Christmas with the Variety Girls by – roll of drums – Tracy Baines

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Woo hoo, Christmas with the Variety Girls..

It is Cleethorpes and World War 2 has been declared but what does this mean for The Empire Theatre? What will happen to our lovely girls, Frances,  Jessie, Ginny and Dolly  if all the theatres close across Britain?  
They will face it together, of course, in spite of the creeping shadows that are intruding into their lives, and threatening their wellbeing.  But it’snot just the threats attendant on the  looming war they have to fear –  there are others coming ever closer to home …
What about Johnny Randolph and his sister Ruby, newly returned from the States for a start? And is Imogen really Frances’s niece? If not, will this lead to trouble?
But you can’t keep good girls down, and these know how important it is to keep the show going, so when Jack Holland steps in and takes hold of The Empire Theatre the girls determine that this will be a Christmas to be remembered, no matter how hard they have to work, whilst all the time putting on a brave face.
So, they band together, support one another and provide a Christmas to warm even the hardest heart.
This is the 2nd of the Variety Girls series, and Tracy Baines has exceeded the promise of the first, and brought a flurry of fluency, immediacy, empathy and a whole heap of fun into Christmas with the Variety Girls (in Cleethorpes), but never forget the accompanying angst which these well developed characters bring to the party. Oh yes they do – overcoming the difficulties with courage and humour.
A heartwarming novel of triumph over adversity, of hoofing the boards, of brave faces and sore feet.
Cue applause, a standing ovation, bring on Christmas in Cleethorpes. It makes me want to book a whole row at the Empire, and take a coachload to clap and clap the girls, and author Tracy Baines, for a cracking read.
Bravo bravo, encore maestro.
Available at: The Variety Girls by Tracy Baines 

New Natures Plus Collagen Peptides – Boost Your Beauty From The Inside.

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Introducing the latest product launch from Natures Plus – Collagen Peptides! The only collagen product on the market that has a full spectrum profile, its unique formula contains all of the six major collagen types – I, II, III, IV, V & X – making it the most complete and highest quality collagen available, delivering exceptional whole-body benefits.

I tried  Natures Plus – Collagen Peptides and I was impressed. You can take one scoop or two and add it to numerous things. I took mine with water and it the taste was not too bad. It does not leave an aftertaste. I think collagen makes a difference, it leaves your hair, skin and nails in better condition for one. I would definitely buy this. 

collagen, peptide, review, NaturePlus,

The “glue” that holds everything together, collagen is important for feeling and looking your best! In addition to giving your skin elasticity and a glowing vitality, collagen is also the scaffolding upon which bones and cartilage are built, allowing for smooth mobility in joints. Your body’s collagen is essential to your health!

 

Utilising only the highest quality sources of collagen, the Natures Plus CollagenPeptides is sourced from grass-fed beef, sustainably caught cod, cage-free chicken and eggshell membrane, making it the best choice for your health and planet.

 

With its uniquely clean taste and low odour, you can simply add one to two scoops to a glass of water, juice, coffee, tea or even broth. It also contains added enzymes to maximise absorption.

 

Martina Della Vedova, nutritionist at Natures Plus explains: “Collagen is lacking from most modern diets. In fact, research has shown that our bodies’ production of collagen starts to diminish at around the age of 18! This makes supplementing collagen critical for optimum health. By supporting collagen production and body repair we can feel and see these tissues getting stronger and healthier.”

 

 

Natures Plus Collagen Peptides available at www.Health-Emporium.co.uk or via the Health Emporium App for £29.95

 

European debut for US artist Danielle Durchslag at UK Jewish Film Festival 2020

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European debut for US artist Danielle Durchslag at UK Jewish Film Festival 2020 UK Jewish Film Festival, 8 Davies Street, London W1K 3DW Thursday 5th – Thursday 19th November 2020

 

Renowned American artist and filmmaker Danielle Durchslag has never before exhibited in Europe until now. A rising star this side of the Atlantic, Danielle is making her UK directorial debut at the BAFTA qualifying UK Jewish Film Festival, where she will present two provocative short films from her critically acclaimed BOUNTY series.

The BOUNTY series lifts the curtain on the inherent tensions present when the Jewish history of oppression is combined with extreme privilege. Using voice actors, live actors, animation and complex editing techniques, Durchslag makes video collages that subvert familiar British cinematic tropes to explore political and psychological complexities of American Jewish wealth; specifically the concept of American Jewish wealth as a dedicated form of “sophisticated WASP drag”.

