GoUK.com Blog

SUMMER SHOPPING IN THE SPA CITY

2009-06-15T14:33:00.001+01:00

The flights are booked, the villa looks great but what are you going to wear? If your summer wardrobe looks “so last year” head for Bath for an update and enjoy the city at its best with the Bath stone sparkling in the sunshine.

Shopping in Bath makes perfect sense when you have limited time to tick off all those holiday essentials. It is so compact and walk-able and yet has all that you might need and lots that you don’t really need but is hard to resist. Who wants to shop in a faceless, covered shopping mall when you can enjoy the sunshine and discover the retail gems in this World Heritage City?
This summer’s fashions are so colourful and tempting. Look for a floaty, silky sundress or kaftan at one of Bath’s great independent fashion boutiques like Mee or Prey. For something a bit different, Instant Vintage has lacy tops that would be cool and cute for a hot summer’s evening. Milsom Street is the main retail artery in the city with great brands like Ted Baker, Reiss and Hobbs as well as one of the country’s oldest department stores, Jolly’s. For pretty beach baskets, cool cool bags and hampers, picnic rugs and tents visit Cath Kidston, the shop that has introduced designer camping to the Festival set.

After all this retail therapy, take a break for a coffee or light lunch. Head for the Parisien Café or the terrace at the Moon and Sixpence for al fresco fun in the courtyards of Milsom Place, Bath’s latest sophisticated shopping and dining venue at the heart of North Bath. This is about as Continental as it gets without getting on a plane.

Schools out and the party on the beach beckons so consult the Jack Wills Summer Holiday Handbook for an array of bright bikinis, vests, shorts and must have Aisling Tea Dress. As well as Jack Wills Bath has a good sized Top Shop and H&M located in Southgate and a range of teen brands clustered around the Corridor including Superdry, Weird Fish and Animal. Pulteney Bridge is not to be missed; one of the very few bridges in the world with shops over it and you will discover some great boutiques like Pink Stripes and Joules. For the unreliable British summer pack some distinctive Joules wellies but for sunnier days there are flower print shorts, cropped trousers and swim wear plus lots of very practical kit like a “Rock pooler” towelling top, in fact gear for the whole family.

For children at the bucket and spade age there is JoJo Maman Bebe or Funky Babini and check out the “babies on the beach” section at the White Company for the Olivia Frill Swimsuit and matching sunhat. The White Company also has luxurious beach towels and wraps and cover ups like their broderie anglaise tunic that doubles up as a top over jeans in the evening.
For last minute leg waxing and that important pre holiday pedicure, Bath has more than its quota of beauty parlours. Green Street House and Champneys are right in the centre but call ahead to make an appointment to avoid disappointment.

Summer celebrations require special outfits and accessories. Located in the Old Post Office L.K.Bennett has a well deserved reputation for footwear ranging from pretty pink pumps to purple patent platforms as well as smart dresses and jackets. Independents like Sassy and Boo in Margaret Buildings stock the kind of clothes that make you stand out from the crowd like Blank’s vintage style party frocks.

Bath Tourism Plus is championing the cause of Bath retailers because so many visitors love to shop in the spa city “people are attracted to Bath for all kinds of reasons;, for the history, the Georgian architecture, the Roman Baths and the hotels and restaurants but when they get here they find it hard to resist our wonderful shops,” said Jasmine Simmons of Bath Tourism Plus. For a map to take guide you through retail heaven and take you off the beaten track plus information about shopping in Bath check out www.visitbath.co.uk. The new Bath Travel Guide gives advice on access and parking but savvy shoppers use Park and Ride every time.

Angels & Demons Trailer

2009-05-15T16:49:00.001+01:00

Bath - May Bank Holiday

2009-04-24T11:08:00.003+01:00

It’s all singing and dancing in Bath this May Bank Holiday!

Bath will be buzzing next week with the Bath International Dance Festival, Sing for Life and the Bath Spring Flower Show all taking place over the Bank Holiday.

Bath International Dance Festival 2nd – 4th May
Join the fabulous Bath International Dance Festival and participate in some of the latest and traditional styles of dance and take home some new moves! Alternatively, sit back, relax and enjoy the spectacle of some of the worlds best dancers perform in the famous heritage venues of Bath. As well as watching stars like Vincent & Flavia from Strictly Come Dancing, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved, not least of all, the World Record Attempt for the Waltz on Sunday morning which is open to anyone who would like to take part! Tickets for the events and workshops are now on sale from the Dance Festival website www.bathdancefest.org.uk or the Bath Festivals Box Office on 01225 463362. The website also provides details of how to take part in the World Record Attempt for the Waltz.

Sing for Life 1st – 4th May
Some of the musical talent performing at the Bath Sing for Life will include the famous City of Bath Male Choir (from the 2008 BBC’s Last Choir Standing), theatre groups and music students. There will be four concerts taking place on Friday evening in city centre churches, featuring all types of music from classical to glorious gospel. Saturday will see music students performing ‘free to watch and enjoy’ performances in a number of city venues. Top choral conductor Mike Brewer OBE will be leading a World Music workshop at the Bath Forum with hundreds of young people taking part and the world famous Rodolfus choir, one the top youth choirs in the UK, will be in concert at Bath Abbey. On Sunday evening top jazz star Claire Teal will perform a glitzy jazz and swing performance at the Pavilion. The festival will be supporting three local charities: the Dorothy House Hospice, the RUH Forever Friends and Golden-Oldies. All tickets are available from the Bath Festivals Box Office 01225 463362.

