I used to go at least once a week to get my fix of feature length action, thrills and adventure; which looking back on it was probably a little too much. So instead, I chose to save the money and invest in a 52” Flat Screen TV and a surround sound system and create my own personal home cinema.

It was amazing! I already had my LazyBoy chair (well, a cheaper knock-off version) and signed up to LoveFilm (before the amazing Groupon LoveFilm discounts…damn!) and had the world of film at my fingertips.

I was quite content at first even though I wasn’t watching all latest films, as it gave me the chance to catch up on all the great films I never got around to watching – which was a good as watching the new releases to me. I think I was watching close to 7 films per week and loved every minute of it. However, I soon exhausted many of the films I really wanted to see and there was a film being released in the cinema that I really wanted to see opening night – ‘The Dark Knight’.

So we decided to get some advanced preview tickets and squeezed ourselves into a packed cinema. I looked around to see a sea of people and had a feeling it was going to be one of those showings where people would be talking throughout, and phones going off left right and centre. I almost longed long to be back in my LazyBoy watching the film at home by myself. But after 15 minutes or so, I realised that no matter how large my TV was or how loud my surround sound was – I could never match the experience of the cinema.

Although I was probably well into my hundredths in trips to the cinema, and it not being deepest of movies ever; this 15 minutes may has just been the most poignant for me regarding my relationship with cinema and film in general.

There were 200 of us in the cinema all thinking and feeling the same thing, immersed in the film, feeding off each other’s energy. Say what you will about the film, but the experience was one I could never duplicate at home or anywhere. For the first time in a long time my enjoyment of the film was enhanced by those around me, indirectly sharing the enjoyment and with one another. As much as some people may annoy me in the cinema, I realised that watching a film in the theatre cannot be topped.

The cinema really can be a magical place. A lot does rely on the quality of the film in front of you but when the film is right, there’s nothing better that diving into some popcorn (sweet or salted…doesn’t matter), getting a drink so large that you can’t hold it with one hand, and losing yourself in a fantasy world for 2 hours or so. There’s really not much I’d rather do!

You may have seen it previously on Groupon but to the sound of a theatre full of rapturous applause; the ODEON cinema deal has returned offering you Cinema Admission from £5 at ODEON.

So whether it’s a nail-biting thriller, teary-eyed drama, or a film for some family fun; cinema-goers can watch the story unfold in the comfort of their auditorium seat. Surround sound technology, the sweet smell of popcorn and the reactions of fellow film lover added to the occasion.

Photography By achassignon, marvelousRoland and derrickcolins

Regardless, every time the Olympics rolled around, I watched my competition closely, especially noting their ages. At age nine, I thought I had a few years to get my gymnastics to an Olympic level. At twelve, I figured I still had some time to get my swimming up to speed. But as the years passed, I watched my Olympic dream slip through my fingers. At twenty, I realised that I would never be an Olympic gymnast (standing at 5’10” in my bare feet wasn’t helping, either). At twenty-two, I realised my slow, steady laps probably weren’t ever going to land me a swimming medal.

So now, in my mid-thirties, I should probably just face facts. I will never, ever represent my country as an Olympian, right? Well, not necessarily! Though it’s a long shot, there is still hope:

• At age 41, Dara Torres raced for the U.S. Olympic swim team, winning silver medals in all three events that she competed in.




• British swimmer Mark Foster beat out other hopefuls half his age for a spot at the 2008 Olympics at 38-years-old.




• Sir Steven Redgrave won gold in five consecutive Olympics, before retiring at age 38 in 2000.

Even more surprisingly…

• At age 43, American actress Geena Davis, better known for her roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘A League of Their Own’, qualified for the semi-finals for the US Olympic archery team, ultimately placing 24th out of 300 hopefuls.

All very impressive. But that still doesn’t give me a lot of time, especially since most of these sports superstars have been competing since youth. No, my hope stems from the news that Japanese dressage rider, Hiroshi Koketsu, will be competing at the London games at 71-years-old!

Again, Koketsu is not new to his sport. He rode dressage way back in the 1964 Tokyo games. After almost half a century, he returned to Olympic dressage in 2008 in Beijing as the oldest competitor. But even at 71, Koketsu will not be the oldest Olympian ever. Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn, who took part in the 1920 Antwerp Games, competed at the age of 72 years and 10 months and won a silver medal.

