But did you know Lush has a small collection of Spas around the UK?   They seem to be quite a well kept secret but they’re well worth discovering as they are a completely different experience, offering a range of treatments which are both visionary and architected to create an escape from the stresses and strains of every day to leave you invigorated and refreshed.

The Spa is a world away from many other places I’ve been to and is more of the kind offered by boutique hotels than high street beauty bars.  Great care and attention is paid to the decor and antique furniture and the walls are adorned with retro framed prints of birds.  Everywhere you look there are life affirming Lush products including oils, massage bars and even different types of tea.

I tried The Good Hour massage which is designed to iron out muscular tension using a massage bar of your choice – I chose the Hottie bar with ginger and black pepper (and you get to take it home too which is an added treat).  They all have a base of Shea butter which is great for creating a lasting moisturisation for the skin; perfect for keeping Winter skin supple and protected as well.

The massage has it’s own sea-themed soundtrack which mixes voices and ambient sounds which makes a refreshing change from the usual panpipe muzak which usually gets put on at other spas.   My masseur, Anna, sat and talked me through the treatment for about 10 minutes which meant I could ask her to target my knotty shoulders and stiff lower calf muscles.  She talked about the vision for the spa and how the treatments were all aimed at the body and mind and then started the great unknotting process.  A day later, I can still feel the benefit of the treatment and would definitely go back again.

To begin with, the room is darkened and candles flicker around the room to create an atmosphere of relaxation, this is accented with a bowl of aromatic sea scents and a gentle light that gradually changes colour.  The masseur uses the a jelly disc which is chilled to help circulation and also complement the massage bar.  You can expect some intense pressure to release tension and also a great sense of wellbeing at the end of the hour.

And to finish off, tea with a drop of Rum and biscuits, well what’s not to like?

The Lush Spa can be found at;

123 KINGS ROAD,
LONDON
SW3 4PL
T:020 7349 9648

There’s lots more information about the Spa locations and ranges of treatments and vouchers at this link here.

First was the Cannt (the antihero of Cannes), the second was the NMA Awards at The Grovesnor (where my fabulous colleague Laura JB won The Greatest Contribution to New Media Award) and the third, my home from home; Cybermummy.

Cybermummy was so much fun and incredibly social in the true meaning of the word. It embraces the chaos and joy of life and kids are part of the package. Not an eyebrow was raised, just warm smiles, as I arrived with my daughter in tow (who snaffled every chocolate and cupcake on offer before sloping off with a goodie bag). The event celebrates the Mummy blogging phenomenon and is leading the overwhelmingly positive movement among women bloggers, as referenced here in The Independent. And most of all, it’s a bit of a laugh.

So what’s it really like?

As we arrived at the we were greeted by a very jolly doorman, who wouldn’t have been out of place at The Savoy, at The Brewery on Chiswell Street.

‘Welcome to Cybermummy!’ he announced.

Blimey, I thought, it’s all gone a bit posh this year. The venue was a cool space in the City and very impressively laid out over three floors.

My favourite place was The Recharge Zone – it was very serene with massage therapists, two hair stylists, a make up artist, a medicine ball advice area and a smoothie bar. As planned, I took full advantage of this and my hair done, a massage and a smoothie.

Inside Cybermummy Central was a vast array of branded stands from the likes of Disney, Savlon, The Portland Hospital, Crocs, Boots, Savlon and more. There was a plethora of branded cupcakes and mints on hand to refresh the hordes of bloggers and some lovely wine courtesy of Naked. Many sponsors, such as Butlins, were keen to sign up brand ambassadors to spread the word about their companies, while others such as Hyundai were there to listen and interact with bloggers. Bloggers were given a Cybermummy passport which was filled with the logos of all the sponsors. The passport had to be signed by all the sponsors in order to enter a competition. I made it round to all of them and was encouraged to sign up for other competitions on the stands. I didn’t win anything. I did give away my details. I didn’t mind. The people were really well informed about their products and enjoying being part of the event so it didn’t feel like a big sell. I also knew quite a lot of the sponsor already so it was nice to catch up with them face to face. The event feels like meeting up with an extended and enormous family.

