5 Film Sets That You Can Go Explore

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Frostie

If you love films and travel, you might want to combine the two on a pilgrimage to the sets of your favourite movies. Here are our top 5 film sets that you can go and explore.

Jurassic Park – Kualoa Ranch, Oahu

Originally set to be filmed in Costa Rica, Steven Spielberg’s 1993 mega blockbuster Jurassic Park was relocated to the craggy, prehistoric landscape of Oahu, Hawaii. Standing in for the mythical Isla Nublar, Kualoa Ranch is arguably one of the stars of the film, as it sets the mood and tone for this ‘science gone too far’ escapade. Visitors to Kualoa today can take guided ATV tours of the vast acreage, also used as a filming location for Lost and Godzilla.

Harry Potter – Warner Brother Studios, Leavesden

A perennial favourite of kids of all ages, the 8 Harry Potter films were all shot in and around London and Oxford. A specialised team of designers, visual effects experts and artists built the elaborate sets—and you can visit them to this day! Take a wand waving class, get up close to prosthetics and costumes actually used during filming, and of course – visit the unbelievable shop at the end. If you want to catch a glimpse of filming locations around the city, head to the Millennium Footbridge, King’s Cross Station (home to the iconic Platform 9 ¾) and Leadenhall Market.

The Grand Budapest Hotel- Görlitzer Warenhaus Department Store, Görlitz, Germany

Fans of Wes Anderson’s quirky alternate universe often cite The Grand Budapest Hotel as their favourite of his films. Nominated for 9 Oscars in 2014, this visually arresting movie was shot primarily in a department store, not a hotel. While the hotel’s façade was a model (a technique that Anderson often employs), the interior shots were all filmed in this handsome art nouveau department store, built in 1913 and located 60 miles from Dresden. Open daily, you can treat yourself to a bit of retail therapy while you walk through the halls of cinematic history.

Ghostbusters, Tribeca Firehouse, New York City

This 1984 classic is beloved by generations of fans who grew up watching the films, television series, cartoons and playing with Slimer action figures – and that is why so many fans flock to the Tribeca Firehouse at 14 North Moore Street in New York City. Now valued at over $16 million due to its newly trendy location, the newest reboot of the film due next year may not be able to afford to hire the space!

Friday the 13^th, NoBeBoSco campground, Blairstown, New Jersey

If you love scary slasher flicks and you want to pay homage to Jason at the fictional Camp Crystal Lake, you will have to get the permission of an organisation so wholesome that it is the antithesis of Friday the 13^th: The Boy Scouts of America! ‘Camp Crystal Lake’ is actually set on the NoBeBoSco campground in New Jersey, and during the off season they will occasionally grant permission to film buffs who want to wander through the original cabins.

These filming locations are iconic, interesting and affordable (or even free) to visit. Do you have any others you would like to see added to this list? Leave your suggestions in the comment section below!

Ross Mabey Poet And Song-writer By Margaret Graham

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Ross Mabey is 72 years old and was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in November 2005. He was living in London UK for 15 years before returning to Australia in June 2014 accompanied by his wife Linda. Their son Jonathon, 28 years old, returned to Australia in 2012. During his working life Ross was employed in various roles in the Telecommunications industry in Australia and later in the UK. His interests include writing poetry, lyrics for songs and family history. He is also interested in researching to help find a cure for PD.

We published his feature on his work, and life a few days ago, with a promise of his poetry, and song-writing. Here it is. Enjoy.

Poetry, A Song Of Life.

Poetry is a very personal thing,

That can lift your heart and make it sing.

Its rhythms can have a beat, like a song,

That makes you move your feet.

Or, it can be an intellectual panacea,

For those who seek life’s perfections,

Expressed in words of structured verse.

Which soothe the ripples, of this Universe.

Or, it can be a song of life,

That speaks of truth, love, joy, toil and strife.

Whatever, captures your imagination,

It can be the emotion, that adds to the tapestry of life.

