Sister Act: The High- Energy Musical Extravaganza

I had been looking forward to this performance for weeks. This has been a favourite film of mine since the 90's and it was so exciting to imagine it transferred to the stage, it is such a show-stopper anyway. This is our review of Sister Act The Musical, which turned out to be pretty surprising in many ways. It's always interesting to see how a film transforms on the stage and Craig Revel Horwood's direction brought some twists and turns I was not expecting. We are lucky enough to get press tickets for shows at the Bristol Hippodrome and you can read our previous reviews of Gangsta Granny and Dirty Dancing by clicking the links, if you would like to.

My Sunday Photo: Long Nose Shrew

SS Great Britain Summer Events Programme

School is finally out for us and the last few weeks have been crazy busy. Along with school plays, leavers' celebrations and other events, we somehow managed to squeeze in a visit to one of our favourite Bristol tourist attractions to find out what's on over the summer. The SS Great Britain is somewhere we have always been fond of, as it has a way of growing with children. Each time we go, we discover something different that we hadn't appreciated before. During the summer break, you can get even more for your ticket price with the addition of some amazing extras that will amuse your brood, whatever their age.

My Sunday Photo: Clash of Ages

Dirty Dancing at The Bristol Hippodrome - Review

When I first heard about the stage version of Dirty Dancing, I was really curious as to how they would handle some of the bigger scenes from the 1987 film. It might have been 30 years ago, but it's such a classic that I still watch it now and again, so was very aware that there would be some challenges for the production team. The stage show has enjoyed three successful West End seasons and is now midway through a nationwide tour, taking in no less than 16 UK towns and cities. So how does a dance-based film, with a large cast and many iconic scenes, filmed in some diverse locations, transfer to the stage? We received free tickets for our review, which will hopefully provide the answer.

Snooker, a Cheap and Fun All Weather Family Activity

I don't know about you, but we really struggle sometimes to think of new ideas for places to go on rainy days. Sometimes, even in the summer, it seems to rain for days and days and boredom sets in for everybody. I think, as a family, it's important to try to get out of the house as much as possible, in order to get away from all the distractions. Everyone relaxes more outside the home; the grown ups can't think about housework, DIY and other chores and the screentime thing doesn't have to be an issue with the children, so everyone wins. This doesn't have to be a 'dad and lad' activity, but for us it definitely was, as part of the 'Please bring the boy back when he's tired' initiative. Thus, the boys took the photos. *sigh*

Mason's Arms Stonehouse Pizza and Carvery Review

About three miles north of the Almondsbury interchange, on the A38 in Rudgeway, stands a little pub. The Mason's Arms has been there for as long as I can remember, but recently it's had a pretty spectacular makeover. Stonehouse Pizza and Carvery own 77 outlets across the country and The Mason's is one of their most recent acquisitions. As a regular visitor before it changed hands, I was amazed at the transformation. Gone were the dated, split level sections and in their place; clean lines, bright colours and fresh paint. We were invited to dine for free, in return for our honest review, so we were keen to find out if it lived up to our new-found expectations!

SS Great Britain - Step Aboard and Back in Time

The SS Great Britain has always been one of our favourite Bristol attractions. What I love about it, is that it is perfect for all weathers. The deck is gorgeous in the summer sun, but if it rains, there is plenty to see undercover. We haven't been for a while now, though and I had wondered if it would still appeal to L now that he is older. We took Phil along this time, too, and he hadn't been since he was at school. What I noticed was that, we all got something different out of it and there was something for everyone. We were lucky with the weather this time, it was really warm and sunny, although it did make the Dry Dock a bit humid, it was like the tropical house at the zoo! I suppose all that glass will do that...

Review: Gangsta Granny at the Bristol Hippodrome

We were absolutely thrilled to be asked to review Gangsta Granny, the stage adaptation of David Walliams' fantastic book. We love going to the theatre and, having read all the David Walliams books, L couldn't wait to see how it transferred to the stage. I wasn't worried about a children's show being less appealing for the grown ups. Walliams has proven to be a visual comic genius and there is no way he was going to let us down in the laugh department. I was not disappointed and neither was L. He was absolutely transfixed for the whole two hours and so was every other child in the nearly full theatre.

Three Girls; A Difficult, but Worthwhile Watch

I thought about whether or not to watch this three part drama for so long, all three parts were available on iPlayer by the time I got around to it. I knew it was always going to be a difficult watch, but in the end, I felt I owed it to them, after everything they went through, to at least hear their story. Which might sound daft, but there it is. If, like me, you are struggling with whether or not to give it a go, whether it will be too much, or too graphic, I wanted to give you my take on it, now that I've seen it. I think it's very important viewing, as it happens. Here's what I learned. Oh, and I'm going to try and write this with no spoilers, I'll come back and let you know how that worked out when I've finished. Edit: Nailed it!