Making its UK premiere at the festival, Eleanor of Illinois stars Judy Kuhn, 2020 Olivier Award nominee and four-time Tony nominee for her roles in the original Broadway casts of Les Misérables, Chess and Fun Home. Kuhn is also known for her seminal turn as the singing voice of Disney’s Pocahontas.

In this most ambitious piece from the BOUNTY series, Chicago’s most powerful Jewish doyenne channels Katharine Hepburn to punish her adult child’s insolence and win back their loyalty. This piece is a meditation on what hard-won financial success has wrought, a passionate piece of experimental video art fan fiction, and a portrait of how normal family dysfunction, when combined with extreme affluence, transforms into high melodrama.

The Woman Who Heard Too Much will make its worldwide premiere.

Durchslag transforms a suspenseful scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much into the story of an upper-class Jewish mother, played by Doris Day, who becomes emotionally overwrought at a live performance of Fiddler On The Roof. The short playfully exposes the patriarchal attitudes at play in Jewish dynasties, and so often exemplified in the non-Jewish characters in the classic films of directors such as Hitchcock. It also contends with the power and limitations of mainstream Jewish cultural output.

The UK Jewish Film Festival will return this November with a spectacular programme exploring Jewish and Israeli life, history and culture.

This year, with an offering which features films, Q&As, panel discussions and other special events, the Festival will be streamed online, with limited performances in partnership with JW3. We’re talking Academy-level artistry here in six minutes (Kurt Brokaw, Senior Film Critic for The Independent, Eleanor of Illinois).

Eleanor of Illinois Running Time 7 minutes Director Danielle Durchslag   Cast Judy Kuhn

Website https://ukjewishfilm.org/film/eleanor-of-illinois/

The Woman Who Heard Too Much Running Time 2 minutes 30 seconds Director Danielle Durchslag Cast Doris Day

Website https://ukjewishfilm.org/film/woman-heard-much/

Dates Thursday 5th – 19th November 2021

Tickets The videos will be available on demand for 99p or a Festival Pass will unlock access to all films and screenings for £35. Advanced booking is available here: ukjewishfilm.org/festival-tickets/

Twitter @durcharts @UKJewishFilm

Instagram @ddurch @UKJewishFilm

Website www.danielledurchslag.com https://ukjewishfilm.org/

Image credit DAnielle Durchslag Fine Art

International Gin & Tonic Day with Boodles Gin 

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Happy Monday – and Happy International Gin & Tonic Day!!! 

 

Just a reminder that things will get better and if you ever needed an excuse for a Gin & Tonic THIS IS IT.

Not only are we still celebrating London Cocktail Month – albeit in our homes, today is International Gin & Tonic Day and we are celebrating with our quintessentially British Boodles Gin. Our gin edition comes full of gin tips served directly from Mr Boodles the Boodles Gin Butler. So polish your best glassware and get ready for some proper G&T etiquette. 

Did you know…

Due to the Gin Craze of the 18th Century, there were 5 acts passed by parliament designed to control the consumption of Gin during this time.

Gin was drunk as a substitute to French Brandy at a time of conflict between England and France which is ironic because Gin originated as a medicinal liquor made by monks in Southern France. 

Gin is actually a neutral based spirit gaining its unique flavour through distilling botanicals. The most important being Juniper which gives it it’s fresh pine flavour… It simply cannot be Gin without Juniper. Some of the other key ingredients include Coriander seeds, Citrus Peels and Cinnamon to name just a few. However, Boodles Gin contains No citrus because the original distillers naturally expected the drink to be served with a citrus twist! 

Glasses at the ready… 

We know everyone has their own special way of concocting their perfect G&T but Boodles have given us some pointers to best enjoy their Brilliant British Gin. We know it’s Gin&Tonic day but I must comment on how versatile Boodles Gin really is. We already know how much care has gone into making their unique gin and their thought out blend of botanicals is designed to stay subtle and not smack you round the face. Perfect for many a cocktail as well as a G&T straight up! Whats more, Boodles have three stunning gins to suit your mood. Boodles Original London Dry, Boodles Rhubarb and Strawberry and just in time for winter, Boodles Mulberry.

So with that in mind, Mr Boodles requests that you take pleasure in making your G&T and exercise as much labour and patience as is used to craft their Brilliant British Gin. Don’t rush because all good things come to those who wait. 

Mr Boodles suggests quality gin deserves quality tonic; Boodles recommends Fevertree as the most complementary.

Ice First, then gin, then tonic. 

