The boyfriend pillow has gone on sale in Japan. The pillow is shaped like a man’s arm and is designed to keep the body balanced. It also has the advantage that it doesn’t snore.

Plymouth and South West Co-op have been running a trial ban on carrier bags in some of its stores in Devon and Cornwall. The initiative is proving to be successful with plastic bag use being cut by 90%. Shoppers can reuse bags or purchase a corn starch bag for 5p. The scheme will now be extended to more shops.

A lady in West London has been scarred for life by an exploding vegetable kiev. She had prepared the kiev according to the manufacturers instructions. When she sat down to eat it, it exploded covering her in boiling liquid. Asda have said it is a isolated incident

The rain here in the UK is bad news for so many people who have already had their homes damaged by floods or find they are without drinking water. There are however, always some companies that benefit from adverse weather. Domino’s pizza have seen a 35% rise in profits which is more than they managed even during the world cup. I can see why, with weather like this I don’t want to go out either, and find rather than eat out, it’s easier to order in.

It appears the British public is no longer so discerning in their quest for a designer label. A recent report has shown that two thirds of consumers are now just as happy to buy a fake product as they are to purchase the real thing. I'm not that bothered about labels myself as long as I get a good deal on a product, that's good enough for me.

A red dye used in burgers and sausages could be banned after it was found it can cause cancer. The dye called Red 2G is used mainly by small producers and butchers and is currently only allowed to be used in foods in very small amounts. However, the recent studies carried out on rats and mice have shown it does have a potential cancer risk, so it could now be banned completely.

I found a bottle of Fetzer Barrel Select Merlot 2005 in Tesco. I must admit I brought it because it was on offer at Tesco for £3.99 and I thought at that price it was worth a try. The bottle blurb boasts of a range of tastes including plums, vanilla, raspberries, cherries and chocolates. When I tried it the taste of plums was evident and it was a really fruity wine. It did however lack body, although to be honest at £3.99 I was not surprised. In all, it was a nice enough wine that went down fairly well, but about what I would expect from a £3.99 offering, ok, but not great. Not a wine I would buy again.

I found this website SendMeScent.com that offers a wide range of perfume and aftershave. Personally I wear perfume every day and tend to have seven or eight different bottles open at any one time, so I’m always looking to try new fragrances. My favourite at the moment is Be Delicious by DKNY on sale here for only £34.50 which is quite a saving from the RRP of £48.95. Other favourites of mine are Cool Water by Davidoff and Rush by Gucci both available here at cheaper prices than you would find on the high street. If you are in no hurry for your purchase you can get free second class delivery or alternatively pay an extra £5.95 for next day delivery within the UK. You can also add gift wrapping at the checkout if it’s for a present.

I found this website opticsplanet.com that has a wide range of gadgets and unusual gifts including telescopes, microscopes, binoculars and star spotting scopes. One item that I found particularly interesting was the Meade MySky, a device which is basically a personal planetarium, similar to the skyscout. It is hand-held devices that has a point and shoot identification system to guide you through the night sky so you know exactly what it is you are looking at. Basically you just point it at a celestial object, pull the trigger and the device will till you what it is. It also has a full colour LCD screen and a computerised telescope. It hasn’t been released yet but you can pre-order the item online with free delivery.