Day 5
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Day 4
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Day 2
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Win! Yoga Session in East Meon
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Round and About
Only entries from within our circulation areas will be accepted
Please don’t enter if you are not in a Round & About Magazine postcode region
One entry per householder. You must supply a name, address and telephone number
or your entry will not be accepted
Win a free taster session for two people with Wandering Wild Yoga 2024.
Start your new year with a relaxing yoga session with Wandering Wild Yoga.
We’ve teamed up with Stacey Black, founder of Wandering Wild Yoga, East Meon to give Round & About readers the chance to win a taster session.
To enter our prize draw, fill in the form below before 12pm on Friday 22nd December 2023.
Win! Yoga taster class in Guildford
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Only entries from within our circulation areas will be accepted
Please don’t enter if you are not in a Round & About Magazine postcode region
One entry per householder. You must supply a name, address and telephone number
or your entry will not be accepted
Win a free taster class at Vayu Yoga
We are offering five Round & About readers the chance to join a free taster class with Vayu Yoga in Guildford
To enter our prize draw, fill in the form below before 12pm on Friday 22nd December 2023.
Round Table Santa Claus is back
Round & About
Round and About
Catch Santa around Twyford and the surrounding area from December 1st to 17th
Once again, Santa and his enchanting sleigh, brought to you by the Twyford and District Round Table, will be spreading joy throughout the Twyford, Hurst, Wargrave and Ruscombe communities this holiday season.
Our cherished annual tradition of Santa’s sleigh gracing your streets, accompanied by festive tunes, opportunities to wave at Santa himself, and special treats for well-behaved kids, is set to continue between December 1st and 17th. We’ll be kicking-off Santa’s tour at the annual Twyford Together Christmas Fayre on the 1st.
If you can spare some change to drop into our collection buckets when we visit, your generosity will be deeply appreciated. The Twyford and District Round Table relies on contributions from beloved community events like this one, which are then channelled to support local charities such as Daisy’s Dream, Age Concern, Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice, Understanding Dementia, Thames Valley Air Ambulance, and many others.
Stay tuned for updates closer to the event by visiting our Facebook page where we’ll be sharing routes and updates during the period.
We are always looking for volunteers to join us, if you are interested in getting involved just drop us a message on FB.
Tom Kerridge’s luxury box is back
Karen Neville
Round and About
Take the stress out of the festive period and treat yourself to the Michelin-starred chef’s Beef Wellington
Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge’s luxury Beef Wellington box is back this Christmas, so why treat yourself to “the ultimate festive feast”.
The Tom Kerridge Beef Wellington Box is available to order now at https://www.fromtomkerridge.com/ for £215 (including delivery). The majority of chilled courier deliveries will be made on December 23rd, with some being delivered on the 22nd, subject to location.
The Beef Wellington Box, generously serves four and includes a luxury 30-day aged fillet of British Hereford beef from family-owned Stokes Marsh Farm, handmade with a Duxelle and herb crepe, wrapped in an all-butter golden puff pastry, alongside a rich red wine sauce and Cumberland pigs in blankets.
All you need to do is add your own roast potatoes and vegetables. For dessert, enjoy a traditional sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and Christmas spiced brandy butter alongside cubes of salted caramel fudge for the perfect sweet finish.
What’s more, delivery is included and there are even a couple of recipes for suggested veggie side dishes and every order will receive a free foodie gift from Marks & Spencer.
Tom Kerridge says: “Carve into a luxury beef wellington this Christmas, it’s a fantastic foodie centrepiece for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or even Boxing Day. Our Beef Wellington Box has been designed to make your life easier without compromising on flavour, it’s the ultimate festive feast!” The last date for online orders is December 15th.
Stunning installations at Christmas at Kew
Karen Neville
Round and About
Seven new displays as the UK’s original festive lights trail returns to Kew Gardens, November 15th to January 7th
Brand-new installations will showcase Kew Gardens in a whole new light, as the UK’s original festive light trail returns to the world-famous botanic gardens in London this November.
Since the inaugural Christmas at Kew trail in 2013, this unique event has paved the way for festive displays across the country. This year’s trail is a celebration of nature by night, bringing Kew’s incredible natural architecture to life. Visitors can expect the return of seasonal favourites alongside immersive new installations, seven of which are making their UK debut. Not to be missed, Christmas at Kew is enchanting seasonal experience for everyone to enjoy.
New installations for 2023
Bespoke new installations include Lili by TILT, a series of abstract, illuminated flowers that stand at almost three metres tall, towering over visitors. ArtAV return with Trapezoid, one of the longest light tunnels to ever feature at Christmas at Kew, and along Camellia Walk over 400 cascading lights are suspended from the tree canopy, set against an assortment of neon backdrops.
Elsewhere, the Hive – a stunning piece of contemporary artwork at Kew that recreates life inside a beehive – will feature in the trail for the first time. With its 1,000 LED lights aglow and an accompanying musical score, see this unique structure like never before as twilight descends across Kew Gardens.
Creative studio Pitaya return to Kew with Spark Ballet, 24 lanterns filled with subtly sparkling lights that appear to ‘dance’, and candles. This brand-new commission sees one hundred candles suspended in the air, magically appearing to float above visitors’ heads. The flickering flames will illuminate tree-lined passageways to create an enchanting festive atmosphere.
Festive favourites
With many of Kew’s 12,000 trees and other botanical treasures being accentuated along the route, visitors can wander beneath colourful canopies and bushes draped in seasonal sparkle, experiencing nature from a new perspective whilst treasuring the essential role that plants play in all our lives.
