Hard work pays off - The 8th Fold Musical

I heard some brilliant news this week, which proves hard work really does pay off! 

Firstly let me take you back to November. It was Remembrance Sunday and after attending a service I went along to watch a show in the Duchess Theatre. 

Nothing too crazy there I know, but this was a one night only performance of the music from a brand new musical "The 8th Fold" written by Gianni Onori and book by Gianni and Ava Eldred. 

The thing about new musicals is you have no idea what to expect, yet you have a lot of expectations. You've given your money to watch something brand new and you do not want to be disappointed! 

And I have to say I definitely wasn’t. The show was incredible. The set was basic as it was just a showcase but that was all that was needed as the talent and work really shone through. 

To put it simply, the show blew me away. 

The orchestra was brilliantly led by Angharad Sanders and the boys were so talented and had incredible voices. But the thing that thrilled me most was listening to the brand new songs that Gianni Onori has created (I call them songs but quite truly some of them are stadium filling anthems). My favourites were "Mother Says" which quite literally had me in tears and "Ground Zero" which almost took the roof off the Duchess Theatre!! I had also previously seen the workshop of the whole production so know that the book by Ava Eldred is just as good. 

I am proud to say I was one of the first out of my seat for a well deserved standing ovation for Gianni and the team! 

Now to bring you back to this week. This week I hear that after months of hard work Gianni and Ava, working with the brand new company Onoray Music have just been accepted to go to the New York Fringe Festival! Did you just hear me? I said NEW YORK!!!!!

I am absolutely thrilled for the whole team and can’t wait to see where they take “The 8^th Fold” next!

Congrats Onoray Music truly proud of you and the hard work you’ve put in!! 

Love J 

Xx

Going Retro.

With thanks to the lovely folk at Truffle Shuffle we have been having a trip down memory lane. (They tweeted earlier about Mr Frosty remember that??)

Over lunch in the park we have been discussing our 90's favourites. Are you ready to take a trip down memory lane with these "blasts from the past"? 

1.       Music

Spice Girls: I’ll tell you what you want, what you really really want... and that was a pair of platform trainers or a union jack dress.

PJ and Duncan: Now more commonly known as Ant and Dec these two Geordie Lads knew how to bust a move!

Westlife: The sitting on stool and standing at the key change was an absolute winner for these Irish Lads.

Take That: Granted they look better now than they did back in the day, but these boys had songs that would get you dancing all night long.

B*Witched: You listen back to their lyrics and realise just how dodgy they were, but back in the day it was all about rocking the Double Denim!!!

5ive: “Everybody get up, singing 1...2...3...4... 5’ll make you get down now!!” We know the dance routine. Please tell us you do too!!

 

2.       Toys

Furbies: “Furbee bye, bye!” These little balls of fluff were the bane of all parents lives back in December 1998 (this is our rough guess on the year) as many of them had to queue to buy them over night. Only to find out that they were pretty annoying! (Mine always talked and NEVER slept anyone else?)

Pogs: We can’t really remember what the whole idea was behind POGS all we remember was swapping them in the school yard and if you had a shiny one you were the coolest kid in school!

Tamagotchi: The shear panic that you felt when you had forgotten to feed your tamigotchi! Remember that??

 

3.       TV

SM:TV: Saturday Mornings were all about Ant and Dec and Cat Deeley... Chums and all your favourite cartoons! "9:45 on a saturday don't be a jiggly-puff ahhhh yeah!" (I was the only one who could remember this rhyme - please tell me someone else can!!) 

Arthur: “Everyday when your walking down the street...” Even when you got too old for this programme you would still rush home from school to watch it!! We are not ashamed to admit it!

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: We adored this programme and were so happy when she finally ended up with Harvey!!

The Queens Nose: Who had a 50p that they kept and thought was magic? Come on you can admit it, you're among friends - we did too!

Bernard’s Watch: Oh how we wanted one of those watches!!  We wonder how old Bernard is now??

The Demon Headmaster: We had an old boss who looked a little bit like him... we were petrified!!!

 

4.       Food

Ice Pops/ Jubblies: Any form of frozen juice was a must – no matter how cold it was!!!

Sunny D: Anyone else’s mum stop them from drinking it after the article about the kids that were turning orange?!

Opal Fruit: Ok we know that they are still around but Starburst just don’t taste the same!

Hubba Bubba: Need we say anymore?!

5.       Games

British Bull Dogs: This game got banned from J’s school... again we can’t remember the full rules just that it involved running and tackling people! We think we remember it being pretty vicious!

Kiss Chase or Torture: Do kids even play this anymore?!? Classic game to play on the school yard hoping that you’d get caught by the boy you liked!

Chinese Whispers: This game is STILL funny!!

Heads Up Thumbs Down: Everyone thought this game was great but really it was a way of teachers getting the class to be quiet for 5 minutes!

Wink Murder: The sheer thrill of being able to scream as loud as you wanted in school without getting in trouble... this is why this game was great!  

If you have ANY more to add to the list then PLEASE send it to us.... there's so much we missed out we know but we just couldn't fit it into one post! We're off now to find our My Little Pony Collection and watch Clarissa Explains It All while eating "Millions"!

Lots of 90's Love

SGW

Winter Wonderland!

Lost your Christmas Spirit? Never fear Winter Wonderland is here, and it's guaranteed to fill you with Christmassy Cheer!

Head on down to Hyde Park (although it's sometimes best to get off a tube stop before and walk down) for your fill of festive fun. The Wonderland is full of fabulous things to do and see there's stalls, live bands, food, drinks, rides.... I could go on and on!



The Wonderland is open daily from 10am- 10pm so you have plenty of time to take in all it has to offer!! (It can get quite crowded at weekends so if your free in the week, I'd absolutely suggest it!) It does get pretty cold after a while though so wrap up warm - because it doesn't matter how many mulled Ciders you drink it's just not going to work!!

The Wonderland is really beautiful and is full of really lovely stalls, although in my opinion it is better at night time, when all the lights are on not only is it Christmassy it's also so romantic!
Talking of romance, it's the perfect place for a first date. Don't worry if you don't have a date lined up though because it is also perfect for girly days out and family fun!

You can spend as little or as much as you like, I spent under £5 on my last visit and had an absolute blast! I got a drink from the bar and sat at the Star Inn listening to a band play, they were superb and the atmosphere was brilliant with everyone getting up to dance along.

There really is something for everyone at the Wonderland whether you want to show off your "Torvill and Dean" moves on the ice rink or be a dare devil on the zip wire!

Don't miss out on the fun! Get down to Hyde park before January 6th to enjoy the festive cheer!!


Love from London,
J
xx

Guilty Pleasure Songs !! What's Yours?

Everybody has a song that they hate to admit that they love! The minute you hear it, you are up on that dance floor quicker than you can say 'I LOVE THIS SONG !!!' and you will quite happily have the dance floor to yourself to work your moves ! There are quite a few songs that Single Girl World love! 'Come on Eileen' has to be our absolute favourite ! There is literally no stopping us when that number starts!!
So what's yours ? Why do you love it so much ?? I think our favourites hold great memories of growing up and family parties! When you find yours, play it loud and proud !!! Everyone has a guilty pleasure playlist !! Create yours !

SGW xxxx