Tag Archives: London.

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge unveils Natural History Museum Treasures

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Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge was guest of honour at the grand opening of the Natural History Museum’s new Treasures gallery this evening. Treasures displays 22 of the most extraordinary specimens that have ever been on show at the Museum, and opens 30 November to the public.

The Duchess, who wore a green Mulberry dress for the evening, commented:

‘The Natural History Museum has a very special place in the heart of this nation. William and I are just two of millions of people who have passed through these doors, and marvelled at the spectacular wonders of the natural world, housed in this beautiful gallery. I care passionately about what this museum stands for.  Being here tonight, seeing some of nature’s finest treasures, reminds me just how precious and awe inspiring the natural world is. That is why the opening of Treasures is so incredibly exciting.  If it were ever needed, there is now even more reason to visit this wonderful museum.’

The Duchess met curators and viewed four star specimens in detail:

  • Archaeopteryx fossil – the most valuable fossil in the Museum’s collection, this 47-million-year-old rock slab contains the remains of the earliest known bird. With its combination of bird and dinosaur characteristics, it is a famous snapshot of evolution in action.
  • Audubon’s The Birds of America – the world’s most expensive book and one of the best-known natural history books ever produced. It was first published in double elephant folio size between 1827 and 1838 and is famous for its stunning life-size illustrations of birds.exquisite glass models of marine life
  • Charles Darwin’s pigeons – Darwin’s pigeons provided him with the crucial evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection. He bred them in his garden as an experiment and donated these fancy breeds of rock dove to the Museum in 1867
  • Wold Cottage meteorite – earliest surviving meteorite seen to land in the UK. The rock formed during the birth of the solar system, 4.6 billion years ago, and was seen to fall near Wold Cottage, Yorkshire, in 1795, confirming the extra-terrestrial origins of meteorites.

Each of the 22 objects have been hand-picked by Museum scientists for the fascinating story it has to tell and all objects represent an important part of the Museum’s scientific, historical, social and cultural worth.

Treasures in the Cadogan gallery is free to visit, giving a snapshot of the vast collections in a short space of time. It is located in the upper mezzanine floor of the awe-inspiring Central Hall, overlooking the iconic Diplodocus.

Dr Michael Dixon, Director of the Natural History Museum said;

‘We are thrilled Her Royal Highness joined us to celebrate the opening of Treasures. We hope that she is the first of many visitors to discover everything the Museum represents in this special gallery.’

Adam Green + Binki Shapiro, Bush Hall | Live Music Review

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Adam Green first burst onto the scene in 2001 as one half of New York anti-folk duo The Moldy Peaches. 12 years on he’s stood in West London on a Wednesday evening alongside Binki Shapiro crooning out a beautiful 60’s folk-pop sound. It’s been quite a time for the irrepressible Mr. Green.

Adam and Binki’s collaboration has been described elsewhere as being similar to that of Nancy & Lee and as they open with “Don’t Be Jealous With My Thoughts” it’s not hard to spot the similarities, with Green’s soft guitar plucks swirling around Shapiro’s honey coated swoon of a voice. The arrangements are lush and the only thing that seems off here is the time of year; with the weather cold outside, close your eyes inside Bush Hall tonight, take a sip of your pint and you could be in some beautiful piece of countryside on a hot summers day. It’s a splendid show on a cold night on the Uxbridge Road and “Just To Make You Feel Good” has the sound of romantic possibility running through its sound but the lyrics hint at altogether less than convivial romantic ties. The pair are backed by a full band who blend into the background with a heads-down, workman-like attitude but add layer upon layer of beauty to proceedings.

Duets can often be a horrible thing and end up being corny, cheesy and slushy muck but this collaboration has the crowd, including a rather fat, legging-clad Carl Barât, enthralled from start to finish. Green and Shapiro come across as kindred spirits, fashioning difficult circumstances into beautifully crafted songs. With little music released there’s little familiarity with the tunes but after 13 songs they exit stage left  with the crowd wishing for more.

With my expectations for the show low I wasn’t disappointed but even if they were higher than Adam’s old pal Pete Doherty, they’d not disappoint. The LP for this project isn’t due out until January 2013 but on this performance expect it to be amongst the records of 2013.

Leo Bancroft Party at The Ivy

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On the 22nd of November I went to The Ivy with the lovely Nadia Gilani for the launch of Leo Bancroft’s accessories range for Tesco. The evening was a lot of fun and Leo has made a brilliant range of accessories. The celebrity hairdresser was joined by Made in Chelsea star Kimberley Garner (who is very friendly and gave me the biggest smile) , Eastenders actress Tanya Franks, the lovely model and presenter Jules Wheeler, cast from The Valleys, entrepreneur Tom Gearing from The Apprentice, and business man Richard Caring.

Check out Leo Bancroft’s haircare at Tesco.

The Shakespeare Conspiracy | Theatre Review

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 The Shakespeare Conspiracy by Andrew Shepherd is not only a brilliant piece of theatre, but it will also keep you guessing all the way through. Full of twists and turns, the Shakespeare Conspiracy is original and incredibly intelligent. Triumphant theatre in two wonderful acts.

The play is superbly directed by Jack Bowman, Bowman has created a well oiled machine which never dips or loses its energy. Full of pop culture references and brilliant gags, The Shakespeare Conspiracy is riveting.

A special mention must be given for the impressive and realistic fight scenes. They really are something to behold.