There were quite a few speakers, including keynote Sarah Brown who I was very keen to see. She told the story of how she and Martha Lane Fox worked through the various social media channels available and how she chose twitter. I liked her approach to social media; she spoke with a voice of experience so was a great choice. Sadly I was far too fidgety to sit around for the other speakers and checked out a couple of workshops.

There were four schedules of three workshops running concurrently. I went to Inspiring Content which was great because it was about sharing learnings; Tara Cain, Karamina and Red Ted Art were honest, informative and fun. The WordPress workshop was a bit too 101 but a few people I spoke to were keen to move from blogger so this would have been a great starter for them.

There were a couple of classic clangers; Sophie King upset a few bloggers in her workshop (which I’m glad I missed) by telling them to rebrand, and Boris Johnson’s sister claimed she didn’t know anything about social media (according to some tweets) – well, you can’t please all the people can you?

And the rest?

I have to confess I spent much of my time mooching around and speaking to people I haven’t seen for ages and making new friends. We all spend so much time on our laptops and gadgets that it’s a joy to put them aside for a day. I was armed with all my usual blogging paraphernalia but instead of live blogging, I checked it into the cloakroom.

At the end of the conference, screens drew back to reveal a bar for the networking drinks. It was a great way to end the event. I reckon it should be a full weekend next year – Jen, Sian, Susanna – are you listening?

To conclude; social media is such a personable business and an event like this shows brands how it should be done – I hope a lot of social media practitioners are taking note of this. And to everyone I had the pleasure of catching up with, I hope to see you all again soon.

So what’s next? I shall spend the next few days weeding through the sample packs.

And if you’re coming to the IAB Social Media Conference on Tuesday – come and say hello.

Theatre purists often snort with derision when stars of the small and silver screen grace the stages of the West End. But why should they? I’ve seen great productions such as This Is Our Youth with Matt Damon, Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix and not so great with Phil Jupitus in Hairspray. That’s the nature of theatre though and everyone is allowed their own point of view.

In January I was one of many who spent hours trying to buy tickets online for this new production of Much Ado About Nothing. My patience paid off and I managed to bag two tickets.

The cast is led by BBC faves; Catherine Tate and David Tennant and their larger than life characters; Beatrice and Benedick – the antagonistic lovebirds. Both translate brilliantly from the small screen and fill the stage with a huge presence and the sound of laughter.

The set was rather like something I would expect to see at The National – a minimalist revolving stage with central pillars which both defined the look and feel of Messina but also served to offer two separate scenes, the all-important fore and background, the necessary mechanic for comedic drama.
The floor and air space were well utilised and the sideshow of painters provided a great distraction; in one scene Catherine Tate was elevated repeatedly skywards as she overheard a conversation, her journeys propelled by the hapless painters move up and down while they painted pillars. And then David Tennant, in a true as true can be bout of slapstick, managed to absent mindedly paint himself with whitewash, much to everyone’s amusement.

Two things really stood out for me; the Royal family parodies and the 80s inspired dancing. There were more than a few nods to Adam Ant and Wham and I felt that the production was let down by not using the original songs and the muzak inspired versions (possibly the production team did not want to pay royalties) of these 80s hits let things down by being tangential rather than on the money. That said, the wardrobes were great, especially the men in their floppy pirate shirts and leather jeans and tukka boots. I especially liked Hero’s wedding dress and the Princess Diana mask she donned for one of the parties.

So what to expect? There’s an instant recognition of both Catherine Tate and David Tennant as spectacular TV icons but what they do is transcend the genre we are accustomed to seeing them in and they shine on stage without putting the rest of the company in the shadows. I would definitely see this again. I was surprised that the language of Shakespeare truly stood the test of time and there was a lot of fun to be had throughout the whole production.

Shakespeare competes with many of our favourite pop stars and films now appearing in the West End; Think Queen (We Will Rock You), Grease, Priscilla and so on. But the enduring sprit of Shakespeare is an inspiration in itself, and I’m glad that the big stars of the BBC are bringing audiences in their droves back to the Bard.

So that’s my opinion. And what of Miniminx? She was after all the beneficiary of tickets due to a post SATs celebration – she enjoyed it, but preferred King Lear. Now that’s quite something in itself.

