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good times

Harry Potter Studio Tour and London with Mum

By Adventures, Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, LifeNo Comments

This week mum and I went on a coach trip with National Holidays. We went to the Harry Potter Studio Tour and spent some time in London city centre.

Here are some collages of photos from the Harry Potter Studio Tour, click on any photo for full size image:

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The Goblet of Fire Photos.
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Forbidden Forest Photos.
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Hogwarts Express Photos.
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Props Photos.
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Weasley Shop Props.
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Knight Bus Photos.
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Inside Privet Drive Photos.
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Other Cool Stuff Photos.

Even though mum and I had been before, there were plenty of things we hadn’t seen on our last visit. I’ve only included photos things we didn’t see last time in this blog post. Things we didn’t see last time included: The Goblet of Fire, The Forbidden Forest, The Hogwarts Express and inside Privet Drive.

There were plenty of things that we saw last time. I was great to see that they had significantly increased the interactive activities for visitors.

It was brilliant to see that they are building an extension to include things from the new Fantastic Beasts films series (of which there will be 5 films).

Here’s one final photo of Mum with a Hedwig puppet. We took a similar photo last time, how many times do you have to do something before it becomes a tradition?

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Mum with Hedwig Puppet.

The next day mum and I were released into the wild of London city centre. We saw the Houses of Parliament, the scaffolding-covered Big Ben, the High Courts and my favourite St. James Park.

St. James Park is a lovely park that is like a natural oasis within one of the world’s most busy cities. There’s a bit of a family story to St. James Park.

When my mum was a little girl, she lived in London with her mum and dad (my grandma and granddad). Every Sunday, while her mum was making the Sunday dinner, her dad would take her to watch the changing of the Guard and then into St. James Park to feed the ducks.

Here are some photo collages from photos I took in St. James Park:

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St. James Park, London. Photo collage by me (1).
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St. James Park, London. Photo collage by me (2).

Mum and I had a fantastic time and will no doubt do the trip again in a couple of years.

Mum and I did a similar trip at the end of 2014. You can read and see pictures here: London Trip, Part 1 and London Trip, Part 2.

Write soon,

Antony

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Sunday 20 May 2018

Leeds Last Weekend

By Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, LifeNo Comments
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Left to Right: Me, Robert & Neha.

 Last weekend I went to Leeds to visit Robert & Neha. I attended their wedding in India a couple of years ago, see My India Adventure (Part 2) – The Wedding.

Robert & Neha are two of the most gorgeous, kind and wonderful people that I know. I am so lucky to have them both in my life.

I arrived in Leeds on Friday night. We talked, catching up on the last few years, drank wine and had the most awesome handmade pizzas by Robert.

On the Saturday we had a mooch around town, visited the oldest pub in Leeds (well it would be rude not to!) and had a game of Monopoly.

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Monopoly!

I was the first out of the game, Neha had Lady Luck on her side, but in the end Robert won. We watched some of the wedding video, some Netflix and ultimately chilled.

This is what life is all about, I thought to myself on more than one occasion throughout the weekend. Spending time with people you love and care about. Having the time to converse and connect. To share good times with one another.

We’ve promised each other to do this more often. So Robert & Neha, if you’re reading this, my turn to host next time. I doubt I’ll be able to top the superb job you did. But I look forward to giving it a try and having another fantastic time.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Tuesday 16 January 2018

The Fantastic Peter Pan’s Musical Adventure at Blackpool Winter Gardens

By Friends & Family, Gigs & Shows, Life, Shopping8 Comments

Some days are special. Some days are when memories are made. Today was one of those days.

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Blackpool Tower

My mum, my brother, his girlfriend and my nephew went to to see Peter Pan’s Musical Adventure at Winter Gardens in Blackpool. We got into town early and headed to the amusements.

My mum and nephew took to the 2p machines with eagerness. They took their tubes of 2ps to the machines, started to feed them and collect tickets (that would be later exchanged for toy prizes).

Mum quickly got hooked and was like a crack addict getting their fix (joke!). At one point mum and I were looking for the others, she saw a 2p machine and made a be-line for it. Mum’s face, full of concentration and determination (to get more tickets), made me smile and chuckle no end.

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The 2p Machines.
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Mum feeding the 2p machines and feeding her habit at the same time.

Peter Pan was fantastic! Modern music, enthusiastic cast, lots of adult humour and plenty of flying. Children and adults alike throughly enjoyed the show from start to finish.

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Peter Pan Poster at Winter Gardens, Blackpool.
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Peter Pan the set (1).
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Peter Pan the set (2).

Next year’s performance will be The Wizard of Oz. Are you a friend of Dorothy’s?

Spending the quality time with family today made me feel really blessed. I am greatful to have such close relationships with my wonderful, awesome and fabulous family.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Saturday 6 January 2018

Photos from Sheffield Botanical Gardens Yesterday

By Friends & Family, Happiness & Joy, Life, NatureNo Comments

Yesterday Simon and I went to the brilliantly beautiful and glorious Sheffield Botanical Gardens. The gardens have species of plants, flowers and trees from around the world. The weather was warm and dry and we even had considerable spells of sunshine.

Here are some photos from Sheffield Botanical Gardens:

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Sheffield Botanical Gardens Sign
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Sheffield Botanical Gardens – A place of Beauty.
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Most plants had a black and white signs identifying the species, like this one.
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A mulberry tree.
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One of the many different species of plant.
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There were many collections (like the above) that were filled with colour.
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A wooden structure. Close by was also a mental ant. Both works of art added to the Gardens, but my favourite has to be this one.
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A bright and beautiful yellow flowered plant, in the background are more of the same.
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A tree with the most interesting red bark.

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An inspiring and detailed statue at the centre of a rose garden.
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More plants and flowers, with the indoor botanical gardens in the background.
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Several of these flower beds (with plants of various colours) lined the entrance to the indoor botanical gardens.
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An entrance to the indoor botanical gardens.
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Indoors – Cacti (1).
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Indoors – Cacti (2).
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Photo of the glass roof, taken indoors.
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Indoors – Many plants.
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Indoors – One plant had leafs that were so ginormous, that they made my hand look tiny (see photo above).

Essential Info:

  • A beautiful botanical gardens, which include .
  • Highly recommended.
  • Admission Price: FREE.
  • Opening Times: Vary, see Opening Times here.
  • Parking: Limited. The gardens have no carpark and the streets close by are either Permit Holders Only or Pay and Display.
  • Toilets available.
  • Cafe and Toy Shop also on site.
  • Map:
    Sheffield-Botanical-Gardens-Map-August-17

    Map of Sheffield Botanical Gardens.
    Image from & Copyright © Sheffield Botanical Gardens.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Sunday 27 August 2017
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