Bath Spring Flower Show 2nd – 4th May
The Annual Spring Flower Show, now in its 23rd year, will be held again in the beautiful surroundings of the Royal Victoria Park. There will be a wide array of displays and activites including a beautiful Floral Art display by members of the area’s Floral Art Clubs, a British Food and Farming marquee selling first class British farm produce, cookery demonstrations and a marquee with local Women’s Institutes and Townswomen’s Guilds selling delicious home baked cakes and preserves. The Show is also great for children who can spend time in the Children’s Activity Marquee. Food and drink is available throughout the day and bands and dancers will be providing entertainment. And there’s no need to worry about the weather as most of the Show is held under cover with parking available close to the showground. The entrance charge is £7.50 for adults, £5 for OAP’s and all unaccompanied children. Accompanied children under 16 come free.

For further details on the above events and for more information on what to see and do in Bath visit the official tourism website www.visitbath.co.uk.

Finding the Best English Language Schools

2009-04-15T11:25:00.001+01:00

Coming to the UK in 2009 to study English?

Looking for the best school and courses?

Looking for the best areas to visit?

How are you going to make such a difficult choice?

Well, that's easy - first of all, just ask a friend ... at GoUK.com you can get impartial advice from one of our consultants (just think of them as friends) simply by completing a Find A School Request online. For more information about our FREE service, just click here.

If you are planning to come to the UK, one of your biggest choices will be the area or city you chose to study in. The BIG Three ELT centres that we get the most enquiries about are - no surprise here - London, Oxford and Cambridge.

Each of the Big 3 has excellent schools and sublime resources for would-be students, but they're not right for everyone - especially London. London is so vast that some people will find the hustle and bustle of the city and the possibly large travelling distances between schools and accommodation too much to bear. If you are set on studying in London and if you are letting your school select your accommodation for you, then take care to find out where you will be staying and how long your journey will take. In general, it is best if you can stay close to the centre of the city or to the western suburbs. Historically, most cities in the UK have their best housing in the west and their industrial areas/utilities to the east (especially their sewage works) because the prevailing winds in the UK run west to east and so it traditionally made sense for people to build their homes upwind of any smells or pollution.

Of the 2 great university cities, Cambridge is very self-contained, flat, friendly and easy to navigate with its pedestrianised city centre. Oxford sprawls a little more and has more tourists (because of its position in the more heavily populated centre of the country and its proximity to major transport resources such as Heathrow Airport) but is a wonderful city year round.

Outside of the Big 3, there are plenty of smaller towns and cities to consider such as Bournemouth (a truly vibrant and young city), Brighton (London by the sea), Harrogate (a gem of destination), Exeter (gateway to the great outdoors that is Devon and Cornwall), and Edinburgh (the effervescent capital of Scotland).

But there's a fundamental truth that dare not speak it's name ... but here goes anyway ... it isn't a town or city that will make your stay in the UK happy. It isn't a school. It isn't a specific course. It isn't a host family. It isn't an individual friend or even a group of friends. Nope. The thing that will make YOU happy is your own attitude ... any school, town, course, family can be enjoyable if you put your heart and soul into everything you do; and yet the very same school, town, course, family can be utter misery for you if you come with a negative frame of mind and waste time looking for faults and problems instead of seizing the wonderful opportunity that you have in the palms of your hands.

Grab the opportunity to come to the UK now and make the most of your time here. Become part of the school and the wider community and suck the marrow of the experience for all it is worth. Sure, you'll have some low moments, but add those lows to the rich tapestry of your experience and learn from them.

We wish you well in your studies for 2009 - may the year bring you every possible happiness and success. The harder you work and the more effort you put in, the luckier and happier you will be.

City Guides - click here and then choose A to Z City Directory on the bottom left hand side.

Tourism Guide - click here.

Pictures of the UK - click here.

Great courses - click here.

Make a wish - click here and let us know what you're wishing for this year in our comments box. We'll grant every wish we can ;-)

Apple maul MS

2009-02-11T09:50:00.000Z

Take a look at the pic of the students in the auditorium.

Go into any Apple store and you'll find it heaving with young people buying Macs.

If this is a generational thing, then the future for MS has got to look bleak.

Bath Literature Festival: 28th February - 8th March

2009-01-23T10:37:00.002Z

Take part in one of the most exciting literature events in the country next month and join the annual Bath Literature Festival for stimulating debate, lively conversation and fascinating insights from leading authors, scientists and poets. Promising to be bigger and better than ever, the festival will celebrate writing in all its forms with a programme of over 100 events. And with a number of attractive accommodation offers available on www.visitbath.co.uk enjoy a short break and make the most of all that the festival has to offer while taking time to explore the beautiful World Heritage city of Bath.

This year’s festival will explore a number of ‘strands’ rather than an over-arching theme which will include debates and presentations on: Retrospectives, Wild Places, Intimate Lives, The Cutting Edge and Best of British literature. And to mark the bicentenary of Charles Darwin’s birth, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his On the Origin Species, there will also be a Darwin strand. Best-selling novelist Alexander McCall Smith, broadcaster, feminist and writer Joan Bakewell, former MP Chris Patten, outspoken and opinionated socialist Tony Benn and hugely popular poet Wendy Cope are just some of the well-established literary figures who will be taking part in the festival. In addition, authors from every corner of the globe will be joining the Literature Festival making it a truly cosmopolitan affair.

Stay in Bath on the 4th and 5th March and take advantage of the exclusive Bath Literature Festival package available on the official tourism website: www.visitbath.co.uk/festival. Choose from a number of accommodation options, starting from £130, and buy tickets for 5 Literature Festival events for just £30 (a total saving of £18). Accommodation options include dinner, bed and breakfast at the 5 star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, a contemporary and stylish self-catering cottage at The Malthouse and bed and breakfast at School Cottages in nearby village Farmborough.

