Day 24 - The Wizard of Oz @REP Birmingham

We have totally loved every show we have been to see at The Rep and the Wizard of Oz was no exception.
When we arrived there was some lively skiff music playing by members of the cast against a background of corrugated iron. This really set the scene perfectly. When the play started, we were instantly transported to the farm in Kansas where the farm hands relax between shifts. The simple set of the farm building both inside and out felt so real that it made the whole story.The story starts with Toto being a real dog and when the play moves to Oz he turns into a puppet - P hadn't noticed this till the end when she said "Oh there were 2 totos!".
The Munchkins provide a hilarious welcome to Oz. They manged to be both funny and creepy, setting the tone for the rest of the story. Oz is a magical land full of vivid colour, towering plants and trees, and eerie animals and otherworldly creatures. The ensemble works so hard to bring it to life and it feels like you have been transported into another world.

The thing which made the play so innovative and fresh was the stagecraft and use of the set. The journey to Oz on the yellow brick road is told through a variety of props including yellow steps and chairs which give a feeling of movement along with the stage floor which is a giant turntable. Oz itself has some visual gags, green billboards with Oz puns in them and Dorothy and her companions getting an Oz makeover complete with traditional Dorothy costume. The Wicked Witch of the West was truly terrifying and P had her hands over her eyes for some of it!

I am looking forward to next's years Christmas show already!

Day 20 - Wilton's box of delights

Like so many people, I totally love the Box of Delights BBC television series which I try and watch each advent! As soon as I saw that there was a theatre show of this, one of my favourite books, I tried to book tickets! Sadly I failed last year but was one it as soon as they came on sale this year!

So tonight P, E and myself took the train down to the beautiful Wilton’s Music Hall. The theatre whole-heartedly embodies the show, such offering lemon posset ice cream which is referenced several times throughout the story, although P was not impressed! The programme is a fully detailed newspaper, ‘The Tatchester Times’ which includes games and ‘news items’.

I thought it was cleverly done with a small cast that do a lot of doubling up and make each person unique.  The staging was simple but for the most part effective. There were some lovely, imaginative scenes, like when the old man opens the Box of Delights and we see a golden, be-jewelled phoenix flying around the stage before it smolders in its own embers.
However, if you are not familiar with the story I thought it could be confusing with the the parallel story lines, time travel, and the cast playing multiple characters.

Day 19 - Polar Express

This evening P and I visited the North Pole on the Polar Express courtesy of the mid-Norfolk railway. It was about an  hour and half drive from Cambridge. We only managed to get standard tickets which meant we had to park in one of the free car parks in Dereham and had to walk about 10 minutes before we arrived.

 It was really well done with lots of actors in each carriage. They sang, danced, told the story...

 .. provided us with hot chocolate and cookies.

 We made it to the North Pole where Father Christmas arrived and gave the first gift of Christmas.

 The conductor even punched holes in our tickets. And we had a sing song on the way home.

I really loved it and P took her bell to bed with her,.

Day 18 - Trip to London including Christmas at Kew

Today we took the train to London.

 First stop was the Mithraeum, a Roman temple dedicated to the god Mithras. It starts by showcasing objects found on the site and is the largest and earliest of its kind in Britain and includes the first known reference to London and the earliest hand-written document in Britain.

 You then go and visit the temple with a 20 minute light and sound show including ancient chanting.

 We then walked to the Sky Gardens where we had a quick wonder round.

That evening we went to Christmas at Kew (unfortunately in the rain). Having been before, the lights were different which made it great to wonder round. There were lots of music and light experiences.

 We enjoyed roasting Marshmallows.

 P was keen to go on the fair rides.

 The finale was the lazer show which was breath taking set to Disney music.

Day 17 - Christmas at Wimpole

Today we visited Wimpole at Christmas. There were timed tickets to visit the house (free to NT members).

 Each room had a themed decorated Christmas tree.

 I loved the nativity scene in the chapel.

 We then followed the Christmas explorer path through the gardens to the farm where we spotted a reindeer or two.

 

We enjoyed seeing the animals - although lots were out in the fields!

Day 8 - Make Marzipan Fruit

Today we made Marzipan fruit with ready made paste (we used the Odese brand).

First we made our dyes using food colouring gels: 

1. Green – combine 1 teaspoon water + 1/4 teaspoon green food coloring
2. Yellow – combine 2 teaspoons water + 1/4 teaspoon yellow food coloring
3. Orange – combine 1 teaspoon water + 6 drops yellow + 2 drops red coloring
4. Red – combine 1 teaspoon water + 1 drop red coloring

 We then divided the paste in to 5 parts. We then made the fruit

Marzipan Apples:
We colored one of the parts green and then we shaped one of the parts into a tube and then cut it into 6 equal portions. These were then rolled into a ball, then shaped into slightly elongated and squared-off Granny Smith apple shapes. We then pressed a whole clove into the top of each to make a stem.

Marzipan Pears:
We again made a log, coloured it yellow and cut it into 6 equal portions. We shaped each into a teardrop shape, flattening the bottom slightly and bending some of the tops a little. This time we pressed a caraway seed upright into the tops to make a stem.

Marzipan Oranges:
We kneaded orange dye into another portion of marzipan until it was uniformly pale orange. We then again rolled into a log and cut into 6 equal portions. These were then shaped each into as round a ball as possible, then gently rolled on the fine hole grater to make a dimpled skin effect (although mine didn't look as the image on pinterest).


Marzipan Bananas:
We flattened another portion of the marzipan into a disc, and coloured it yellow.  We then made 6 balls which were then rolled between our fingers to create a thin tube. We then curved the tube so that it is shaped like a banana, and elongate one end to be the top. This was repeated with remaining marzipan.

Marzipan Strawberries:
We coloured the last portion of marzipan red and then shaped them into a strawberry shape. These were then rolled in caster sugar and we made a calyx with the stem of a clove.

The marzipan fruits were left to dry uncovered at room temperature for 24 hours before we ate them! 

G also made marzipan snowman.

Day 7 - Hot Chocolate

The girls enjoyed hot chocolate today. (None for I as she doesn't like hot chocolate)

Day 6 - St Nicholas' Day

The day started badly with G's knee sore and E having been sick in the night, but the other 2 were delighted to find chocolate in their shoe!

Apart from Grace's knee which is still sore, everyone is feeling happier this evening and there is not much chocolate left!

Day 5 - The Snowman

The girls enjoyed a snowman biscuit from Biscuiteers which they all thought was delicious but not worth the money.

Then E, P and myself went to London after school to watch the rather lovely Snowman Ballet. The first half is the best, closely following the animated version, with the flying scene magically. P was delighted to see Father Christmas in the second half!

Day 4 - Write Christmas cards

P was very excited to write cards to her class and add in chocolate coins! E is less interested and G has them all Christmas presents instead!

Day 3 - Write Christmas lists

Here they are:

Day 2 - baking biscuits

Today P, E and myself went to the Cambridge Cookery school for one of their Parent/Child Swedish bakery courses where we cooked Uncle’s Cigars, Jitterbugs, Dreams and Lingonberry cake. It was so well organised and best of all was someone to do the clearing up afterwards!
The things we made were delicious, especially the Jitterbugs - an unusual combination of biscuit dough and meringue.

Day 1 - Mill Road Winter Fair and decorating the living room.

I went the Mill Road fair and brought lots of yummy goodies to share including gingerbread trees and 3 brownies of different flavours.

 The girls then set up the Christmas decorations.

 And they got some christmas chocolate.

I also caved into pressure and bought a chocolate advent calendar for each child, as well as one Poppy made at school full of good turns and 3 picture calendars and our challenge calendar!