Hansel & Gretel

Hansel & Gretel

I love going to the theatre, it's one of the things I miss most about London, but thankfully Poole has a really amazing one with some great shows on the bill. And just like visiting Christmas lights and seeing Father Christmas is a tradition, so too is a trip to the theatre at this time of year.

Last year we watched – and loved – Lighthouse's Christmas show, The Night Before Christmas, so this year we eagerly booked tickets for Hansel and Gretel in the Studio, which is aimed at 3-8 year olds. And I'm so glad we did because it was fabulous!

We all know the story of the siblings who get abandoned in the woods and tempted by an evil witch and her gingerbread house, so I don't need to recap on that here. But what I will say is that the whole production was very cleverly done and aimed perfectly at its audience. 

Before the performance began, Hansel and Gretel (otherwise known as Sean Mulkerrin and Lauren Scott-Berry) ventured out into the audience, introducing themselves to the children and playing "I-Spy", which the kids absolutely loved. This helped to create a relaxed, friendly atmosphere that lasted throughout the show as the children happily shouted directions, comments and interacted with the performers (the snowball fight at the end was particularly well received, except perhaps by poor Lauren, who got hit in the face by one!). There were elements of panto ("Oh yes there were!"), songs and audience participation (we were all pretty good at being trees, birds and squelching through bogs).

"So Hansel, do you wanna build a snowman?"

My four-year-old was mesmerised and managed to sit still for almost the whole 50-minute performance (that's another good sign, when you can hold a child's concentration for a decent stint of time). Full credit goes to Sean and Lauren for putting an audience primarily of little people at ease and for their performances – I was particularly impressed by how believable their movements were when pretending to be caught in a storm. 

The show's only on until Christmas Eve, so if you fancy going, you'll need to be quick, but Forest Forge, the company behind it (www.forestforge.co.uk), will be back at Lighthouse next year – and I'll definitely be checking out another one of its shows then.

(Pictures courtesy of Lighthouse, Poole)

Let there be lights!

It's become traditional for us to go and see a spectacular street full of lights in the run-up to Christmas, mainly because we lived near an amazing one in London (Lower Morden Lane if you ever want to visit, it's awesome!). So when we moved to Dorset, we had to find somewhere similar - and luckily for us, we live not too far from the famous Runton Road, a cul-de-sac in Poole where most of the residents light up the nights leading up to Christmas for charity.

Ho Ho Ho!

We visited last year and loved it, so decided to take our annual trip last week. And it was still just as magical. We walked around with huge smiles on our faces, taking in all the spectacular sights. Even D2, who's only one, was impressed, pointing at all of them and saying "Wow!". It was a fantastic way to start the final week before Christmas and a lovely thing to do as a family. And full credit to the residents, who didn't bat an eyelid as people traipsed up and down their driveways - even while they were eating their dinner!

Runton Road residents have been lighting up Christmas for the past 23 YEARS. Wowsers! There are almost 50 houses lit up - some with simply stunning, subtle white displays, while others have gone for the Full Monty and are covered in brilliant bright colourful characters. The houses have collection tins outside for charity donations - and last year the street raised a whopping £3,720. Amazing! Not sure how much it cost the residents in electricity, but what a fantastic way to give a little something to others at this time of year.

The generosity of one homeowner was further demonstrated by his coming to the door with two boxes of candy canes and telling a group of children to make sure that every child in his garden got one to enjoy. Such a simple, kind-hearted act, but fully appreciated by all.

So I'd like to say a big thank you to Runton Road for spreading some Christmas cheer – not just to myself, my family and the other visitors, but to those who benefit through their kind and charitable act. Merry Christmas to you all!

To find out more about the Runton Road lights, see https://www.facebook.com/RuntonRoadChristmasLights

Life's a beach!

It might be winter, but that's not going to stop me from going to the beach, no way! There's no better place to be on a cold, crisp, clear day and when you live in a county that is home to some of the best beaches in the country, it seems stupid not to take advantage of what's on my doorstep.

Don't believe me? Just look at this…

I love it! That picture was taken just last week, and the beach was just as beautiful today. The sun was glinting off the sea, there was hardly anyone around, I could enjoy the stunning views of Old Harry Rocks and the Isle of Wight. On days like today, there's nothing better than wrapping up warm and taking a stroll by the seaside.

And it's so easily accessible, even with a buggy. If I wanted to, I could walk from Poole to Bournemouth to Boscombe. I'm not likely to do that, I've only got little legs, but it's nice to have the option if I want to. And even better, there are plenty of places to stop on the way, whether it's a pub or a cafe you're after. 