Here’s some video stuff I found about the show.

Cast
David Tennant (Benedick)
Catherine Tate (Beatrice)
Tom Bateman (Claudio)
Alex Beckett (Borachio)
Joshua Berg (Titus)
Jonathan Coy (Leonato)
Anna Farnworth (Innogen)
Mike Grady (Verges)
Clive Hayward (Hugh Oatcake/Friar Francis)
Derek Howard (Angelo)
Kathryn Hunt (Ursula)
Adam James (Don Pedro)
Lee Knight (Conrade)
Elliot Levey (Don John)
Nicholas Lumley (George Seacole)
Sarah MacRae (Hero)
John Ramm (Dogberry)
Enzo Squillino Junior (Balthasar/Sexton)
Leo Staar (Messenger)
Natalie Thomas (Margaret)
Hannah Warren-Green (Maria)

Creative
Author: William Shakespeare
Director: Josie Rourke
Producer: Sonia Friedman Productions

Show info:

Two young lovers Claudio and Hero are to be married imminently but the devious scheming of a resentful Prince looks set to thwart the nuptials.

Meanwhile, marriage seems inconceivable for reluctant lovers Beatrice and Benedick whose endless witty sparring threatens to keep them apart forever.

Directed by Josie Rourke, Artistic Director of the Bush Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s great plays and reminds us all of the failings and triumphs of the human condition in our never ending search for perfect love.

Dates
Previews from 16th May 2011
Opening night 1st June 2011
Booking through until 1st September 2011

Audience: Much Ado About Nothing is suitable for audiences aged 8 and above

Run time: tba

So first stop was Churchill’s Britain at War on Tooley Street, SE1 just near London Bridge and the London Dungeon. I bought tickets online which gives a £3 discount and worked out at about £15 for an adult and child. The venue is easy to find as it’s covered in memorabilia outside; including a large V2 rocket.

We entered the exhibition by descending in a lift; once in the depths of the place we were soon hit by the musty smell of damp and old London. We followed the signs and arrived at a small screening room and watched some fascinating old war footage. We sat on old chairs and there were bunk beds along the side wall occupied with ‘civilians’ taking shelter from the blitz. They were dummies but it was a little unnerving as we were in the dark. The films were extremely moving; the stories were told through voice overs quoting from old letters; one in particular sent from a young man at sea during the war, his ship was sunk with the loss of over a thousand lives. The narrator read his letters home and the telegram to his Mother informing her that he was missing in action. It was very poignant to hear the stories of women who’d had their homes bombed and of course, the many children who were sent away to the country and away from London.

As we walked around viewing war memorabilia; including some great posters like the ones below. It was heavily focused on life at home and the impact of war on the British public.

There were some room sets like this listening post and a pub set up complete with a soldier taking some time out to read a newspaper. They were far from perfect but the place had a great atmosphere.

There were loads of articles from old magazines and I found this one of boys working in munitions factories quite stunning. In 2011, as we spend time looking at developing countries and ponder the fate of families, it’s easy to forget that not so long ago, wartime Britain and Europe was facing the same, if not worse, conditions.

The exhibition space had some great displays from life in wartime Britain which included clothing, ration books, magazines and the obligatory gas masks. We got to sit in a bomb shelter, which was no bigger than a three man tent, and listened to the sirens and blasts. It felt surreal.

The grand finale of the tour is the Blitz Experience which is a walk through of a bomb site and it was really scary because we were the only two people there. It was dark, badly lit and there were lots of sound effects. A blown out house had a broken bath and water gushing from a burst pipe, there were broken bodies too (more dummies!). And then we arrived in the gift shop.

It was an interesting exhibition, definitely great for kids as it’s quite short, possibly a bit too short as I felt we had only seen half of what we should for the price.

We definitely had an appetite for more war stuff – so off we went to the Imperial War Museum. It’s not as conveniently placed as Britain at War but the venue is quite breathtaking. I also wanted us to see the Once Upon a Wartime exhibition which is based on five children’s books about war.