While in Bath a visit to learn more about one of the city’s most famous residents - Jane Austen - cannot be missed. Find out about this influential writer who is still so popular today at the Jane Austen Centre and discover about her life and writing in Bath, purchase her books from the shop, or take tea in the Regency Tea Rooms above the museum in true Jane Austen style! The Museum can be found in the centre of the city on Gay Street and is one of Bath’s most popular attractions. Alternatively, download a free mp3 walking tour from www.visitbath.co.uk. This audio tour celebrates Jane Austen’s life and work and takes listeners around the highlights of the city while playing extracts from her novels and letters.

Hearing from top literary writers and visiting the Jane Austen Centre may leave you feeling inspired to read, so head to one of Bath’s book shops where there is an abundance to choose from, with all the usual high street chains as well as several independent shops tucked away on quiet cobbled streets. Bath Topping & Company is one of Bath’s most popular stores situated on The Paragon. It provides a cornucopia of over 30,000 titles and hosts a number of author events throughout the year.

More information on the Bath Literature Festival and accommodation offers can be found on the official tourism website www.visitbath.co.uk. Tickets for the Bath Literature Festival range from £3 to £17 and bookings can be made by visiting www.bathlitfest.org.uk.

Nab Cottage 2009

2009-01-16T12:36:00.008Z

Greetings from all of us at Nab Cottage

We have an exciting programme for 2009

Dates/Prices @ Nab Cottage 2009

1.
General English for adults

Available any time between June 20 and September 20.

Price: £440 a week. This includes:
Registration
Shared accommodation (there is a supplement of £85 for a single room)
Teaching/learning programme minimum 35 hours a week
All meals
Activity programme

2.
English and Yoga

September 6-13 and 13-20

Price: £440 a week. This includes:
Registration
Shared accommodation (there is a supplement of £85 for a single room)
Teaching/learning programme 15 hours a week
All meals
Full social programme

3.
English and Walking

April 19-25 and October 4-10

Price: £440 a week. This includes:
Registration
Shared accommodation (there is a supplement of £85 for a single room) Teaching/learning programme 15 hours a week
All meals
Full social programme

4.
One to one

Available any time between June 20 and September 20

Price: £740 a week. This includes:
Registration
Shared accommodation (there is a supplement of £85 for a single room) Tuition/learning programme
All meals
Activity programme

5.
Language and Development Training

Available any time between October 5 and June 20 2010

Price: £930 per person (for a group of 6) - £2010 (for a group of 2). This includes:
Registration
Tuition/learning programme minimum 35 hours a week
Single accommodation
All meals
Activity programme

6.
Cambridge exam courses

Available any time between June 20 and September 20.

Price: £440 a week. This includes:
Registration
Shared accommodation (there is a supplement of £85 for a single room)
Tuition/learning programme 35 hours per week
All meals
Activity programme

For more information, visit: http://www.nabcottage.com

New Image Galleries for 2009

2009-01-05T15:46:00.007Z

Happy New Year!

To launch 2009, we have published 3 new web galleries for you:

Tyneham Village in Dorset
CLICK HERE

One of the most unusual sites in the UK, the village of Tyneham which was emptied of occupants on the army's orders in 1943. A village trapped in time.

Swanage
CLICK HERE

Pictures of Swanage to Durlston Head in Dorset.

Castle Coombe, Wiltshire
CLICK HERE

A very pretty village in Wiltshire used in a number of films, including the 1967 version of Doctor Dolittle (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061584/) and the wonderful film Stardust (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/).

For Stardust, Castle Coombe was the village of Wall.

http://www.stardustmovie.com/index2.html

Stardust [2007]

Highlights in Bath in 2009

2008-12-23T17:02:00.002Z

Highlights in Bath in 2009

Bath Tourism Plus is highlighting the many reasons to pay a visit to the beautiful World Heritage City of Bath in 2009 including the inaugural Comedy Festival which will bring cheer to the streets of Bath in April, the first phase of a much awaited new shopping area opening its doors after 2 years of development, new entertainment venue Komedia showing performances of cabaret, comedy and music and relaxing treatments to enjoy including the new ‘watsu for two’ at the Thermae Bath Spa. And added to this is the winning formula that has attracted visitors to Bath for over 2,000 years – history, heritage, great food and attractions, and a cosmopolitan atmosphere.

Bath – City of Festivals

Bath will welcome a new festival to its busy and diverse year-round programme of events in 2009. The Bath Comedy Festival will start on April Fool’s Day and finish on the 12^th April. There will be an exciting line up of performances and entertainment with street theatre, stand-up comedy, film, plays, competitions and caricature spilling out onto Bath's historic streets and taking place across a selection of venues - all celebrating the art of making people laugh! Well-known comedians Paul Merton, Dave Spikey, Count Arthur Strong and Jenny Éclair will feature with more names yet to be announced. The festival joins a long list of events that Bath hosts every year including the Bath Literature Festival (28th February - 8th March), Fringe Festival (22nd May - 7th June), International Music Festival (22nd May - 6th June) and the Jane Austen Festival (18th - 27th September). More details including a full listing of events can be found on www.visitbath.co.uk/whats-on.

