Well, well, well. Who’d have thought it? After a year of Central London clubs closing – think The Cross, The Key, Cargo, Marquee Club, and Turnmills – and more Central London clubs closing in January (The End and AKA), the news broke yesterday that it’s not just the dance clubs being hit. Chinawhite, Paper, Cafe Royal and Dolce …

There’s nothing quite as depressing as a cinema that doesn’t care. Sticky floors, poor sound quality, 12-year-olds throwing Sugar Babies at your head – we’ve all been there.  My latest cinema outing was slightly marred by a) the fact that I was one of two people in the theatre that wasn’t an usher and b) the very strong smell of feet – not mine, I checked.

However, I live in fear that one day my local cinema will realise that I’m the only one spending money there and close down – it’s cheap, it’s close and I can’t really complain. I’ll just grin, bear it and continue to pick sweeties out of my hair after films.

Therefore I’m more than a bit gutted by the fact that I don’t live near the new Everyman …

Hands up who can’t believe that Christmas is just over a month away? OK, OK, put your hands down, you’re embarrassing yourselves. But hey, it’s a shocker. Suddenly the shops are full of tatty trinkets, decorations and mince pies and the annoying ‘holidays are coming’ ad is back on TV. Surely it’s still February 2008 isn’t it? What happened to the year?

Still, despite the credit crunch and the pain that is hitting Westfield for several hours with pocket change, trying to make it stretch to everyone you have to buy presents for, there is a happy note to this year’s festive season. There are plenty of Christmas …

I’m pretty thankful for a lot of things, but around this time of year I very much appreciate the spread of the popularity of Thanksgiving in London. It’s my favourite American holiday, mostly because it involves an orgy of gluttony topped off with zoning out on the sofa whilst someone else does the washing up. Think of it as Christmas, but without having to shop for your entire family beforehand. And no bearded fat man stuck in the chimney.

After various Thanksgivings spent sitting around the table (and a few stuck in the kitchen) there are a couple of things I’ve picked up over the years, which I’ve used – to varying effectiveness – in my celebrations of Thanksgiving in London. Freshly made cranberry sauce is infinitely better than canned. Pumpkin …