Conversations through the middle

Life from a (slightly) more mature perspective

Book review – The Hunger Games and White Fang

So today I’m having a rest and letting my 11-year-old Dot take over the blog with her reviews of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and White Fang by Jack London. Take it away Dotty…
 

“The Hunger Games is a daring tale of a 16-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen. Katniss’ sister Prim is chosen for the 74th Hunger Games. At the risk of losing her life and not able to bear the thought of losing her 12-year-old sister, Katniss bravely volunteers to take her sister’s place.

The Hunger Games is an exciting thriller. I couldn’t stop reading and I felt like I was really there with her throughout her amazing journey.”

“White Fang is a heartfelt tale about a baby wolf and his journey to adulthood. Along the way White Fang meets some new friends and some new enemies. White Fang learns to trust man again after being betrayed and lost.

White Fang is one of my favourite books of all time. It’s a real page turner, you won’t want to put it down. I recommend this book to anyone who loves tales of friendship, love and loss.”

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Beauty reviews – nails and face

One side effect of not having a horse is that my nails have grown. Yes, they’ve actually grown long, they don’t snap and they’re not always full of dirt or horse feed. (Which frankly is a shame, I miss that…)

So I have been taking care of them, painting them with varnish to pretty them up and most recently applying Avon Nail Experts 24k Gold Strength to harden them. It seems to work – they feel tougher, they haven’t split or snapped and they look shiny. Unfortunately they also have a yellow tinge to them.

The product is supposed to add a touch of glitter to the nails but with me, well it makes my fingers look as though I’ve had a sneaky cigarette or two, or that I’ve been eating curry without a fork. I do sometimes eat curry without a fork, but I don’t smoke, so the effect is a little disconcerting.

Time for a rethink – and time to buy something else.

t has been ridiculously hot today and yesterday – not that I’m complaining mind you, it makes a lovely change from the rain. And I spent the morning sitting by the river in Dedham, which is so pretty, reading the newspapers and watching Dot paddling in the river with the dog. Thanks goodness for my Avene Eau Thermale spray – a water spray that immediately cools you down with a refreshing mist of good old H2O.

The description on the can states it is anti irritating and soothing for sensitive skin, I don’t know about that so much but it is definitely handy to have with you on a hot day – a quick blast over the face and neck gets rid of any icky stickiness.

I used to carry mineral water mists around with me all the time in the 90s and when I lived in Paris; back in London even Boots sold them in both big and little cans. Then they disappeared for some reason, so I was really pleased to be sent  this sample a while back. Hopefully now they will be easier to find in the shops as they really are fantastic.

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Legoland, Windsor – review

My days of stepping on Lego are long gone now Dot has reached the grand old age of 11. She’s into her computer, DS, phone and ipod, and the Lego alas, like the dollies, cot and pram have been relegated to the cupboard, I suspect never to be played with again.

So I was a tiny bit apprehensive about our trip to Legoland – would she like it or would she find it too babyish? Well, she loved it.
From the moment we arrived – Dot and her friend, who we took with us, never stopped running around, exclaiming at the different rides, chatting excitedly and frankly leaving the OH and me trailing behind wondering why we no longer have that wonderful childhood oomph that propels you through hours of play without needing a rest.
The girls drove lego cars around the driving school, earning their Lego licences in the process; they took a battery powered boat around the Boating School lake; zapped baddies in the new Laser Raiders ride and braved the rapids of Viking River Splash. Like me, Dot is not into scary or fast rides so OH went on the Jolly Rocker and Pirate Falls Dynamic Drench with Dot’s friend – this was too much like Splash Mountain at Disneyland for me; I went on that once and screamed the entire time, never again. 
I was also allowed to accompany the kids on Spinning Spider, which is like spinning teacups. (Why do children go through a stage of being embarrassed by their parents?) What a laugh – we turned the wheel so fast we whirled round continually and I found it difficult to stand straight afterwards, my head still spinning.
The girls of course were fine and strolled off to find the next ride.
Just one thing – the queues! It was a lovely day and it is the summer holidays so it’s no surprise the park was busy, but oh the time we spent waiting in line. One hour here, 1.5 hours there, and so on. We didn’t get to see everything because of the queues – though we could have rented a Q-bot to book a time on the rides for £15 per person. And that was just to avoid standing in line, even with a Q-bot you still have to wait the same amount of time as other people, just not in the line. Unless you pay £40 each, which cuts waiting time by 75%, or £70 each, which cuts waiting time by 95%. That’s each!
We waited in the queues.
Be prepared to spend money when you’re there because though most of the activities are included in the ticket price, some are not; then there’s face painting and hair braiding, fairground games and of course souvenir shops.
I noticed lots of people had picnics with them, which was a great idea I didn’t think of. We were going to eat dinner in one of the restaurants (at the moment you receive a free children’s meal with every adult meal bought after 4pm) but in the end the girls decided to spend what time there was left before the park closed queuing for another ride.
 
Best bargain of the day? If you buy a Lego cup of soda for £6 (cola, orange or lemon/lime) you get free refills for as long as you can drink them – which with our two was all the time we were there. They drank constantly. It’s a wonder they weren’t running around the ceiling when we got home.
  

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