Whatever appeals to your Universe,

Is hidden in words, rhymes and verse.

Their potency is felt by those,

Who feel the need to write, in anything but prose.

Song lyric – Montana Mountains.

By Ross Mabey and Jeffrey Ullsperger.

Verse #1

Montana Mountains, your son has come home,

Through majestic forests and valleys I now roam.

I look upon your mighty peak’s, towering above,

Their grandeur is what I can’t help but love.

Chorus

Montana Mountains, reaching for the sky,

Take me to a special place,

To nature’s perfect high.

You’re beauty captures my heart,

I will be yours faithfully.

So Montana Mountains won’t you,

Please speak to me.

Verse #2

By the campfire’s glow, at night all alone,

I am comforted knowing you’re part of my soul.

Surrounded by your beauty, every night and day,

The sun, the moon and stars do light my way.

Chorus

Montana Mountains, reaching for the sky,

Take me to a special place,

To nature’s perfect high.

You’re beauty captures my heart,

I will be yours faithfully.

So Montana Mountains won’t you,

Please speak to me.

Bridge

When I die one day,

And home is Heaven above.

I’ll ask for a room with a view,

Of the mountains that I love.

Instrumental

Chorus

Montana Mountains, reaching for the sky,

Take me to a special place,

To nature’s perfect high.

You’re beauty captures my heart,

I will be yours faithfully.

So Montana Mountains won’t you,

Please speak to me.

Montana Mountains won’t you,

Please speak to me.

Learning To Listen To Your Body

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

Recently I came down with a bout of stress related illness and I beat myself up over having time off. I felt like I was letting everyone down. Now we all get sick and we can’t help it. When it happens we all need to listen to our bodies and just go with it. It’s harder said than done learning to listen to your body and not push yourself so hard. I’m the worst for this as I will try to everything. Work full time, commute an hour to and from work, do photography at the weekends and evenings then edit those pictures and schedule articles on my days off. When I tell people what my week is like the response is always “How the heck do you do it all” In truth I have no idea. So it would make sense that my body sent me a persuasive little message. Sarah just stop….Slow down your not ever going to be a super hero. Stepping outside ones self and looking in as though you were a good friend is something we all need to do now and then.

Reevaluating your life is a good thing. If you need some time off to recharge your energy then so be it.

My top 10 Tips For Listening To Your Body

1. Take a deep breath and take care of No1. Sometimes this is as important as looking after others.
2. Don’t stress out over the fact you can’t manage to do everything. These are what I have had to preach to myself over the last week!
3. Make a nice cup of tea, take a bath, get into clean pjs and get back in bed.
4. Turn off your phone when you get in from work or at 6pm
5. Don’t let others make you feel bad that you need to take care for yourself.
6. Learn to say NO.
8. Know your limits and don’t push yourself too hard.
9. Relax as stress builds up and can cause serious health problems.
10. Finally grab a good book and let your body really relax with out social media and drift off to sleep!

I believe it’s important for us to help others in life. If your feeling stressed out or poorly then learning to listen to your body can help with a lifetime of difficulties.

Parkinson’s, Poetry And Song. Bring it on by Ross Mabey

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Margaret Graham

(Australian pictures by Brent Miller)

Ross Mabey is a poet and lyricist and was living in London when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in November 2005. He returned to Australia in June 2014 with his wife Linda. Their son Jonathon 28 years old, had returned to Australia in 2012.

Ross told Frost Magazine:

My love of poetry dates back to my school days in Australia. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, the names of Australian poets were familiar in nearly every Australian household. Poets such as, Mary Gilmore, Adam Lindsay Gordon, Henry Kendall, Henry Lawson. These poets helped capture and shape the unique character of Australians of that time. Never underestimate the deep love of poetry in the Australian psyche.

In particular, poets were inspired by this light filled spacious country, and the unique characters that lived here. The wonderful Dorethea Mackellar expressed such a sentiment in “My Country”: “I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains. Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains.” Andrew Barton (Banjo) Paterson in his poem “The Man From Snowy River”, speaks of a fearless character and his horse who without hesitation pursued wild horses down a steep mountainside, to finally round them up.

