Well, just as I was moaning about the lack of competition prizes coming my way I receive two competition wins in three days!

As I've always said, it's a numbers game and the more comps you enter the more prizes you are going to win. However, the distribution of these prizes is not always equal, so some months you won't win any and others you will win two or three.

That's why I've been so disappointed recently as I've been managing to enter plenty of competitions but without success. But all good things come to he who waits, and I've had a couple of prize wins this week.

They are listed on my Competition Wins of 2009 page and make it look a bit better, at least numerically if not in terms of the prize value.

The State of Play goodies, a clipboard and T-shirt, received on Tuesday without any note of who sent them, and the Tanning Mousse from Cosmopolitan will both probably end up as stocking fillers at Christmas for some lucky (?) person.

I've just entered a couple of competitions with GMTV and ITV which offer considerably better prizes, and I'm hoping as it is my birthday today (40th!!!) that I will have some luck and land a big one.

I used my Visit Liverpool prize last night to spend my birthday at the Holiday Inn Express in Albert Dock. I have to say it is a lovely hotel, very much recommended, and very handy indeed for the Albert Dock area which I really like visiting.

The room was large, spotless and had views over the central "lake". It was well fitted (lovely big flat screen TV) and had everything we needed. The inclusive breakfast was good too, lots of choice and very tasty.

Anyway, I have some more celebrating to do this evening so I will end here and keep my fingers crossed for more prizes soon.