EARTHSHOT: HOW TO SAVE OUR PLANET by Colin Butfield and Jonnie Hughes

earthshot EARTHSHOT- HOW TO SAVE OUR PLANET by Colin Butfield and Jonnie HughesFollowing the recent Earthshot Prize ceremony and the crucial COP26 Climate Conference in Glasgow (31st October-12th November), we are all much more aware that we need to make serious changes to care for our planet. And now EARTHSHOT: HOW TO SAVE OUR PLANET tells us how we can do that.

EARTHSHOT: HOW TO SAVE OUR PLANET is the essential handbook to Prince William’s ground-breaking award, by Colin Butfield and Jonnie Hughes, long-time advisors to the award.

The book offers a guide to how we got to where we are today, with inspiring examples of how humanity is trying to set nature on the path to revival within these crucial next ten years. For those watching along at home, section three of their book focuses on practical things we can all do to make a difference, with excellent tips for people as they watch the coverage over the coming weeks and consider what they can do at home. Our individual efforts can make a difference, and the authors are optimistic at what can be achieved if we work together.

EARTHSHOT is written by Colin Butfield, former executive director at the international conservation charity WWF, and multi-award-winning producer/director Jonnie Hughes. Colin and Jonnie are creators of BBC One’s new landmark 5-part EarthshotPrize TV series, as well as the phenomenally successful documentary David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet. Their involvement with The Earthshot Prize allows them unparalleled access to the people, science and imagery behind this inspirational project.

As the definitive book of the award – the most prestigious environment prize in history, with a mission to scale the best solutions to repair our planet – the book draws on a phenomenal range of voices including an introduction from Prize-founder Prince William and contributions from leading global figures: broadcaster and natural historian, Sir David Attenborough on protecting and restoring nature, former astronaut onboard the International Space Station Naoko Yamazaki on cleaning our air, singer and philanthropist Shakira Mebarak on reviving our oceans, Christiana Figueres, co-founder of Global Optimism and former UN Climate Chief on fixing our climate, and environmental activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim on building a waste-free world.

This timely and definitive book of The Earthshot Prize, along with the Earthshot prize and TV series, will be crucial in moving the dial on climate change.

We loved this book and we reckon you will too.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Leave Hospital With Baby Prince

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have emerged from the Lindo Wing with their son. Both happy parents cradled their newborn son as they stood on the steps of St Margaret’s Hospital in-keeping with tradition. Kate looked radiant and happy in a cornflower blue dress by Jenny Packham.

William said: “He’s got a good pair of lungs on him that’s for sure. He’s quite heavy. We’re still working on a name.’ He also spoke about the wait for the birth, “I will remind him of his tardiness when he’s older as I know how long you lot have been out here.” He also complemented his wife’s looks, saying:”He’s got her looks that’s for sure!” and also joked that his son had more hair than him. Kate said that William had already changed his first nappy.

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge leave hospital with baby sonPrince of CambridgePrince Charles and Camilla visit grandchildKate and William with baby son

Kate gave birth to their son at 16:24 yesterday (22/7/2013) and Kensington Palace announced the birth via email at 20:32. The couples son weighted 8lbs 6oz and William was present for the birth.

Carole and Michael Middleton saw their grandchild at the Lindo Wing earlier today. They were followed by Charles and Camilla. Charles said that the birth was ‘marvellous’.

The baby will be called HRH Prince or Princess X of Cambridge, and will one day be head of the armed forces, supreme governor of the Church of England, and the head of state of 16 countries, as well as head of the Commonwealth.

What is your take on the Royal Baby? Were you excited? What do you think it should be called?

Will The Royal Baby Be Elizabeth III?

Will the Royal Baby be Elizabeth III? Duchess and Duke of CambridgeAfter months of royal baby speculation, it appears the nation believes the new royal arrival will be a girl named Elizabeth born on the 7th July.

These predictions came out top in a poll of nearly 4,000 fellow expectant mums who were asked to guess the sex, name and the date the royal baby would arrive on parenting website Bounty.com.

Despite recent rumours of Harry letting it slip that the royal couple are expecting a boy and Kate buying a blue Bugaboo pram, two thirds still believe the new arrival will be a princess.

And when it comes to naming their firstborn, most think the couple will be ‘keeping it in the family’ with Elizabeth the most popular choice, closely followed by Diana, Victoria and Alexandra.

These echo the recent ‘Royal Baby Odds’ released by Ladbrokes, which favour Kate giving birth to a girl at 2-5 with the same names as front-runners at 6-1.

