This should be a time for mass hysteria across England. With the St George’s flags flying from every block of flats and white van in the country, not forgetting the usual hoo-ha about whether or not it’s politically correct to do so (yawn), it was going to be simply magical...

But no. Instead I’m annoyed about Pushing Up the Daisies being cut for the stupid tournament and how the footie coverage and emergence of Big Brother means that TV land has suddenly become even more one dimensional than ever before. No, I’m not bitter (OK, just a bit!).

And so I’ve decided to embrace the England-less Euro 2008 and support, well, I’m not quite sure yet. Maybe I’ll hedge my bets and wait until after the group stages to jump on the bandwagon for …

Ahh alcohol. Us Brits are known as a nation of drinkers – although we bring a lot of money into countries through tourism, people kinda dread our lairy, lager loutish behaviour pouring into their small towns and cities.

On the flipside, we’re fast becoming aware of health issues – the diet industry is booming and even McDonalds is starting to post calorie content on the sides of their chips, burgers and sodas… As depressing as that is – I don't need to know just how fattening a Big Mac is thank you very much. Well it was only a matter of time before bars and pubs followed suit as they continue to come under fire and be blamed for fueling Britain’s binge drinking culture (but damn you’ve gotta love those happy hours!).

And so it is …

Whatever you think about Boris, he’s our mayor now and he holds a lot of power over the lives of us simple London folk. One of the first major moves he’s made since ousting Ken from the ‘throne’ is to ban the consumption of alcohol on the tubes. As of the 1st June (if you’ve had a sneaky drink on the underground this week, shame on you!), all alcohol was banned across the London underground network in the fight against crime. However, do you think it’ll really work?

Now, I’m not talking travelling home with a bottle of wine sticking out of your Marks and Spencer bag, I’m talking sitting on the tube on your way to or from a bar or club drinking a can of lager, alcopop or even swigging from a bottle of wine (classy, right?). Come on, we’ve all …

I have to admit I’m not the arty type. I DO get how amazing Banksy is (unfortunately, I can’t help but get sucked in by popular opinion) and the Tate Modern appeals, but I do find it quite tough to stand and enjoy art for longer than half an hour or so before my mind starts to wander onto less high brow things like the latest Sex and the City movie. OK, that’s an exaggeration but you get the idea.

With that in mind, I have to say that the idea of a charity art show in a pub really appeals, which is why I had my interest piqued at one such event, happening on Tuesday 3rd June.

Taking place at The Telegraph in Putney, fifteen leading artists including Margaret …

Ok, ok, so it’s not a REAL pub… I’m sorry I misled you, but read on and you’ll find a suitable alternative to a giant pub filled with pumps for every type of draught beer you can conceive.

I am, of course, referring to the Great British Beer Festival 2008. Yup, a whole festival dedicated to the wonderful world of beer! Sorry, my heart just stopped for a second…

The dates? 5th-9th of August. The place? Earls Court. Wow, now that IS a giant ‘pub’! Expect pints from all around the world with every kind of cider, perry, ale and lager you can imagine. A whopping 300,000 pints are expected to be pulled as visitors set to sampling every type of beverage …