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Time out to dream of an ideal home Gail Walker

It didn't take the small but determined palmist, medium and clairvoyant Verran Boswell to tell me I would never afford the 'Dream House' at the Ideal Home Exhibition.

But she did anyway. With a firm grip on my hand, she pulled me away from a display of hi-tech gadgets and told me I was not going to be a millionairess.

Rival

She also mentioned I was going to the dentist next week (correct). I would travel often (debatable) and that I would still end up with a lot of money (probably wrong).

Ms Boswell, who was born in Ireland but stays on the move, is a veteran of exhibitions and just one of the many attractions on offer.

Her rival, Madam Lee, at the other end of the King's Hall, Belfast is another.

Sandwiched between the pair is a vast array of goods, ranging from the luxurious to the novel, the exorbitantly priced to those selling for a few pounds.

You could splash out on a kingsize Strata waterbed costing around £ 2,800. The firm has already offered Coronation Street romeo Reg Holdsworth one for his honeymoon.

With the big day looming closer, Richard Middleton, president of the firm's UK operation, says he expects to hear from Granada TV any day now.

Marketing

Or you may want a state-of-the-art aquarium. The brightly-lit hexagonal tanks range in price from £ 99 to £ 695.

"We brought them over from England this week," said Laurence Cooper, marketing manager of Aqua Design, which is based at Weston-super-Mare.

"This is always a good show. The tanks are not difficult to transport and we just hire the tropical fish from a pet shop in Belfast."

If the stress of battling your way through the thousands of people milling around 200 stalls gets to you, then try Dove Healthcare Limited's electronic acupuncture. The machine costs £ 170 but is guaranteed to cure 100 problems.

However, I spent most time with an exhibit that was great fun and completely free - BT's Videophone.

The firm has four of them alongside a host of other fascinating phone products on their large stand at the front of the hall.

You and a friend can give each other a call. Technology at your fingertips and the chance to have a much-needed sit down as well. What more could a girl want?

A million pounds.