Lisa Penney, spokesmum for Bounty.com, whose ‘Royal Baby Guesser’ competition is asking new mums and pregnant women to cast their predictions for the royal baby. “Everyone loves a royal baby and as speculation reaches fever pitch we thought it would be fun to ask our members for their own predictions,” says Lisa.

“The results show even though Kate and Wills are seen as modern, contemporary royals, people still think they will plump for a traditional royal name.”

When it comes to boys names, George – most widely rumoured to be favoured by the couple for a son – comes out on top, followed by James, Henry and Edward.

Interestingly, it seems new mums are already taking name inspiration from the royals with Bounty Parenting Club’s most recent baby names report revealing both George and James were among the top ten names given to baby boys by new parents in April.

However, the ‘most likely for a princess’ girls names have some catching up to do with Elizabeth the 42nd most popular name given to baby girls in April, Alexandra the 69th, whilst Diana just makes the top 100 at 84th.

And despite recent reports of a ‘family friend’ letting it slip that the baby is due on 13th July, 7th July came out top as the date believed most likely for the baby making its arrival, followed by the 17th and the 14th July.

Lisa continues: “Our records show that year after year parents continue to be influenced by popular culture and celebrity, so it’s highly likely that whatever name the royal couple go for they’ll be setting a baby-naming trend for the future.

“And it does seem that even rumours surrounding the possible name they’ll go for are enough to inspire new parents. Our latest baby data shows sharp increases since the beginning of the year for Diana (up 200%), Elizabeth (up 22%) and George (up 10%), leaping up seven places to become the eighth most popular name for baby boys in the UK.”

There is still time to take part in bounty.com’s ‘royal baby guesser’ competition for your chance to win a ‘Princess for a Day’ experience worth £1,000. Visit http://www.bounty.com/royal-baby/royal-baby-competition to case your own predictions.


TOP TEN PRINCESS NAME PREDICTIONS

1.      Elizabeth

2.      Diana

3.      Victoria

4.      Alexandra

5.      Charlotte

6.      Sophia

7.      Emily

8.      Mary

9.      Grace

10.    Olivia

 

TOP TEN PRINCE NAME PREDICTIONS

1.      George

2.      James

3.      Henry

4.      Edward

5.      Charles

6.      William

7.      Philip

8.      Alexander

9.      Arthur

10.    Richard

 

TOP TEN BIRTH DATE PREDICTIONS

1.      7th July

2.      17th July

3.      14th July

4.      15th July

5.      6th July

6.      12th July

7.      16th July

8.      10th July

9.      5th July

10.    3rd July

What do you think the royal baby will be called?

 

Royal Advert For a Royal Baby.

Are the Duke and Duchess already looking for childcare? Frost found this royal advert interesting.

Leading childcare search site Findababysitter.com attracts over 200k monthly visits, 2,100 daily log-ins, and over 10k childcare professionals’ profiles are viewed daily. But one recent advert that was posted has caused a right royal stir.

 

The advert was posted by a user registered as Kate C. – an alias the Duchess of Cambridge is said to use – it reads:

Soon-to-be first-time parents searching for the perfect nanny to extend the love and normality of an everyday family home.

The right nanny will be fluent in several languages of the British Commonwealth, confident in the public eye, and willing to travel regularly.

He or she must have excellent posture, grace, poise and perfect diction. A driving licence is not necessary, as a chauffeur will be provided. A love of dogs is beneficial, and exquisite taste in baby clothes is ideal to ensure the new arrival is as stylish as mummy.

The ideal candidate will also possess a classical education, including Greek and Latin, competency in two instruments, be passionate about croquet, polo, and be interested in art history and antiques. Experience dealing with spoilt first children would be helpful. Confidentiality is essential. Only candidates of the highest calibre will be considered.

 

Findababysitter.com has also experience an influx of carers coming online to optimise their profiles, making them fit for the royal job. During the 24 hours after the royal announcement went public, the childcare search site has experienced hundreds of childcare professionals updating their profiles and they expect to see an influx of updated profiles over the coming weeks.

 

 

Kate Middleton Tops Vanity Fair Best Dressed List

Kate Middleton has Topped Vanity Fairs Best Dressed List again. Katie Nicholl has also written an in-depth story on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. According to Vanity Fair.