Boutique Bath

Bath has been a fashionable place to shop since Georgian times, when fashionistas flocked to the city to purchase the latest styles and trends. Today it still offers visitors that 'something special' with a city centre that is packed with small, independent shops, alongside all the usual high street names. Shopping in Bath has undergone exciting developments at both ends of the city. Milsom Place, formerly known as Shire’s Yard, has been completely refurbished into a chic shopping area housing several cafes and restaurants as well as boutique and independent shops. At the other end of town, Bath’s high street shops will be boosted next year with the opening of the first phase of the much awaited new shopping area in Southgate. In 2007 a major development started in the city with the demolition of ill-fitting 1970’s buildings in place of a brand new bus station and shops in Georgian-style architecture which will blend perfectly into the cityscape.

Twilight Bath

Bath comes alive at night with a fusion of music, food, theatre, film, comedy, dancing and relaxation taking place across historic and modern venues. A recent addition to Bath’s nightlife is brand new entertainment venue Komedia. Opened in November in the former Beau Nash Cinema which has been completely renovated, Komedia offers an exciting and diverse programme of national and international touring acts including stand-up comedians, cabaret and bands. Following in European style, at many performances customers can also enjoy a meal while watching a show. Or, for a pre-show dinner choose from one of the many restaurants that line the streets of Bath serving food to suit all tastes. The newest addition to Bath’s food scene is Jamie’s Italian - Jamie Oliver’s flagship Italian restaurant which opened in Milsom Place in October. Nightlife in Bath is diverse with a huge choice of things to do; from cinema to theatre, pubs to clubs and walking tours to spa culture. See www.visitbath.co.uk/site/things-to-do for further information.

Bath Spa

Feel good in the New Year and take advantage of Thermae Bath Spa’s new treatments. The Spa’s signature treatment, ‘watsu’ (a Shiatsu massage in the natural thermal waters), was previously only performed one person at a time, but now couples or friends will be able to enjoy this relaxing treatment together in the historic Hot Bath with the new ‘Watsu for Two’ option. In addition, Thermae will be offering new body wraps, vichy showers, manicures and flotation treatments and a new product range called Ligne Tropicale - beautifully zesty and fruity fragrances designed to leave your skin looking healthy and rejuvinated.

Head out of Bath to the luxurious Lucknam Park Hotel and experience a spectacular spa complex complete with a 20 metre indoor swimming pool, an indoor-outdoor hydrotherapy pool and an outdoor saltwater plunge pool. Newly opened in November this impressive spa also has 9 treatment rooms, extensive thermal cabins as well as an open kitchen with a wood-fired oven serving healthy and nourishing dishes.

Although an historic city, Bath is not trapped in time - there is so much to see and do with lively evening entertainment, festivals to enjoy and a range of interesting shops to explore, so make Bath a date in your diary for 2009! The official tourism website www.visitbath.co.uk is the perfect guide to plan a visit to the city.

The Little Match-Seller - Andersen

2008-12-16T14:25:00.002Z

The Little Match-Seller
by Hans Christian Andersen

It was terribly cold and nearly dark on the last evening of the old year, and the snow was falling fast. In the cold and the darkness, a poor little girl, with bare head and naked feet, roamed through the streets. It is true she had on a pair of slippers when she left home, but they were not of much use. They were very large, so large, indeed, that they had belonged to her mother, and the poor little creature had lost them in running across the street to avoid two carriages that were rolling along at a terrible rate. One of the slippers she could not find, and a boy seized upon the other and ran away with it, saying that he could use it as a cradle, when he had children of his own. So, the little girl went on with her little naked feet, which were quite red and blue with the cold. In an old apron, she carried a number of matches, and had a bundle of them in her hands. No one had bought anything of her the whole day, nor had anyone given her even a penny. Shivering with cold and hunger, she crept along; poor little child, she looked the picture of misery. The snowflakes fell on her long, fair hair, which hung in curls on her shoulders, but she regarded them not.

Lights were shining from every window, and .... to read the rest of the story, click here.

Oxford International Study Centre….winter offer!

2008-12-12T11:24:00.005Z

Oxford International Study Centre….winter offer!

15% discount on all our courses between January 12th and April 5th… please see our website for the full range of programmes www.oxintstudycentre.com.

Enjoy an exciting educational experience in the beautiful university city of Oxford!

Oxford International Study Centre

tel 44 1865 201009

fax 44 1865 201006

www.oxintstudycentre.com

GIFT CERTS

Budget Bath

2008-12-12T09:33:00.003Z

Enjoy a 2 night break in Bath for under £100

For cost-conscious holiday-makers looking to plan a break in 2009 Bath is the perfect place to visit with good accommodation deals available, plenty of free things to do and promotions and offers on entry to attractions. Voted the 4th best European City in a 2008 TripAdvisor survey, Bath is a popular choice and it’s easy to see why; sweeping crescents, elegant Georgian architecture, Roman history and modern spa culture - the ideal place to explore and unwind, even on a limited budget.

Accommodation

Stay at the 3 star Royal Hotel in the heart of Bath and enjoy 2 nights bed and breakfast plus a delicious dinner both nights from just £49 per person per night (Sunday-Thursday). Further details about this offer and others are available at: http://www.visitbath.co.uk/site/short-breaks-and-offers.

Free things to do

Bath is brimming with things to do including options that don’t even have to cost a penny:

Mayor’s Honorary Guides – Free 2 hour walking tours of the city of Bath with knowledgeable and experienced guides, starting from the entrance to the Pump Room.
Victoria Art Gallery – This popular gallery situated on Bridge Street has free entry and is home to the works of Gainsborough, Sickert and Zoffany as well as frequent and changing exhibitions.
Explore Bath’s architecture – One of the main attractions of Bath is its unique and beautiful Georgian architecture. With over 5,000 listed buildings Bath truly is an architectural gem and no visit is complete without seeing the Royal Crescent, Circus and Pulteney Bridge and due to its compact nature, it’s easy to get around Bath on foot.
Jane Austen – Bath’s most famous resident lived here and based two of her novels in the city. Download a free audio walking tour from the www.visitbath.co.uk website and learn more about Jane Austen, her life in Bath and her novels.
Parks and Gardens – Bath has several picturesque parks and gardens including Royal Victoria Park which spans over 57 acres and boasts the iconic Royal Crescent as its backdrop – an ideal place to enjoy a picnic.