My love of poetry was rekindled in 1970’s when I joined a religious teaching, with a focus on creative/imaginative techniques to help individuals to understand life. However, it wasn’t until a few months after I had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) in November 2005 at the age of 63 that I had a strong desire to write poetry and lyrics for songs.

Was it the shock of diagnosis, or the medication? Whatever it was, it wasn’t the moment to sit back and feel sorry for myself. I knew that if I wanted the rest of my life to be an interesting and productive experience, I must start creating the life that I wanted. I knew that part of the answer for me was to write lyrics for country songs, but how would I do that? And why country songs ? They were my favourite song genre, but I felt they needed a fresh approach.

Not being a musician and having little idea of how to write or structure these lyrics, I started to search the Internet looking for the answers. Eventually I emailed Jeffrey Ullsperger from Wisconsin in the US. He had experience in editing and co-writing country song lyrics. He also had a couple of songs published. Jeffrey agreed to mentor me in how to “craft” the lyrics for these songs.

So 2006 brought a co-writing partnership. To date we have over 40 song “demos” produced and co-written the lyrics to other songs as well. The genre’s we write in now include Contemporary Country, Folk, Pop and the Blues. Several of our songs were entered in the UK Songwriting Contest over several years, and were rated in the “Semi-finalist” category.

So how did this experience benefit me with regards to life in general and the PD symptoms that I have?

Without a creative interest of some kind, words like isolation, frustration and loneliness come to mind. Words like interaction, satisfaction, confidence and fulfilment were outcomes that were more appealing to me.

I am very grateful to Australia, for its beauty, co-writer Jeffrey Ullsperger for his patience, tolerance, kindness and help in this endeavour while suffering from his own health problems. Also, my gratitude goes to my wife, son, other family members, friends and many others for their love, understanding and support.

We will be featuring two poems by Ross Mabey soon.

The Finale of The Odyssey by Margaret Graham and Jan Speedie

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Margaret Graham

With sore heads we embark on the Rocky Mountaineer, heading for Vancouver. It proved to be a deliciously slow journey owing to an immense bush fire that had reached the track in places overnight. Though these areas were under control, the train causes such air disturbance that it must crawl along.

Shino explained that loggers stored logs in the river, to save on storage costs. How intelligent. We saw this again in Howe Sound Fjord, along from Vancouver. We travelled alongside rivers, woods, and prairies until finally we arrived, after Shino had saved the day with an evening meal as we were still trundling along, 4 hours after we should have arrived. Small beer, when you think of the firemen still battling to save the forests and towns.

In the morning we were captivated by the modernity of Vancouver. For a while we thought the reflection of the building in this glass windowed skyscraper was actually imprinted on the glass.

We were taken by a friend, Barbara, to the Anthropological Museum containing First Nation culture. It was full of totem poles, and their crafts. Bill Reid a First Nation sculptor (died 1998), created this out of over 100 yellow maple planks bonded together.

Horseshoe Bay for lunch, in glorious sunshine yet again (for once we had brought sun wherever we went).

Then Barbara drove us to a First Nations gondola.

The views were magnificent, as always and we tootled across the skywalk and explored the woods on the summit. Down in Howe sound were the stored logs.

The next day, before heading for the airport, we tore around Vancouver, seeing a small cruise ship waiting for its passengers to arrive. Some of our fellow passengers on the Rocky Mountaineer were embarking on a 2000 person cruise ship bound for Alaska. It sounded amazing, though somehow I think I’d rather see Alaska when covered in snow.

There were trolley buses, many shopping centres below ground, and just a few indications of the early buildings, with the ‘emblems’ of Canada, salmon and Canadian geese.

I have to say that I never knew there were so many different varieties of salmon, and we probably tried them all. They are so fresh that they taste quite different to ours.

Then, onto the airport.

