Win Fab prizes with London South Bank

Win a Fabulous a bag stuffed with clothes, jewellery and accessories with Christmas Crawl on the South Bank. It is competition that needs some effort so the entrants numbers will probably be quite low.


All details here (hover yo see link)    http://www.coinstreet.org/whatson/past-events/2012/545-christmas-market-and-fashion-show.html


Christmas Crawl – from 12 November until Christmas
 details also at  @Londonsouthbank  on twitter



To add a little fun to your shopping tour, complete our Christmas Crawl at Oxo Tower Wharf and Gabriel’s Wharf. Visit all of the participating shops, get a stamp on your map and you will be in with a chance of winning a goody bag full of surprises donated from the designers. The prize fund is growing every day and so far includes jewellery, clothing, accessories, shopping and discount vouchers. You can get a map at the participating shops at Gabriel’s Wharf and Oxo Tower Wharf or download it here.

A highlight of the Christmas Crawl is a Christmas Market, which will culminate in a fabulous Fashion Show with clothing, jewellery and accessories from the independent shops at Oxo Tower Wharf and Gabriel’s Wharf.

London Eye

It is a fabulous time to visit the South Bank now the Christmas Market is open and next weekend the Chocolate Festival will there too.


My latest Win.

Thank You Specsavers!

I have won two tickets to the National Book Awards Ceremony 4 th December 2012  and an overnight stay in a posh London Hotel.  

Link (hover) here  http://www.nationalbookawards.co.uk/newsstory/a-stellar-line-up-competes-for-this-years-specsavers-national-book-awards/


I won this prize on twitter and entered after doing a search for win London tickets. So pleased as both my daughter whom I am taking with me and myself have birthdays in early December. What a lovely win. Now I need to find a dress for this red carpet event so charity shops/sales here I come.

A Winning Weekend

Home from Wales now enjoyed my week even though it was very wet like everywhere else.

This prize would be amazing for my visits to Wales you can win a  HOT TUB  in time for Christmas here. Now wouldn`t that make a great Christmas pressie

Link   (hover over link) https://www.hottubsbarn.co.uk/company/competition.asp

They will even install it in time for Christmas!


I  will put some competitions from the London papers on my blog this week as I am an avid comper. It`s a great hobby especially when the weather is awful and you just want to stay indoors. I am going to spend this wet weekend entering some competitions.

Theres a great competition here run by Harrods and Mastercard on Twitter or enter on Priceless London website.

MasterCardUK ‏@MasterCardUK

Win the chance for your child to open the @DisneylandParis gates! Find out how with #PricelessLondon and @Harrods http://bit.ly/DisHar 

This link  has some comps to win a VIP ice skating trip and overnight stay in London. Another is for an iphone5 and another is to win prizes worth over £2,000 with Sony.

Link  (hover cursor over link)  http://www.timeout.com/competitions/


This link has competitions to win theatre tickets and another to win £50 in pizza vouchers.

Link (Hover cursor over link)   http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/


Then here you can win everything from Ski-ing to BA flights with the following

Link (hover cursor over link) http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/win.php


South Bank has lots of new competitions including a competition to count the penquins on its winter guide for a chance to win £1,000 worth of prizes.

Link http://www.southbanklondon.com/competitions-and-offers

This one to win  Afternoon Tea for two people worth £50 end on 30/11 so be quick.

Link (hover cursor here) http://www.thetearooms.org/free-prize-draw-win-afternoon-tea-for-two-worth-50/


One of the most informative competition sites is Prizefinder


Link http://www.theprizefinder.com/ which I am a member of as well as their monthly magazine Compers News.

 I will put a selection of London competitions on my blog each weekend. Hope you win something wonderful.

View of Christmas Market on Southbank from London Eye


I entered the above photo recently into a competition will have to wait and see if its a winner.

Stormy Snowdonia Mountain Range

Snowdonia Mountain Range

Snowdonia Mountain range with peaks hidden in cloud

Snowdonia Mountain




The sun came out for a few hours today so I drove through Betswy-coed and up into the Snowdonia mountain range.  It was wild and windy up there but the views were stunning. The tops of the mountains were hidden in stormy clouds and the shrubs still had their Autumn colours.

Wild and Wonderful it certainly is and I didn`t even get  close to Snowdonia herself as the weather was getting worse. Mountains rescue vehicles were parked in the the place I stopped to take photos and only essential driving was advised. I hoped anyone out walking was safely down from the mountains.

I drove the hour back glad I had made the effort to see such natural splendour. It really is magnificent.

www.nwt.co.uk

www.snowdoniaguide.com/mountains.html

Information links above

Chickens, Mud and Castles

I have been in North Wales now for six days and I thought I would list some of the highs and lows of being here. I am looking after my son and daughter-in-laws home and animals. Donkey, goat, 6 chickens, 4 ducks and 2 large dogs. I get a holiday in Wales and they get the chance to go away for a few days, 

The lows:

Firstly I can`t get used to walking the dogs in the evening in the pitch black lanes. Obviously I have a torch but the lack of any street lights is strange.
Keeping my balance on a very muddy field when trying to feed ducks and chickens with a goat attacking the food bucket is fun only once.
Going out on the field to let chickens and ducks back in their runs is another muddy battle.
Then its out on the field with the torch to lock the stable for the night. Mucking out is not much fun either.

Foxes prowl at night hoping for a chicken dinner luckily the chickens and ducks are well protected.

Who would choose to be a farmer its hard enough with just a few animals.

The highs:

The stunningly beautiful North Wales with her mountains rolling over the landscape. My favourite place Conwy with its ancient castle and pretty harbour is only 15 minutes away. The salt air blowing my face red in the wind and the screeching seagulls trying to pinch my sandwich. I come here every time I am in Wales.

