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Paula Hunt!

Record released on 2003-07-29 at 6:54 p.m.

I am feeling awful all over again. it was one thing to feel this bad after I'd been up to London for the day but I did sod-all, all weekend and I feel like I've been on a sodding route-march! My throat is ulcerated and swollen and my limbs are aching and shaky. But this does not make me an unhappy person. In fact, I've had a brilliant day and I am in fine spirits because......

Erm, you know how I kind of like Bugs rather a lot? And you know how the whole obsession kind of.... started again for no apparent reason? Well, when I wrote to a couple of my favourite crushes a couple of months back there was a special one amongst them. I wrote to Paula Hunt who played Alex in Bugs. She was the only autograph I was missing.... and besides, I always liked her very much.

This morning when the post arrived there was a big brown envelope amongst it with 'PLEASE DO NOT BEND' scrawled across it. I knew it had to be *one* of the pictures I'd been hoping so desperately for and excitedly I tore it open - to find a smiling Paula Hunt looking at me! She had sent me a large, black and white photograph with two Bugs postcards (which I owned already but these had been touched by her fair hands!) and on the back of the photo (I don't know why the back - don't people usually sign on the front?? All my autographs to date are) it said;

"Miranda, Thank you for your lovely letter! All the best, Paula Hunt."

I danced happily all around my bedroom for several minutes after that and showed my mum with a huge grin, like a small child winning first prize in a Best Alex Autograph competition or something.....

Here's the picture.... that will be going on my wall soon!

And this is the autograph on the back of it! Woo-hoo!

Oddly, I was delighted that she even appeared to have made out the envelope herself. Even writing 'DO NOT BEND'! That impresses me. A celebrity willing to even address the envelope!

Alex.... oh, Alex..... when Paula first joined the Bugs cast as Alex I didn't think I would like her. In fact, I actively tried not to like her! A new character coming into your established favourite TV show of all time hardly ever finds his or herself accepted. take Doggett for example. No, seriously, I mean, please - take Doggett! But I realised after just the very first episode with her in that my not-liking-Alex plan was not going according to plan.

I liked her. I more than liked her. She was cute and I developed a large crush on her. Back in that part of my life I couldn't even bring myself to think about my sexuality. I could just about get around the whole Jaye Griffiths thing somehow in my mind, but having another woman who set my heart thumping on a saturday night, in the same programme, made life very difficult for me.

It soon became clear that the not-liking-her thing wasn't going to work out, and in fact I spent that whole summer trying my very best to look like her. I even bought a whole new set of clothes similar to things she'd worn in Bugs, and had my hair blonde and curly the whole summer long. I didn't even realise I was doing it at the time - but I have the pictures to prove it :)

By the time the last series of Bugs rolled around I was looking forward to seeing her back on the screens almost as much as I wanted to see Jaye Griffiths again (Almost!) but sadly since then she's been pretty much absent from our sceens. We do not mention the Bingo advert - EVER.

When I wrote to Paula Hunt a few weeks ago, I did it to thank her as much as anything. It's strange - if someone gives us great service in a shop or with a repair service or so on, we thank them, but the people we watch on TV every day who provide us with entertainment - we hardly ever think to say thank you. I wanted to change that on this occassion. I'm very glad that I did now!

I already have more names on my hitlist of people to write to. More favourites - and bizarrely, they are *all* blondes this time.

For now, I am off to plan where my picture shall go - and to find my curling tongs :D

Have a good evening everyone!