So, of course being early and all, I walk in on a Bikini modeling class. My competition. Those gals are half my age and had long locks and they were all beautiful. Of course I go without any makeup like usual. I think I wrote earlier-I wear makeup twice a year…at most. Now I know I have mentioned this a couple of times; I’m cute. Really cute. But have no glamorous qualities or sex appeal that typically the judges look for. So, I am going to have to put on a very good act. Stage Presence. Acting is not my best attribute either, but hey…I’ve got to work with what I’ve got. So this is where Laura Richards, Bikini Designer and Master of the Universe comes in….she is awesome and without her I would have not been able to compete in my last show. Cause we all remember I got sacked from the team and didn’t have a trainer two weeks out before my show. Scary. But it was Laura that held my hand and told me, “You’re going to bring a trophy home.” She not only designed by suit, gave me great feedback, but was with me every second backstage. Even gluing down my bikini.

To my surprise and happiness it’s the famous Laura Richards who is coaching the class. Of course (no dummy here) I ask immediately if I can start posing sessions with her group and she says the sweetest words to my ears. “Yes.” Praise God. I get to start next Sunday. Amen and  Hallelujah. Hell YES!!! (OK, calm down here I think to myself) Laura is amazing. She is calm, professional, and listens. In fact, she made me two suits my last show because she knew how badly I liked both black and white. Who does that? Laura Richards. I haven’t seen her in two years and she makes me feel like I’m home. That says  a lot. It also says a lot that my husband devotes his morning coming out on this escapade with me. He is my rock and my best cheerleader.

Laura is finishing up with the models, um, I mean bikini competitors and tells me to start looking at swatches and hardware. Hardware is the rhinestone, zirconia’s that attach your suit from front to back. The swatches represent the fabric texture, stretch, and color. I go in with my mind-set on navy and circular rhinestone hardware. I keep white an option because I love white. Love. I do panick about it though as I can see myself getting spray tan on it. As careful as I am, I can easily do something so small and silly and it makes a Diva nightmare come true. Diva drama is not what this girl needs and especially the day of.

I look at the swatches. Purple? No. Navy? Not with my hair. White? Love, but not this time. I decide on a color I never ever, ever thought I’d choose. Red. I did order the circular rhinestone hardware that Laura will place on top and the bottom. She even said that she has better padding. Gel inserts. Thank the God Almighty, because “my girls” are itsy bitsy. And they need all the lift and push they can get. My boobs are sort of like..rocks and socks. Imagine a sock with rocks in it….white, droopy/saggy, and not much life. Yes, I have thought about giving the “girls” a permanent boost, but it cost money. And I am not sure what time of year I’d even get them? I wouldn’t want big, just what I had when I was 21 years old. Half oranges-size and firm that look you straight in the eye. Like Owl eyes.

So after my time choosing fabric, color and bling we go to the Nutrition Company. You ever been there? Well, they are the most knowledgable people in the industry of selling supplements. No kidding. And they are eye candy to look at. If they don’t have the answer-they find you one. How amazing is that? Personable and professional. Their team of staff are seasoned and well educated on it all. They will even call the owner/boss and get an answer for you right on the spot. Yep, really.

The husband is famished from all the adventure and being the selfish Diva that I am (but don’t mean to be) I don’t even notice I make my 6 egg whites this morning and nada for him. I know what you’re thinking, “How does he put up with you?” Trust me, I have asked myself that before. I need a coffee. Now. Then I say, “Do you want to grab a bite to eat?” Before I know it, we’re ordering some obnoxious, processed, reheated item for him to eat at a breakfast place. Lucky for him, he has the body of “Finger Lickin’ Good” and can eat any of that stuff. Me? NO way. I’d blow up like I don’t know what. A puffer fish. We sit inside the restaurant and I have my good ol Rachel Ray (HUGE) lunch box sitting right next to me. I eat my 4 ounces of shredded lean roast beef, while the hubby devours his toxin.