It’s not just Olympic athletes that are accomplishing amazing sports feats at a more ‘mature’ age, either. British citizen Fauja Singh says he has retired from running the marathon after this year’s Virgin London marathon- after completing it at 101! And at age 76, Min Bahadur Sherchan became the oldest person to scale Mt. Everest.

I guess my point is that it’s never too late to start. Whether you’re a jogger debating your first race or a couch potato who thinks you’ll never be fit, be inspired by these amazing people who don’t let age dictate accomplishment!

So will I ever be an Olympian? Chances are still not great. But maybe… just maybe when I watch Koketsu competing in the event known as “Horse Ballet” in this summer’s games I’ll start investing in a few riding lessons

Hey…you never know!?

P.s Regardless of which sport I decided to try crack the Olympics at; having the right gear and support is important not only for athletes, but all of us girls who go to the gym or like to keep fit. There is a fabulous deal available on Groupon today. which gives you £20 for £40 to Spend on Branded Sports Bras distributed by SportsBraBar.

Offering an invite into a world of bra brands, shapes, and sizes, this £40 voucher can be used towards any of the colourful sports bras on the SportsBraBar website. For sporty girls looking for high impact protection the Shock Absorber B5063 (£32) with adjustable straps provides comfort and support in sizes 30B up to 38DD, while for girls looking for break a little more of a sweat, the Triumph Fusion Star N Bra (£39.90) offers maximum support for curves up to a 40D. Once the correct size, shape, and resistance has been selected, free delivery and even an exchange if the bra isn’t suitable.

Photography by catfordCelt, david_shankbone and ProAdventure

Groupon’s business is beautifully simple: we feature daily offers on some of the best local businesses in the UK, giving customers more buying power and merchants more profits. This self-evident value proposition has propelled Groupon into becoming what some have called the fastest growing company in history. While we’ve endeavoured to meet the massive public demand for our offers while maintaining our bar for service, there are times we’ve failed.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) noticed, and recommended a number of changes based on incidents they observed last year that would improve our customer experience http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/19-12. Frankly, we’re grateful that any time someone takes the time to give us feedback on how to better serve our customers. Many of their suggested changes were already underway, and the rest we will implement with haste.

To the Groupon customers that experienced the negative side effects of our growth: we’re sorry. We believe that the only way to build a company that lasts is to provide the best customer experience in the world, and it pains us when we fall short.

Our commitment is this: we are going to get this right. We won’t stop until we are known for having the best customer service in the UK. And we appreciate your help in getting there. If you see ways that we can improve, or if you feel we aren’t living up to our end of the bargain, please let us know .

The Details: Where we messed up, and how we’re making it right

The OFT issued a statement this morning summarising where Groupon in the UK can improve, but we want to be exceedingly transparent about the issues the OFT identified and what we are doing to resolve their concerns.

Price / Discount Clarity

Groupon offers range from 50% to 70% off – but 50% to 70% off what, exactly? We originally took our merchants’ word on reference prices – the prices we use to determine our discounts – but the OFT observed that many merchants define retail value at different amounts in different places, and asked us to be clearer on where we’re finding our reference prices.

How we’re making it right

• Since June 2011, we now check and recheck the reference price, which the discount is based on and make sure that what we say is being offered, is actually being offered.
• In addition, we clearly show the source of all our reference prices on our offers.

Merchant Capacity Planning

It’s not uncommon for merchants to struggle with a lack of customers, but with Groupon’s popularity, some have faced a new challenge: what happens when you attract too many? The answer is bad experiences for customers – who sometimes can’t get a reservation for months – as well as merchants, who are overwhelmed by the stress. Overwhelmed merchants are unhappy merchants, and unhappy merchants result in unhappy customers, neither of which makes us here at Groupon happy.

How we’re making it right

While we’ve always allowed merchants to limit the number of Groupons they sell, many merchants are unfamiliar with how much capacity their business can actually handle. As pioneers of the industry, we take it as our responsibility to help merchants learn to plan around capacity and properly set deal limits, by doing the following:

• We run the merchant businesses through a capacity calculator and consult with them to determine the right limit for their business.
• We will provide merchants with a free online scheduling system allowing customers to book appointments at the time of purchase.
• We confirm with the merchant prior to the offer being promoted, that they are capable of fulfilling the offer.
• We have started an ongoing due diligence programme that incorporates live and continuous checks based on customer and operational feedback at all stages of the deal.

