Thursday 28 December 2017

Games Night - Logo - What Am I?


Last week we played LOGO What Am I? on our Sunday night games night. 




LOGO What Am I? has the same core elements as the original LOGO board game but in place of the trivia, it challenges you in a number of different ways: Describe it! Guess it! Draw it!

The cards have a variety of random items listed like brands of food, high street shops and everyday household items and depending on which space on the board you land on you have to either describe the item by drawing it, describing it or only answering yes or no to the questions you are asked.





We enjoyed playing the game and even managed to guess some of Luke's drawings! 

Hair Straighteners


Harry Potter


Christmas Wreath


The Christmas wreath that I normally hang on my front door was looking very shabby so I decided that I needed a new one this year. I looked at the local garden centres and they were quite expensive so I decided I would have a go at making one. I bought a willow heart from a local discount shop and then armed with a pair of secateurs went down the field in search of holly and greenery.




There was plenty of holly but the birds had eaten most of the berries, I did find an odd branch with one berry on so I ended up picking the last of the rose hips to add a little bit of colour to the wreath.



I threaded the stems into the willow frame and I think it looked very effective and Christmassy. It cost a fraction of the price of the ones in the shops and I had the satisfaction of knowing I made it myself. Our front door is quite sheltered so it still looks nice after a couple of weeks and I can reuse the willow heart next year.




Friday 15 December 2017

Review - Level Preston



A What's Good to Do Review

On Tuesday evening we went to Preston’s latest entertainment venue - Level, a part of the Guild Hall Complex. The traffic was horrendous and we didn't think we would make it on time but as we know Preston we manged to do a few detours round the back streets and finding a convenient parking space close to the Guild Hall meant we made it on time! 

As its name suggests the venue is split over three levels offering a range of different activities. On Level 1 you can play Laser Tag, Crazy Golf, Arcade Games or sing in one of the Karaoke Booths. Level 3 hosts an assault course and Level 2 is the new 10 pin bowling alley which we had been invited to review. Level is the latest addition to the Preston Guild Hall complex which is the brainchild of local businessman Simon Rimmer. He has totally revamped the Guild Hall and returned it to its former glory. A good mix of restaurants and bars makes it a great place to spend an evening. For those who knew Preston many years ago, Level is where the old Morrisons used to be in the Guild Hall arcade. 



The venue hosts 8 lanes, 6 available to anybody with another two in the VIP private function area called “Spare Room.” This area is available to hire separately and has plenty of comfy looking sofas which would be perfect for larger groups of friends or parties.  The VIP area has waiter service and you even have your own choice of music to personalise your event! Unlike many other bowling alleys Level avoids the loud music and even louder colour schemes and goes for a much more sumptuous “Grown Up” decor. Whilst children are welcome I can see this becoming a popular part of Preston’s nightlife.



I was really impressed when we walked inside; there was plenty of seating as you entered with a nice looking bar area. As this is a new venue everything was lovely and shiny and the bowling lanes looked stunning. It was a really nice change to bowl in such lovely surroundings and be able to buy decent food rather than the normal burger and fries! The Mundo Street Kitchen offers a range of American, Mexican and Spanish dishes at reasonable prices. The menu has something for everyone with burgers, hot dogs and steaks and a good range of nibbles and side dishes.



The touch screen control panels were easy to use and you could choose to add the buffers at any point in the game. We started without them but after the first go when both his balls rolled down the gutter Luke decided that he might have more of a chance if he used them! We all enjoyed playing 10 pin bowls and found it was a much more pleasant environment with only having 8 lanes. Whilst we were there, 4 lanes were in use and there seemed to be the right amount of bowling balls to suit everyone, we only used the lighter balls but there were also plenty of the heavier ones still on the racks behind us.
In addition to the bowling lanes the second level also has the Brooklyn Sports Bar, and Pointers & Co, a games room that offers darts, pool and shuffleboard.




Off peak bowling which is Monday to Thursday 10-5pm costs £6 for adults and £4 for children and peak time (everyday 5pm-close and all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday) is £8 for adults and £6 for children.
We had a great night out and I’m sure it won’t be long before we return.





We received one game of bowling for the purpose of the review but all words and images are our own.

Sunday 10 December 2017

Sunday Night Game - Banagrams


This week we decided to play Banagrams, usually we play as two teams but as William was out we all played separately.  


The game starts with one player shouting "SPLIT" and everyone turns over their tiles and tries to make words in a crossword style, very similar to Scrabble but without a board. Everyone plays at the same time so there is no waiting for your turn. Whenever a player has used up all their tiles they shout "PEEL" and everyone collects another tile. You can re arrange your tiles as much as you like to use all the letters. If you have a handful of tricky letters like "Q" "X" or "Z" you can choose to swap them by saying "DUMP" and putting them back in the bunch - you have to take three tiles for each one you dump. I find this can be quite helpful at the start of the game.


When the bunch has fewer tiles than there are players when you put the last letter in your grid you say "BANANAS" instead of "PEEL." Your grid is checked by the other players and if any grids have misspelled words or unacceptable words then the others shout out "ROTTEN BANANA" and you are out of the game. The tiles are returned to the bunch and play continues until "BANANAS" is called again. The winner is the person who uses all their tiles first and has a grid full of acceptable words. 


Mark is notoriously bad at word games and rarely wins however he was on a lucky streak tonight and won the first game and third (after a slight dictionary adjustment!!)

Tuesday 5 December 2017

Prestige Flowers Review

I was recently asked by Prestige Flowers if I would like to review one of their Christmas bouquets. Of course I love flowers, (who doesn't?),  so I was thrilled when the beautiful Noel bouquet arrived. 

Prestige Flowers are an online florist who deliver flowers to every corner of the UK. They have a huge range of bouquets to choose from, and with Christmas bouquets starting from £19.99 there should be one to suit most budgets. They know how important it is that the recipient is delighted with their flower arrangement so all orders come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.



The flowers were very well packaged in a sturdy cardboard box and came via royal Mail, I wasn't in when they were delivered so the postman left them next door. The flowers were well packed and there was a wet cloth around the flowers to keep them fresh whilst in transit. The flowers looked fresh and you wouldn't have guessed that they had come through the post.






The Noel bouquet costs £24.99 and comes with a free box of chocolates. You can also add extras to your order, a vase costs £5.99, Christmas candle £8.99 or even a cuddly bear for £5.99 making it the perfect Christmas gift for a friend or family member. The bouquet looks gorgeous with snow white roses, white chrysanthemums and blue eryngium together with silver pine cones and palm leaves. The addition of a couple of glittery purple stars and glistening purple berries gives it a real festive feel. 






There are 4 roses in the bouquet, they were all open when they arrived 6 days ago and I am quite impressed that three of them are still looking good after almost a week. One started drooping yesterday but all the other flowers in the bouquet still look great and I have received many compliments about my flowers.


The chocolates tasted amazing and were coated in thick chocolate. I wasn't expecting much as they were free with the bouquet but they were surprisingly good. There was a nice selection of flavours and they didn't last long in our house!


I would certainly use Prestige Flowers flowers again as I was very impressed with the delivery and the beautiful flowers, the flowers are in the lounge and I have enjoyed looking at them every day.   



I received these flowers in return for a review. All words and images are my own

Sunday 3 December 2017

Sunday Night Games Night - Upwords



This week for our family game night we played Upwords, the game is a bit like Scrabble but you can build words upwards, scoring more points. Luke proved to be quite adept at this game and put us all to shame! William was a well deserved second.







Friday 1 December 2017

Orchid


Mum bought me this beautiful orchid about three weeks ago, it is absolutely full of flowers and looks amazing.