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Frances A Burscough

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Frances A Burscough: Why this TV show’s made my mutt go barking mad

Congratulations to BBC Northern Ireland on a brilliant new TV series, Good Dog Bad Dog. Like a home-grown spin-off of the popular American show The Dog Whisperer, in which out-of-control canines are taught how to behave, this version is even more entertaining as it features Ulster accents and attitudes throughout.

Inside Frances A Burscough

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Frances Burscough: I ran as far as I could but Bolt still caught up with me in end

Thursday, 28 August 2008

There was only one place on earth to be last week as the athlete Usain Bolt bolted his way to triumph at the Olympic Games. And it wasn’t Beijing.|On the other side of the world, the entire island of Jamaica was cheering and toasting and singing and dancing ... and I was there, slap, bang in the middle of it all joining in the celebrations even though 24 hours earlier I’d never even heard of the fella.
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Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Why do female celebs think they’re good at everything?

Thursday, 14 August 2008

Twenty first century celebrities seem to be rarely satisfied with their little lot. Models turn into movie stars, reality contestants want to be TV presenters, soap stars try to be pop stars and pop stars are now all budding fashion designers ...

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Why Jade is just not a Goody in my book

Thursday, 7 August 2008

Oh my dear God ...Just when you thought it was safe to switch on the TV again, Jade Goody is making a comeback. Yes, after just one very precious year of Jade-Free viewing, Miss Piggy the Bigot is plotting her return with yet another new reality TV series.

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Why Jade is just not a Goody in my book

Thursday, 7 August 2008

Oh my dear God... Just when you thought it was safe to switch on the TV again, Jade Goody is making a comeback. Yes, after just one very precious year of Jade-Free viewing, Miss Piggy the Bigot is plotting her return with yet another new reality TV series.

Why I don’t have designs on Anne, the Royal Recycler

Thursday, 31 July 2008

Royal watchers and fashion commentators were stunned when Princess Anne walked up the church steps at a family wedding wearing the same outfit that she had worn 27 years ago for the marriage of Charles and Diana. ‘Her Royal Recycler!’, ‘The Practical Princess’ and ‘Anne-Me-Down!’ went the hysterical headlines.

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Frances Bursough: Why I’m really still just a kiss me quick girl

Thursday, 24 July 2008

New York, London, Paris ... Blackpool? It’s not very often you would see those four grouped together in one sentence, but as far as my kids are concerned, it’s up there with the world’s most exciting and vibrant cities.

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Frances A. Burscough: Why staying at home is better than any holiday

Thursday, 17 July 2008

If you’re reading this at home, then the chances are that you’re not going away on a summer holiday.

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Frances Burscough: Why going online could put the shoe on other foot

Thursday, 10 July 2008

Waste not, want not! Gordon Brown seems to think he invented the notion. He's been on his rapidly-sagging soggy soapbox all week, preaching frugality like it's a completely new concept.

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Frances Burscough: The day I found myself all at sea

Thursday, 3 July 2008

I felt like Robinson Crusoe last week. There stood I at the shore, telescope in hand, scouring the horizon for hours on end in search of a distant tall ship in full sail.

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Frances Burscough: Who cares if school’s out forever

Thursday, 26 June 2008

And now, the end is near... And so I face... the final school run!

Frances A. Burscough, Belfast Telegraph

Frances Burscough: How my old binoculars bring dad back into view again

Thursday, 12 June 2008

Ahead of Father's Day, a special memory of my own dad springs to mind ... Growing up in a large family with seven brothers and sisters was a fantastic experience but one of the few drawbacks was that we rarely got time alone, one-to-one, with either parent.

Frances Burscough: How to put the wind up a new partner

Thursday, 5 June 2008

There was a survey on the radio the other day which really caught my attention. I'd love to be able to claim that this was about something intellectual or of political significance, such as the state of Gordon Brown's leadership, or the effect of global warming on the planet. But it wasn't.

