Knights - Clint Twist illustrated by Nicki Palin

Synopsis: Come face to face with charging horsemen as they clash in battle, revel at a lord's feast, and join the crowd as they watch the pomp and ceremony of a joust. Pop-ups, sounds and amazing facts combine in this lively exploration of medieval life.

http://www.templarco.co.uk/novelty/sounds_of_the_past.html

Hot Brands Cool Places Verdict
This is a fabulous book, full of wonderful sound effects. Our junior reviewers were intrigued as they turned the pages and more incredible sounds emerged. The illustrations are stunning, and we loved the way the historical information is inter-woven within the book.

A brilliant concept, sure to delight children of all ages! Highly Recommended!

And if your children are excited by Knights there is more news for them in the entry below!

ALNWICK CASTLE AND THE ALNWICK GARDEN – EASTER IDEAS FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
Knights a plenty at the Alnwick Castle - Dragons visit Alnwick in honour of St Georges Day –?
Throughout April, visitors to the Alnwick Castle will be met by the sights and sounds of Medieval Britain as the 1,000 year old Fortress turns into a fairground for knights and dragons.

An enormous 10ft high animatronic dragon, complete with flapping wings, blinking eyes and bellowing smoke from its nostrils, will take visitors by surprise as it roars into the Castle on the 25th April.

And to celebrate St George’s Day and re-live some of the Saint’s dragon-slaying glory, visitors will have the chance to become a knight for the day. Learn how to joust like a professional and take part in the Knight’s Quest - dragons beware!

The stunning Castle esplanade will also once again be home to falconry displays, back by popular demand.

The Alnwick Garden in Bloom
The Alnwick in Bloom Spring Show at The Garden will provide the perfect family outing where you’ll be able to experience embroidery and floral art exhibitions, plus woodturning and sugar craft demonstrations.
Mad Hatters will roam the grounds with hat and cupcake making workshops and visitors will be able to get involved in a jamboree sing-along. Students from Newcastle College will join the fun to showcase their specially commissioned art work of all things nature.
For more information on The Alnwick Garden and Castle, please visit: www.alnwickgarden.com / www.alnwickcastle.com

DISNEY AND CORINE DE FARME LAUNCH SOFT AND SOOTHING BABYCARE RANGE
New range specially formulated to take care of sensitive baby skin
London – March 7, 2011 – Disney has teamed up with French skincare experts Corine de Farme to lovingly create a range of bathtime products for babies. The range, featuring Disney?s loveable bear Winnie the Pooh, is designed to be soft, soothing and safe for newborn hair and skin, and is available nationwide in Boots UK stores.

The new products include all the essentials to pamper babies at bathtime, formulated with gentle, soft ingredients that work in harmony with the natural delicacy of your baby?s skin. Each product features a delightful image of Winnie the Pooh, including Pooh playing with his friend Piglet and hugging the bouncy friendly tiger, Tigger.

The Hair & Body Wash has been developed with an ultra-sensitive formulation that is perfect for babies from birth, while the Baby Shampoo will leave your little one?s hair soft and moisturised. The Baby Bath prevents young skin from drying, leaving it smooth to the touch, and the soothing Baby Lotion is designed to protect and moisturise after bathtime is done.

“Bathtime is so important for babies, and should be a fun and soothing experience for both parent and child,” commented a Disney spokesperson. “The new Disney and Corine de Farme babycare range featuring the lovable Winnie the Pooh has been carefully formulated and developed to ensure it gives babies the extra special care they deserve.”

The range is now available in Boots UK stores, with each product priced at £2.69.
All of the products are hypoallergenic and dermatologically tested and free from parabens, alcohol and colourant.

HEATHROW'S TOP TRAVEL TIPS FOR FAMILIES FLYING THIS EASTER
Heathrow, which flies more people to and from the world's biggest cities than any other UK airport, is preparing for its busiest month this year with more than 5.5 million passengers set to pass through the airport terminals this Easter.

To help make families' journeys as smooth as possible, Heathrow has lined up lots of fun activities to entertain little ones this April. There are also plenty of services which parents can take advantage of this Easter - and all year round - to make travelling with children easier.

FREE FAMILY FUN

. Easter bunnies will be handing out over 100,000 free mini Cadbury Creme Eggs to children across all four terminals

. Heathrow staff will be handing out free iSpy books and bendy pencils to keep kids busy and entertained before their flight

. Much-loved cartoon characters, Peppa Pig and Humungousaur, will be roving around the terminals to meet and greet kids travelling through the airport on the busiest days in April

. Kids eat free for the whole month of April at Est Caffe in Terminal 1, Dining Street Restaurant & Bar at Terminal 4 and Huxleys in Terminal 5. Firm family favourites such as Giraffe, Bridge Bar & Eating House, Pret A Manger and Chez Gérard will also be adding new kids dishes on their menus

. Fancy giving your kids a run around before the flight? Heathrow is setting up a pre-flight play area in Terminal 5 over the busiest weekend of the holidays where children can use up all their energy before the journey ahead

HEATHROW'S HERE TO HELP

. The Heathrow Journey Team handle a range of passenger care needs from customer service and shopping assistance to wayfinding. Dressed in purple uniforms they are dotted all around the terminals and are on hand to help out with any passenger request from pharmacy to food, they just need to ask!

