The Christmas show this year at Waterside Arts Centre, Sale in Manchester is presented by tutti frutti and York Theatre Royal. Underneath a Magical Moon - a re-imagining of Peter Pan as retold by Wendy Darling - is written by leading playwright Mike Kenny, and is suited best to children aged around 3-12, and their families.


The scene is set in the small garden of the 3 children - Wendy, John and Michael, and takes place sometime after the events in Neverland. They are camping out overnight, and Wendy relates the tale of Peter Pan for the boys, with the three of them playing all of the characters.

Wendy is older, and knows she is beginning to lose her innocence and 'grow up', and the three children all consider what this will mean, and how they feel about the inevitability. It's nicely done, and left me wondering when it was that I stopped being excited by the idea of a garden camp out.

On the day I was turning 45 an email about reviewing Osentia Osteoporosis Screening Test popped into my inbox.  At first I ignored it, but I kept seeing it and wondering why I hadn't deleted it, and I became more and more intrigued about what my results might be. I decided it was an omen, so I replied, and a few days later my testing kit dropped through the door.


It's got to be fair to say I'm becoming aware of my age, I'm being reminded of every old injury each morning, and I wonder just what pressure my life and my lifestyle has placed on my body over the last 4 1/2 decades. What is my risk of breaking a bone due to Osteoporosis?

I've carried 5 children, then breastfed them for just over 8 years in total. I've broken a few minor bones, dislocated my arm and had major abdominal surgery. I've drunk far more than my fair share of alcohol and never had as much sleep or exercise as I should. I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years, and although I do have good understanding of nutrition, you can't help but wonder if any of the people who tell you "you'll never get enough xyz" are right.

The National Osteoporosis Society say:

"1 in 2 women and 1 in 5 men over the age of 50 will break a bone as a result of osteoporosis."
"It is estimated that around 3 million people in the UK have osteoporosis. This can lead to bones becoming fragile and breaking easily, resulting in pain and disability. Much can be done to treat osteoporosis and prevent fractures. We are committed to helping people with osteoporosis live the lives they want to lead."

November saw the launch of the new Scholastic Christmas Gift Guide, a time-saving round up of over 150 of the most popular books this Christmas. The guide is for children aged from toddler to teen and selected from around 70 publishers, featuring a host of well-loved authors and characters, and we've been sent 3 of the best for children aged around 6-9 for review.


All books bought through Scholastic will be significantly discounted with up to 70% off the RRP, and for every order over £10, Scholastic donate 20% worth of FREE BOOKS back to the shopper’s nominated nursery or school. Schools can build up their rewards and spend them on free books whenever they want. Books currently start at £1.99.

From now until Midnight Friday December 16th 2016, Scholastic have a competition whereby your school or nursery can win £50 credit for their Scholastic Books account. To enter, simply tell Scholastic which children’s book you’d love to give to a child this Christmas and why, tagging Scholastic and using the hashtag #GiveABook. More details at the end of the post!

Case Company make custom cases for tablets and over 100 different smartphones, as well as laptop sleeves, and unusually they even make a wooden iPhone case. One of my readers can win a voucher for a free case or laptop sleeve of their choice from the Case Company website.


Case company keep the prices low and offer free shipping, which takes around 7-10 working days, although you can pay extra for faster postage.

Over the past year I've picked up all kinds of stuff which I haven't got around to doing anything with, and we've amassed quite a lot of treasure (my partner calls it something else). Some of my treasure needs to go because we need the cupboard back, and could fill a couple of Christmas stockings, so I've boxed it up and will give it away to one of my readers.


There is a ton of stuff and I'm not listing it all, but it does include Pirate and Fairy Theatres, Brio, Plasticine, Skylanders Battlecast, Hexbug Nano, A Nightmare On Elm Street (I somehow did 2 jobs with the same movie). There's also a Frozen puzzle and Bug Safari.

Buying gifts for teenagers and young people can be tricky. You may not know their taste or what they have already, and once they have wages from part-time jobs, they're buying their own treats. This list should give you a few ideas. These are things that I like and know will suit at least one of my young people aged 16, 17, 18 and 22.

I have 3 fully grown adult men living in my house now, none of whom wear a tie or carry a hip flask, play sports or shave. Gift buying for the man who already seems to have everything can become a case of falling back on old favourites and/or beverages. Here are a few ideas that might help you think outside the box, or remind you of those smaller extra presents which everyone loves to open....

Books are a brilliant gift. They can be precious for many different reasons, and true treasures that we can all hold and own. They can be epics with a real sense of achievement when you have read them, or a few paragraphs long. Books don't have to be expensive or huge to make you laugh, cry, or feel nostalgic, and there is something for everyone, whatever age.


I love to buy books as gifts, and I find they can be especially good for the older males in your family. I liked the sound of all of these books myself, but I've chosen them with 3 of my (not quite so) young men in mind, so this the Carlton (Mainly) Men's Book Bundle Giveaway...


For my partner I've chosen Peter And Dan Snow's Treasures Of British History (rrp £30, currently £21). This is a gorgeous large format, hardbacked book in slipcase which, over 112 pages, examines British History via 50 of our most important documents.

I love a good board games night, and always have done. When my oldest child was born I very quickly realised it was a great way to still see my mates and maybe have a lemonade or two, while also solving any babysitting problems.


In 22 years this hasn't changed, and when we were invited to a Spin Master Games evening over at Laura from Tired Mummy Of Two's house, along with gorgeous Eric there and his family from That Lancashire Lass, we gladly accepted.

Asterix: The Mansions Of The Gods is a PG rated computer animated adventure movie, with a voice cast that includes a host of UK comedians in the familiar starring roles, including Jack Whitehall as Asterix, and Nick Frost as Obelix. It will be released on DVD and 2D/3D Blu-ray on December 12th - just in time for Christmas, and I have a copy to give away to one of my readers...

The movie is set in 50 BC, and Gaul was entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely… as one small village still holds out against the invaders. Julius Caesar (Jim Broadbent), exasperated by the situation, decides to change tactics. Since Julius Caesar and his armies are unable to beat them using force, the Romans decide to charm the barbaric Gauls with the introduction of civilisation and modern luxuries. A fantastic housing complex is built near the village for Roman families, and it is named ‘The Mansions of the Gods’.