Money Saving Tips

For visitors wanting to explore Bath’s attractions, there are a number of packages and promotions available to save money:

If you travel by train take advantage of First Great Western’s offer of 2 for 1 entry into some of Bath’s major attractions including the Roman Baths and the Jane Austen Centre. www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk has more details.
Purchase a joint ticket for the Roman Baths and Fashion Museum for just £14, making a saving of £4.
For £37.50 the Twilight Package at Thermae Bath Spa offers the chance to bathe in the natural thermal waters for 3 hours - for the price of 2 - and also enjoy a meal in the café and hire of a robe, towel and slippers.
Buy a visitor card from the Tourist Information Centre for £3 and receive all sorts of discounts and offers for restaurants, cafes, shops and attractions.
Buy discounted tickets for a performance at the 200 year old, Georgian Theatre Royal - 40 standby tickets are available for purchase on the day of the performance for £5 and once sold, standing places can be purchased for just £3.

For further details on how to enjoy a break in Bath on a budget see the official website http://www.visitbath.co.uk/site/bath-on-a-budget for more ideas and inspiration.

Three tasty reasons to come to Bath

2008-12-12T09:25:00.002Z

Three tasty reasons to come to Bath

With its excellent reputation for food and a huge choice of places to eat out Bath is a ‘foodie’ heaven! And now there are three more reasons to explore the city’s culinary delights: Jamie Oliver recently added his name to Bath’s food map; the best of Bath’s pubs will feature in the Michelin guide 2009; and cookery school, The Bertinet Kitchen, was recently awarded ‘Tourism Experience of the Year’ in the South West Tourism Excellence Awards.

Jamie Oliver

With its history of hospitality, Bath acts as a magnet for chefs wanting to make their mark here and Jamie Oliver, who recently opened up shop in Bath, decided it would make the ideal base for his flagship restaurant, Jamie’s Italian. Serving affordable and authentic Italian food the restaurant can be found in the chic shopping area of Milsom Place - a recently developed area of shops, restaurants and cafes between Milsom Street and Broad Street - which has been a huge hit since its opening in October this year. When opening his restaurant Jamie Oliver was asked why he decided to choose Bath. He said, ''I love Bath because it's a beautiful place, full of history, great people, wonderful produce and it's one of those places in the world which makes you feel special just being there.''

Pubs in Michelin Guide 2009

Visitors are spoilt for choice with the number of pubs that Bath and the surrounding area has to offer. A good selection awaits those who want to enjoy traditional or Modern British cuisine and two of Bath’s popular inns have been recognised by the Michelin Guide for their good quality food, fine wines and real ales. The Wheelwrights Arms, situated in nearby village Monkton Combe, and the Marlborough Tavern, just around the corner from the Royal Crescent, have both been selected and will appear in the ‘Eating out in pubs 2009’ guide.

Bertinet Kitchen

Bath is home to The Bertinet Kitchen, a superb cookery school where enthusiasts can learn from experienced chefs. Set up in 2005 by French baker, Richard Bertinet, the purpose-built school runs a range of relaxed and fun demonstrations and hands-on classes for food lovers of all abilities. The Bertinet Kitchen recently won the ‘Tourism Experience of the Year’ gold award in the prestigious South West Tourism Excellence Awards 2008/09. The Excellence Awards celebrate ‘The Best in the South West’ and aim to promote and reward the very best in the tourism industry. Richard Bertinet says, “We have the most fantastic team working here at the school so I am just so proud of what we have achieved. This is a very prestigious award and by continuing to work together with local businesses it will really put The Bertinet Kitchen and our beautiful city of Bath on the map”.

The eating and drinking section of the official tourism website www.visitbath.co.uk/eating-and-drinking gives further details on the above restaurants, pubs and the Bertinet Kitchen, as well as other places to enjoy delicious food in and around Bath.

A Christmas Carol - Dickens

2008-12-11T10:39:00.003Z

Written by Charles Dickens in 1843, A Christmas Carol is the greatest English Christmas story. It tells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old and doomed miser who is saved from damnation by the intervention of his long dead partner's spirit and by three ghosts which represent Scrooge's past, present and future. Seeing the folly of his ways, Scrooge is changed man - embracing Christmas with an open and willing heart.

Dickens' Preface:

"I have endeavoured in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.
Their faithful Friend and Servant, C.D.

December, 1843"

To read the full text of A Christmas Carol electronically you have several format choices:

Word - File size 187 kb
Please note that you can also right click the link with your mouse and choose "Save Target As" to save to your own PC

PDF - File size 155 kb
Please note that you can also right click the link with your mouse and choose "Save Target As" to save to your own PC

HTML - File size 176 kb
Please note that you can also right click the link with your mouse and choose "Save Target As" to save to your own PC

To buy the printed book, click here.

If you have iTunes, you can get a FREE audio version of the book. Just log into iTunes and search for A Christmas Carol in PODCASTS - you'll find a couple of free podcast versions to download.

For more Christmas fun, click here.

