Review: The Snowman at Milton Keynes Theatre

The cherished tale of The Snowman arrived at Milton Keynes Theatre this week, bringing with it a wonderful sense of nostalgia for all of us that have loved watching this classic on TV throughout our childhoods – and still do every year when it airs at Christmas time!

This stage adaptation is a ballet, there is no talking or singing, only dance and clever acting/movements to take you through each scene and set to the classic music we all know and love including ‘Walking in the Air’. It’s a wonderful introduction to ballet for those that haven’t been to one before, particularly for children. All children in the audience at last night’s performance were enthralled by the magic of the show; with many on the edge of their seats and dancing along with Father Christmas’ solo in Act 2.

It does feel an odd time of year for such a festive show, if only it could have been on in November instead, ahead of the Panto season. It did however provide a wonderful and magical evening to an otherwise dull, grey day in January! 

Birmingham Repertory Theatre’s production of The Snowman has been delighting audiences in the UK and abroad since 1993 when artistic director Bill Alexander approached Howard Blake to ask how he would feel about creating a full length stage version; and the show opened for Christmas that same year with immediate success. The story follows very closely to the original book by Raymond Briggs and the 1982 TV short with music composed by Howard Blake.

The full cast and orchestra were brilliant and I can highly recommend a trip to see this one, especially families with small children. The flying scene (set of course to Walking in the Air) was skilfully executed and performed as they flew across the skies, through the clouds, over the oceans and towards the moon before reaching their destination at the North Pole.

For tickets, visit: www.atgtickets.com/shows/the-snowman/milton-keynes-theatre

The February Garden

February is still feeling pretty wintry, and while there may be a few shoots coming up, we've still got a while to go before spring really arrives. So what can you do in the garden in February?

Well, February is mainly the month for cutting the winter shrubs and foliage back to keep it neat, and pruning those shrubs to encourage growth in the spring. You'll need to protect any vulnerable plants from the frost if you haven't already, by wrapping them in insulation such as garden fleece, and raise pots and containers off the ground where possible.

In your vegetable bed you can start sowing vegetable seeds such as leeks, onions and celeriac under cover. The outside vegetable bed won't be ready just yet, but you can prepare it by removing the weeds and forking in plenty of compost, then cover it with plastic to warm it up ready for spring planting.

In the fruit garden it's mainly just pruning to be done. Stone fruit trees can be planted now.

Around February is the time to order any seeds and plants, so you can plan your spring garden from the warmth and comfort of your armchair. You can also give your gardening equipment a check, to make sure it's all ready for spring, get the lawn mower serviced and make sure the shears aren't rusty. It might also be worth checking garden centre sales, as this could be the perfect time to get hold of some great value pots and gardening equipment at a great price!

How to beat those winter blues

As the dark mornings and early evenings continue, many people find it can become a bit depressing. SAD (seasonal affective disorder) is said to affect around 2 million people in the UK and over 12 million in Northern Europe.

The causes of the winter blues, or SAD, are thought to be linked with the shorter days, and lack of sunshine. The dark makes us feel sleepy, and when the days are predominantly dark, it can be hard to feel active and awake, resulting in sleepiness and low energy levels.

So how can we shake off the winter blues? We thought we'd share the NHS' top 10 tips...

A Night of Hope

Tonight is Halloween, and while you may have been ready to carve your pumpkins with scary faces and getting ready for some 'safe scares', World Vision are using Halloween to highlight the reality of life for children in Syria, for whom a 'scary' night happens every night.

This Halloween, World Vision are asking that you carve a heart into your pumpkin instead of a scary face, to show the children of Syria that they have not been forgotten and turn a night of fear into a Night of Hope. As well as standing up for a cause, which you can also donate to via text, the heart pumpkins look really nice and add a different twist to the tradition of pumpkin carving!

Never carved a pumpkin before? It's actually pretty simple...

1. Just cut around the stalk by cutting around the stem in about a 5cm radius to create a bit of a lid. 
2. Then scoop out the filling, using a spoon, and get it as clean as you can so that more light will shine through. 
3. Draw on and cut out your shape, a heart if you're trying out this idea, using a small knife and cutting away from yourself incase the knife slips. 
4. Finally, pop a tea light inside the pumpkin to see the shape glow out, and position it in your window for all to see.

Spring?!

Are we beginning to see a glimmer of Spring? I know it officially isn't springtime until the end of March (at least) but the evenings and mornings are beginning to get lighter and this is very good news indeed! The past few days I've been woken up by the sun shining in on my face, which as much as I love my sleep and don't like to be interrupted, definitely makes a welcome change from trying to get up in the dark! I even saw a bit of blue sky today…shocking I know!

It really does have an effect on your mood though, doesn't it?! Leaving work in the sunshine rather than the dark makes you feel like you've still got a few hours left to enjoy the day, rather than feeling the need to crawl inside by the fire with a duvet! The worry in the back of my mind is the reminder that we have often had snow as late as April… I'm hoping we've missed out on that weather this year but maybe that's being a little too hopeful! It looks for now that it's just rain, rain and more rain in store, fingers crossed this sun stays about, we sure need it to dry up all this flooding!

Sarah