Aussie singer takes her star status literally with her latest Star Wars-esque outfit

God bless, Kylie Minogue. After we saw her dressed as a magician's apprentice last week, with yet another nod to the mystical and magical, she's now stepped out in a pair of C3PO-inspired leggings, complete with what looks like her very own solar panels!

Perhaps she's trying to promote her 'Solo' career even more now that she has a new album coming out this year. 

Well, let's face it, if anyone can pull it off, it's Ms Minogue… she's one of the coolest stars around!

PICTURES See pictures of Kylie's Star Wars-esque ensemble here.

Photographer discovers dolphins think surfing is a pretty sexy sport, too

When I was growing up in Coffs Harbour on the East coast of Australia, surfing was not only considered the coolest sport around, it was also the sexiest sport around.

If you were a boy who could surf, you were sure to be followed around by a bevy of bikini-clad women everywhere you went. And if you were a girl who could surf - well, you got even more attention from the boys who could surf than most of the bikini-clad girls did. 

Coffs is also known as a popular dolphin-watching spot, so I found it pretty interesting when I read a recent article claiming that dolphins enjoy surfing waves, not only for a bit of fun and to communicate their happiness, but also to impress members of the opposite sex as part of their mating ritual.

Photographer Greg Huglin, 57, from California has spent 6 years photographing the daily behaviour of dolphins and he reckons their actions are a lot more saucy than we think.

"I believe they do it for fun but it may also have something to do with mating and chasing potential partners," Greg told London's Metro.

So next time you're catching waves to impress the girls, you might find yourself with a little competition! 

VIDEO Greg's now made a film about the Surfing Dolphins. To view the trailer, click here. 

PICTURES See Greg's amazing pictures by clicking here.  

See, our Facebook Mystic Mantra was right: laughter is the best medicine!

I reckon I must be psychic! Yesterday I was updating our regular Mystic Mantra on Prediction's Facebook page and the phrase 'Laughter is the best medicine' popped into my head. So I added it as our daily affirmation.

Then, this morning, I opened the newspaper only to see a story with the headline: 'Being happy is the key to a longer life.'

According to the news item in London's Metro, people with a positive outlook on life enjoy longer periods of rest and relaxation and recover faster from injuries, illnesses and stress.

So there you have it, folks - Prediction has predicted the answer once again!

Race The Green Machines starts on 24th July in London's Battersea Park

Fancy helping in the fight against climate change and having a laugh along with it?

Join Race the Green Machines from Battersea Park in London to the glorious city of Istanbul, Turkey, on 24th July and go on a 3-week overland travel adventure without leaving a carbon footprint!

The only rules are that you must not emit any carbon while in transit and you must not break any laws of the country you are in at any given time.

Organised by three friends, the race will see all manner of environmentally friendly transport take to the roads and seas - from bicycles and solar-powered cars to sailing boats and peddlos, it's sure to be one of the whackiest - and also one of the smartest - charity races on Earth!

Entry costs £200. Go here to sign up today and help save our beautiful planet from climate change.

Britain's doyenne of daring design asks us to save the world!

As I was making the mad dash to catch my train from London Bridge this morning, I managed to snap up the latest copy of freebie fashion mag Stylist.

As I flung myself, gasping, into my seat on the train, I glanced down at the front cover and was impressed to see that 'Auntie Viv' (as my pal Dickie and I like to call her) has used her chance to design the cover of a mag, not for promotion of her own gloriously eye-catching designs, but rather, for the promotion of a much more important cause - the prevention and reversal of climate change. 

"A couple of years ago I read an interview with a man called James Lovelock. He said climate change is going to get so bad that by the end of this century there will only be one billion people left on Earth," Auntie Viv tells Stylist. "The world will get so hot that it will be uninhabitable. It's a theory called Gaia, and it really worried me. So I decided to get across this message that we have to get engaged with the world we live in and do something to stop it's destruction."

And for those of you who are disappointed that Vivienne didn't share her designs with you on the cover, look again! "I'd like people to cut it out, put it in a plastic sheet and pin it on themselves - as if you were just about to run a marathon," she continues. "I want people to focus on 'do it yourself', and recycling clothes to make them last. Stop buying so many clothes, and when you do, choose well." 