The Christmas Mystery

2008-12-09T12:09:00.006Z

The Christmas Mystery - by Jostein Gaarder

Written by one-time Norwegian professor of philosophy Jostein Gaarder, The Christmas Mystery (published in 1992) serves up a metaphysical advent calendar which has us running, quite literally, back through time and space, in part to solve the mysterious disappearance of a girl from a department store in Oslo some half a century ago, but also to whisk us back to the very moment when Christianity took its first breath with the birth of Jesus.

The book is enchanting and delightful for young and old alike, and whilst it is intrinsically a deliberation on God and Christian doctrines, it at no point tries to preach to or convert its readers. It can be read on one level as being akin to a fairy tale as innocuous as Snow White, or read on another level which asks you to question your philosophical relationship to the festive season.

Our young hero, Joachim, leads us through each day/chapter of the metaphysical advent calendar as we join in his search to solve the mystery of the girl who ran after a sheep in the middle of a department store and who simply disappeared. To save her and to solve the mystery, he must unravel all the clues by Christmas Eve and the time when the last advent door is finally opened.

If you’ve ever read and enjoyed Paul Coelho’s 'The Alchemist', then Gaarder’s Christmas Mystery should be on your list to start reading on the first of December.

To buy the book, please click here.

Elf - Film / DVD Review

2008-12-03T12:42:00.003Z

Directed by Jon Favreau in 2003 and starring Will Ferrell as the eponymous hero, James Caan, Bob Newhart, Edward Asner, Mary Steenburgen and Zooey Daschanel, Elf is a festive joy for Christmas lovers of all ages.

30 years ago, a baby crawls into Santa’s sack whilst Santa is delivering gifts to an orphanage in New York on Christmas Eve. Without realising that the baby is ensconced with all the other toys, Santa travels back to his workshop in the North Pole, where all the elves are already busily making presents for the next Christmas. Out crawls the baby, and Santa, being a softie for kids, just can’t bring himself to send the baby back to the orphanage and so the baby is adopted by Papa Elf and brought up to be just like all the other elves.

Leap 30 years into the future and the adopted elf, Buddy – named after the label on his diapers - is now way taller than all the other elves and yet he hasn’t yet figured out that he is in fact a human.

There are plenty of visual gags about a relative giant fitting into an elfin home and during one of these skits Buddy overhears the awful truth: he is not a real elf.

So, Buddy learns that his real mother is dead and that his father – James Caan – lives in New York City but that he doesn’t even know that Buddy was ever born. Buddy sets off to NYC and to the Empire State Building, where his dad has an office, in the hope of being reconciled with his family. Caan is a grouch in the same vein as Scrooge: he’s a hardnosed boss, a slack husband, an absentee parent to his current family, and an all round misery who has no Christmas spirit whatsoever.

Like Crocodile Dundee coming from the Outback of Oz and being wonderfully simplistic and trusting in a big city environment, Buddy enters the Big Apple with a naivety that is childish, silly and – at moments – wonderfully funny.

Dad of course doesn’t believe that Buddy is his son until a blood test proves that he really has fathered this lunatic dressed in green. Dad’s heart melts a little and through the rest of the film we get to see Buddy trying his Dad’s patience to the point where Caan completely disowns him.

And then, on Christmas Eve, when there is nothing right with the world and Buddy is loveless, worthless and lost, who should crash out of the sky …. Santa, his sleigh no longer able to fly as there just isn’t enough Christmas spirit in the world to give it power.

Here at last is something Buddy can do: he can help to fix the sleigh using a thruster engine designed by Papa Elf to propel the sleigh in the absence of Christmas spirit. Meanwhile, Santa is being hunted down by the park rangers and a frantic scramble ensues as Buddy tries to save Santa and Christmas.

Outside the park where Santa has crashed, but held back by the police, TV crews and crowds of people have gathered to see what on earth is happing in NYC. Word goes round that Santa is in trouble and that the thing missing in the world is some good old Christmas spirit. A lonely voice starts to sing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” and the Christmas Sprit gauge on Santa’s sleigh starts to rise. The sleigh starts to move but it just can’t fly.

The park rangers are thundering like the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse after Santa and everything seems doomed. At the edge of the park the crowd are singing, even people around the state have joined in as they’re glued to their TV screens. But there is one lone obstinate voice that is noticeable by its silence. Mean and moody James Caan just won’t sing.

The sleigh’s thruster engine falls off and Santa is now just metres from being in the clutches of the rangers. And then Caan breaks into tune, the Christmas Spirit gauge roars and Santa gets the power boot he needs to be able to fly. Christmas is saved!

This really is an easy to watch fun film, which has plenty of jokes to keep adults and kids happy.

It should become a seasonal classic.

To buy the film on DVD, click here.

To visit the film-site, click here.

Bath Christmas Market

2008-12-03T12:36:00.003Z

For a photo gallery of the Bath Christmas Market, click here.

What is Advent?

2008-12-02T10:30:00.003Z

Advent is the period of celebration marking the birth of Jesus Christ. It starts each year on the Sunday closest to 30th November and lasts until Christmas Eve. Many children have Advent Calendars and these usually run from 1st to 25th December. Traditionally, Advent Calendars are like posters with little doors cut into them. Each day, you open a numbered door and behind it you find a new picture. Originally, Advent Calendars depicted religious icons, but over the years the pictures have become more commercial and many companies now produce tacky Advent Calendars which offer a small gift (a chocolate, for example) behind each door.

The word Advent comes from Latin ‘adventus’ meaning ‘coming’ and was originally a period of penitence when followers were expected to fast. This tradition has long since died out.

Advent wreaths - their circular shape reminding us of the perfection and eternity of God - are popular, especially in churches, and usually are made from evergreen firs (Pagan influence again) and contain four candles. One candle is supposed to be lit each Sunday during Advent. The four candles represent hope, peace, joy and love.

