by Dee | Feb 16, 2016 | Featured, Glo Arts & Entertainment
Check out this website at www.woodlandtrust.co.uk for some wonderful half term and holiday experiences for you and the kids.
From their ‘Out and About’, to their ‘Amazing adventures’, ‘Fascinating Foxy Facts’, ‘Your local Wood’ and ‘Be a Wildlife Tracker’ – this will be a revelation to the grown ups as you explore some of the most exciting hidden woodlands throughout the UK.
If you want to remain London based, then the kids are more than alright with this treasure trove of family-friendly activities and events.
The kids are in charge at the Southbank Centre once more in February as their two-week children’s festival returns. The theme for 2016 is Roald Dahl, and you can expect a wide range of captivating theatre, dance, music, film and comedy plus readings from some of the UK’s favourite authors, with free and ticketed events for young people of all ages.
The bill includes David Baddiel, Judith Kerr, Rastamouse, Cressida Cowell, Mary Hoffman, Laura Dockrill, Cerrie Burnell, Ben Bailey Smith, the world premiere of interactive experience ‘The Wondercrump World of Roald Dahl’ and other events celebrating author’s centenary.
Highlights include the chance to hop on to The Giant Storytelling Bed; a host of workshops to get stuck into, from clay sculpture to sign language; the opportunity to hear the entirety of Dahl’s ‘Matilda’ on the Clore Ballroom stage (Feb 18); a live illustration of the epic story from Dahl’s final book, ‘The Minpins’ set to the music of Sibelius played by London Schools Symphony Orchestra (Feb 15); hip hop posturing in the Rap Factor battles; Cressida Cowell presenting the final book in her ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ series; and Holly Smale discussing the latest ‘Geek Girl’ book.
Check the Imagine Festival webpage for details of dates, prices and times.
Recommended: read their countdown of the 100 best children’s books
For those of you heading or living North this Summer, a real discovery is this small family run farm which has been in the Sunderland area since 18th century. Over the years the family has been involved in many types of farming from milking Friesian cows, growing potatoes, crops and rearing cattle. Even just a decade ago, Down at the Farm was a large cattle enterprise run by the Weightman family with over 400 Limousin cows.
In 2007 the main cow field was designed and converted into a purpose built farm park. Their aim was to bring a little bit of countryside education, together with lots of fun and play for their visitors in a safe environment. They are primarily a seasonal attraction which changes according to the farming calendar and time of year and they are growing steadily each year. Their main season runs between Spring & Autumn – they close every winter. They have a wide variety of farm animals to hold and stroke, play areas and activities to make your day even more fun! They have lots of different types of farm animals for you to meet from sheep, cattle, donkeys, and pigs.
Just like the farm, their animals needs change with the seasons, depending on whether they are breeding , giving birth or needing shelter and their animal activities and talks are the perfect opportunity for them to inform their visitors of these changes.
They also have a small collection of non native species of animals such as Reindeer, Snowy owls, Meerkats, Raccoons and Reptiles. In doing so, they hold a zoo license which ensures that they meet the required welfare standards for these animals. Please see their animals page for more information on specific animals. They are also undertaking small conservation projects to encourage wild birds to come back and nest at the farm, as well as redeveloping pond areas to encourage wildlife habitats. They also believe that by allowing specific areas of the park to be left in a wild state, they will help more habitats to form.
www.downatthefarm.co.uk
by Dee | Feb 5, 2016 | Featured, Glo Arts & Entertainment
Growing up in the seventies in a household where UFOs were very much the centre of discussion and aliens were a given in our Society, seemed completely normal.
My parents, often heralded ‘the Godparents of Sci-fi’ were the pioneers of programmes which paved the way for blockbusters like Star Wars, Close Encounters and Star Trek.
I am the first to admit that this enviably enriched environment was taken for granted by me at the time, but looking back I can now thankfully share the experiences and appreciate the knowledge more than most of my contemporaries.
My father Gerry Anderson took a fact finding trip to Nasa at the time he was researching for the programmes UFO and Space 1999, and came back buzzing with excitement at his findings. He had trouble doing the sky Space Walk across the bridge as he suffered from vertigo, but the rest was intriguing for him and he shared stories of UFOs and Alien encounters that had been given to him from experts at the Space Station.
I had spotted an incredibly dazzling ‘shooting star’ one early morning when staying with relatives in the country, and as I described it to him, he told me in no uncertain terms that the vision I had seen was probably a ‘close encounter’. I believed him, and have been fascinated by the subject ever since.
For anyone investigating the UFO phenomena will have heard about the ‘Black Knight’ an unusually shaped black object circling the Earth. The USA blamed Russia in the fifties for secretly launching the spaceship, but the Russians were equally baffled by the craft.
The film ‘Men in Black’ depicted aliens living within our society, and of course, where there is fiction there is an element of truth, and you only have to scan the Close Encounter websites for evidence of such findings, or read former Canadian Defence Minister, Paul Hellyer’s account of Aliens in our society.