There's also something incredibly therapeutic about being by the sea. It calms me, it puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face. As well as putting colour in my cheeks and giving me a some exercise, of course. 

So when people ask me what I love best about Dorset, I'll always say the beach. 

It's panto time! Oh yes it is!

If there’s one thing guaranteed to bring a smile to your face on a wet and windy winter’s night, it’s a trip to the panto. I haven’t watched a pantomime since I was a child, but after last night, I’ll be making sure I won’t miss another.

Christmas and pantomimes go hand in hand – they’re a wonderful family tradition that lets everyone remember not to take life too seriously. But there’s a recipe that a panto must follow – it has to have romance, a baddie, slapstick, comic sidekicks, a sprinkling of fairy magic, singing, dancing and, of course, audience participation. And Robin Hood at Lighthouse, Poole, ticked all these boxes.

So the story goes like this. The dashing outlaw Robin Hood is stealing from the rich to give to the poor, while the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham (Boo! Hiss!) is plotting to kidnap Maid Marian and force her to marry him so he can inherit her money, whilst also planning his revenge on Robin, his sworn enemy.  What you don’t expect in this tale is nods to Riverdance, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and songs by One Direction and Taylor Swift. Yes, really!

Robin Hood, Robin Hood, riding through the glen…

But a story’s nothing without a good cast to support it, and credit must be given to last night’s stars. CBBC favourite Ed Petrie was on fine form as Robin, while Patrick Kane was superb as the villainous Sheriff. The female leads – Alicia Woodhouse as Maid Marian and Stephanie Walker as Mary The Fairy  – shone for their singing and dancing skills respectively (and their pretty, sparkly costumes). But let’s not forgot the supporting cast – those guys and girls can sing, dance, change costumes in a flash and the smiles never left their faces!

And it didn’t leave mine either. I laughed at all the terrible jokes and at the silly bits of slapstick. Hilariously, the cast laughed too – at times they couldn’t keep a straight face, which just made the audience laugh even harder. I booed and hissed, I chorused “Oh no it isn’t” and “Behind you”! I sang (badly!), I danced. I immersed myself fully in the panto experience. And I loved it!

But don’t just take my word for it. Get yourself a ticket and go see for yourself!

Robin Hood is on at Lighthouse, Poole, from now until Sunday 4 January. For more information or to book tickets, call 0844 406 8666 or visit www.lighthousepoole.co.uk

Shiny! 

Photos by David Stroud and Hattie Miles

Santa Claus came to town!

This is always a busy time of year, especially when you've got children. What with school fairs, carol concerts, parties, catching up with friends, preparing for the big day - it's no wonder most of us end up ill and exhausted in December!

But there are some things that can't be missed - and seeing Christmas lights being switched on and meeting the man himself are two of those. Which is why we've braved some cold weather for those very reasons. 

The first foray into the festive season saw us watching the lights being switched on in Poole. We've decided to try and see it being done in different places each year, so last year we went to Christchurch to watch, this year we stuck closer to home. It was on a Thursday night and I don't know if this had an impact on the crowd, but there really wasn't many people there. It was a very low-key affair - sponsored by local children's hospice Julia's House, the lights were turned on by their patron, actress Debra Stephenson. Except not all of the lights actually came on – and there weren't many to turn on in the first place. But it did feel festive, with Christmas songs being played by Fire Radio, and schoolchildren singing carols. I wouldn't rush to watch it again unless it was on a bigger, better scale, but it was a nice start to the Christmas countdown.

And so on to the next tradition, which involves seeing the man in the red suit. We haven't taken a trip to a grotto yet (it's on the cards, never fear), but we did head down to Poole Quay yesterday to watch the Santa Parade. 

There's been a bit of controversy about this event - it was cancelled due to Health and Safety fears (or Elf and Safety as my DH likes to quip… Groan!) but was then reinstated on a smaller scale after a public outcry. It basically involves Santa arriving by lifeboat at the Quay before travelling by land train up and down and finally him doing a walkabout. We didn't see the arrival so I can't comment on that, but the actual parade bit was good fun. There was a Spiderman band (if anyone can shed ANY light on that, please do!) and a marching band. I do love a bit of big band action at Christmas! The train had elves, stars of Robin Hood (Poole's panto for the season) and FC himself on, all cheerily waving to the crowd. Sainsbury's were giving out sweets, everyone was in good spirits, and it was just a really nice local celebration of Christmas. Sadly we didn't wait for Santa to reach us on his walkabout as it was cold, but I'll definitely be back there next year.

I'd love to hear what you've been doing to get in the festive spirit. To help inspire you, here's a few pics from yesterday…