The museum is free and it’s got a great restaurant so we had lunch before going to the Once Upon a Wartime exhibition. We got our tickets for £10 for the both of us and spent some time walking round it. There are rooms dedicated to each of the books; War Horse, Little Soldier, Carrie’s War, The Machine Gunners and The Silver Sword, which are also on the year 6 curriculum at the moment. I was a bit disappointed to find the design of the Warhorse room – based around the book by Michael Morpurgo – aimed at very small children – I’d say about five years old – so it wasn’t easy for either of us to read the display cards.

There was a lot to take in and Carrie’s War had some great displays, including this kitchen cupboard which conceals a skull. Visitors are invited to interact with the exhibition and answer questions about war by using mixed media; from opening cupboards to using touch screens.

We moved around the floors which are choc full of anything from rockets, submarines and tanks to bombs and old buses, and found that the Holocaust Exhibition was not suitable for under 15s so off we went to view the Children at War rooms.

The display cabinets were great and I loved the artwork as well.

These food posters are pretty cool, especially since the potato is not even considered a vegetable in these 5-a-day days.

Secret War was by far our favourite, covering off MI5, MI6, SOEs and more and even better there’s a quiz for kids to take round and complete. There are some great displays of old spy gear which would not be out of place in a Bond movie.

There’s another are called Outbreak based around the start of World War II in England. There were more posters on display, including the now iconic ‘Keep Calm and Carry’ graphic which is all over the place right now due to the enduring credit crunch. It all felt unnervingly current.

With all there was to see at the Imperial War Museum, the big test for us was to compare the Blitz Experience offering with the one at Britain at War. We queued for ages and it was really disappointing. About 20 of us sat in a dark room and listened to a sound track voiced by ‘East Enders’ followed by a walk round of a bomb site. Our guide shone a torch to direct us where to look and we were both trying not to laugh because it seemed so amateur. We did snigger a little when we walked round in the semi dark and spotted another broken bath – the missing half of the one we’d seen earlier perhaps?

For all the grandiosity of the Imperial War Museum, I felt it was too much and a little too masculine in that women were under represented. And Miniminx? She was adamant that Britain at War told the story better, was more to the point and more interesting and engaging for her.

We rocked up at The Royal Court Theatre yesterday to see Get Santa! The show is in the downstairs Jerwood theatre and as you enter the room you are greeted by a domestic tableau of any average house in the UK during the festive season. And that’s where normality ends – and thank heavens for that!

It’s a very brave thing to put on a family Christmas show that isn’t a panto. I love panto but only rate two; Hackney Empire and Notting Hill, both of which appeal to my inner London humour. That’s the problem with us townies, we want a little more sophistication and localised innuendo. I grew up on Richmond theatre and the Young Vic panto and I’m tired of the format. That said, I still love to get into the Christmas season with a visit to the theatre.

The premise of the story is that 10 year old Holly has written her Christmas list but all she wants is to meet her real Father. Her Mother has married a dog, yes, a dog, who takes himself out for late night walks (with a doggie bag) and Holly is not happy. She sets a trap for Father Christmas and that’s where the mayhem, and much amusement begins.

Anthony Neilson is somewhat of an enfant terrible of ‘in-yer-face’ theatre which makes him the perfect creator of a somewhat nihilistic and immensely entertaining show. There’s a great review of the play in The Independent, written by Paul Taylor. Watch out for the character Bumblehole – he’s pretty funny, and doubles up as an inflatable turkey and alarmingly doubles as a giant leprachaun towards the end of the performance – or maybe that’s just me! Intrigued? You should be!

If you fancy catching the show, the details are here:

1 Dec 2010 – 22 Jan 2011
Get Santa!
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London
Written and directed by Anthony Neilson
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs at the Royal Court

Tickets
Box Office 020 7565 5000 or online

Public Performances
Prices Adults £12, £18, £25. Children (under 16) £8, £10, £12.50. School groups of 8+ £8.
Access £12 (plus a companion at the same rate)

10.45am: 24, 29, 31 Dec 2010
1.30pm: 20,21,22 30 Dec 2010
3pm: 4, 11, 18, 23, 29, 31 Dec 2010 and 8, 15 Jan 2011
5pm 21, 22 Dec 2010 and 6, 13 Jan 2011
7pm 14, 17, 18, 23 Dec 2010 and 4, 7, 8, 12, 14, 15 Jan 2011

We had our Summer street party a couple of weekends ago and it was a brilliantly organised day with everyone mucking in to make it happen. As someone who is more at home at the Notting Hill Carnival, I wasn’t sure what to expect; we had a great day and a packed agenda, which you can see scrawled on the white board below.