I hit the gym on my way home cranking out the biceps and triceps, hitting the core with the captain chair and my famous 200 crunches on the bouncy ball. I treat myself to the sauna and shower and come home. What a day! I’m 8 weeks out. Today. And guess what? I am seeing my body finally changing just a little. Just enough to give me hope. Thank the Sweet Lord Jesus……

Men are not meant to die earlier than women, but they do, according to Doctor Dave Baldwin. Men live four years less than women, on average, he said.

“They have higher rates of suicide, heart disease and cancer.”

Known as the Bulls Flying Doctor throughout the country, Dr Baldwin was the keynote speaker at this year’s final Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Manawatu Finishing Farm seminar series held in Feilding.

While the message of “How to be a healthy bastard – a farmer’s guide” was more geared to the men in the audience, everyone enjoyed the politically incorrect chuckles along the way. . .

Kangaroo meat healthier: foodies:

CHEFS and nutritionists are hopping on the kangaroo train, urging diners to eat roo meat for its health benefits.

Executive chef John Lawson, from Mr Hive restaurant, says Australia should embrace roo on the menu.

There needs to be more marketing around kangaroos and how to cook them,” he said.

“People have avoided roo because of the perception it is a wild animal so it is tough and lean, but they cultivate them now so they do have more fat on them.”

Nutritionist Lola Berry said it was great for losing weight . . .

Lavender oils award success out of the blue - Sally Rae:

When Barry and Jo Todd entered their lavender oil in the New Zealand Lavender Growers Association’s awards, they wanted    to ascertain the quality of their oil.   

The first-time entrants were “totally gobsmacked” to win the Ken Wilson Memorial Trophy and the Eoin Johnson Memorial Cup  for the best grosso and best lavandin oil respectively, along with a silver award.   

Mr and Mrs Todd own a boutique lavender farm, Danseys Pass Lavender, in the remote Danseys Pass in North Otago. . .

Decision to Enter Ballance Farm Environment Awards Pays Off:

Frank Portegys almost didn’t enter the Waikato Ballance Farm Environment Awards because he felt his family-owned dairy farm wasn’t ready.

He can see the irony in this because as a former fertiliser and dairy farm consultant he’d often encouraged other people to enter in the past. He’d even been a judge for the competition.

“So I’ve heard the excuses about the farm not being ready. I’ve always wanted to enter the Awards but we are only in our fifth season here and our riparian plantings are in the very early stages, so I was a little hesitant at the start.” . . .

Best Sauvignon Blanc in the World and a Trio of Trophies for Yealands Estate at the International Wine Challenge

Yealands Estate has collected a trio of trophies at the International Wine Challenge Awards ceremony held in London last night.

In addition to the International Sauvignon Blanc and the White Marlborough trophy, Yealands Estate Single Block S1 Sauvignon Blanc 2011 was also awarded the 2012 James Roger Trophy. . . .

Bay’s wine website now with Chinese subtitles

As more Hawke’s Bay wineries move to tempt the growing number of Chinese wine drinkers, the region’s wine organisation is gearing up to support them with an updated website that features Chinese translation of both copy and videos.

Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Inc., executive officer Lyn Bevin reports there are 26 local wineries now exporting to China, up from 18 late last year. . .

“What happened to the Canaan Home orphans and their families after New China forced Laura Richards to leave China?” readers of

Her memoir begins like this:

I used to get so angry with our children when they wasted food that my husband Barry must have thought This lady has to be crazy!! But when I was growing up in Gansu Province in China, I knew children who were so hungry, they tied a rope around their stomach so they could sleep in spite of their hunger pains.

