[Ad- gifted Product] When it comes to sustainability, finding a way to take discarded items and make them into something usable is an important part. Many, many resources are just discarded instead of made into something new and useful. Global 1st has taken discarded coconut shells and turned them into unique, hand-crafted bowls and spoons that add a lot of character to any meal.
[Ad- gifted Product] Often we wonder what our pets get up to when we are away. I personally only have one pet, a British Shorthaired cat called Pancake, but when you have an entire hotel full of cats, only mischief can be found when the humans go home to sleep! Archie and The Lawlor Cat Hotel is a children’s chapter book, for eight years and older, that tells tails of Archie, the head cat running a hotel.
Written from the point of view of Archie, this book does a fantastic job of looking at humans from their perspective. Noting various humanistic interactions, Archie tells you what he thinks of them (humans are staff) and how he sees cats in society (royalty, basically). He also takes you on all of the nighttime adventures that the other cats at the hotel have. From gambling to going out fishing, there is a lot that happens when the lights are switched off. This hotel is full of rotating customers, appearing whenever their humans go on vacation, so you are getting a look into one week of the cat’s adventures, with quite a few regulars at the hotel and a few newbies in the form of young kittens.
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My brother really likes going to plays. This was something I did not know until he came to visit me in England – he’s become so cultured. Who knew. So, when searching through The Stage Stortford’s booklet that comes through our door every month, he picked out a few plays that caught his eye, the first one being Shackleton’s Carpenter. I didn’t know much about the play, but grabbed some tickets and set out with him and Dann to attend.
I’ve not actually been to a local play or a larger London based play since coming to England. In school, we use to take big trips to bigger cities, in order to see large plays around Christmas. These always had tons of actors, loads of scenes, different backgrounds, etc. Going to a local play, I had no idea what to expect. Shackleton’s Carpenter is a play done entirely by a single actor – which is already an amazing feat. Talking to ghosts and random members of the audience, Harry McNish tells his tale of being the only man who challenged the boss who manned their ship on the Antarctic ice floes.
Continue reading “Night Out at Shackleton’s Carpenter – A one man play”
[Ad- gifted product] Board games are something both of us play, every other week, at their tabletop night! Jupiter wasn’t big into board games, until she started writing for Big Boss Battle and started reviewing board games along side Dann. When John Adams offered up Shark Chase to play with the kids, we felt it would be a perfect time to start getting them well into the world of board games. Shark Chase contains a pretty simple concept; don’t let your sea creatures get eaten!
Unlike the more heavy duty board games we review as apart of our jobs, Shark Chase is perfect for children, providing an easy game that takes a few minutes truly understand. The set up is pretty simple – just just need to follow the instructions and put together a strange shark contraption in between a water level and an island. On your first time playing, you do need to stick all of the eyes onto the shark and various sea creatures, with is better done by tweezers if I am honest.
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[Ad- gifted experience] If you’ve got smaller children in your family, I am sure you know that they really love music. There is just something about music that children gravitate towards, especially as they are younger. Megson, a British folk duo, have just released a new album and is currently is touring around England. We were lucky enough to see their live show, which is a wonderful family tour, as well as get their album and coloring book.
Going to see their live show, I had not been to a children’s concert since I was a child myself and I was pretty excited. Megson play a mix of original songs and classical favorites, providing some stuff I did know and plenty I didn’t. At their Colchester concert, the music was a great pitch and the stage was set well. There is a big area at the front full of pillows and soft cushions for children to sit at, with chairs more towards the back for those who wanted them. Children were encouraged to dance and sing along, as well as taught about various instruments and even a little sign language.