That's it! I'm giving up Primark for lent… great advice, Viv - maybe then I can start saving up for a Vivienne Westwood frock…

These new no-fuss, no-nasties curries and sauces are really yummy - and good for you!

I love a good curry - especially on a Friday night after work. But these days it's hard to find one that isn't swimming in oil or packed with preservatives.

That is, until now! I've just discovered Bay Tree cooking sauces. It's a cute little company that was started by two foodie ladies - Emma Macdonald and Lucie Lewis - who met each other through a mutual pal and decided to create their own versatile cooking sauces with no yucky additives.

<img src="/imageBank/r/Redcurrant--Rosemary-Sauce.gif" border="0" alt="Redcurrent and rosemary sauce" title="Redcurrent and rosemary
sauce" width="127" height="198"/>

All their sauces are GM free, additive free, preservative free and gluten free (perfect for my mum, who has Coeliac Disease and can't have wheat or gluten) - several are also dairy free and suitable for vegetarians.

"We know that people want to buy authentic sauces that have as much flavour and provenance as well-reared meat and poultry, which can be poured over a range of different ingredients," says Lucie Lewis, joint founder and owner of The Bay Tree Food Company. 

"Our recipe development team has cooked our whole range of sauces with different cuts of meat and seasonal vegetables, and the final recipes are the result of plenty of tasting, cooking and tasting again!"

The range includes Redcurrant & Rosemary, Morello Cherry, Caramelised Onion & Rosemary, Dill & Lemon, Caramelised Onion Gravy, Creamy Mushroom, Creamy Mushroom & Tomato, Red Wine Gravy and Mustard & Tarragon, as well as three Curry Sauces including Korma, Tikka Masala and Vindaloo, made using roasted whole and ground spices, coconut milk and chillies.

My favourite is the Tikka Marsala, but next time I'm going hotter and am prepared to brave the vindaloo!

Each sachet costs just £2.99 for 300g. Click here to order yours or call 01749 831300.

Stolen garden gnome returned - after 14 years

It's nice to know that people can change their ways and not all thieves are a lost cause.

Earlier this week, I read a story about a shoplifter who wrote an apology note and enclosed a cheque for £20 to a store he'd robbed years previously, and today I've seen an article about a stolen garden gnome, who turned up at the Leeds home of his owners - 14 years after he was pinched.

Doris and Denis Heard's gnome was returned to them in an anonymous parcel left on their doorstep, with an apology note attached that read, "Since growing up and having a garden of my own that I cherish and care for, I feel really bad."

Bless.  

A Japanese dessert company is peddling collagen-enriched puddings

I got all excited this morning - not only did I discover that booze can be good for you (in moderation, of course - read my blog entry here), but I also read an article about a collagen-enriched cheesecake in Japan that can apparently help you turn back the years.

Japanese company Meiji has developed a cheesecake containing 1,000ml of skin-plumping collagen and it sounds like their puds have been flying off the supermarket shelves as women chow down in a bid to turn back the clock. 

At last, a valid excuse to eat cheesecake to my heart's content! Now this sounded a whole lot more enticing than a face serum that mimics snake venom! 

But, sadly, it sounds like it could all be too good to be true. Annet King, a dermatologist from the International Dermal Institute, told Style magazine, "There's no way that eating collagen boosts collagen [in skin]." 

So, while Meiji's cakes might fill you out, it sounds unlikely that they'll plump out your wrinkles. 

Darn it all.

Variety is the spice of life for these delicate insects

If you want to attract more butterflies to your garden, new research suggests that you need a wide variety of plant life and habitats - including grasses, flowering and nectar-producing plants.

Dr Jane Hill of York University told London's Metro newspaper that multiple habitats also provide protection for these intricate winged creatures and can guard them against extreme conditions, such as drought. 

Despite their short lives, it seems a change is indeed as good as a holiday for the fluttery beauties. 

With spring (hopefully) on the way soon, it's the perfect time to start planning your butterfly haven - who knows, you might even attract a fairy or two!