Deal “Time Remaining” Clarity

When we started Groupon, all offers were only available for 24 hours. Responding to customer feedback that 24 hours wasn’t enough time to make a decision, especially on higher price point offers like Lasik eye surgery or hotel packages, we decided to expand the availability of some of our offers to three days – and sometimes other periods. However, due to limitations in the way we built our website in Europe, it was far easier to run three sequential 24 hour offers than make changes allowing us to run a single deal for, say, 72 hours. This was a sloppy shortcut, and the OFT understandably concluded that the three sequential 24 hours created a misleading sense of urgency.

What we’re doing to make it right

• We’re now making the changes to allow us to run offers for many time periods, including the 72-hour offer.
• We are updating our FAQs to explain how our “time-remaining clocks” work.

Errors in Deal Descriptions

Groupon UK features over 250 offers every day across more than 500 types of business in more than 50 UK cities and towns. While we have a team of 70 people committed to our quality control and fact checking processes, the OFT identified a number of mistakes in offers we’ve featured that our teams didn’t catch. We missed important details of offers and had to email customers with corrections after they made their purchase. For example: giving customers a misleading perception of the deal and its value.

What we’re doing to make it right

We’re committing to beefing up our quality control processes by doing the following:

• Credit checks on every merchant, reducing the risk of unsavoury businesses being promoted.
• Every offer is fact-checked by the Groupon editorial team prior to launch.
• Prior to launch, we confirm and agree the fine print of every offer with the merchant.
• Emailing a preview of the offer to all merchants in advance of the feature, giving them the opportunity to point out errors we overlooked.

Substantiating Marketing Claims

At times, we’ve taken the marketing claims of our merchants at face value when we should have shown more scepticism. Particularly with health and beauty products, we’ve reprinted merchant claims of efficacy without doing the research ourselves.

What we’re doing to make it right

• We established an internal compliance database on 4 January 2012 to track the claims that our merchants want us to make when we describe their offers.
• We will continue to populate this database and provide extracts to regulators like the OFT for compliance reporting.
  The Groupon fact-check team confirms that all health and beauty claims are backed by scientific evidence and we are working with the Advertising Standards Authority on this.

7 Day Refund Period

While “The Groupon Promise” grants any customer a full refund for their Groupon if they have a bad experience with a merchant, we also grant customers a refund for any reason within 7 working days. Sometimes, like last Christmas, we were overwhelmed with people phoning in with questions and some people couldn’t get through who wanted a refund.

What we’re doing to make it right

• We have expanded our customer support so that all our callers can be answered.
• We are constantly reviewing our customer support metrics to ensure that customers receive high levels of service.

Sprinkle Baked Cupcakes (Makes 12)

Ingredients

• 125g Caster Sugar
• 125g Butter
• 1 Egg
• 2Tbsp Milk
• 1Tsp Vanilla Essence
• 125g Self-Raising Flour
• 100g White Chocolate
• 1 Tub of Sprinkles

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 175 degrees and cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl. Next add the egg, milk and Vanilla Essence and mix together until fully combined.

2. Next, add the flour and give another good mix. You should have a nice thick cake mix as shown above. Finally add in half the tub of sprinkles and stir gently using a spoon.

3. Line a mini cupcake pan with mini cupcake liners and spoon about a teaspoon of mixture into each one. Pop into the oven and bake for approx 10 mins.

4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Now its just time to top with extra sprinkles. Melt your white chocolate and dip each cupcake into it covering the top completely.

5. Finally dip the cupcakes into the sprinkles (while the white chocolate is still wet) and allow to set before serving.

Enjoy!

P.s If you’ve been reading my past blogs you know I have a penchant for all things iPad related, and have found you some great deals on Groupon in the past. I did promise to try and stick to food or kitchen related deals but once again my head has been turned and there are two great iPad offers available today. This first is for an Aluminium iPad Case With Built-in Bluetooth Keyboard: One (£29), Two (£55), or Three (£79) – with up to 62% off; and the second is for Waterproof Case and Headphones For iPhone (£11) or For iPad (£13) from icasehut – with up to 57% off.

