Busy Builders – Hape Crane Lift

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Hape-Crane-Lift

Entertain and inspire the little engineer in your life with the Hape Crane Lift. As with all Hape toys it’s so easy to put together – no screwdrivers or scissors needed while your child hops impatiently from foot to foot.

The crane lift gives hours of fun and helps develop hand/eye coordination and encourages creative play. It was a fantastic addition to the growing number of cars and lorries in the household and gave added play value to toys already owned. The lift fascinated little minds and there was no limit to toys that could be winched and moved across the playroom.

Strong and sturdy, made from natural materials and water based paints the crane meets with rigorous safety standards and will last for generations.

Available from Argos at £34.99

www.argos.co.uk

Mobile Gaming: An Incredible Smartphone Success Story

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When Apple launched the iPhone in 2007, it’s fair to say it transformed the mobile phone industry. Within a couple of years, a smartphone went from being a device for business people and tech enthusiasts to something everybody wanted.

One wonders if, at the time, Apple ever realised how much smartphones were also going to disrupt the world of gaming. It quickly became clear that the processing power such phones placed in peoples’ pockets was often going to end up being used for gaming sessions – both among casual players and more hardcore gamers.

IMAGE: Pixabay

This trend continues; Research from SurveyMonkey Intelligence shows that 62% of smartphone owners download a game to a new device within the first week of ownership. More people download games than any other type of app in this timeframe. This article takes a delve into the stats and trends to look at exactly what people are playing on their mobile devices.

Puzzle Games

For many, the first kind of game that springs to mind in relation to mobile gaming is one from the puzzle genre. Candy Crush Saga is arguably the best known – and it’s certainly an enormous success.

King Digital Entertainment, the company behind Candy Crush, was acquired by Activision in late 2015. The price the gaming giant paid was just under $6 billion! Who’d have predicted that a fairly rudimentary game involving lining up sweets would become such a money spinner? However, it’s hard to argue with a committed base of nearly 500 million monthly players.

Action Games

Despite the popularity of puzzle games, they’re (somewhat surprisingly) far less popular than games in the “Arcade” and “Action” categories – at least when it comes to downloads. Fast action game Subway Surfers enjoyed particular popularity in this genre in 2016.

Casinos and Slots

Thanks to widespread Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity, it’s now just as easy to enjoy casino gaming on a mobile device as it is on a laptop. People can enjoy online casino experience in the palm of their hand, complete with table games, all the slots and global players recognise, including such classics as Starburst and Rainbow Riches. A big trend in this sector includes official themed games, with slots versions of popular film and television franchises such as Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones offer fans a chance to play for real money or play money.

Augmented Reality

The biggest mobile game of 2016 brought Augmented Reality (AR) to the masses. Its name was Pokemon Go, and it turned out to be the best selling game of the year. As Nintendo’s first real foray into gaming on mobile devices, it was an enormous success and a global sensation – at least while the craze lasted!

IMAGE: Pixabay

Role Playing and Strategy

RPGs and strategy games are also hugely popular on mobile devices, and give the hardcore gamers something to properly get their teeth into. Notable titles include Clash of Clans and Clash Royale. Although role playing and strategy games are far from the most popular in terms of monthly downloads, they top the table when it comes to the revenue companies make from them. These are games that people stick with – and that seems to include buying plenty of in-game extras!

With every year that passes, mobile devices become more popular and ubiquitous. Whether or not Steve Jobs had gaming in mind when he launched the iPhone, smartphones are now a permanent part of that world.

 

 

 

 

All Play – No Work

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We all lead busy lives, whether we go out to work or stay at home, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get what we want done, and very often this leads to the ‘all work, and no plya’ scenario which is damaging to our well-being.

Luckily there is a way to turn that ‘all work’ scenario on its head by using your mobile phone.

We have forged an intimate relationship with our phones ever since technology advanced, and Wi-Fi became more reliable and wide-spread. We eat with them, sleep with them, and on average we check them 50+ times a day, and this number rises significantly if you happen to be between the age 18 – 24.

Our love affair with our smartphones is frowned upon by some, but for many users this love affair is for a good reason. Our smartphones tell us the time of day, tell us what the weather is going to be like, they even tell us how many steps we have taken.