There was an unashamedly retro feel to the day, much in evidence with Audrey’s tea rooms and bunting all around, and it all felt very British.

I added some Mackerel to the bbq and a twist of Britishness to the marinade with these little flags.

We also brought a Pinata for the kids to bash to pieces and there was a great game of egg throwing which went on for some time, much to my amusement. Some kids couldn’t take the pace so there were a few tears when the eggs dropped but other than that it was hilarious.

The kitchens were all busy preparing a sitdown meal for a hundred or so of us at 7pm and it was amazing. Just look at these gorgeous salads. The tables and chairs were all borrowed from local schools and we paid £10 for the party fund.

The road was cordoned off so the kids could run around freely. The local fire brigade popped by to do a demo which I missed as I’d popped inside to finish off a salad, Miniminx told me about a week later that she’d washed down the street with the firehose. Little Britain? Yeah, I know!

Well, I’m being dramatic, I have not replaced the entire wardrobe, it’s had a necessary update as a few things need replacing. Actually, these few things are being parked permanently; in the dressing up box or the ‘vintage’ pile for my daughter, never to see the light of day until she asks for them.

But back to the spree. For once, I avoided my holy trinity of Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Whistles and headed to Hoxton Boutique – one of my faves – and as you can see from the photo it has an eclectic style. It’s the first time in ages that I feel really excited about the clothes. Usually I do a smash and grab panic buy and feel like I’ve got clothes just for the sake of it and don’t really feel good in them. But these are all great and from new designers I don’t know which means a discovery has been made.

I’ve managed to bag a gorgeous Totem dress and a gorgeous BZR braided cream top. Also in the bag is a Sugarhill boutique dress – handmade in Bali and very individual. My new finds for everyday wear are Pastelle and not the Kanye West range – this one is by Patricia Elbaz, Dr Denim and BZR. It’s so refreshing to find new affordable labels that cater to the individual. I love the less mainstream shops like APC and The Dispensary but they’re really rooted in my 90s style and I’m really going off the brash big designer brands. I’m not quite sure why.

So what triggered this particular mini spree? I’m sad to say this has all been brought on by a most disastrous wardrobe malfunction last weekend. What was I thinking? Perhaps the excitement of the World Cup clash of England v US and the sunshine combined with a big fat bbq at my house with oodles of friends had something to do with it. As usual, with so much to do, I hadn’t really planned my outfit and thought I could easily play it by ear. I had planned to get in a cleaner to blitz the house and also iron a Luton van’s worth of clothes – I booked one using what looked like a pretty cool web site, but they never got back to me! So I was left in the lurch to do all the cleaning myself and collapsed under the weight of it all and sloped off to Miniminx’s School Summer Fair before the guests arrived. I managed two glasses of wine before wobbling home on my bike to get ready.

It must have been a stress related decision. My top was fine, my leggings were fine, my feet, my hair but I had no skirt. My favourite G-Star skirt which I’d worn to death had been binned a week before and I’d promised myself to buy a new one but did not have the time. Rats.

They always say never keep anything you haven’t used or worn for two or more years, so what tempted me to rummage through my old designer rags that I’ve long tired of but can’t bear to throw away I don’t know. I’ll put you all out of your misery now – I donned a Helmut Lang hipster black denim mini that should not be worn by anyone over 40 who has given up smoking. I admit it was not my smartest decision. But I I was being ironic. As I sat down to look at my photos from the day I saw ‘the photograph’. You know that photograph, ‘the one’ that makes you check, check and recheck that it’s you. Oh dear oh dear.

I’d like to say I have checked into a spa until I hit size zero and feel ready to emerge refreshed and renewed. Well, actually, I’d rather say, sod that. I’m far too old to get caught up in all that vanity. I just went out and bought a more flattering wardrobe that fits, and binned the unnecessary booze that I love to guzzle.