The aluminium cases offers a a protection for your iPad, as well as a full QWERTY Bluetooth keyboard. An inbuilt rechargeable battery keeps power topped up and lasts for up to 60 days in standby mode. The plug in and play function allows for easy use and an auto sleep and wake function when inserting or removing the iPad, which also serves to prolong the battery life.

The waterproof cases are designed to keep iPhones, iPads safe to use around liquid, and are ideal when on holiday or by the pool. The waterproof headphones can bring the noise even in torrential downpours. It comes with an easy-carry strap ensures and is constructed to fit iPhones and iPads like a glove, these cases can also safeguard most other smartphones and tablets.

Recipe and Photography by Iced Jems

As soon as you have an estimated number of guests and volunteers, it is time to plan what can be done. First you need a collection of tables and chairs. They do not need to look great – mix and match and recycling is perfect.

Doilies always bring a wonderfully delicate touch too any occasion. Get a selection of sizes and place them in a line through the centre of your tables. They also can be made into interesting bunting: just fold them in half over a ribbon, gluing them on the fabric. Smaller ones (folded too) can wear the guests’ names or a trivia question with the answer inscribed inside. Another idea would be to print pictures showing milestones of the Queen’s life – her coronation, her wedding… and use them for invites, menus, programmes or simply make a garland of them.

Look out for cheap teapots in charity shop and carboot sales, which make for vases – especially when you add Union Jack coloured flowers in them. This is very simple to do: separate bunches of white flowers (give it a try with daisies from your lawn) in 3 vases. Add blue food colouring in one, red to another. In 24 hours, the blooms will have absorbed the new hue.

When it comes to food – the simpler the better. Barbecues always are greatly welcomed by everyone and they’re fairly easy to do. A Victorian sponge cake seems an absolute must; just add a twist by adding a tiny bunting topper: to do this, you will need two wooden skewers, a thread glued to each and masking take (different patterns/colours if you can). On the thread, fold rectangles of the tapes, then cut them in a triangle. You can choose to use them for a message (Happy Jubilee for e.g.) and have one flag per letter.

Another idea would be to have an afternoon tea street party with lots of scones, clotted cream and jam. Add cakes topped with icing, strawberries and blueberries for a patriotic effect.

A perfect finale would be having blue, white and red balloons filled with helium. Attach a note to it, with maybe a special email address for the occasion and release them. My family often does this for birthday parties and you would be amazed at how far some of those have gone!

How about you? Have you planned anything special for the Jubilee, maybe go to London for the day and enjoy the joy in the street or celebrate at home with friends?

Photography by RenderDonkey, baggyjumper and HerryLawford

In the Cinema – Present

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

(Mel Gibson, Peter Stormare, Bob Gunton)

No film in the recent months come with more baggage than Mel Gibson’s latest shoot-em-up, How I Spent My Summer Vacation (or Get the Gringo, as it’s known in the US). The release of Gibson’s bizarre, obscenity-filled rant at Basic Instinct screenwriter Joe Eszterhas shocked the world and his stability has been called into question yet again. The shame of this is, whilst Gibson is paving his own way for self-destruction, as an actor he’s very much still in the game. His on-screen presence and his comic timing, the sharp script (also contributed to by Gibson) and excellent direction from Adrian Grunberg ensure this latest effort, whilst in some ways misguided, is a highly enjoyable slice of entertainment.

One to Rent – Past

Black Pond

(Chris Langham, Simon Amstell, Amanda Hadingue)

A daring and original feature-length directorial debut from writer/director team Tom Kingsley and Will Sharpe, this dark British comedy is a wonderful achievement considering it was made on a £25,000 budget. The Thick of It fans will be pleased to see the return of Langham as Tom Thompson, the father figure of a family accused of murdering a stranger who they invite for dinner. Hadingue is sterling in the role of insecure wife Sophie, whilst Amstell’s turn as a meddling psychiatrist is somewhat of an audience divider (although I greatly enjoyed it). Shot in a faux-documentary style with talking head interviews, the plot is revealed in tantalising portions whilst we observe the full extent of their family dysfunction. Expect good things from Sharpe and Kingsley.