What Kylie needs to know about turning 40

Thursday, 29 May 2008

Kylie has just turned 40. I wonder if she will go through any of the subtle changes that I experienced after that landmark birthday? Here are my top five most alarming symptoms:

Frances Burscough: How Sex and the City ruined my love affairs

Thursday, 15 May 2008

Sex and the City has a lot to answer for, and its leading lady Sarah Jessica Parker more than all of the cast put together. I blame her quite specifically for my disastrous track record with men in the last few years.

Why I do like to be beside the seaside

Thursday, 8 May 2008

A report into the favourite holiday destinations of the UK was published recently which shows the decline of the traditional British seaside resort. Theme parks, high-tech attractions and well-being spa breaks have taken over from the pull of the tide and the now it seems that picnicking and paddling on the beach simply isn't enough to attract day trippers in their droves anymore.

Hello, my name is Frances and I'm a shoplifter

Friday, 25 April 2008

A new Tesco superstore opened in Bangor on Monday so, along with half of the town's population, I went to investigate. As I approached the car park entrance we were flagged down by a security guard and my heart lurched with a sudden sense of panic. Had I been recognised, after all these years? Surely not?

Why just thinking about my busy mum is so tiring

Friday, 18 April 2008

It seems that 24 hours in a day just isn't enough anymore. A report out this week by an American think-tank shows that modern city-dwelling types who work full-time and run a home are cramming up to 31 hours into each day.

Why being taken in will never go out of fashion ...

Thursday, 10 April 2008

Twenty years ago this week marks an event in my career which I will never forget. I wish I could. In those days I was a fashion designer and I had just been recruited as womenswear designer for a global fashion company based in London.

Time to confess all, for my sins

Thursday, 27 March 2008

Bless me Father, for I have sinned. It is, ahem, (embarrassed cough) 30 years since my last confession. Since then I have ... er ... well ... hmm ... where do I start? And how long exactly have you got?

Why I'm not giving a tidy sum to my sons

Thursday, 28 February 2008

I knew it was time to tackle my son Finn's bedroom when it became almost physically impossible to get through the doors. Books, toys, crisp packets, odd socks, torn comics and various remnants of past midnight feasts were all serving as a makeshift draft excluder and mother deterrent. Even the dogs were avoiding it at all costs because it was too messy.

More frances a burscough:

Heading Out In Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Nightlife in Pictures

World in Pictures: August 2008

  • A Pakistani model wears a creation of a local designer S. Arshad Hussain, highlighting the jewelry, during a fashion show in Karachi, Pakistan on Friday, Aug. 29, 2008. Hussain says he wants to revive the golden fashions of the late 50s when the local fashion was liberal and progressive. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
  • Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Barack Obama kisses his wife, Michelle Obama, after giving his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention at Invesco Field at Mile High in Denver Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
  • Madonna performs on stage at the first German concert of her 'Sticky and Sweet' tour at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2008. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Stunning images from around the world

Belfast Telegraph foursomes

  • Ballymena GC Team Paul Mark and Tim Patton with Club Orange manager Denise Catney and personality girl Linzi Corr
  • Loughall GC Team David Chawick and Jason Wilson
  • Magee Island Match and Handicap Secretary Trevor Geddis drives from the 10th tee

Photographs from the tournament

In Pictures: Flooding Northern Ireland

  • A car abandoned on the Westlink Road is seen at the junction with the M1 Motorway in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008. Severe flooding swept across Northern Ireland Saturday after torrential rain.
  • This bike fan was unconcerned about the bad weather which led to the Ulster Grand Prix being cancelled
  • A bridge is swept away as the River Straid burst its banks at Nursery Road in Ballymena on Saturday afternoon

Wet and wild photographs from around Ulster

Family Notices

Most popular

Olympics closing ceremony

  • A general view showing the Olympic flame during the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 24, 2008 in Beijing, China.
  • A general view showing the Olympic flame during the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 24, 2008 in Beijing, China
  • Performers are seen during the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 24, 2008 in Beijing, China