My family was exiled to the impoverished province of Gansu in 1969 during the early part of the Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution was a power struggle among China’s top leaders. In 1966 Mao Tse Tung began encouraging young Red Guards to attack authority figures. The Red Guards mobbed and ransacked people’s homes, beat and humiliated people in public, and burned everything that represented “The Four Olds”—old ideas, old thoughts, old habits, old customs. Then they started attacking religious believers and intellectuals. As the Revolution spread, people began manipulating mobs to get personal revenge against fellow workers and neighbors or they accused other people out of fear, to distract attention from themselves. Tens of thousands were beaten to death and hundreds of thousands were sent to labor camps for “re-education.”

In those days the government determined people’s job and residence assignments. My mother was working as a nurse for a famous hospital in Beijing. Vice-Chairman Lin Biao wanted to test his power, so he issued a policy that all the big hospitals had to send some of their doctors and nurses to work in the countryside. Mom’s hospital chose to send her. They wouldn’t say why….

HarperCollins Children’s Books has acquired two further installments of Ian Whybrow’s children’s series Meerkat Madness.

Harriet Wilson, HarperCollins Children’s Books editorial director, bought world rights including TV, film and merchandising for the second and third installments of the series from Jodie Marsh of United Agents. The first book in the series, Meerkat Madness, will be published on 3rd March.

                                                                                                                              …read more

                                                             Click to buy              

Macmillan Children’s Books is to hold a Gruffalo fundraising event tomorrow for Red Nose Day. As a supporting partner of this year’s Comic Relief, the popular children’s book character will be hosting the fundraiser in Westfield Shopping Centre, London.                                                        …read more

A NUMBER of items have been stolen from the Rhossili residence based on the university campus.

During the moving in period, a number of students entered the building and removed items such as individual fridges from unoccupied rooms as well as personal kitchen equipment located in the communal kitchen area.

The students, believed to be second year students who had lived in the residence the previous year, were seen asking current residents to grant them access to the block but refused entry.

Full story here.

Shrine: The urn which contained the ashes of Raoul Moat, inset, in Rothbury on Tuesday Picture: North News

The 37-year-old was convinced officers were plotting to frame him then take his children into care.

His desperation led to his decision to go on a shooting spree which left his ex-girlfriend wounded, her new lover dead and a policeman blinded.

Moat: A bully

Tape recordings made by the father of three revealed a man crippled by feelings of rage and paranoia when his partner, Samantha Stobbart , left him for Chris Brown , a man he mistakenly believed was a policeman.

‘Raoul’s a bad man. From everyangle,’ he said in a recording. ‘I’m a hunter, gatherer and protector, you know? I’d rather do a ten stretch than have these kids taken off me.’

Moat was not mad, however, rather a self-pitying bully who could not take responsibility for his own mistakes, a panel of psychiatrists told Channel 4’s Cutting Edge.

‘When people feel too contradicted, when their wishes are too thwarted, they can become enraged in a narcissistic rage,’ said Dr Cleo Van Velsen, adding that Moat had to kill ‘to feel better’.

Criminal profiler Laura Richards said ‘all hell broke loose’ when Moat was faced with such a ‘catastrophic loss’ but his decision to take up a gun was a rational one.

Meanwhile, Moat’s family have angered residents by returning to the town where he shot himself last month to scatter his ashes.

Only three people were at the private riverside ceremony in Rothbury, Northumberland, on Tuesday but some fear they are turning the town into a magnet for ‘sick’ Moat fans.

Moat’s family have denied setting up a shrine by the River Coquet.An urn pictured at the spot where the gunman killed himself after evading capture for a week has since disappeared.

A physical-education teacher at A.K. Suter Elementary School in Pensacola is being called a hero after he was struck by a car this morning near the school while he protected children.

Patrick Judd was transported to Baptist Hospital. Colleen Kirsch, spokeswoman for the hospital, said Judd was in good condition this morning.

Deputy Superintendent Norm Ross said witnesses saw Judd push a mother and her two children out of the path of an oncoming car.

By doing so, Judd took the brunt of the hit and suffered a leg injury.

District officials applauded Judd’s selfless actions Friday.

