The day we had an Absolute blast

It won't have escaped your attention if you see my Twitter feed that I am a devotee of the Absolute Radio breakfast show.    In fact I have listened to the Breakfast show since it was Virgin.  Back when I was living in Saudi and loved nothing more on our day off than listening to the traffic updates on the M6.

Since Christian O'Connell started doing the breakfast show I have been addicted.    Even setting my alarm on days off so I don't miss it.  (this may surprise some of you but believe me, I am not alone).

The show is currently running a competition where you can win a whole festival in your garden and the show will be hosted from your lounge.   Details are here:  Win Breakfest.   Hearing this has reminded me of our massive win with them last year.   When we, yes, us Barrows and Brewins, won their competition and they came to us.

First some background

September 24th 2010 was a date we were not looking forward to.   It was the first anniversary of the death of Bruce's brother, Roger.   Roger had taken his own life in the early hours of September 24th 2009 and we had struggled with a year of "firsts" to get to September 2010.

Whilst daydreaming at my desk one day I came across a competition and thought "ah well, might as well, nothing to lose" and entered to win a 47" 3D TV, Sky HD for a year, the breakfast show rocking up, and KT Tunstall doing a gig in our lounge.   I had to write in 250 words or less why they should come to us.   As a bit of a stalker I gave a reason for each member of the crew and offered them exclusive access to our hot tub.

Didnt think any more of it.   In fact, didnt even bother telling Mr B I had entered.

On the evening of September 23rd Mr B came home from work and I said "I have had a call from an Absolute researcher to say I am through the the final seven of this huge competition".    I went in to full on panic mode as I might get a call the following morning and would have to pitch our lounge.

Queen of the pitches is my best friend Tasha (@tasha_1975_uk) and I called and insisted she come round to help me.   Mr B and I sat at the kitchen table and tried to write a killer pitch for why they should come to us.

If I got from those seven to the final 3 I would get a call from Christian between 8 and 8.15 the following morning.   Slap bang in the middle of my school run with E.   J was home from boarding school as he was sick but he insisted on coming with me to take E to school.   C had downloaded the Absolute app to her BlackBerry so she could listen on the bus on her way to college.

Mr B got up and was listening in the lounge.    8.15 came and went and I thought "I would be on hold if I had got through" so dismissed it.   And then the phone rang.   I nearly crashed my car.

I had made it to the final three.  I did my pitch and, quite frankly, I was rubbish.   Christian played Blondie "Hanging on the Telephone" and then said "right its you...... ".     We held our breath......     "Tanya we are coming to Fleet".

I went nuts.   41 years of age and I actually went nuts.    I was screaming, J was shouting,  E and all her friends came rushing back to the car.  The dog went mental.

Christian got cold feet hearing all this but didnt change his mind, thankfully.

The day we had all been dreading had suddenly taken a whole new slant.   What was going to be a day of quiet reflection for Mr B suddenly became a steady stream of calls from everybody.   Sky VIP were first, asking if they could come and install the TV on Monday.   My parents.   Tasha.   Everybody was screaming "she did.  She only bloody did it".

Fast forward a week.   A week where Absolute sprang into action as various agencies started setting this up.  We were always kept in the loop, given phone numbers, email addresses and updated almost hourly on what was happening.

And then it was 3am on October 1st.   The doorbell rang and that was it.

Christian O'Connell was standing in our hallway.

Andrew Bailey was setting up his newsroom in the downstairs loo.

Maggie was getting acquainted with the new traffic dog -- Cheeky,. who didn't leave her lap.

This was really happening.   A national breakfast show was being hosted from our lounge.  Using our broadband and that of the neighbours it was all coming from our lounge in Fleet.   We all had to wear Absolute wristbands so that security (yes we had security) could identify who should be there.

Friends Andy and Sarah (@andywebbdj and @sc8720) and Tasha became the catering team and kept nearly 60 people from Sky, Absolute, Beatwax the production company, and all our friends going with a steady stream of tea and sausage buns.

KT Tunstall arrived and was interviewed by Richie the producer, in our spare bedroom.  It all seemed so surreal.   I had tweeted KT to ask if she was a veggie and she replied to say she was.   Linda McCartney sausages came up trumps that morning.

The whole team interacted and chatted to everybody, posed for photos, signed autographs and made us feel like we were the most important people in all of this.  Not them.  KT set up and sang three songs from her new album, blowing all of us away with the performance.  Fade Like a Shadow

Christian and KT singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" as suggested by @LilMsHissyFit's son will be etched on my memory forever.

I had got wind of the fact it was Andrew Bailey's birthday and had prepared a cake.   I asked Richie if we should have it on the table "no, it will be fine, I will bring it in and we can all sing to him".   What could go wrong?   The stuff of legends:  Cake Drop Gate

Highlights for the whole event are here:  Highlights

Then it was over.

It was all done.   The team packed up and left.  And we were left with a monster TV and memories of the most amazing day.

I wish we could do it all again.   Even cake on the carpet!

If you know what is good for you.  Enter that competition to win Breakfast.   It really could be you.  It will be the best fun you have had in a long time. If not ever.

Thank you Absolute.  And thank you Sky.   You organised a day that none of us will forget on a day that we were really hoping to forget.

We love you!!!