Clear night skies that make you feel glad you can stare up at them.

When the wind is howling and its raining like today I practise my limited baking ability. The scones I made went to the dogs as they were very heavy, and I do mean very heavy. The blueberry muffins were a success and I am good at making soups so have made a few of those.

Walking the dogs I enjoy and there is a three miles walk around the hill here which has some nice views along the way. Wet and muddy walk at the moment though. Denbighshire Moors are amazing and the pretty church known as The Marble Church just down the lanes has a very tall steeple. I call it my gateway to Wales because when I see the steeple I know I am nearly there. 

When I am in Wales I want to live here, when I return South I know I would miss the easy access to London. I come from Liverpool so I am a townie but Wales is wrapping me around its fingers tighter with each visit.




Denbighshire Moors

The Marble Church Denbighshire


Welsh tourist Information link   http://wales-tourist-information.co.uk/

Conwy Harbour

Conwy Castle

View from lane









  

Beautiful Stunning North Wales

Conwy Estuary

Snowdonia Mountain Range

I am lucky enough to be in North Wales for a week and couldn't wait to go out with the camera in the soft afternoon light today.

Conwy Castle

Near where I am staying


Fabulous isn`t it

Welsh Tourist Information link  http://wales-tourist-information.co.uk/

Friday London Rant

Why do places say near one tube station when another is closer?

A few examples Covent Garden Travelodge say nearest tube is Covent Garden but Holborn is nearer.

The new H10 Hotel in Waterloo says Waterloo Station is closest but Lambeth is closer.

Important info if you have heavy bags or can`t walk very far and simply annoying for anyone else.

London Tube Sign

Haunted London

I went on a Haunted London Ghost Walk recently with  (london@walks.com) the cost was £9 per person and the walk last around 2 hours.

The walk was really good we heard how a lady buried in her wedding dress walked through the streets leaving fear in her wake. The unfortunate woman was not a ghost but had been buried in the mistaken belief she was dead. Luckily she had not been nailed in a coffin so was able to dig herself free but in the middle of the night in a wedding gown covered in mud she looked ever inch the ghost.

 Another story was of the ghost who came to his father every night saying his teeth were being stolen. Indeed when the father went to the grave it had been vandalised and the corpse teeth removed. Teeth were highly prized in a world when most peoples teeth were rotten and would have sold for a high price.
Innocent looking buildings that housed terror in their basement from long forgotten cells and torture chambers were said to howl in the night.

The leader of the group Peter was excellent and was extremely interested in London and its history. He pointed out blue plaques on the walls of some building which meant they were a place of interest. I have never even noticed these plaques before but there are loads in London apparently.

The walk took use through the banking section of London which is quiet in the evening and added to the ghostly atmosphere. As it was very cold a couple of pubs we passed became welcome pit stops to our group. The walks start from various tube stations and ours started at 7.30pm from Monument Tube Station. The people in the group were a mixed bunch of tourists some from France and America. We all really enjoyed the walk and I am now planning another and can`t wait.

They have intriguing names like `Ghosts, Gaslight and Guiness`  `The City of the Gallows` `Jack the Ripper` and numerous other walks that are not ghost walks.  Walks go on daily morning afternoon and evenings so there is something for everyone.



Timeless London - photo taken by my son Anthony




This my own opinion I am not sponsored by the above company.



We Will Remember

`Were did all the young men go,
went to war ever one`

Friday London Rant

Euston Station


30p to use the toilet!!

Who has 30p in change anyway so you have to wait for the sour faced woman(and who can blame her) to give you some change to put in this money making machine.

What ever happened to 10p?

Trafalger Square Fountain


Can`t think of water right now ha ha

Magic, Tarot and Libraries

I was in the British Library a few days ago as I am interested in the history of Magic amongst other things. I could literally spend every day in this library as books are very important in my life. The British Library has lots of events and art exhibitions as well as beautiful books. It is often neglected by tourists but is well worth a visit. Website link here -  http://www.bl.uk/

The British Library
96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB


On the theme of magic here is a pinterest board I have made

Pinterest link here  -  http://pinterest.com/chrismse1/magic/

uploaded from flicr


I thought this was funny and this one.

 
Organic Witches


Maybe I just have a strange sense of humour but being a Vodka Witch tends to do that. Vodka Witch is a family joke as we have a lot of women in the family hence `Vodka Witches` I prefer wine to be honest.

I read Tarot Cards and have done for many years so I love things like crystals, candles and spooky stories. If you don`t believe in a little magic you will never find any. will you.

No I can`t tell you the lottery numbers and I don`t earn a living from Tarot reading I work supporting young people. In fact I really don`t see how people can pay a mortgage, bills etc from reading cards hence all the silly phone in rubbish. This and stage work bring in the money for some but it is not a good way to give a reading. Reading for someone is personal, it is often emotional for the sitter, and should be a one to one experience. It is impossible over a phone or from a stage. Yes you need to charge for your time and skill but sit with your client please. 

Psychometry - the ability to `read` ( get a connect from)  an object is absolutely possible and is part of any good reading.  For some reason I get a better readings from metal like keys or rings. Practise this yourself it is a learnt skill.

Christmas Lights Oxford Street - If You paid

Marmite Christmas lights get switched on in London. Crowds heaved through Oxford Street as Leona Lewis and Robbie Williams switched on the lights

Pity the poor people who stood for hours in the cold and didn`t have the exculsive tickets. They were not even allowed  near the barriers to watch the big screen.

 Bad show London very Bad!