One of my (many) New Year's resolutions is to learn how to do some magic.

And generous to a fault, I made the same resolution for my two children too. We would all learn to do some magic.

In fact I've wanted to be able to perform magic tricks for years, but have never devoted any time or energy to doing so - hence I'm no David Blaine.

To get us all in the mood, I ordered some magic tricks from Hawkin's Bazaar, a gem of an online store that sells all sorts of weird and wonderful things.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much for my money seeing as I was only spending a couple of pounds on each one and knowing how little a couple of pounds buys you these days.

But I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised when they arrived. The tricks not only work, but they work well too.

Take the Pencil Slicer (£1.99) for starters. The device cuts a normal pencil in to three slices and then restores it to its original state. Now that's magic. In fact it's so good that I just know it's the basis for me being able to saw glamourous assistants in half.

Then there's the Magic Wallet (£1.25) that makes coins and notes disappear. Again, easy when you know how, but a good magician never reveals his secrets so I'm not about to tell you how it's done. Seeing is believing as they say.

Fantastic value for money and as there are no shortage of audiences - grannies, friends, school teachers, siblings - hours of enjoyment too.

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