Did we enjoy our Canadian adventure? You bet. It was the holiday of a lifetime. We’re looking up train journeys for next year, but this time ALL THE WAY. We are determined to set off from St. Pancras, heading for Florence, and this time, Dick will be on board too. Then the Ghan in Australia perhaps in the autumn, from Adelaide to Perth. Better get on with the next novel then.

The Rocky Mountaineer has started something… A few more odysseys coming up.

www.rockymountaineer.com

www.greatrail.com

Top Ten eBay Tips

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Sarah Bacchus

As you all will know I’m a fashion and style loving lass. When I need to save a few pennies for beauty products or a new camera my go to place is eBay. You can literally find a real hidden gem every day of you know how to search properly. Most of my friends call me the eBay Queen.

I will share with you my top ten eBay tips so you too can look stylish on a measly budget. Whether you missed out on that perfect little summer dress that sold out in a flash or just a tasty bargain waiting to be snapped up. These tips will help you look stylish and turn heads. Enable you to be a little individual but most importantly save you a packet!

1. Get the app on your smart phone. This way you will be able to look for things 24/7 if you so please.
2. Search for specific things or things that pop into your head. Or items you might have missed out on even years gone by. Like “Wit & Wisdom pink dress” I did this for a few months after longing to find one I didn’t purchase 15 years ago and it popped up for £3.50!
3. Be prepared to wait….ref to No2!
4. Haggle and contact sellers to see if they will take items out of auction. You might be surprised how many just want to get rid of unwanted items.
5. Set a budget each month and stick to it.
6. Watch items all the time as your iPhone or smartphone will let you know when they are coming to an end.
7. Refine settings, like price. Type in max price £1.00. Free postage or distance to you.
8. This brings me to the next tip, avoid overseas sellers that use descriptions like “May look different to image due to lighting” as you won’t end up with what you see!
9. This next tip is one my buddy Claire told me…Type in wrongly spelt terms like “Soze 8” as you will be amazed at how many items are listed spelt incorrectly!
10. Have fun with it. But don’t get too carried away!

I hope these little tips help you get a budget wardrobe just like mine!

Do You Have Smart Energy?

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Frostie

A new infographic released from Smart Energy GB shows that a majority of people who have one find them accurate, with 76% trusting the information that they give as opposed to 57% who think the old system does a good job. It also shows that unsurprisingly gadget-friendly younger people are more interested in the device, and that 59% of people who have heard of one would like one. The northwest is more clued up about smart meters, and the main appeal of having one is in being able to count up your energy usage in pounds and pence, the graphic shows.

Some Kind of Wonderful by Sarah Morgan Review by Jan Speedie

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Frostie

With the holiday season upon us, or life is a bit dull right now, you could do worse than let bestselling author Sarah Morgan brighten your life with her latest novel, Some Kind of Wonderful.

Sarah Morgan’s second book in the Puffin Island trilogy is the story of Brittany Forrest as she returns to her home on Puffin Island and the an unexpected encounter she finds. Following the breakup of her 10 day marriage to bad boy Zachery Flynn, Brittany leaves Puffin Island to find a new life and to forget the past.

Zach knows he has let Brittany down and is amazed to find that she has returned to the island after 10 years absence. Seeing Brittany again stirs up long buried emotions which he knows will only complicate his life.

Brittany is determined to put the past behind her and leave Zach out of her life but on a small island this isn’t easy. Brittany and Zach eventually discover that the sparks between them are more powerful than ever. Could it be that second time around, their dreams of happy-ever-after will finally come true.

Sarah Morgan, an American, who lives near London, knew she wanted to be a writer from the age of 8. That sort of commitment and enjoyment in her craft shows in this page turner of a novel, indeed, with all her novels.

Well structured, full of ups and downs, of all sorts (!) Sarah weaves the magic of her previous books. Read and Enjoy. Well done Sarah.

Some Kind of Wonderful is published in July 2015 by Mills & Boon in paperback and eBook – £7.99