Who doesn’t like chocolate? There cannot be many who don’t like this wonderful confectionary delight and to have a story celebrating it never fails to surprise and delight. Written by the master words smith, Roald Dahl and illustrated by the talented Quentin Blake it is a feast for the imagination and speaks to the child in us all.
Roald Dahl’s Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
C.S Lewis The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe
A wardrobe that leads to a mysterious world called Narina – simply marvellous.
J.M Barrie Peter Pan
It is easy to forget just how wonderful a book is that you read when you were a child, or should I say a book that was read to you. J.M. Barrie understood not only children, but adults and most important of all, how to tell a good story.
J.K Rowling – Harry Potter
The series of 7 books has gathered adult fans children alike. J.K Rowling’s superior imagination and wicked sense of humour is quite remarkable. Harry will take his place with the other legends of children’s fiction alongside Alice, Frodo and Doherty.
Beatrix Potter – The Tale of Peter Rabbit
For over a century, Beatrix Potter’s art, her wonderful imagination has affected children and adults all over the world. There’s hardly a person who doesn’t know The Tale of Peter Rabbit! Her pictures and stories while charming and delightful, are also deep — and they show something vital and thrilling about imagination which every person, every parent, every child needs to know.
Enid Blyton – Noddy
Enid Blyton was always a natural storyteller who entertained her playmates with fantastic stories. She learned that tales with whimsical characters like in “Noddy” amused her friends the most, so she created the mythical Toytown where he could have grand adventures.
Mr Men Series of books –Roger Hargreeves
A whopping 46 Mr Men Books and 33 Little Miss books were written by the talented Roger Hargreeves. His tales are subtlety moral yet also sprinkled with humor that captures the imagination. Who would know what a tickle looks like, without his Mr Tickle!
Michael Morpurgo – War Horse
A truly thrilling and moving story.
Alice Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
The story of a girl named Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into a fantasy world full of anthropomorphic creatures. The tale plays with logic which has allowed the story to have its enduring popularity with adults as well as children.
The adventures of Rupert the Bear – Mary Tourtel
Starting life as a comic strip in the Daily Express newspaper he rapidly gained a huge following and the comic strip swiftly became a series of books. I am sure you all remember the wonderful song:
There’s a little bear
Like you’ve never seen before
Who’s a lot of fun
Children everywhere grow to love him more and more
He’s the number one
There’s a million stories to be told
Of the things that he’s done
And he’s gonna share them all with you
So come along
Rupert, Rupert the bear
Everyone sing his name
Rupert Rupert the bear
Everyone come and join
In all of his games
Bowls
Bowls is steeped in rich English history, the most famous ‘story’ being Sir Frances Drake and the Spanish Armada. On July 18, 1588, Sir Drake was partaking in a game at Plymouth Hoe when he was notified that the Spanish Armada were approaching. His immortalised response was that “We still have time to finish the game and to thrash the Spaniards, too.” He then proceeded to finish the match which he lost before embarking on the fight with the Armada which he won. Whether this is just a ‘story’ we will never know.
Croquet
Croquet it quickly became popular in England in 1852. It was particularly embraced by women because it was the first outdoor sport which could be played by both sexes on an equal footing. The first national headquarters was the Wimbledon All England Croquet Club (later to become the Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Tennis
In the 14th century, Tennis found its way to England where both Henry VII and Henry VIII apparently became keen players and instigated the building of courts up and down the country. Supposedly, Henry VIII himself invented the ‘service’ – his servants used to throw the ball up in the air for him because he was too fat to do it himself.
Dominoes
Although domino tiles are clearly of Chinese inheritance, there is debate over whether the game played by Europeans was brought by the Chinese to Europe in the eighteenth century or, in fact, was invented independently. The word “Domino” is French for a black and white hood worn by Christian priests in winter which is probably where the name of the game derives from.
Dominoes Set in Black Lacquer Box - Thomas Lyte
Backgammon
Backgammon-type games have been played for thousands of years in all parts of the world and certainly during the Egyptian, Greek and Roman eras.
In the early seventeenth centurythe game of backgammon underwent a revival and swept across Europe again under a variety of different names which have mostly stayed the same until the popular game it is today. It is a subject of debate as to whether the term Backgammon is derived from the Welsh ‘back’ (little) and ‘gammon’ (battle) or from the Saxon ‘bac’ (back) ‘gamen’ (game).
Leather Backgammon Set - Thomas Lyte
Cribbage
The invention of Cribbage, Crib for short, was attributed to the poet Sir John Suckling (1609 – 1642) by his biographer, John Aubrey. Suckling was something of a scoundrel by all accounts, “the greatest gallant of his time, the greatest gamester both for bowling and cards, so that no shopkeeper would trust him for sixpence”. He was an expert at cards, dice and bowls as well as being a womaniser and notorious wit on top of his poetry day-job. These days Cribbage is one of the most popular card games around and is still played all over Britain in pubs and is The only card game that can legally be played for money in English pubs.
Contract Bridge
Bridge is derived from the 17th century card game whist, which was in vogue among the English nobility of the time. By the turn of the century, the game evolved into plafond (“ceiling”) in France and auction bridge elsewhere in the world. In 1925, the game that we know today was derived from auction bridge and plafond. Contract bridge was invented by the American Harold Vanderbilt, who had some invaluable idle time on a steamship cruise. Bridge is one of the few games played today by people of all ages, races, and nationalities.