Laura Richards, 37, dropped off 6-year-old Abigail for school this morning and was crossing the street while talking with Judd.

She had 2-year old Laura Sophia sitting on her hip and 4-year-old Isabella holding her hand as she walked.

“He jumped back to take the full impact,” Richards said of Judd. “I don’t really know what happened. It happened so quickly but when it was all said and done we were safe on the side of the road and my daughters’ flip flops were still on the pavement.”

Richards said she know Judd because she sees him every morning and afternoon doing crossing guard duty. The last day of school before Christmas break, Richards said, Judd wears a Santa Claus costume while guiding traffic.

“We’re so grateful,” she said. “We pray for him and that he’ll be alright. If if he hadn’t been there it would have been us. My two little girls are so tiny.”

“The incident this morning was certainly an act of heroism,” Ross said. “It doesn’t surprise me at all. He’s been a longtime employee and has demonstrated throughout his career his dedication to students and the school.”

Superintendent Malcolm Thomas said he was proud of Judd’s service to the schools.

“This is just another example of the dedication of our employees in this district,” Thomas said.

In 1999 Judd won the Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year Award from the county.

Read more and see the family he saved: ‘An act of heroism’

They are targeting potential killers and rapists in an effort to identify them before they commit a serious crime.

Experts are examining the criminal histories of thousands of violent men across the capital to pinpoint those they suspect could become killers or rapists.

They hope they will be able to predict patterns of behaviour which could identify a future murderer such as the Soham killer Ian Huntley.

The database is being compiled by analysts from Scotland Yard’s Homicide Prevention Unit.

The initiative will draw comparisons with the Hollywood film Minority Report, in which suspects are locked up before they can commit a crime.

Laura Richards, head of analysis at the Homicide Prevention Unit, said: “My vision is is that we know across London who the top 100 people are. We need to know who we are targeting. It is trying to pick up Ian Huntley before he goes out and commits that murder.”

Efforts to identify killers and rapists before they struck were first launched by the Met several years ago.

Police set up three squads across London to track down potential killers but the scheme was disbanded last year in a reorganisation of murder probes.

The latest initiative comes after a series of horrific murders in London.

These included the killing of financier John Monckton in his Chelsea home and the stabbing to death of Chiswick teacher Robert Symons after he confronted a burglar. In both cases the killers had a history of violence.

The new scheme is being piloted across five London boroughs, with information being gathered from domestic violence databases, mental health workers and details of past complaints.

Analysts are also establishing a list of the capital’s most dangerous neighbourhoods, including “hotspots” such as particular streets or pubs.

Modern profiling techniques have been used to form the most accurate portrait ever of the murderer, whose identity has remained a mystery for 118 years.

Jack The Ripper? Click to enlarge

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The clues also suggest that police at the time were probably searching for the wrong kind of man.

The Ripper, who strangled and butchered five prostitutes in East London in seemingly motiveless attacks in 1888, is thought to have been aged between 25 and 35, about 5ft 6in (1.68m) tall and stockily built.

Laura Richards, head of analysis at Scotland Yard’s violent crime unit, which conducted the study, said: ‘For the first time, we are able to understand the kind of person Jack the Ripper was.

‘We can name the street where he probably lived, we can see what he looked like and we can explain, finally, why he eluded justice.’ Ms Richards and former Metropolitan Police commander John Grieve assembled a team of experts including pathologists, historians and a geographical profiler to see whether the case could be solved.

They analysed the Ripper ‘s killings and examined 13 witness statements taken at the time to come up with a person who, according to Ms Richards, was ‘frighteningly normal, yet capable of extraordinary cruelty’.

Mr Grieve added: ‘This is further than anyone else has got.

‘It would have been enough for coppers to get out and start knocking on doors. They would have got him.’

The results of the team’s study will be shown in Jack the Ripper: The First Serial Killer – Revealed, on Five at 8pm tomorrow.