Apple & The Simpsons

2008-12-01T20:30:00.001Z

Mapple - The Simpsons
by aarplane

NEW Harry Potter trailer

2008-11-28T22:10:00.001Z

Most Played Christmas Hits

2008-11-28T17:03:00.003Z

Wham's Last Christmas is most played festive track of the last five years, according to the company that collects royalties for composers and musicians.

The Performing Right Society puts the 1984 hit at the top of their chart of seasonal songs, just ahead of Band Aid's Do They Know It's Christmas.

The Pogues come third with Fairytale of New York, recorded with the late Kirsty MacColl and first released in 1987.

MOST PLAYED CHRISTMAS HITS

1. Last Christmas - Wham!

2. Do They Know It's Christmas? (original 1984 recording) - Band Aid

3. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

4. All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey

5. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - Bruce Springsteen

6. Stop The Cavalry - Jona Lewie

7. I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday - Wizzard

8. Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade

9. Lonely This Christmas - Mud

10. White Christmas - Bing Crosby

Source: PRS

Bleak Midwinter named best carol

2008-11-27T13:07:00.006Z

In The Bleak Midwinter has been named the best Christmas carol in a poll of some of the world's leading choirmasters and choral experts.

The song came out top in the BBC Music magazine poll above well-known carols Silent Night, Ding Dong Merrily on High and Once in Royal David's City.

TOP 10 CHRISTMAS CAROLS

1. In the Bleak Midwinter

2. In Dulci Jubilo

3. A Spotless Rose

4. Bethlehem Down

5. Lully, Lulla

6. Tomorrow Shall be My Dancing Day

7. There is No Rose

8. O Come All Ye Faithful

9. Of the Father's Heart Begotten

10. What Sweeter Music

Source: BBC Music Magazine

What are The Twelve Days of Christmas

2008-11-26T14:31:00.005Z

The Twelve Days of Christmas are the 12 days that separate Christmas Day, on 25th December, and Epiphany which is celebrated on 6th January. Many people think the 12 Days are the days leading up to Christmas, but they’re not!

Epiphany, depending on the church, marks the day when Jesus was baptised or alternatively the day on which the Three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem to bestow gifts upon the infant child.

There is an urban myth that the 12 Days of Christmas song was written symbolically as follows:

A partridge in a pear tree
The one true God revealed in the form of Jesus Christ

Two Turtle Doves
The Old and New Testaments

Three French Hens
Faith, Hope and Charity

Four Calling Birds
The Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

Five Golden Rings
The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch" which contain the law condemning man for his sins

Six Geese A-laying
The six days of creation

Seven Swans A-swimming
The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments of the Catholic faith

Eight Maids A-milking
The eight beatitudes

Nine Ladies Dancing
The nine Fruits of the Spirit

Ten Lords A-leaping
The Ten Commandments

Eleven Pipers Piping
The eleven faithful apostles

Twelve Drummers Drumming
The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

Full text of the song

On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree

On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

To buy a Christmas CD, click here.

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Top Buys and Christmas Bargains - What Are People Buying?

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White Christmas

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Children's Christmas Songbook

Christmas Art Ideas

Dickens' Christmas: A Victorian Celebration

The Night Before Christmas

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You Are Special

My First Christmas Album: +DVD

Mary Berry's Christmas Collection

The Polar Express

Knit Christmas Stockings! (Knit)

John Betjeman, A First Class Collection

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The First Christmas Card Cole and Horsley, 1843

2008-11-25T16:48:00.004Z

This is the very first commercially produced Christmas card drawn in 1843 by John Calcott Horsley of Torquay, England at the request of Sir Henry Cole.

The card depicts a family toasting Christmas flanked on one side by poor people being fed, and on the other side by poor people being clothed: the moral being that at a time of celebration and rejoicing, the affluent should remember their follow men and help to provide them with common wants and needs.

The card bore the inscription: “A Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year To You” – words which have become commonplace on cards today.

THE CARD'S MORAL:

The moral of the card (about helping the poor and needy) is reflected in this extract from Dickens' novel 'A Christmas Carol, written in the same year that Calcott's card was drawn. Calcott had apparently read the novel and was inspired by it. Here, speaking to the second of the spirits, the ghost of Christmas present, Scrooge spies that the spirit is harbouring two 'creatures' beneath its coat:

'Forgive me if I am not justified in what I ask,' said Scrooge, looking intently at the Spirit's robe, 'but I see something strange, and not belonging to yourself, protruding from your skirts. Is it a foot or a claw?'

'It might be a claw, for the flesh there is upon it,' was the Spirit's sorrowful reply. 'Look here.'

From the foldings of its robe, it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable. They knelt down at its feet, and clung upon the outside of its garment.

'Oh, Man! look here! Look, look, down here!' exclaimed the Ghost.

They were a boy and a girl. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, and touched them with its freshest tints, a stale and shrivelled hand, like that of age, had pinched, and twisted them, and pulled them into shreds. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. No change, no degradation, no perversion of humanity, in any grade, through all the mysteries of wonderful creation, has monsters half so horrible and dread.

Scrooge started back, appalled. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude.

'Spirit, are they yours?' Scrooge could say no more.

'They are Man's,' said the Spirit, looking down upon them. 'And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased. Deny it!' cried the Spirit, stretching out its hand towards the city. 'Slander those who tell it ye! Admit it for your factious purposes, and make it worse! And abide the end!'

This same sentiment is repeated by Scrooge's nephew in his declamation of Christmas:

'There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,' returned the nephew. 'Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round ... as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!'