The play focuses around Martin Shakespeare, the last remaining descendent of Shakespeare, who is working as a travel agent in Stratford. Martin gets caught up in a  400 year old conspiracy involving The Royal Shakespeare Company, which far from being a theatre company, is actually a branch of government like MI6, and a prison, The Globe Theatre. It turns out that Shakespeare’s characters are real.

The cast of twenty are all well cast and brilliant at their parts. A special notice should be given to Jack Baldwin and Libby Evans as Benedict and Beatrice. They have amazing chemistry and I could not watch them without thinking of the brilliant film, His Girl Friday. Richard Armah as Garfield Oberon and Lee White as Edmond also deserve a special mention.

Andrew Shepherd as Iago  was also brilliant. Andrew is eloquent with a wonderful stage presence. There is a funny part int he play when Iago blames his mother for making him a villain. ‘You never had a mother Iago, you are fictional’ he is reminded.

This play is intelligent and witty. You can easily follow it if you concentrate, and you should concentrate, so you do not miss even a second of this stunning play. A must see.

 

Twitter: @tsc61112
Venue: Chelsea Theatre (on the King’s Road – nearest tube Sloane Square Underground, or 11, 22 Bus to Edith Grove/World’s End)
Production Company: www.ascrandom.co.uk

Once Upon a Christmas By Sarah Morgan | Book Review

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Once Upon a Christmas By Sarah Morgan

Bryony’s daughter, Lizzie, wants a dad for Christmas and she’s determined to fulfil this Christmas wish. But when every date ends in disaster, Bryony fears she’ll need a Christmas miracle. Lizzie is trying to find love but her friend Helen is doing the opposite, trying to forget the white dress hanging in her wardrobe and her faithless rat of a fiancee. These are the two different stories in this enjoyable book.

Two of the characters in this book, Bryony and Jack, work as doctors and Sarah Morgan obviously knows what she is talking about. I found the medical facts in this book incredibly interesting. I also loved the character of Lizzie. Bryony’s daughter.

This book is split into two stories but with some of the same characters in each. Each one is a fun read. This is a very enjoyable book. A good way to spend a relaxing Sunday.

Once Upon a Christmas (Mills & Boon Special Releases)

Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe By Fiona Harper | Book Review

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Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe is a well written and fun book. Single mum Louise Thornton divorces her philandering movie star husband and buys an old movie stars house. Louise wants to escape the paparazzi and her vacuous former life as a trophy celebrities wife.

Louise is a great character. She has become hardened thanks to her life as a movie stars wife, believing that everyone wants something from her. She has built a barrier around herself but will she manage to grow and let love in?

I read this book at quite a fast pace. It is very readable and flows well. A fun way to spend an afternoon.

Is a second chance at love the best Christmas gift of all? Single Mum Louise Thornton’s waved goodbye to the red carpet and escaped for Christmas in the country. But she can’t avoid the mistletoe…

Kiss Me Under the Mistletoe (Mills & Boon Special Releases)

Calling Aspiring Bloggers! Win a year’s contract with Mira Ink, the home of teen fiction

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Do you have a passion for writing?  Are you looking for an opportunity to showcase your talent and get paid for it? Look no further.  Mira Ink, the home of popular teen fiction books and ebooks has launched blogINK, a search for the next British blogger extraordinaire.

 

Write about the latest from The Glass Trilogy or follow Kayleigh Kavanagh in the Soul Screamers Series. Tell the world about Iron Fey or Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares. This once in a lifetime contract starting in January as MIRA Ink’s blogger, will not only see you writing about the most exciting teen stories but also creating your blogs on a top of the range laptop, courtesy of MIRA Ink.

 

If you have blogging ambition, then start right now. Enter a 500 word blog of your choice via the blogINK App by midnight on 25th November.  Then ten finalists will be shortlisted by MIRA Ink’s judging panel on 29th November and then asked to create a 60 second YouTube video and use social media sites to show how enterprising they are at generating buzz around their video.  Finally, the winner will be announced on 14th December.

Claudia Symons, MIRA Ink Brand Manager says:  “This is an exciting campaign for us; we’ve never done anything like this before.  We know there’s a wealth of teen talent out there waiting to be unlocked.   We are looking for someone who would love the chance to write about the wonderful world of teen fiction and who’s not too shy to shout about it.”

 

Stages & Deadlines:

  • Stage One:  9th – 25th November – Participants to enter a 500 word blog of their choice via the blogink App.
  • Stage Two:  29th November – Ten competitors will be shortlisted by Harlequin’s judging panel and asked to create a 60 second YouTube video and use social media sites to show how enterprising they are at generating likes.
  • Stage Three:  14th December – The winner will be announced and win a yearlong paid contract at Mira Ink and a top of the range laptop.

Follow the action on twitter using hashtag #blogINK

Twitter.com/MiraInk

Facebook.com/MiraInk

Miraink.tumblr.com


Vichy and La Roche-Posay Skincare

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In late October I went to check out skincare by Vichy and La Roche-Posay at B.Hive in Covent Garden. I have always been a fan of Vichy but this was my first experience of La Roche-Posay.

Vichy started in 1931 with the birth in France of Vichy Dermatological Health Society.

When we arrived we were offered some prosecco and some canapes. The lovely Julia greeted us and talked us through the range. I was hugely impressed by Julia. Not only is she a great advert for the brand as she has the most amazing skin, but she also knows everything there is to know about Vichy and La Roche-Posay.

Vichy and La Roche-Posay has a product for every type of skin. I was impressed at the size of the range. There is also a good amount of products for sensitive skin like mine.

In the coming month I will be reviewing Vichy Idealia, La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra, Vichy Normaderm Total Mat and La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC Matt Extreme Fluid SPF 30. So watch this space.