Tragic news from MyShotley.com:

Launch of Shotley & Erwarton Good Neighbours.

EVENT CANCELLED DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER

Apparently no one was willing to help clear the snow.

Anyhoo, I'm getting slightly worried about my interest in young boys (which is not the kind of public statement you read every day). Earlier this week, in a Brighton charity shop, I splashed out a pound on '3 Car Garage', a CD album by Hanson, recorded in 1995, when they were all too young to be left at home without a babysitter. I didn't previously own any Hanson, but I've always been a closet fan of Mmmbop, so I saw my chance to invest in an album under the cover of giving to charity.

Lisa was somewhat scornful, but she's heavily into the Appleton sisters, which makes her naturally biased.

But anyway, having listened to it solidly for three days, I'd like to hereby declare '3 Car Garage' to be a work of genius, and out myself as a Hanson fan. Which I can do with no shame whatsoever, having already publicly admitted going to see the X Factor tour this week. There's no way to go but up after that.

However, it doesn't end there. The day before, I'd spent another pound on the self-titled debut album by a band called Northern Uproar. I'd never heard of them, but I bought the CD anyway as a result of a medical condition I suffer from, which compels me to spend money in charity shops like there's no tomorrow.

Well having started listening to it yesterday, I'm hooked, so I naturally headed straight onto the internet to find out more about this band. It turns out they recorded this album in 1996 when they were all teenagers. It's a worrying trend. I've never been a Michael Jackson fan, but he and I do seem to be developing similar tastes.