“There’s a happiness in the House of Windsor generally at the moment for the first time ever,” a royal pal tells Vanity Fair contributor Katie Nicholl in the September issue. “Charles and Camilla are genuinely happy. William is happy because Charles is troubled less, and he has Kate to share his future with,” the friend adds. And while the pair have dazzled Britain and Olympic watchers the globe over with their Games-related appearances—Kate’s fashionable turn in Christopher Kane at the opening ceremony only confirms her status atop the 2012 International Best-Dressed List—they innately prefer a life out of the spotlight, one categorized by homey activities like cooking and walking puppy Lupo three times per day. Nicholl gets their friends and those in their orbit talking for a those in their orbit talking for a blockbuster piece on Kate’s married life—revealing, among many other details, that:

Despite their lean physiques thanks to deerstalking, tennis, and Buckingham Palace swims, Will and Kate are foodies, and tuck in regularly to homemade roast chicken (Kate does the cooking and shopping, and employs no cook at their home on the Welsh island of Anglesey). They also own a sausage-maker (!) to make their own links, and for the holidays, Kate puts away jars of homemade strawberry jam and plum preserves to dole out as gifts. On the average day off, the pair just potter around, “making tea and toast,” per a family friend who recently swung by to find them living a simple home life on Anglesey.

They splash out for DVD box sets. Right now, the royal couple are obsessed with The Killing, which they recently devoured in a marathon session—and they often stay in to binge on various new series rather than hit up society events.

The duchess’s schedule requires up to five clothing changes per day. The rigorous outfit swapping attendant to royal protocol is said to stress out the duchess—not that the stress shows.

And even though the bill for her couture and jewels was printed in the tabloids with raised eyebrows earlier this year—$55,000 for six months of duties—Kate defrays the cost by bargain-shopping. The duchess also continues to decline the services of a royal dresser, preferring to personally shop for herself at chains like Topshop.

Kenyan Tea | Drink Review

I am quite obsessed with tea. A day without tea is just a bad day. I usually drink English Breakfast tea but I decided to give Kenyan tea a shot. With interesting results: it’s even better than my normal tea.

I reviewed Marks and Spencer Pure Origin Mount Kenya Teabags and they are really flavoursome, fresh and bright. They just make such a good cup of tea. In fact it is hard to make a bad cup of tea with these teabags. This is definitely the tea I will be buying from now on. I can’t say enough just how amazing the tea tastes. They are also Fairtrade which just makes the tea taste even better.

Just as amazing is Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Kenyan Fairtrade Fine Tea. Try Kenyan tea. You won’t look back. (no, I am not being paid to write this. They just rock)

Kenya is a country famed for its long distance runners…just look at this year’s London Marathon winners. But that’s not the only impressive export from this beautiful East African country. Did you know that thanks to Kenya’s perfect climate along the Rift Valley, the country provides nearly 53% of the tea leaves we Brits drink in our daily cuppa?

Kenyan Tea is at the heart of many of Britain’s favourite teas blends making up the 165 million cups of tea we drink each and every day in the UK. As we approach a Summer of British celebration, we’ve no doubt there’ll be more tea (and cake!) consumed than ever before, so here’s a few reasons it should be Kenyan tea you’re drinking:

* Her Majesty the Queen was visiting Kenya on the day she ascended to the throne – 6th February 1952.
* It’s remained a popular spot with the Royals, as it was also where Prince William and Kate Middleton got engaged in 2010.
* Of the 78 Olympic medals Kenya has won since 1964, 69 were for athletics running events.
* With the exception of 2010, a Kenyan runner has won the men’s London Marathon every year since 2004. This year Wilson Kipsang was only four seconds behind the course record.
* Kenyan tea is grown within the regions that nurture the top athletes.
* Kenyan tea is uniquely refreshing and 100% disease and pest free.

We British are famed for our love of a good brew, so we’ve asked around to find out what makes your perfect cuppa. While milky tea is still our favourite it seems we’re getting more adventurous as more are trying lemon or honey in a cuppa, while over a third of you are experimenting with the purer tastes of loose leaf, single estate and rare teas from around the world.

To introduce you to the distinctive taste of Kenyan Teas we’ve sent you two delicious teas so you can experience the high quality and distinctive flavour, and discover what’s truly at the heart of a good cuppa.

About Kenyan Tea

· Tea has been grown in Kenya since 1903 and quickly thrived thanks to the growing conditions, climate and altitude. Tea is grown in both large plantations and smallholdings across 180,000 hectares with production reaching up to 390 million kilos per year. Today Kenya is the largest producer of tea in Africa and one of the world’s largest black tea producers.

· Kenya tea has been proved to have higher levels of antioxidants compared to teas produced in other parts of the world.

