Morning all 

Thanks MrsH   

Day 1 round-up: Luxury living and basement blues

An eventful Celebrity Big Brother 2013 launch night saw a definite divide form - even as housemates settled into their opening hours in the House.

Hardly surprising considering Big Brother kicked off proceedings with a devilish twist that literally split their number in two. Big Brother's basement stole the show as the housemates were shepherded in, two by two, then split into two factions - basement-dwellers and upstairs luxury-livers. By the end of that caper, we were left with two very distinct sets of housemates. Half of them slightly miffed, the rest sky-high in happy-land.

Given a brief opportunity to intermingle, Claire, Frankie, Gillian, Lacey, Rylan and Tricia were joined by the most of the downstairs crew. Razor, Sam, Ryan and Paula managed to find their way up the stairs for introductions and smalltalk. Speidi, however, weren’t particularly interested in getting to know anyone from the elevated ranks. While friendships formed, they stayed on their rickety bed, practicing their ‘British accents’. In fact, they were generally a little grumpy – though they managed to chat amiably enough when their fellow basement buddies reappeared. Especially with Razor, who they chatted to about football, or soccer, boasting that they’d been to see Beckham’s final Galaxy game.

Downstairs, in the gloom of the basement, potential bromancers Ryan and Sam read their own tailored rules aloud and it wasn’t good news. Food would not be supplied by Big Brother, it was learned, unless you count food scraps dropped down a chute, through which they were forced to forage for morsels. Ryan was more than up to the challenge and immediately began rooting out the good stuff.

There were problems of a less immediate nature upstairs as the housemates demanded their PJs from an unresponsive Big Brother. Worried about her vintage dress stretching, Lacey took matters into her own hands and stripped to her underpants for the rest of the evening. Speaking of the Page 3 stunner, she also worried that her small stature might lead to her drowning in the tub. When she bathes, she declared, she’ll require company. Bearing in mind she had a flirty chat with Sam about her slightly saucy surname, we might be wise to watch out for how that one develops.

As things wound down, Razor was first to bed and the basement crew started turning in as the upstairs lot finished their fizzy drinks and settled in. Tensions aren’t completely out in the open as things stand, but there may be a little grief between Rylan and Speidi when they eventually come face-to-face. It seems the couple from The Hills aren't too happy about his reasons for confining them to the lower quarters. They've clearly never experienced a frosty December evening in Essex. Or Elstree - until now.

8.20am: Morning! It's a rare moment of unity between #CBBbasement and House dwellers. They're all asleep.

8.41am: While laddish snores ring round the bedroom, one of the HMs is both up and wearing a fetching bandana. Can you guess who?

8.53am: It was Paula, who is now issuing a strange but fair ultimatum to Big Brother.

9.19am: And after that brief minor spell of activity, they're back to silent sleeping. We're jealous of those bedheads.

9.40am: Is Frankie wearing a scarf in bed? This batch of celebs are deeply attached to their accessories

9.50am: Tricia and Frankie (who is definitely wearing a scarf) are whispering in the dark bedroom. The word "tea" is popping up a lot

10.05am: Frankie is for some reason either pointing at something, or doing the John Travolta Saturday Night Fever dance in his sleep.

10.25am: Hooray and glory be, the celebs are greeting the day. Claire doesn't seem best pleased about this. #CBB pic.twitter.com/BjUYFUyG

10.44am: Team Luxury are making breakfast. Claire is singing Goodbye - The Great Steps/Spice Girls crossover that never was.

10.53am: So here's a funny thing, Paula's now a luxury housemate upstairs. Read about why: http://bit.ly/UstzXs 

Day 2: Paula is promoted

In the wee hours of last night, coconut-fan and self-described eccentric, Paula came over a little unwell. But don’t get too upset. After receiving advice from the Big Brother doctor, the decision was taken to move our former supermodel from the dank CBB basement to the glorious world above. She is a new luxury housemate. It’s a real rags to riches story!

On leaving their bedroom, the original ground-level housemates met the new recruit with squeals of surprise.

"I can’t believe you’re here. It’s brilliant!" exclaimed Rylan

"Yeah, cool," replied Paula in a monotone that suggests she hasn’t forgotten the moment last night that he, together with partner-in-crime, Frankie chose her over Tricia to be sent down.

Rylan has been sitting with Paula in the garden ever since, listening to her colourful conversation and clearly hoping to build bridges after their shaky start.

Will Paula forgive and forget? You better stay tuned to the website to find out.

Back in a bit. I`ll have to change browsers,this one won`t let me copy pics.

11.17am: Spencer is keeping morale up by reminding us all of the simple beauty of life. "Is that sawdust in the corner, or just paint?"

11.31am: Paula's telling Rylan and Claire that the nicest HM in the#CBBbasement is Ryan. Cooing follows this announcement.

11:39am: Exclusive from the basement!! Ryan's been harboring dark secrets. “I made earplugs out of my bed AND toilet paper last night!”

11.55am: Lacey has yet to put on trousers. She just doesn't like clothes, okay?