Keep it icy… the Co2 of the tonic is harder to escape if you keep it chilled. 

Pour Slowly… the slower you pour your tonic the more balanced the flavour

Garnish well.

To give you an idea we’ve included some of Boodles signature serves below to whet your whistle

BOODLES ON ICE

Ingredients;

60ml Boodles Gin
120ml Premium Tonic Water
Shaved Ice
Grapefruit wedge

Method;

In a tumbler shave a handful of clear ice. 

Pour one part Boodles Gin and two parts tonic, then stir. 

Add grapefruit wedge to the glass and serve.

And of course…

BOODLES MULBERRY WINTER WARMER

Ingredients;

60ml Boodles Mulberry Gin
120ml Premium Tonic Water
2 large Ice Cubes 
Lemon wheel

Method;

Pour one part Boodles Mulberry Gin and two parts tonic into a highball glass over the ice.

Stir until the colours combine. 

Add lemon wheel and serve. 

(bakewell tart optional)

We hope you enjoyed our Boodles edition this week. This is a gin I would thoroughly recommend over and over again. 

To find out more please visit www.boodlesgin.com

SISTER SCRIBES: SUSANNA BAVIN ON CREATING A SENSE OF TIME

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In my previous article for Frost, I celebrated two novels, A Mother’s Secret and The Italian House, which are notable for their wonderful sense of place. In these stories, the authors, respectively Jan Baynham and Teresa Crane, created their settings so evocatively that they produced books of the type that make readers say, ‘It made me feel I was there.’

This time, I’m writing about novels that have a particular depth and interest thanks to the attention paid to the historical detail. Part of the authors’ skill in this is the way each of them has woven the details into the narrative with a deft touch. Their historical details are never popped in just for the sake of it, but always to enrich the story.

The first book is A Borrowed Past by Juliette Lawson, a clever and increasingly intriguing family mystery set in the Victorian era. A strong narrative is combined with  believable dialogue and a lively mixture of characters, not all of whom are what they seem. Add to this the many tiny details of life at the time and the result is an engrossing read.

Of one historical aspect of the book, Juliette says: “ Class distinctions were strong. Well-off families paid pew rents to reserve their seats in church (you can still see the brass name-card holders) and ran the Local Board to keep the village well-ordered. Children in poorer families were sent into service at a young age or they became mini-entrepreneurs, doing little jobs around the village for a few coins: blowing the bellows for the church organ, delivering meat for the butcher, carrying pails of sea water to the bath houses for visitors to bathe in, or baiting hooks on fishing trips.”

The other book I’ve chosen is the utterly wonderful The Gunpowder Girl (which was originally published as Cherrybrook Rose and A Bouquet of Thorns) by Tania Crosse. This book could just as easily have appeared in my previous blog about stories with a strong sense of place, but it also has its position here, thanks to the author’s characteristic attention to research. Tania Crosse has created an absorbing story laced with powerful themes, a relatable heroine and a gripping plot.

Tania says: “The rugged, savage beauty of Dartmoor is inspirational enough in itself, but its secret history has provided the basis for so many of my novels. In the case of The Gunpowder Girl, the discovery of the ruins of the 19th century Cherrybrook Gunpowder Mills drove me to write a story to illustrate what it would have been like for a beautiful, intelligent young woman to live at this remote, unforgiving location. The other element in the book, still very much in evidence and currently still in use, are the forbidding buildings of Dartmoor Prison. In Victorian times, life there could be hell, not just for the inmates – some of whom were guilty of what today would be considered relatively minor offences – but also for the prison warders and their families who were forced to live in the isolated and exposed prison settlement of Princetown.”

Both of these books drew me into their world. The stories are page-turners in which the characters face secrets and tragedy and both Juliette and Tania have have sprinkled historical details into their narratives in such a way as to make their books come alive.

 

 

 

 

INTRODUCING CORNISH CUBIST, SIMON SMITH

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‘It is the desire to represent the world not as we see it, but the way it actually is’, is the driving force behind this Cornishman’s work. A native of Porthtowan on the wind swept Cornish granite coast, Simon Smith is essentially a modern day cubist. He’s a former Truro Schoolboy (the posh school) and a carries, amongst other qualifications, a degree in fine art – mentored by the great Welsh painter and printmaker David Carpanini.

After a successful career in business Simon essentially retired back home to Cornwall by buying and running a pub, and most importantly returning to his first love of art. “The iconic mining ruins of the heritage coast lend themselves perfectly to the painter,” he says, “with the endless sweeping sky and rolling ocean as the perfect partner”. His home and pub, in Porthtowan, are situated just a dozen miles up the coast from the iconic artist centre of St Ives and the hub of Cornish creativity.

