Cashing in on counterfeits

It has been announced today that an estimated 1 in 36 pound coins are counterfeit. This is more than 6 times higher than the amount seized last year.
The Royal Mint have described how to spot a fake from an authentic pound coin, apparently the fake coins have:
- a poorly defined ridged edge
- indistinct lettering or wrong typeface on the edge
- On an authentic coin the Queen's head and the pattern on the reverse should both be upright when the coin is turned over
- The design on the reverse should correspond with the official design of the year of its issue
I think these guidelines are pretty vague, and if that's the case then I could have easily handled a lot of fakes in my time. It is quite scary to think how easy it must be for people to replicate these.

Jenny

The Riviera returns

Tomorrow sees the return of the 'Nottingham Riviera', which conjures up more exciting ideas in my head than what it actually is.
I do think it's great for kids who may not get the chance to get to a seaside this summer, and it's a family friendly event that is meant to be fun for all.
But for me, the feel of sand between my toes just shouldn't be combined with manky pigeons, trams and shopper. I like my beach experience to be a bit more relaxing and tranquil!

Jenny

End of an era for Wossy

Tomorrow night sees the final Jonathan Ross show aired on the BBC and I am really going to miss it. You can rely on his show every week to provide entertaining interviews with genuinely interesting guests (give or take a few) and good music performances.
At least he's going out in style with David Beckham as one of his final guests.
I bet the four poofs will be shedding a tear around their piano!
Hopefully Jonathan's new show in ITV next year will continue to be a success.

Jenny

Paul predicts a win for Spain

Well if we are to believe the predictions of the newly-famous octopus, known as Paul to his many fans then Spain will be winning the World cup this weekend!
Apparently Paul has received death threats from Dutch fans since his latest prediction, so lets hope they keep him safe at the aquarium where he lives!

Jenny

Vuvuzela madness

One of the reasons I am glad the world cup is coming to an end is the annoying sounds of thousands of vuvuzelas being played in the crowds. It is enough to put me off watching fit men run around in shorts. I know they are a traditional South African horn but my god they are annoying!
I was in Portugal last week and when England played Germany suddenly everyone had them there as well, the streets and bars were full of people blowing their vuvuzelas.
I'm really hoping the trend doesn't now catch on for every football tournament.
Perhaps we should come up with an equally annoying instrument for when we host the world cup?

Jenny

Tis the season to be jolly.... really?

I love Christmas don’t get me wrong. I love the shopping for presents, the over-indulging in chocolate and stuffing but I don’t think it’s particulary tasteful for campaigns to already have begun gearing up for the Christmas rush (I wouldn’t constitute it as a rush until literally the week before Christmas and suddenly the smart-price face pack gift set starts to look like a really good present for people...particularly the Mr!)

But seriously... Christmas gift ideas in July?! It’s the season for Pimms and Strawberries! Definitely not Santa! (No offense to Santa I do love the chap)

But then again maybe it should be a sign that this year I should start Christmas shopping slightly earlier... maybe two weeks before Christmas this time?

Cat