Tag Archives: lifestyle blog

Got Kids? Have you heard of Justin’s World? It might be the entertainment you need! #children #jigsongs #apps

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If you thought it was ridiculous that kids were getting gadget savvy then its about to get a whole lot worse…or is it? Britain’s best-loved children’s entertainer Justin Fletcher – also known as Mr Tumble – has launched Justin’s World this summer, a new range of apps for pre-school children.

And its most recent addition is ‘Jigsongs’ aimed at children aged 2-6yrs, out now for just 69p?

We all know how much children love doing puzzles. We also know how much they love singing their favourite songs. And of course Justin Fletcher is pretty popular with little ones as well. So why not put all three together. Well, that’s exactly what he’s done and its come in the form of Jigsongs!

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Kids (and adults) can choose from: Old Macdonald, Twinkle Twinkle, One Two Three Four Five, or Justin’s all time personal favourite, The Grand Old Duke of York.

So, if you’ve got a couple of little ones, its time to give yourself some ‘me’ time, and let them take advantage of this fab new fun for kids.

If you’re already familiar with Justin Fletcher’s work, you can expect all the fun, excitement and entertainment brought to the screen, but with an entirely new interactive, learning through play experience. Justin’s World puts the child in control of activities, allowing them to consume the content in a way and at a speed that suits them.Screen Shot 2013-09-18 at 21.40.38

Sounds perfect…where can I get it? 

The first two of four of Justin’s World’s apps are already available at the Apple App store for iOS (iPhone and iPad) and were released from May 2013 onwards with android versions of the apps expected to follow shortly.

The apps are being developed in partnership with the creator of Mr Tumble and series producer of ‘Something Special’, Allan Johnston.

How does it all work? 

Well, Justin’s World uses storybooks, games and puzzles that build on Justin’s well-known character-based performances and features high quality illustrations, video and music combined with curriculum-based teaching games from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and Primary National Curriculum. So you may be able to give your kiddies a head start in world domination by speeding up their education…voluntarily! Screen Shot 2013-09-18 at 21.41.09

Tell us more…

Ok, the first releases in the series of Justin’s World apps include interactive adaptations of popular children’s play activities such as books, puzzles, songs and games:

  • Justin’s World – Goldilocks – an interactive adaptation of the popular children’s story. Justin guides and helps you through a series of number and language based activities in line with the EYFS. All characters played by Justin Fletcher
  • Justin’s World – Letter Sounds – pick the letter that matches the sound then drag and drop to complete the word! Developed in line with the Primary National Strategy, this phonics  activity features Justin teaching the sound and letting the child join in.
  • Justin’s World – Jigsongs – puzzles but with a special sing along musical twist! Drag the pieces in place to finish the puzzle and watch videos of Justin come to life singing some of his favourite songs. The first release includes Old Macdonald, Twinkle Twinkle, 1,2,3,4,5 and The Grand Old Duke of York.
  • Justin’s World Animal Sounds – A totally free app to say thank you to all or Justin’s World followers. Join in with Justin’s hilarious impersonations of well known animals

So there you go, embrace the tech, follow the UK’s best loved childrens entertainer, and realise that this really is the future of fun (for the little ones anyway!) Enjoy!!

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Catch up with the very first #innocentinspires event with @innocentdrinks

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A few weeks back we reported on the fantastic Innocent Inspires event held by our friends at Innocent Drinks. With influential speakers such as James Cracknell, Charlie Dark from Run Dem Crew and Dr Pixie McKenna speaking, we felt totally uplifted and healthier after the event.

The aim of this very first Innocent Inspires event was to help us all find ways to ‘Live Well and Die Old’ so this included easy ways to exercise, how to eat healthier foods and keep not only your physical but mental self well. We learnt a hell of a lot that night and cant wait to see what the next event has to offer, but if you missed this one, fear not as the lovely people at Innocent Drinks have shared some fantastic videos from the event.

If you want to find out more about the future Innocent Inspires event then make sure you click here! 

To kick start here’s a fantastic overview of the whole event:

And if you want to watch the speaker talks in full, just sit back, relax and press play!

James Cracknell

Charlie Dark, Founder of Run Dem Crew

Embarrassing Bodies Dr Pixie McKenna

 

Jumeirah Restaurant Week Goes Global For 2013 #food #restaurant #hotels @jumeriahCT @jumeriahLH

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Bringing even more sunshine over from the United Arab Emirates, Jumeirah Restaurant Week is going global following its huge success last year.