12:10pm: The two BB worlds have collided! Razor, Sam and Ryan have emerged in their section of the garden, caged off from Team Luxury.

Day 2: Good Morning Sun.. Oh never mind.

Whilst the main Big Brother housemates are vibrant in their new beautiful home whisking endless eggs and singing the greatest hits of the Spice Girls, down in the basement, the exiled section of the House seem slightly less cheery. Can’t imagine why. Now the elation high of the opening night is behind them, the housemates now have to contend with the fact that they are, for the foreseeable future, living in a basement. With the company of only eachother, they quickly came to realise however that the lesson to be learnt is that it is the simple pleasures of life that are the most beautiful.

Interestingly, it is our LA housemates that are dishing out the silver linings of their new humble surroundings.

 “I’ve never heard of orange yoghurt before.” Heidi profoundly observed.
 “Is that sawdust, or just paint?” Spencer added, mounting the excitement.

Inspired, Ryan kicks things into gear once and for all - gallantly grabbing a plastic spoon readying himself for the big day ahead. Who needs such materialistic simplicities after all for heaven's sake?

“I made earplugs out of my bed AND toilet paper last night!” he announced in the manner of a dark secret he has been suppressing for years, and all of a sudden – it is as if the housemates are on a much deeper level of knowing each other all in that magical, shimmering moment. So perhaps there are perks to living modestly after all.  

12.24pm: Spencer and Ryan are chatting push ups. They can both do 30 in a row in case you were wondering - surely you were

12:40pm: Rylan is introducing the housemates to the soon-to-be infamous game: "Rylan's Word of Choice." Any ideas what that might be?

13.00pm: Rylan's just taught the housemates how you can get pregnant in the eye, if anyone fancies whacking up a sci-fi film about that

1.10pm: Heidi's talking about her amazing-sounding pool parties. We just get excited every time we see a big enough puddle to splash in #CBB

  nice to see you    and thanks

will be about later once my hairstylist has been and sorted me out 

You too   Okay dokay

1.25pm: Paula has assumed the role of House storyteller. She just needs a fireside and a rocking chair to complete the look

Got to nip out for a mo. I`ll back asap.

1.36pm: Meanwhile in the #CBBbasement, it's footie this, footie that. Last woman standing, Heidi has little to say

1.48pm: Inspired by the sporty chat, Ryan is doing still more physical jerks. No wonder he's left his days as curvy Toadfish behind.

2.06pm: Fascinating fact about that Ryan - he's training to be a pilot.

2.26pm: Team Luxury are unpacking and still singing. Meanwhile, Rylan has just revealed he likes coleslaw, HOWEVER: he didn't used to.

FB Big Brother & Ch5BB don`t give the url to post the video clips. Only Youtube BB does and they sometimes don`t post the latest ones. Is there a way around it..anyone?

I used to hate cinnamon - now i love it

And hot cross buns LOL

2.41pm: Everyone's asleep in the #CBBbasement. Evidently subterranean reality is not worth staying conscious for

2.56pm: Frankie's studying the BB manual like it's the new 50 Shades sequel.

3.10pm: The food's arrived in the main house. Those gargantuan bags of crisps could be used as wrecking balls, if they get bored.

*runs in and gives Scotty a big smooch*

Welcome back, hope you are sticking around 'cos I've missed you.

*gives Yogi a big smooch back* 

Thank you, I`ve missed you too.   Over Christmas I wanted to surprise you with a santa hat on your bonnie dog avi, tried to draw it, but it fell apart at the seams

FB has taken over a bit with Robert being in NZ but I`ll be around as much as I can for CBB   

Day 2: Basement Pipes Task

Housemates in the main House awoke this morning with delight at their privileged status tempered by just one thing:no hot water. Hot water: bringer of lovely showers on winter mornings, hot water, a reason to rejoice in cleanliness, hot water... The point is it wasn’t on, nuh huh. As usual, Big Brother gives with one hand and takes away with the other. Also like usual, a task was brewing.

Rylan read out the details of the task and it boils (ha) down to this. To win back hot water for both sides of the House (naturally poor basement dwellers are also without), housemates in the main House must choose one housemate from the basement to take part in a task to unblock the pipes. Sounds glamourous.

The chosen housemate will enter the basement section of the garden and face a series of blocked pipes – full of disgusting and putrid contents – which they must use their hands to unblock. The more they remove from the dirty pipes, the higher a water level will raise up a sliding scale from ‘freezing’ to ‘hot!’

Once all the pipes have been cleared, hot water will be switched back on for the main House and buckets of hot water will be delivered to the housemates in the basement.

3.35pm: #Speidi are in the Diary Room after other HMs chose them to participate in #CBBpipes.

3.39pm: To win back hot water, which has been off all day, #Speidi must remove grossness from pipes set up in the garden. #CBBpipes

3.50pm: #Speidi are not yielding gracefully to the task thrust upon them. Is this a protest?

3.54pm: Nope, #Speidi aren't unblocking anything. Ryan has stepped up to do the pipe-cleaning honours.