International Coffee Day

Every day is an international day of some sort, but the international coffee day seems one worth raising a glass, or mug, to, and today's the day! Being made from a grown source, the coffee bean, it is obviously difficult to tell when coffee drinking was first discovered. The first evidence appears to show coffee drinking starting in the mid 15th century in Yemen. Coffee became popular in England due to the British East India Company, and Oxford's Queen's Lane Coffee House started up in 1654.

Over the years coffee has become a much loved commodity across the world, and nowadays is the source of many social and business meetings, with coffee shops becoming increasingly popular year by year. The phrase 'going for a coffee' is used even by those who never drink coffee, it's become something of a modern day term for going for a drink, whether that be tea, coffee, juice or pretty much anything that's not an alcoholic beverage. Despite the big chains such as Starbucks and Costa having coffee shops left right and centre, the local and unique coffee shops are still popular, and are often even more popular than the big guns due to being a bit different and being supported because they are a locally owned and run business.

Why not take the opportunity of it being 'international coffee day' to visit some of the locally owned coffee (or tea) shops in the Olney area?! There are lots- Beans, Cafe Tosco, Teapots and Much Ado, to name but a few!

This weekend in MK... Vintage, tea, fashion and cider

Recycle the Vintage

This Saturday, Throwback vintage presents their vintage and retro fair at York House, Stony Stratford. Come along and delve into a selection of vintage and retro items and enjoy musical entertainment- rocking rhythm and blues from Lucille. Open from 9.30am-4.30pm, entry is £1 and children under 12 go free.

Tea party vintage-style 

The Milton Keynes and Bedford group are holding a vintage tea party this Saturday in order to raise awareness for Crohns and Colitis UK. Held at the Summerlin Centre, Woburn Sands. Come along for tea, sandwiches and delicious cakes, served in lovely vintage bone china cups in surroundings decked out 1940's/50's style. Kaley Herrick of Vintage Vanity events will be there to entertain, alongside her lovely waiting staff. Dressing up vintage style is optional, but encouraged! Tickets cost £5 for a great afternoon, open from 2-4pm. Please check that there are places still available before you attend.

Friday-Sunday: Autumn Theatre of Fashion

Come along to the centre:mk this weekend to see some of the latest trends to be hitting the stores this autumn/winter. From fashion shows to pamper pods, demonstrations and workshops, the centre:mk's top brands will be showcasing some great fashion pieces. On top of that is the opportunity to win £500 off your autumn wardrobe, don't miss out this weekend! 

Saturday and Sunday: Cider and Juice Making

Campbell Park Pavilion are hosting an opportunity to learn how to make cider and press your own apples to turn it into delicious cider or apple juice! This is a ticketed event which must be booked in advance and costs £15 for the day, which runs from 10am-4pm.

Time travel this weekend with some great local events

As August draws to a close (where has the time gone?!) were coming to the end of the summer holidays but there's another day filled with fun activities tomorrow, so make the most of it as summer comes to an end (we're still in denial!) and hopefully enjoy some summer sun before the kids go back to school...

Georgian Tea Party
@ The Cowper and Newton Museum, 10.30am-4.30pm
Travel back in time 250 years and feel Georgian for the day! You're encouraged to come in costume if you can, to really get into the mood! Enjoy the fascinating museum and beautiful gardens with some additional attractions...
Barabara Segal, specialist in Baroque dance, a fashionable dance of Europe from 1650-1750, will be performing with her dancers, and you can relax while drinking blended teas  and eating delicious cakes. The teas will be served in order to remember the significance of tea in the 18th century, where women were only allowed to drink it in their homes while men could enjoy it in tea houses.
Tickets cost £5 for adults and £2 for children.

Wicked Water Fun day 
@ Willen Lake, 11am-3pm
Great fun for all the family at Willen Lake tomorrow. There will be a variety of free taster waterspouts from 11am-1pm, on a first come first served basis so make sure you get there early on if you want a go! Come along and try pond dipping, canoeing, rowing and fishing at the lake. It's a free event so why not come along and combine it with a walk around the lake, a play in the park or even lunch by the waterfront?