My Sunday Photo: Sunset Over the Severn

Weston Super Mare - A Fun Family Day Out with GWR and a Competition

we are big fans of all things railway in our family. L was obsessed with trains when he was little and I love them, because it's such a great way to travel. I don't drive, so I always feel slightly guilty that I can't contribute to the driving on long journeys, and it's always so much more relaxing when no one has to drive or worry about traffic or parking. It's quicker, too and everyone can spend the whole journey taking in the scenery instead of driving or(my job) navigating. We were sponsored by GWR to take a family trip in celebration of their new social media competition where you could win your own day out and £500 spending money.

A Round Up of Recent Adventures: March

I know I've been trying to do a weekend post as often as I can, but we have had such a crazy couple of weeks, it's gone a bit by the wayside. So, instead, here's a round up of a few of the fun things that have gone on in our lives since I last had a chance to write about fun stuff. I may carry on with this format, so that I'm not limited to weekends and I don't have to bore you to death if nothing interesting happens! Highlights over the last couple of weeks included L's birthday, the party, War Horse, oh yes, and of course cake. A big cheaty cake, that I sort-of made, but still cake!

Our Weekend Wanderings, Week Nine

We're late this week, sorry, wifi issues! This is more of a Saturday post, really, but quite a lot happened, so I'm hoping it will still be interesting and no one will mind. A lot goes on in Bristol, there was even a fire limbo dancer! And cake, of course, there will always be cake. It's also more about my wanderings, as I decided I would do something a bit out of character and go totally rogue. Oh yes, you heard me right, I went out, completely unsupervised. So, basically, what I'm trying to tell you, is that the title of this post is a bit of a big fib, really. But, I can't change it, because then it wouldn't be Weekend Wanderings, and anyway, Saturday is half the weekend, after all. 

Very British Complaining #FirstWorldProblems

There has always been a stigma around complaining in this country. Very British complaining is an issue that divides the nation. To complain, or suck it up with a stiff upper lip? Personally, in a lot of circumstances, I'm all for it. There are right ways and wrong ways to complain, but if it was my business, and my customers were unhappy, I would want to know. Also, as a consumer, I don't like to waste money, so, if I am paying for a meal, or a day out, or whatever, and it's not enjoyable, I feel like I've wasted our hard earned cash, which really annoys me and I don't think it's very fair. Take, for example, our experience in a local eaterie yesterday...

Our Weekend Wanderings, Week Eight!

Last weekend began on a Friday, because I couldn't let some awesome artwork pass by, without giving it a mention. I have to admit, it wasn't the most exciting weekend, as I somehow managed to injure my leg, doing absolutely nothing and haven't been able to walk on it since. It's really been annoying me. If I get a painful injury, I want an exciting story to go with it. At the very least, I want to have done something to earn it. No fair! We did manage a couple of trips out, though,and Jade did very well after being dispatched to Lush for emergency bath bombs! 

FInding a Photographer in Bristol with Bidvine

It's been bothering me for a little while that I do not have a really good profile picture. This might not sound like a big deal, but, being a blogger, I use social media A LOT, and get just a tiny bit jealous of some of the more professional profile pictures I see. Where the lighting is flattering and they are taken from a better angle by someone who has a clue what they are doing. It might sound a bit vain, but when you see your face all the time, as part of your day, you want it to be a good one! So, I've often wondered what it would cost to get a few professional shots done. So, when Bidvine asked me to try out their service, which puts consumers in touch with professionals, it was a great time to test it out!

Afternoon Tea at The Grange Hotel, Winterbourne, Bristol

We bought our Afternoon Tea experience using Virgin Experience Days vouchers and were really looking forward to it. I wasn't sure if it represented the best value, as I paid £39 for what turned out to be about an hour, whereas I spent the rest of the £100 voucher on a spa day for two, with a manicure and pedicure thrown in, but we are all big fans of tea parties in general and it's even better when you don't have to make it yourself! The voucher was originally for two, but I phoned and asked if I could bring L along as well, and if it would be possible for them to include some plain cheese sandwiches for him, as he can be a little suspicious of unknown sarnies, and I wanted there to be at least one he would eat. Otherwise he would soon be full of nothing but cake and I felt this could be a recipe for disaster in a confined space and polite company!

My Sunday Photo: Stalagmites at Bristol Museum

My Sunday Photo: Pile of Lemurs