Spectacular show closes 2008 Games

Yell-bow: Hungarian weightlifter's terrifying elbow injury

  •  Janos Baranyai of Hungary competes in the weightlifting event at the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Gymnasium during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
  •  Janos Baranyai of Hungary competes in the weightlifting event at the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Gymnasium during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
  •  Janos Baranyai of Hungary competes in the weightlifting event at the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics Gymnasium during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Janos Baranyai dislocates elbow in competition

Beach boy Bush at the Olympics

  • U.S. President George Bush watches a practice as U.S player Kerri Walsh warms up at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008.
  • U.S. President George Bush watches as U.S. team of Misty May Treanor, left, and Kerri Walsh warm up at the Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008.
  • President Bush gestures toward the back of Misty May Treanor as he visits the practice of the U.S. beach volleyball team the 2008 Summer Olympic games in Beijing, China Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. At right is Treanor's teammate Kerri Walsh.

US President finds time for some volleyball fun

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Entertainment

War in the Caucasus

  • Russian armored vehicles enter a tunnel, moving toward the border with Russia's North Ossetia, 70 km (43 miles) north of Tskhinvali, the Georgian breakaway province of South Ossetia's capital, on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. Russia pulled the bulk of its troops and tanks from Georgia on Friday after a brief but intense war but built up its forces in and around two separatist regions and left other positions deeper in the former Soviet republic.
  • Smoke rises from a fire in the Georgian village of Kekhvi, some 15 km (9 miles) north of Tskhinvali, in Georgia's breakway province of South Ossetia on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. Many ethnic Georgian villages in South Ossetia and Georgia have been looted and burned down after Russian troops entered Georgia.
  • Fire fighters extinguish a fire on a train carrying oil products after it hit a mine about 10 km (6 miles) east of Georgia's strategic central city of Gori on Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008. Interior Ministry spokesman Shota Utiashvili said the blast hit near the end of the train and one third of its 30 tanker cars were on fire.

A conflict in pictures

Columnist Comments

david_healy

David Healy: Liverpool set to raise their Standard

I know Liverpool fans were disappointed with their side’s performance against Standard Liege in the Champions League in midweek.

cooper_brown

Victoria Brown: My husband has been kidnapped and sent to prison in Mexico

Recent readers of my husband Cooper's column will undoubtedly know that he was having some problems with the immigration authorities here in the United Kingdom.

eamon_mccann

Eamonn McCann: What if Mormons are right and Catholics and Protestants wrong?

Why are the Catholic bishops so concerned about Mormons baptising dead parishioners? The Mormons didn’t invent baptism of the dead. The practice has a significant history within mainstream Christianity. The decision to order its abandonment was taken only after heated debate, and was a close-run thing.

frances_burscough

Frances Burscough: I ran as far as I could but Bolt still caught up with me in end

There was only one place on earth to be last week as the athlete Usain Bolt bolted his way to triumph at the Olympic Games. And it wasn’t Beijing.|On the other side of the world, the entire island of Jamaica was cheering and toasting and singing and dancing ... and I was there, slap, bang in the middle of it all joining in the celebrations even though 24 hours earlier I’d never even heard of the fella.

gail_walker

Gail Walker: Why Jade Goody isn’t that bad

Want to know how wretched one’s life can be? It’s confirmed you have cancer but everyone immediately by-passes concern and goes straight to suspecting the dark art of PR.

Northern Ireland Troubles

In Pictures: The Northern Ireland Troubles

A Conflict in Pictures

Miss Universe

  •  Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza is crowned Miss Universe 2008 on stage during the 57th Annual Miss Universe Competition at the Crown Convention Centre on July 14, 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
  • Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza one of the top 15 semi finalists performs on stage during the final of the 57th Annual Miss Universe Competition at the Crown Convention Centre on July 14, 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
  • Miss Vietnam Lam Thuy Nguyen one of the top 15 semi finalists performs on stage during the final of the 57th Annual Miss Universe Competition at the Crown Convention Centre on July 14, 2008 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Nha Trang, Vietnam

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