 

But why cubism? “I love to draw and financially speaking I gain a steady little income from my pointillist drawings of local sea life and fauna but, as rewarding as they are to complete, they don’t push the limits. Cubism on the other hand gives me the opportunity to push my limits to the maximum and really work at representing the 4th dimension of time.” And time is clearly important to him in his work with one beautiful triptych showing the not only a cubist sea/cliff scape but also the changing seasons from Spring to Autumn.

So what next? “I’m exploring the classic Analytic Cubist phase of Braque and Picasso and love the limited palette. My musician friends are keen for portraits so watch this space….”

 

See more of Simon’s paintings at https://www.facebook.com/Porthtowanfinearts

 

Introducing Little Hoppa, the award-winning range for children.

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play table, reviews, parting, toys, review, little hoppa The Little Hoppa ® 3-in-1 is the ultimate baby toy and smartest investment you will ever make as a new par- ent. The adventures are endless!

Made completely from sustainable, non-toxic and planet-friendly materials, this multi-functional toy transforms from a wooden baby gym to a baby bounc- er, to a children’s activity table. It’s innovative design grows with your child, keeping them entertained from birth to 4 years.

Each stage is filled with new discoveries that spark the imagination, whilst developing dexterity and strength. Plus, it’s award-winning good looks mean you’ll never need to store it away.

The Little Hoppa story

It started with a list on a scrap of paper…..

A tired new Mum with a passion for interiors sat surrounded by plastic baby products that were functional but oh so lacking in style.

A tired new Mum searched high and low for products that were fun for her baby, kinder to the planet AND would complement the contemporary home she had so lovingly designed.

A tired new Mum could not find the products she so desperately wanted, and so, whilst feeding her new baby, on a scrap of paper she set about writing a list of all the things that she could only dare to dream existed.

And in that moment the Little Hoppa was born.

Designed by Mum of two and successful interior stylist Sofie Hepworth, the Little Hoppa addresses a serious gap in the children’s market for plastic alternative, multi-functional, children’s toys that are fun for kids, kinder to the planet AND stylish too!

https://bysofieofficial.com/product/little-hoppa-3-in-1

Tinsel – The Girls Who Invented Christmas by Sibéal Pounder

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Tinsel

Here Come The Girls!

Have you ever noticed how the story of Christmas is all down the the men – even Rudolph is male.  And as for Mrs Christmas – she hardly gets a look in. Santa gets to fly out over the night sky on his sleigh but it’s Mrs Claus who’s put the tree up, done the shopping, wrapping and cooking while Santa gets all the fun and glory.

Well, get your elbows out ladies because here comes the delightful tale of Blanche Claus and her friend, Rinki to put the record straight.

Tinsel

It all started with a bright, shiny bauble – a gift that changed Blanche Claus’s life and set her on an adventure full of snow and sleigh rides, mince pie picnics and tinsel. She meets Rinki on the Corner where Christmas Trees are sold – and I really need to know where that magical place is! The descriptions are wonderful and the pace whisks you along, as if you too were gliding through the night sky.

Tinsel is a fresh take on how the legend of Santa Claus really came to be and it’s crammed full of lively characters that pop from the page. Little girls are going to love it. This big girl did too!

It’s a delightfully charming story of friendship and magic that sparkles and glitters. Young readers will be enchanted.

A funny,  festive read that will warm the heart. Too good to save until Christmas!

Tinsel – The Girls who Invented Christmas

Illustrated by Sarah Warburton

Published by Bloomsbury : 29th October 2020

RRP: Hardback £9.99

About Sibéal Pounder

Sibéal Pounder used to work for the Financial Times, where she researched the How To Spend It section and wrote the For Goodness’ Sake column – interviewing everyone from Veronica Etro to Vivienne Westwood. Now she writes about fabulous witches and feisty fairies in Witch Wars, her much loved series for Bloomsbury. Other writing credits include Vogue.com and fashion trend forecasting company WGSN, and she volunteers at the Media Trust, teaching kids who want to get into journalism. Sibéal studied History at St Andrews, Publishing at City, Quentin Tarantino films at Yale and recently completed the Faber Academy’s Writing for Children course. Sibéal’s first book, Witch Wars, was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2016.

Published by Bloomsbury on the 29h October 2020

RRP: Hardback £9.99

Also by Sibéal Pounder