A very close friend of mine living in the States is a woman now in her late sixties, whose husband was in the Military. They both spotted a spherical shaped silver flying object near a Military base, which swooped above them, turned in the sky and and flew off. They were both stunned but put it down to a secret Government craft, but on investigation, have never had a satisfactory answer from the Government or the Military to this day.
There are groups of UFO spotters all over the World, and even in the UK, where another acquaintance told me of a sequence of events with no logical explanation, with reference to sights and glimpses of unusual flying objects which landed at key spots in our own back yard.
Without sounding like a weird sci-fi fantasist or conspiracy theorist, if you are a believer or just fascinated by the subject, why not take some time out to explore some of the UFO links and decide for yourself.
Equally, we would love to hear from you if you have had any ‘unusual’ experiences relating to UFOs or unexplained sightings. After all, the Universe is constantly expanding, and there is so much we have to learn about our own Galaxy and beyond.
www.ufosightingsdaily.com
by Dee | Jan 27, 2016 | Featured, General, GloWellness
We are all so excited that our two year anniversary is coming up, and on the most romantic and celebrated day of the year – Valentine’s Day on the 14 February.
There has been a flurry of excitement around the office as we prepare for our own celebrations, and we are making this a landmark occasion as we move towards our big Birthday and all that we have achieved over the past two years.
We have taken part in numerous Charity events and are in the process of hosting an historic event at The Landmark Hotel on the 6 May – The Pink FAB Ball – raising funds and awareness for the incredible Charity – Breast Cancer Care.
We have received our very own stamp frames around our family’s most iconic character Lady Penelope from The Royal Mail.
During this time we have seen the screening of Thunderbirds with the relaunch from ITV, with our very own co-creator Sylvia Anderson returning as Great Aunt Sylvia in one of the episodes.
We have partnered with some iconic and innovative organisations, and made fabulous new friends and brought inspiration and joy to many from our fantastic team of writers and innovators.
While we are on the subject, did you know that Valentine’s Day was first associated with romantic love around the time of Geoffrey Chaucer in the Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In the 18th-century England it took on another life, and became an occasion when lovers expressed their feelings for each other with flowers, cards and love hearts, as it is today. It is now an international occasion, and one that is Universally celebrated.
So back to today, and I know you will all be holding your breath and waiting for some ideas for your own celebrations. Well as you can imagine we have been working hard to give you some ideas so that you are all ahead of the game and will give you time to order or book your meal, and here they are.
One of our favourite websites www.notonthehighstreet.com are doing a fabulous personalised ‘I love you’ pendant – perfect for Valentine’s Day, with some other amazing cards and gifts.
Order your dozen red roses from www.moonpig.com for only £21 – no gender judgement here. Both men and women will love these.
Go to www.cocoeden.com to order your everlasting silk flowers together with fragrance capsules.
Log onto www.virgin.co.uk/romantic-gifts-for-him or her and there are some unusual Valentine’s Day experiences from hot air ballooning to sports events and entertainment.
For romantic meals in London, book now for some amazing deals.
Galvin at Windows
Mayfair’s Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows restaurant on the 28th floor of the London Hilton on Park Lane is hosting a whole week of Valentine’s meals. Enjoy a lobster lunch from 10-14 Feb, a Valentine’s Saturday on 15 Feb, and for Valentine’s Day itself, a five-course menu including canapés and Kir Royal. Oh, and those magnificent views across Hyde Park.
Babylon
Romance 100ft above London can be yours if you book a Valentine’s Day dinner at Babylon restaurant in Kensington. A scenic London skyline and a live jazz band will provide the ideal backdrop to a decadent four-course meal, including fried quail eggs with truffled egg yolk dressing and roast rump of lamb served with aubergine caviar and chutney. And for dessert, hot dark chocolate fondant with pistachio ice cream and crystallised rose petals. £80 per person which includes a glass of Champagne plus entry into the Club and Spanish Garden for dancing and a firework display at 10.45pm.
Aqua London
Soak up the romance of the West End at Aqua London which comprises of not one but two rooftop restaurants, both looking down onto Regent Street. Your Valentine’s Day dinner at Japanese restaurant Aqua Kyoto will consist of a four-course menu that includes miso marinated black cod with white asparagus and uni butter, and wagyu sirloin with kohlrabi puree and beetroot flower. Alternatively, enjoy a romantic evening in the Spanish restaurant, Aqua Nueva (pictured above), where grilled fillet of hake with chickpea puree, white prawns from Huelva and baby squid, and roast loin of venison with migas await. Both Valentine’s Day dinners are £80 per person and include a glass of Veuve Clicquot champagne (or a Japanese Velvet cocktail at Aqua Kyoto). The adjacent Aqua Spirit cocktail bar has a DJ until 1am for the later love birds.
Chelsea Riverside Brasserie
Escape the crowds for a secluded meal at Chelsea Riverside Brasserie at the Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour, which looks out onto swaying yachts and calm waters. This is a perfect setting for a three-course Valentine’s Day dinner. The Valentine’s Day menu includes duck, lemon thyme sea bass fillet and grilled tri-tip steak. £29 per person.