Stockists

· Marks and Spencer Pure Origin Mount Kenya Teabags – £1.79 for 50 teabags. This is the first Kenyan tea to be grown and packed at source, the result of a 2 year project with M&S training farmers to pack tea for export and local sale.

· Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Kenyan Fairtrade Fine Tea – £2.39 for 80 teabags. This tea is grown in fair-trade tea gardens in the Kenyan highlands where the climate and altitude produce this fine tea with a full flavour.

Kate Middleton Has To Curtsy To ‘Blood’ Royals.

Kate Middleton may now be the Duchess of Cambridge, but she has been told that she must bow to ‘blood’ royals when her Prince is not around.

Middle-class Middleton has come a long way but the Queen has updated the Order of Precedence to account for the Duke of Cambridge’s wife.

Kate must curtsy to the “blood princesses”, the Princess Royal, Princess Alexandra, and the daughters of the Duke of York, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie when Prince William is not around as she does not have any blue blood in her veins.

When her husband is with her she only has to curtsy to the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.

If Kate thinks she has it bad then give the Countess of Wessex is probably even less happy, she has to curtsy to Kate even when William is not there.

The last time the order was updated after Prince Charles married Camilla the Countess of Wessex then had to curtsy to Camilla. According to a courtier: “She didn’t like it one bit,”

The Queen has changed the Order of Precedence “on blood principles”

What do you think? Would you curtsy to The Queen or another member of the Royal household?

Prince William Turns 30: Let’s have a cocktail.

A BIRTHDAY BEVERAGE FIT FOR A KING
– Supermarket creates Royals’ favourite cocktail for a less-than-princely sum –

Prince William inherited £10 million from his mother on his 30th birthday today, and the Queen also got a 16% pay rise. For those with less money you can enjoy Prince William’s favourite tipple but without the £135 price tag – thanks to supermarket Aldi who has recreated the royals’ favourite cocktail, the famous Mahiki Treasure Chest, for less than a fifth of the price.

Coined the “Aldiki”, the cocktail is recommended to be served in a treasure chest, just like the original, which is enjoyed by royals, actors and musicians alike at trendy London bar, Mahiki.

Costing just £25.80 and serving 16 people, the Aldiki is an exotic mix of rum, brandy, peach schnapps and fruit juice from the supermarket’s award-winning drinks range – topped off with a celebratory bottle of sparkling wine.

Expert mixologist and cocktail guru Michael Stringer, who created the Aldiki especially for Aldi, has created a video demonstrating how to recreate the drink at home in time for the Prince’s 30th.

Michael said: “Mahiki’s Treasure Chest is deservedly a world-famous drink, but for anyone on a tighter budget, the Aldiki is a great alternative. The top quality range of spirits available at Aldi means that Brits who like to be creative with their cocktails can afford to experiment at home without breaking the bank.

“The Aldiki is a refreshing and theatrical cocktail perfect for a right royal celebration – and it proves that you don’t need a regal budget to party like a prince.”

The supermarket is sending the Aldiki ingredients to Kensington Palace today, to congratulate the Prince on reaching his milestone and encourage him to try out the tasty tipple at the party the Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly throwing for her husband.

An Aldi spokesperson added: “We wanted to help our customers celebrate this special date in a fun but affordable way. And what could be more fitting than raising a glass to the Prince in the style that he enjoys most – but at just a fraction of the price.

“We’re hoping the Aldiki might even receive the royal seal of approval from Kensington Palace.”

To create your own Aldiki cocktail at home, simply view the how-to video at www.aldi.co.uk, or follow the recipe below:

THE ALDIKI (Serves 16)
1. Pour several handfuls of ice cubes into your treasure chest or punch bowl
2. Add 800ml apple juice, 800ml pineapple juice, 250ml orange juice, and stir
3. Squeeze in the juice of 4 fresh limes
4. Make up your sugar syrup by dissolving 6 tablespoons of caster sugar in 200ml boiling water. Leave to cool before adding to the cocktail mix
5. Add the following award-winning Aldi spirits to the blend:
a. 400ml Old Hopking White Rum
b. 600ml Old Hopking Dark Rum
c. 200ml Cocobay White Rum & Coconut
d. 200ml Oscar’s Peach Schnapps
e. 250ml Napoleon Brandy
6. Top with a bottle of chilled Veuve Olivier Sparkling Brut sparkling wine
7. Stir to blend and add more ice cubes if desired
8. Finally, add a selection of chopped fresh fruit (eg. pineapple, lemon, orange and passion fruit) to garnish