And the reason I adore my Totem dress is that it’s a total liar, the label says size 10 which is most definitely US 10 but I’m not telling anyone that!

9 Movie Clips from SEX AND THE CITY 2 from ColliderVideos on Vimeo.

They have been pretty much invisible until the last week or so and now they’re very much part of the landscape. They live right at the back of the garden under the shed and have dug out so much earth that I fear it may collapse but I don’t really want to disturb them.

These rather grubby fox cubs usually get up at 8am or so and have a stretch out in the sunshine before having a bit of a lark about and then making their way out of our garden and into the neighbourhood to forage or do whatever they do.

We have four little babies and one of the fox cubs has got a name. Cotton Bud – can you see the one on the right in the photo below, with the white hare-like tail?

And as you can see from this photo, Cotton Bud is a bit of a joker. He here is taking a chunk out of his sibling.

This whole experience has brought out Miniminx’s entrepreneurial spirit in a much bigger way than I’d expected. While I’m hightailing it around the house and imagining myself as an award winning wildlife photographer, she has entirely different plans.

‘Look – there’s a fox climbing on the back fence – quick – let me get my camera’ I spluttered yesterday morning as I tried to gulp down my essential morning cuppa.
‘Awwwwwwwwwwwww, they’re soooooooo cute Mummy.’
‘Quick come upstairs so we can get a better view.’
We both clamber upstairs and gawp out of the window.

More cooing from Miniminx while I try unsuccessfully to snap away and only get blurry images.
‘It’s a zoo out there darling – isn’t it amazing?’
‘Mummy! I’ve got the greatest idea.’
‘What darling?’
‘We can open a zoo and charge people £1 to come and look at the foxes’
‘Ummm…ahem…shhh, I need to focus.’
‘No, actually, £1 per fox…then we can make a lot of money…’

Ermm, so anyway, if you want to see them, it’s £4 a ticket and cash only….don’t blame me!

Being a bit of a socialista and girl about town (especially when my daughter is away) I want to make my weekends as fun and grown up as possible. My idea of a great Saturday afternoon is certainly not a) sitting in the pub b) doing the ironing c) any other form of housework. So it was no wonder the temptation of afternoon tea at the Langham Hotel with the lovely Handpickedmedia bloggers community and the beauty brand Biotherm led me like to bee to a honeypot last Saturday.

Just get a load of these gorgeous cupcakes – they look mouthwateringly gorgeous don’t they? So before I prove my point and tell you how they can shrink your butt, there’s a bit more.

There must have been just about every beauty blogger in London crammed into the very stylish tearoom to natter over cakes and cucumber sandwiches and some lovely ladies from Biotherm on hand to talk about their new product ranges.

Novelty seeker that I am, I had this groovy little gadget zapped on my face to measure hydration, oil and elasticity. I knew I would be a little bit dehydrated after a few too many bellinis the night before so I was very pleased to find that my skin was actually quite good – phew. I’m going to be drinking more water and trying out the Biotherm Source Therapie 7. The serum is light and easily absorbed and worn under normal skincare, which means I can still keep my spf moisturiser on the go while making my skin much better.

However, as I looked around the room at all the hero products on the new ranges on their little white pedestals, I was keen to see what the new innovations would be. What caught my eye though was this Biotherm Celluli Laser cream. And yes, it promises to smooth the skin and is also an anticellulite cream.

You need to use it for one month morning and night and apply it from the ankles up to the waistline. It smells exotic and contains caffeine, menthol, camphor and salicylic acid plus ginseng and biloba. On first application, I was expecting to be glooped but the serum-like gel dries quickly and the tingling sensations do last a while. It’s very pleasant in fact and in the morning is a great energiser, I did use it in the evening before bed and already found my skin feeling smoother. I’m going to go the whole month on this one.

And that’s how cupcakes can smooth your behind non? Just book yourself in for afternoon tea with Biotherm.

Thanks Stephanie for the samples and I hope you got back to Devon in a flash! And I’ll be seeing the rest of the Handpickedmedia bunch at next week’s meet up.