback! There's no denying that Face The Music was very different to their earlier offerings, but still equally as amazing (It's New Kids - come on!) Sure they'd had an image overhaul; their sound was a little bit rougher, their lyrics a tad bit nastier, their videos a touch freakier, but their sound was very much real. A very grown up album, with harder beats and not-so-sugary lyrics (well not always) die-hard Blockheads were naturally going to love this because it was the boys. Those who loved RnB were going to give this a listen. Those who just liked good music regardless of genre or who it was by, was going to give this a chance. Despite not being a smash hit back in 1994, Face The Music has somehow endured with Blockheads - past and present - appreciating the awesomeness of this album. And twenty five years later, it still sounds just as good. Photos and word cloud by Angel Noire GIF: Wix