. Unsure what you can and can't pack in your hand luggage? Heathrow has produced a security leaflet giving families all the information they need to get through security quickly. It's available to download from the website here: http://tinyurl.com/3pffsyb

. We know having enough baby food and milk, as well as getting it though security, are among the biggest concerns for parents travelling with young children. Parents can reserve baby milk ahead of time from Boots stores airside and collect it before they board. For complete peace of mind simply visit Reserve & Collect and your order will be ready for you when you reach the departure lounge

. Plan your entire airport visit from the palm of your hand with Heathrow's free app. This complete mobile advice service helps passengers locate and book the most convenient method of transport to the airport, whilst providing up to the minute information on check-in procedures, airport news and terminal details. Once at the airport, the app provides detailed terminal maps, shop locations and even the latest retail offers, linked to directly from Heathrow's Twitter feed

. Run out of battery? There are free charging points located in the seating areas and at most gates across Heathrow terminals for passengers to charge their phones, laptops and games before they board

. There are baby change areas and free drinking water fountains in each terminal at Heathrow, both before and after security control - most of
which are located alongside the toilet blocks

'LOST' CLIVEDEN MAZE RECREATED WITH 1,000 6'6FT YEW TREES
A 'lost' maze in the National Trust gardens at Cliveden in Buckinghamshire that disappeared for over half a century has been re-created using over 1,000 two metre (six feet six inches) high yew trees.

The fully-fledged maze is based on one that was built for Lord Astor in 1894 but had ceased to be maintained since the mid-1900s.

The new maze, a horticultural project on a scale rarely seen these days, has taken two years to create, using over 1,000 metres of steel edging and 120 tonnes of gravel to produce 500 metres of path over one third of an acre. It is the same size as the world-famous Hampton Court maze.

Lord Astor's designs for the maze were discovered in National Trust archives in 2005. Apart from a few surviving yew trees that provided the exact location of the maze, little else was known about the original maze.

The two-year project was led by Cliveden's Head Gardener Andrew Mudge. He said: "Once we found the old plans in 2005 we just felt compelled to recreate it. It took a lot of research and planning to firstly draw out the plans, and to prepare the ground.

"The maze has been built as close as possible to the original maze site, the clearance involved removing the last remnants of the original maze and some poor trees and shrubs and perennial weeds, the whole area then had to be leveled.

"Finding enough fully grown yew trees to complete the maze was the most challenging part, but once we found a supplier we managed to plant all 1,100 12-year-old trees in 20 days in October and November last year, which is of course the best time of year to plant most tree types.

"Yew trees create great mazes because they readily form dense hedges and are easily clipped into shape.

"The maze will take a little while to really establish itself and fill out, but it's fantastic that people can enjoy it straight away. And don't worry, you can't cheat by pushing through the hedges because they are all enclosed by metal railings.

"And because it's yet to appear on Google Earth, there's no cheating using mobile phones either, so its a real treat for people who want to puzzle their way in and out of the maze."

Each tree on arrival, weighed approximately 60 kilograms, and four 40 foot long lorries were required to transport them.

Mike Calnan, Head of Gardens and Parks at the National Trust, said: "Mazes provide a perfect opportunity for people to get outdoors and to have fun exploring these rare, but important features from our gardening past. The Cliveden maze will be the most important yew maze the Trust will have restored to date."

The Maze is a highlight in Cliveden's ongoing renaissance to return it to its former 19th Century splendour, when the grounds were world famous for their sophisticated planting and landscaping. Other recent developments include the opening up of long lost vistas and footpaths and the re-instatement of historical planting schemes.

The maze is one of six at National Trust properties [1]. Alan Titchmarsh, broadcaster, writer and gardener will officially open the maze on Friday together with Lord Astor, whose great-grandfather William Waldorf, the 1st Viscount Astor, was the creator of Cliveden's original maze.
"Extraordinary feats of garden engineering on this scale are few and far between these days, and I feel very privileged to be opening such a piece of horticultural history," said Alan.

"Cliveden's maze is certainly something to be treasured; as an iconic symbol of its Victorian heyday and the programme of restoration the gardens are now undergoing, but also as an extremely enjoyable addition for visitors to this beautiful landscape."
To help mark the official opening there will be a puppet shows, and a roving magician and juggler to entertain visitors of all ages across the opening weekend.

Cliveden is open daily from 10am to 5.30pm, with the maze open 10am to 5.00pm. For more information and admission prices visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cliveden or call 01628 605069.

* Belton House, Lincolnshire - box tree maze. Belton's maze was planted with box plants - Boxus Sempervirens in spring 2001. The trees are about 54 inches high at present.

* Glendurgan garden, Cornwall - one metre high laurel maze. The Glendurgan Maze was planted in 1833 by Alfred Fox, using Cherry Laurel. His inspiration was the then famous maze in the Sydney Gardens in Bath, with the thatched summer-house, in the centre of the maze, following the design of the original. The hedges are three-four feet high

* Greys Court, the Archbishop's Maze, Oxfordshire - not a conventional maze, but rather a flat brick and turf maze designed by Randall Coate and Adrian Fisher in 1981, said to have been inspired by the enthronement speech of Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, in which he referred to "the maze of life".

* Tatton Park, Cheshire - beech maze. Garden mazes have always been a popular feature in landscaped gardens and the maze at Tatton is no exception. It is one of the two hedged mazes in gardens owned by the National Trust. According to records, the Tatton maze was well established by 1795.
Planted with a mixture of Hornbeam and Beech, which are, of course, deciduous, means it is only possible to get totally lost in it during the Summer! A new centrepiece was created in 2008, by local chainsaw artist, Tim Burgess. The figure winds out of the trunk of a dead Cedar and incorporates a number of historical features. He holds a compass, referencing the journeys of the 'great traveller', Maurice Egerton, twisting ferns create hands and arms, reflecting the many fern cultivars found in the gardens and his face has a little of Knutsford's legendary 'King Canute' in his expression.

* Cragside, Northumberland - a naturally formed rhododendron labyrinth. Visitors need to find their way through a maze of twisted rhododendron trunks to find wooden creatures at the centre. There are loads of hiding places and different directions to go in.

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