The Polar Express - Film Review

2008-11-24T15:06:00.010Z

Other inventors, like Humphrey Davy and Joseph Wilson Swan, may have done a lot of ground breaking work in their efforts to create an electric light bulb, but it really is because of Thomas Alva Edison’s work in 1879 that we live today in an artificially incandescent world. Can you imagine being there in Edison’s workshop on 21 October 1879 when he first lit a bulb and kept it glowing continuously for a full 40 hours? One vast step on the historical path of technology and yet at the time it was witnessed by only a handful of people.

In 10, 20 or 30 years’ time, people will look back on Robert Zemeckis’ film The Polar Express and mark it as the moment at which a revolution in animation took place. Using a technique called ‘performance capture’ (where real actors’ movements are tracked digitally and then transformed into the virtual characters that we see on film), Zemeckis has given us the world’s first feature-length p-cap film and taken us into a universe which redefines the way in which animation is seen and accessed as a genre.

Edison’s first bulb glowed for 40 hours. It wasn’t the best, the brightest, the biggest, or the most brilliant bulb that would ever glow, but it was one superlative that no other bulb would be able to match: the first. And that’s what we have with Zemeckis’ film: an historic first. Sure, as the years roll by and technology improves, people will look back and see The Polar Express as somewhat technologically quaint and coarse, but right now the only fair way to describe it is as a sublime innovation which will open up limitless possibilities in the years ahead. I hate animated films and always have done even as a kid, so I write this with the heart of a sceptic, but in looking at The Polar Express you really can see a new dawn in cinema beyond the world of crude animation. Even if you don’t like Chris Van Allsburg's original book; even if you’re a Scrooge at heart and loathe Christmas; even if you hate animations; even if you detest Tom Hanks (could anyone detest Tom Hanks?) or Robert Zemeckis, do yourself a favour and drag yourself along to the cinema and soak up the possibilities of p-cap filming because in doing so you won’t just be gazing on the North Pole, you’ll be gazing on the dawn of a new cinematic creation. You’ll be able to tell your grandchildren that “I was there.”

In the shell of a nut, the story is simple enough: a young boy on the cusp between childhood and early adolescence has simply lost his belief in Christmas and Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve, this young heretic suddenly has a huge train haul up outside his house and he’s invited to take a ride up to the North Pole to visit Father Christmas. The journey offers various thrills and spills, the boy gets to the North Pole, visits the Big Man and has his belief restored. The story itself is festive enough, but it is probably the p-cap that is most riveting. Coming out of the cinema, people are talking about the effects more than the story itself.

And yet, the story does come with some good homespun messages about hope and belief; about friendship and leadership; about having courage to do things; about making a difference in the world we live in.

Sure, some of the animation is less than perfect. The movements can look a little jolty (especially when the kids run); the kids walk in falling snow and yet don’t appear to get any on their clothes or hair, etc, but these things hardly matter. The weakest part of the animation is in the characters’ hands and faces. The skin tends to look rubbery and the subtle movements made by a human face when its innumerable muscles flex or contract are clearly beyond the grunt of today’s computer graphics, giving us characters which have a slightly robotic or Stepford Wives quality about them. But that observation aside, the work is incredible and delightful.

Some of the scenes with the train hurtling up and down treacherous inclines are rather like sitting in a simulator at a theme park – but there’s nothing wrong with that. The best moments are probably the long unbroken shot that follows a lost train ticket on its journey out of and then back to the train; and a wonderful skit in which the children on the train are served with hot chocolate by a host of dancing waiters.

Strangely (and thankfully), the film is not very fast paced. Most kids’ films start off like a fired bullet and then speed up. Zemeckis has the confidence to start the film off slowly and to then let it move purposefully along with only occasional bursts of speed. This is a major plus and turns the film from being a kiddie mush-rush (like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) into a fairly self-assured and thoughtful journey. It is easy to throw brickbats at Zemeckis and say that the film is too slow and too long, but to do so is a complete misunderstanding of what the film is about. In time, perhaps on a second viewing, the detractors will suddenly get it and view the film for what it is and not for what they expect it to be.

The film stars Tom Hanks, Eddie Deezen, Nona M Gaye, and Peter Scolari, although it is really Hanks in his quintuple guises who is the real star of the show. But as a series of animated characters, can you really gauge his performance? The answer to that one has to be a resounding ‘yes’. Maybe we can’t see Tom in flesh and blood, but he does warm up the screen with his voice and bring a depth to the characters he plays that might well have been missing with lesser actors. Hanks is lucky: like many great thesps, he has a distinctive voice – think Cary Grant, John Wayne, James Stewart, Russell Crowe – which gives him a screen presence beyond mere bones and bile. The truly great actors live beyond their physical performance and have voices that are instantly recognisable. In Hanks, Zemeckis has a performer with star quality vocal cords, and it is only fair to say that Hanks does bring a great deal to the film through his vocal range, with his ‘hobo ghost’ character being the most interesting of all the animations on screen.

There are some nice bits that will have the adults smiling: when we see the elves all decked in red, Zemeckis plucks out ‘The Red Flag’ (Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree/Oh Tannenbaum), and towards the end of the film there is a jumping jack elfin rocker performing on stage with an uncanny resemblance to Mick Jagger.

All in all it is a truly great film and one which will be a huge festive favourite for many years to come. The Polar Express may not have pulled up at platform number one in the box office charts, but it certainly deserves to. If you only see one festive film, then see this one. Forget nit-picking and open your eyes and heart to a wonderful film and a wonderful new entertainment genre.

Our Rating: 8 out of 10 (from the adult reviewer)
Our Rating: 9 out of 10 (from the 12 year old reviewer)

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