We can find dates, and sex, using our phones, and they can keep us connected with friends and family, play us our favourite tunes, and take us to sites like Swanky Bingo Slots where we can spend some time in an entertaining and exciting environment playing on our favourite games.

In fact, the gambling industry was one of the first industries to see the potential of the mobile phone, and because of this sites like Swanky Bingo have games optimised for mobile devices, players can even pay for their games using their phone bill, opting to have the cost added to their monthly contract or deducted from the ‘pay as you go’ balance.

Slots have actually moved over to our smaller screens perfectly, and have proven to be one of the most popular games played by mobile users. This really isn’t that surprising as players can take advantage of some excellent bonuses and promotional offers, going on to win some amazing cash prizes, and this July saw one lucky punter win an incredible 3.6 million on his favourite slot.

Being mobile means that you can pick up your game when and where you choose whether that is in the bath on your lunch break, and now ‘all play’ rather than ‘all work’ is more than ‘just possible.’

 

Cut out the holiday hassle with Bramley

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It’s stressful enough packing for holiday without decanting your favourite products into little plastic bottles to pass security regulations. Now you don’t have to as Bramley have introduced a range of their larger size products into 50ml and 100ml bottles

Bramley’s countryside inspired collection of bath, body and hair products are available to buy separately so that you can mix and match to create your perfect collection.

We tested the shampoo and conditioner. After a hectic day travelling the lemon, mandarin and rosemary essential oils in Bramley shampoo and conditioner gave an instant lift and soothed frayed nerves. The smell was heavenly and the combination of products left hair feeling soft and glossy. Both products are gentle on the hair and can be used daily.

Bramley use only the highest quality essential oils which not only have renowned therapeutic effects but also naturally fragrance their products. They contain 100% natural botanicals and do not use any artificial colours or ingredients and do not test on animals.

Available in sizes: 50ml or 100ml

 

Lemon, mandarin and rosemary essential oils are combined to create a softening conditioner.

 

Available in sizes: 50ml or 100ml

 

Other travel size products available Hand Wash, Hand Cream, Body Lotion, Body Wash, Bubble Bath and Travel Candles

www.bramleyproducts.co.uk

Bright Bites for Baby-Nibbling Whale Teether

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Nibbling’s jewellery collection is the perfect combination of style and practicality. We tested the whale teether in coral. Baby found the teether the perfect size to hold in little fingers. It comes with a lanyard clip that mum can pop around her neck instantly converting the teether into a piece of jewellery.

We particularly liked the fact that the colours were softer tones.

Nibbling products are made with 100% food grade silicone, safe and soft enough to chew. They are soft on babies gums and emerging teeth. Our little tester found it easy to hold and easy to bite.

Check out the full range of nibbling jewellery products for mums and kids. A safe, practical and stylish collection of delightful necklaces, bracelets, teething rings and dummy clips.

The teether is available in other colours and shapes and retails at £12.00

www.nibbling.co.uk

Partypoker Announce Mike Sexton as New Chairman

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After fifteen years as the voice of World Poker Tour, Mike Sexton is to take on the role of chairman of the organization that he helped to found in 2001.  He will be replaced by Tony Dundst, who had previously stood in for Sexton at the mic.

Sexton speaks with genuine affection of his time at World Poker Tour.  “It has been an honour and a privilege to work with the WPT since 2002…When WPT was launched it was a dream come true and to be there from the beginning and see how the WPT changed the poker world forever by essentially turning poker into a televised sport has been amazing.”  He said that to work for both companies would be “unfair” and that his new role is “an opportunity and challenge I simply don’t want to pass up”.

Known worldwide, WPT screens in sixty-six countries, for his catch phrase: “May all your cards be live and all your pots be monsters”, Sexton was also a serious poker player with twenty-five years-experience behind him before he sat in front of a mic.  He has a World Series of Poker bracelet, a WPT title and was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.