Open Air Theatre: Alice in Wonderland
@ Willen Lake South, Mini-Bowl, Gates 3pm for 4pm start
This is something great for a warm summer evening, come and see the Cambridge touring theatre perform Lewis Carroll's classic Alice in Wonderland. Filled with catchy tunes and great laughs, it's one for all the family to enjoy. You'll need to bring your own seating, and please bring warm clothes for when the sun goes down! The performance lasts around 2hours 30 min. There will be a children's workshop with the actors prior to the show, for a small charge, spaces are limited so check before you go! The show costs £12 per adult, £8 per child or £32 for a family of four.

1940's weekend: 'Skip down memory lane with our Violet'
@ Milton Keynes museum Saturday and Sunday
If the Georgian era isn't for you and you'd prefer to go back a little in time, then come along to the Milton Keynes museum where you'll be transported back to the 1940's for their 5th wartime weekend. Experience the flavour of the wartime period with music, re-enactors, exhibits and living history displays. Enjoy a trip down memory lane or an education of the past, there'll be vintage vehicles, a vintage tea room, a vintage street of shops and more.

What is 'bubble tea'?

'Bubble tea' has existed since the 1980's in Taiwan, but has only been introduced in the last few years to the UK. It first came to London, and in the last couple of months the phenomenon has arrived here in Milton Keynes.

What is Bubble Tea?

Basically, it's a cold, flavoured, tea drink with chewy bits in the bottom. That description a bit vague for you? Let's try the long one...

The flavoured tea bit is the same, the bit which may need a bit of explaining are the squishy, edible balls at the bottom of the drink! These are tapioca balls (sometimes referred to as 'pearls' or 'boba') and they come in a variety of flavours, sit at the bottom of your drink and are sucked up through a big fat straw. The tea is shaken when made, creating thousands of tiny bubbles on the top, hence the name.

The drinks come in milky or fruity varieties, with many flavours to choose from of both the drink and tapioca/boba balls, making a huge number of possible variations. The balls are small enough to be sucked through a thick straw, but big enough to contain a good amount of flavouring; so that when you bite into it you get a shot of flavour in your mouth! They've got the texture of bath pearls, but don't let that put you off, the taste is great!

These drinks are something of a novelty at the moment, and as result are quite pricey, but are definitely worth a try. There's a lot of natural goodness in these (and a whole load of sugar too I expect) such as tapioca, taro, jelly made from coconut, aloe vera and more!

The new 'bubble heaven' stand has opened in centre:mk and is situated just outside bhs and blue inc. Why not give it a try?!

This Weekend: Events in the local area

You'll have hopefully already seen the blogs for the Newport Pagnell Carnival,the Rugby 7s and the Olney raft and duck race taking place this weekend, but there are a couple more to mention, as well as reminding you of those three key events for the calendar!

SATURDAY:
Lathbury Village Hut is home to an event this weekend; the Lathbury 1914 project exhibition between 2pm and 5pm both Saturday and Sunday. The exhibition entry is free and showcases variety of historical treasures. There will also be extra entertainment going on between 3 and 4pm, including music, poetry readings and the modern day Clanger Competition. There will also be a special service of commemoration in Lathbury Church at 11am on Sunday.

Night Hike @ Ouse Valley park; Something a little different for a Saturday night! The walk begins at 9pm, and led by local wildlife experts you will discover many varieties of nocturnal wildlife residing in the Ouse Valley. Booking is required, and costs just £1 per person.

SUNDAY:
Summer Celebration and Open day @ Campbell Park, Milton Keynes. 1-4pm
An afternoon of guided walks, country talks, music, demonstrations and displays. The Parks Trust will have a display of landscape machinery, talks, demonstrations form some parkland activities, bug hunting for kids with the education team, free land train rides and music from Bradwell silver band. This is a free event. Check the website for the marquee programme of talks and activities.

'Something different' @ St. Laud's church in Sherington, 10.30am
Come along for refreshments and to meet new people and spend some time discovering who this God fellow is. Wherever you stand on faith, all are welcome. There's an informal service to explore Christian faith together.

Tyringham Teas @ St. Peter's Tyringham Churchyard, 3pm
Come along for teas in the St. Peter's Churchyard. Relax with delicious homemade cakes and lovely views over the Ouse.