Now we can enjoy a taste of paradise between the 23rd May and 1st June. Featuring three-course set menus across 56 renowned restaurants worldwide, diners will be able to experience the New York-style Restaurant Week and get a taste for the great quality food and creative cuisine for which Jumeirah restaurants & bars  have become famous. Screen Shot 2013-04-23 at 09.10.47

This year will see participation from some of Europe’s most popular restaurants and hotels including The Rib Room Bar & Restaurant at Jumeirah Carlton Tower London, Max on One at Jumeirah Frankfurt, Agatha Restaurant at Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah in Istanbul and Cap Roig at Jumeirah Port Soller, Mallorca. And if you happen to be on holiday further afield during the restaurant week – diners can also frequent Junsui at Burj Al Arab, Voi at Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, Pierchic at Madinat Jumeirah, The Ivy at Jumeirah Emirates Towers, La Parrilla at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, The Rib Room in Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Blue Flame at Jumeirah Creekside Hotel and Tori No in Jumeirah at Etihad Towers in the United Arab Emirates. As well as a selection of restaurants in Asia such as Grill Room at Jumeirah Himalayas Shanghai, Fenesse at Jumeirah Vittaveli and Johara at Jumeirah Dhevanafushi in the Maldives!

Sounds very fancy non?

Screen Shot 2013-04-23 at 09.12.49Well, its not a bad price either! If you’re keen to make the most of this tempting offer you can choose from an exciting selection of set menus ranging from £29 at either The Rib Room Bar & Restaurant or Lowndes Kitchen & Bar in London to $70 at Johara Restaurant at Jumeirah Dhevanafushi in the Maldives.

So why not give it a go, you can find out more below:

 

Booking details:

To book call 00971 (0) 4 366 6730 or email restaurants@jumeirah.com

 

Participating Restaurants

Jumeirah Carlton Tower – London, UK

The Rib Room Bar and Restaurant (£29 per person)

Jumeirah Lowndes – London, UK

Lowndes Bar and Kitchen (£29 per person)

 

Booking terms and conditions:

–      Guests wishing to enjoy the Jumeirah Restaurant Week menus are required to book in advance and state which offer they are booking

–      No other discounts/vouchers can be used in conjunction with Jumeirah Restaurant Week

–      Sirius members can redeem / spend points during Restaurant week

 

 

Full Cast for Howard Pinter’s The Hothouse @traftransformed

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Theatre lovers get excited – more cast members have been announced for Trafalgar Studios’ production of Harold Pinter’s The Hot House

John Heffernan (Lush), Harry Melling (Lamb), Clive Rowe (Tubb), Christopher Timothy (Lobb) and Indira Varma (Miss Cutts) will join the previously announced Simon Russell Beale (Roote) and John Simm (Gibbs) to complete the cast for The Hothouse, Jamie Lloyd Productions’ second show for Trafalgar Studios.

The Hothouse is part of an exciting season of work for Trafalgar Transformed, a joint initiative between director Jamie Lloyd (Donmar’s Passion, Broadway’s Cyrano de Bergerac, the National Theatre’s She Stoops to Conquer, Royal Court’s The Pride) and Howard Panter. It comes hot on the heels of the critically acclaimed and sold out Macbeth, starring James McAvoy. The Hothouse, with design by award-winning Soutra Gilmour, runs from 4 May to 3 August.

L-R John Simm, Simon Russell Beale & Harry Melling in The Hothouse, Trafalgar Studios, photo Jay Brooks2 copy

Here’s what the play is all about:

It’s Christmas Day in a nameless state-run mental institution where the inmates are subjected to a tirade of mindless cruelty. A maniacal and self-obsessed leader breeds a contagion of hierarchical savagery amongst his staff, who thrive on a noxious diet of delusion and deceit.

The day got off to a lousy start!  A death and a birth.  Absolutely bloody scandalous!  Is it too much to ask – to keep the place clean?

Under a veil of devilish wit and subversive humour, Pinter’s biting political commentary on the perils of unchecked power is as vital and pertinent today as when it was written in the 50’s.

What times will it be showing and how much are the tickets? 

Performances:                                    Monday – Saturday at 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday at 2:30pm

Ticket prices:                                       £10 – £54.50

As part of the Trafalgar Transformed season all tickets will be £15 on Mondays. Half of these will be made available through a special outreach scheme led by the Ambassador Theatre Group Creative Learning Department, targeted towards schools and first-time theatregoers. The other half will be released monthly to the public on the first day of each month for 24 hours, starting on 1 May 2013*, and will be available online or at Trafalgar Studios box office. (* Monday 6 May is excluded)

Daily Day seats will be available for £10. These are limited to one ticket per person and tickets can only be collected two hours before the performance time.

Where can I find out more? 

www.thehothousewestend.com

Happy Theatre Going!