The sixty-nine-year-old ex-paratrooper seems undaunted by the challenges of his new role. “As Chairman I look forward to achieving our mission statement, working with partypoker staff, working with partypoker Live president John Duthie and most importantly working with the players.”  On their blog, partypoker have outlined the new chairman’s responsibilities:

  • Invest in software development to deliver an industry leading player experience
  • Improve customer services and strive to resolve player issues in the same day
  • Reward the loyalty of players who start games and keep the action going
  • Look after smaller bankroll players with value added promotions
  • Fight against the use of third party software that gives an unfair advantage
  • Invest marketing budgets within the poker community
  • Develop partypoker Live to become the largest live poker tour in the world
  • Support partners and have their backs
  • Only appoint management who get poker, who are trusted, and who actually care
  • Hold hands up to the poker community when mistakes are made

At a time of life when most people are looking forward to a gentle retirement, Sexton may be about to take on his most demanding role yet. “My dad told me a long time ago, ‘Don’t ever retire if you are healthy and you enjoy what you are doing’.”  Clearly Sexton’s enthusiasm for the game and the huge challenges ahead of him remains undiminished. “I love playing against the best.  It’s not a gruelling, painful experience like it is for some people, because I really enjoy the challenge of it.  I am really looking forward to working with people that love the game like I do. We are not aiming for second place.”

 

The Married Girls reviewed by Milly Adams

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I chaired a panel of historical fiction authors last year at the lovely Yeovil  Literary Festival (Diney Costeloe was one of the speakers) and met up with Diney for lunch first. Great fun was had but what about the books?

The Married Girls  is the sequel to A Girl With No Name.and those readers who love Diney Costeloe’s novels, and there are many,  will love this follow on. And those who haven’t yet read them, do so. There are lots of twists and turns in The Married Girls, which is well researched and evocative of the period, just what we have come to expect from this author.

Set in the small Somerset village of Wynsdown in 1949. Charlotte Shepherd is happily married and settled into her adopted home having arrived from Germany on the Kindertransport as a child during the war.

However, the squire’s son, Felix, returns to the village with a fiancee in tow. Daphne is beautiful, charming but, much  the same as Charlotte, has secrets. But secrets as we all know have a habit of being unearthed. Characters enter, disruption occurs, how will it all end?

I have no intention of telling you. Read it, immerse yourself, and then, if you haven’t already read all of Dyney’s novels, do so. They’re belters.

 

Best to read The Girl with No Name first.

The Married Girls by Diney Costeloe. pb £7.99

Review: Grimm Tales, Chichester

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Grimm Tales – For Young and Old
Adapted by Philip Wilson
Chichester Festival Youth Theatre at the Cass Sculpture Foundation, Goodwood
Until 19 August

Photo credit: Johan Persson

If you go down to the woods today… Just when it seems impossible for Chichester Festival Youth Theatre (CFYT) to achieve any greater heights they come along and smash it of the park. The sculpture park, in this instance.

The Cass Sculpture Foundation is the perfect setting for Grimm Tales. Woodland paths, tree-lined hollows and sheltered clearings provide a series of glorious natural stages. Greeted by a raggle-taggle band of minstrels beckoning us into the woods, the music throughout is evocative, catchy and haunting. All members of the Youth Theatre, these young troubadours are exceptional and add greatly to both the charm and continuity of the production.

Starting with Little Red Riding Hood and followed at different locations by Hansel and Gretel, Hans My Hedgehog, The Goose Girl at the Spring, The Three Snake Leaves, Rapunzel and The Juniper Tree, these yarns are grim indeed. Adultery, murder, child abduction, cannibalism – Mr Disney may have prettied some of them up for the big screen, but in their original form these fairy tales offer no trace of saccharine sparkle or Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo. Marvellously dark, but not without humour, Philip Wilson’s adaptations are magical, mysterious and utterly spellbinding.

Under the skilful direction of Dale Rooks the acting is uniformly superb. Remaining totally in character even when leading the audience from location to location, even those in minor roles demonstrate the discipline and focus of seasoned professionals. It would be grossly unfair (and almost impossible) to single out any one performance.

Testament to the excitement and enrichment of the experience, the smiles of the cast at the curtain call are wider than that of Grandma’s wolf. With satellite groups across the county, West Sussex children are so lucky to have CFYT available to them. Especially at a time when funding cuts threaten to hack drama and the arts down to almost nothing in some schools.

Ably supported by members of the Technical Youth Theatre, as darkness fell there wasn’t a star in the sky to outshine this supremely talented company.

Tickets: 01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk
There is no parking at the sculpture park, but a highly efficient system of park-and ride coach transport is in operation from Chichester College.