Leather Games Box Set with Playing Catds, Cribbage Board, Contract Bridge Score Cards, Dominoes
Poker
There is nothing particularly original about the card play aspect of the game of Poker. Card games in Europe had for centuries featured all of the different scoring combinations and much of the similar principles of betting too. Poker is without doubt the most successful and popular betting and bluffing game in existence today. Supposedly we have also have poker to thank for the invention of the Sandwich. John Mantagu, the Earl of Sandwich, a keen poker enthusiast venerated the game of poker so much that he refused to leave his gaming table to eat. The legend goes that he ordered a waiter to bring him roast-beef between two slices of bread. The Earl was able to continue his game of poker whilst eating his snack.
Club Poker Chest Set in Wenge Wood
Old English Skittles
Of all the modern games, this is the game with the oldest pedigree. Illustrations from centuries ago show pins of exactly the same form and similar cheeses being hurled down the length of the alley in the same way. The game is now very rare but can still be played at the famous Freemasons Arms in Hampstead. Often under threat of closure, we can but hope that this last bastion of real Old English Skittles can be maintained for the future.
Darts
The sport of darts began as training in archery in Medieval England. Archery students shortened some arrows threw them at the bottom of an empty wine barrel. A game as fun as darts could not be hidden from the upper classes and they soon put their own stamp on the game. The oft married Henry VIII was reputed to enjoy the game immensely. So much so, that he was given a beautifully ornate set by Anne Boleyn. Darts remained largely an Anglo-American sport until the Victorian age when it was spread world-wide by the great expansion of the British Empire. It seems that the “sun never set on the British Empire”. At the same time, there was never a time when a dart was not in the air.
Addison Lee
Book a minicab at the touch of a button for both account and cash/credit card paying customers. Using your iPhone’s intelligent memory system, you only have to enter your
details once and the app will remember it for your next booking.
- Click ‘find my location’ and using the built-in GPS, your phone will
pinpoint your location.
- You also have the option to enter an address or do an address search
if you want to be picked up from elsewhere.
- Using the ASAP button, your minicab will arrive within 10 minutes
for central London.
- You can also pre-book minicabs for a specific day and time.
- Cash customers will get a fixed price quote regardless of time of day or traffic conditions.
AroundMe
Allows you to quickly find out information when in unfamiliar surroundings.
It identifies your position and allows you to choose the nearest Bank, Bar, Hospital, Hotel, Movie Theatre, Restaurant, Supermarket, Theatre…the list is endless. Showing a complete list of all the businesses in the category you have tapped on along with the distance from where you are.
For every listing you can choose to see its location on a map, view the route from where you are, add the information to your contact list or even email the information to a friend. Fast, easy and accurate.
Last FM
Allows you to create your own personal radio station. With more than 5 millions tracks, you choose the artists and genres you want to listen to for hours of commercial-free listening. Check out artist bios and concert information as well as share your favourite tunes.
iXpenseIt
Track expenses or plan a monthly budget, a great way to take control of your money.
Velvet Vine Wine Pro
share your favourite bottles with people who love wine as much as you do. See what others recommend and read and write reviews and journal entries. search for and save new wines you want to try, Before uncorking a new bottle, tap to find exactly what to expect.
Panorama
With this you can see the whole picture… you don’t have to leave anything out from that beautiful landscape. Snap away to create incredible 360º images. Panorama will then help you line up the shots, then put it all together.
Net-A-Porter
The world’s leading online fashion retailer give you irresistible women’s fashion at your fingertips.
The app syncs with your phone and downloads the latest content automatically. You can buy wherever you are, create wish lists on the move, read cutting-edge fashion news and shop new arrivals.
- TED
With this app you can watch and listen to what some of the world’s most fascinating people have to say anytime, anywhere. Bookmark your favourite talks from TED (Technology, Education and Design) conferences to enjoy again later or inspire others.
- Tetris
With endless hours of fun it’s easy to see why the Tetris app has had over 100-million paid downloads on mobile. Enjoy Classic Marathon mode, slide, rotate & drop your tetriminos into place with touch screen controls. You are also able to listen & control your iTunes while you play!
If you’re a fan of Thomas Lyte I highly recommend a visit to Kew Gardens this spring. It’s apparent throughout the grounds that they share the same thought, passion and love for design and growth, a truly inspiring place to take a bike ride.
Carmel Bike - globebikes.com
Making the most of the sunny weather this week I packed a mini outing bag, hopped on my bike and made my way to see the beginning of one of the biggest displays of colour in the country (5million bulbs continuing to bloom over the next 3 months). Check the Kew Garden online Bulb Map which is regularly updated so you never miss stunning displays!
Martlesham Rucksack - Thomas Lyte
So much more than 300 acres of beautiful landscapes, the gardens are an historic sight, enriched with history and host of artistic talents. I’m looking forward to visiting again in May for the International Photographer of the Year Exhibition showing the very best amateur and professional garden photographers in an outdoor display.
Diana Mini Camera
To help me capture the flowering splendour I took along my new Diana Mini 35mm film Lomography camera. An inexpensive purchase which allows endless creative opportunities and a good learning camera for those who have never used film before! Having used digital for so long I had forgotten the excitement of film, I absolutely encourage more use of non digital cameras. The anticipation for collecting my film tomorrow morning is immensely exciting and a feeling I have very much missed.
Garden Hotspot - Treetop Walkway
A must see is the treetop walkway, the 18-metre high, 200-metre walkway guides visitors around the crowns of lime, sweet chestnut and oak trees.Perch amongst the birds and take in the view from above with a cup of refreshing peppermint tea, I had mine in the Thomas Lyte Leather Bound Thermos Flask.
Thermos Flask - Thomas Lyte