Other returning favourites include Kew’s famous Christmas Cathedral, a twinkling tunnel of light inspired by arched church windows, and a newly designed Fire Garden. Over 300 candles will line the path to the Temperate House, the oldest Victorian glasshouse in the world, as flame bulbs create the illusion that this cathedral of glass is glowing from within.
Elsewhere, visitors will be entranced as a series of breath-taking light displays dance across the surface of Kew’s iconic Palm House, and LED lights ‘float’ on the surface of the adjacent lake. This grand finale is set to a memorable playlist of much-loved Christmas classics, guaranteed to stir sentimental memories or provide a soundtrack for new traditions.
To add an extra touch of magic to the Christmas at Kew experience, visitors can book a delicious traditional Christmas dinner at The Botanical Brasserie. Indulge in celeriac and truffle soup, Caramelized shallot, beetroot and mushroom wellington or turkey ballotine stuffed with sausage meat, washed down by a warming glass of mulled wine. Kids favourites can be found at the Family Kitchen & Shop, and tasty treats from a selection of independent street food vendors are available along the route. Treat yourself to loaded hash browns, spiced cider, waffles or hot chocolate.
Sandra Botterell, Director of Marketing and Commercial Enterprise at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, said: “Christmas at Kew is a magical celebration of Kew’s natural landscape, offering sparkle and festivities during the winter months. With an incredible range of brand-new installations and some returning favourites, this year’s trail is guaranteed to be a seasonal spectacle like no other.”
At Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, Glow Wild celebrates a milestone 10 years. Bringing festive magic and wonder to the South East with 10 new installations and myriad hand-crafted lanterns, this winter lantern trail is not to be missed.
Tickets for Christmas at Kew and Glow Wild are available to purchase now at: Royal Botanic Gardens
Win! Quentin Blake rare illustration print
Round & About
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Only entries from within our circulation areas will be accepted
Please don’t enter if you are not in a Round & About Magazine postcode region
One entry per householder. You must supply a name, address and telephone number
or your entry will not be accepted
One lucky winner can win a limited edition Quentin Blake / Roald Dahl print of Nine Hundred and Seventy-four, worth £109 from The Art Of Illustration.
The Art Of Illustration sells limited edition prints by fine illustration artists across the UK, the USA and worldwide.
Featured artists include Sir Quentin Blake, Shirley Hughes, Ronald Searle, Chris Wormell, and many more.
We’ve teamed up woth Julian at The Art Of Illustration to offer one lucky winner a limited edition print, mounted and cellophane-wrapped by Quentin Blake / Roald Dahl – “Nine Hundred and Seventy-four”, worth £109.
To enter our prize draw, fill in the form below before 12pm on Friday 24th November 2023.
Don’t be afraid to cry
Round & About
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Columnist Robbie James says: ” I have an inability to cry but that doesn’t stop me from feeling sad”
I cannot cry to save my life. Up until a few weeks ago, I hadn’t cried for a good few years. Then one evening after a couple of wines I heard Sunshine on Leith by The Proclaimers (one of the greatest love songs of all time) and I sobbed for the next 20 minutes. I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t crying for any particular reason, my body just fancied a change, and I’m relieved because I missed the feeling you get after you cry – it’s so cathartic and calming. Almost like it’s a natural thing to do, who knew!?
We love to be sorry for crying don’t we. How often do we hear ‘’I’m so sorry I don’t know why I’m crying at such a silly little thing’’. It actually bothers me that I don’t cry more. Sometimes my family or pals think I don’t care as much as them about things. Of course I do, I absolutely do, I just cannot squeeze tears out of my eyes no matter how many times my beloved Scotland get knocked out of the Rugby World Cup.
I substitute crying for running until I can’t run anymore. If I’m feeling good that day, I’ll listen to music that encourages those feelings. But if I’m feeling a bit sad, I’ll absolutely run to Adele. I go and see a therapist every month regardless of how I’m feeling, but I’m there for the same reason every time I go. To learn about my brain (and by the way, it’s a task we’ll never actually fully complete, that’s important to remember).
It’s great to see so many people advocating looking after our brains on Instagram, and the intention is a good one. But we love to encourage each other to try and feel better instantly. It’s a natural instinct to avoid feeling sad, but to my completely untrained brain it doesn’t feel particularly healthy.
We see people saying ‘’I haven’t been feeling great recently but I’m through it by doing this and that, and if you do these things you will be too. Come on. Do them. Hurry up. Feel better, do it now. SADNESS IS BAD’’. Surely this invasion tactic ultimately teaches us nothing. There will always be periods of sadness or low mood, and if we don’t bother to try and understand them when it’s happening, we’ll be in no better place to cope with it when it comes back around again.
At the same time, when things are going well and we’re feeling good – we never really stop and think – ‘’why is it that things are good? What’s making me feel this way about stuff?’’. If we understand and notice the triggers then maybe that might come in handy one day when we’re feeling awful about everything. To use the classic ‘’treat your mental health like your physical health’’ analogy – most of us hygienic lot don’t only go to the dentist when we’ve lost a molar, we go every six months to check all is ok – if it is, great, at least we’ve checked up.
So in short, let’s embrace every feeling, we don’t have to run away from sadness. If you take time to understand rather than fight your brain, you’ll probably be in a better place in the long run. Oh, and if you cry at anything and everything, keep doing it. I’m jealous.