Coming Soon – Future

Moonrise Kingdom

(Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Edward Norton)

Moonrise Kingdom, released in the UK on 25th May, is the latest offering from Wes Anderson, one of the finest, and funniest, directors in cinema today. Two untainted child actors (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) are supported by all all-star cast, including Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Frances McDormand and Anderson favourite, Jason Schwartzman.

Setting the film in 1965 ensures vibrancy in colour and a nod to Anderson’s quirky style through costume, whilst also serving as a relevantly innocent time to backdrop the sweet simplicity of two twelve year-olds running away together. This sparks a manhunt for their return from various different adults who have the added pressure of an encroaching storm.

If Anderson’s previous releases such as The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited are anything to go by, expect quirky charm and beautiful cinematography from Moonrise Kingdom.

I hope there’s something that everyone will enjoy in this week’s picks – come rain or shine, there’s always something worth staying in for.

The plan was to spend day one in the theme park and day two in the waterpark, and weather wise that worked out just right. That’s the beauty of choosing to stay over – if the weather doesn’t play ball one day, you can always try again on day two. Luckily, we were blessed with a lovely, sunny day so, after dropping off our bags to a very warm welcome at the hotel, we headed to the park.

What always impresses me about Alton Towers, and sets it apart from other theme parks, is the attention to detail. From the music that’s piped around the park, to the great characters that you might be lucky enough to bump into, to the super-friendly staff – you really get the sense of being in a fun ‘Alton Towers’ bubble.

There’s also plenty to appeal to all ages on the park – with every member of the family catered to individually. Storybook Land, old McDonald’s Farmyard and Cloud Cuckoo Land are great for little ones, Mutiny Bay, the Gloomy Wood, Adventure Land and Katanga Canyon are great for family fun, whereas Forbidden Valley, Dark Forest and X Sector are great for older thrill seekers.

Favourite rides among my older boys are Sonic Spinball (and we were lucky enough to bump into the blue hedgehog himself!), the Runaway Mine Train and Thirteen. My littlest loves the Wobble World indoor play area (a great place to grab a latte or an icecream) and the Peugeot Driving School. My personal favourites are Thirteen and Nemesis – as I’m a sucker for anything that combines speed with spooks. I also think ghost train ride Duel is an oldie but a goodie for all ages!

They’ve been busy on the park this year, with two great new rides to add to the list. The Ice Age 4D Experience is a fab new family attraction, which we all enjoyed – and we also bumped into some characters from the film (including a hilarious giant nut!). The other new ride/attraction for 2012 is Nemesis Sub-Terra, which threw up quite a surprise. The great thing about this ride is that it’s completely hidden from view, adding to the mystery for first timers. It’s also fantastically themed, but don’t go into it expecting Nemesis part 2 as it’s something altogether different and unique.

The quality and variety of the rides and attractions at Alton Towers is exceptional, and mixes traditional favourites such as the Flume and rollercoasters, with some exciting new concept rides. In my opinion, it’s the best family theme park in the UK, without doubt.

Despite having all day, we didn’t manage to get all around the park, so we were excited to learn that staying in the hotel meant that we got to enter the park an hour before opening on day two. You can also get two days in the park for the price of one when staying in the hotel, so it wouldn’t cost us any extra.

It’s impossible to fault either hotel. The Splash Landings is Caribbean themed and slightly more laid back and fun loving – whereas the Alton Towers hotel also has a nautical ‘explorer’ theme but is slightly more reserved. Our room was spacious with a fun theme, and overlooked the outdoor area of the waterpark for a great view. We ate in the Secret Garden restaurant in the Alton Towers Hotel (the two hotels are connected by an internal walkway, so there’s no need to leave the building), and I’d recommend it without hesitation. The food, for all the family, was excellent, as was the service, the views and the ‘magical garden’ theme.

The following day, after catching up on the rides we’d missed on the park, we grabbed our rubber duckies and headed to the Splash Landing waterpark. As with the theme park, the waterpark has a good mix of attractions to suit all ages – with the thrilling Master Blaster ride being a firm favourite with my boys.

All in all, the Alton Towers resort has more than enough to keep families, couples and groups occupied for a short break, with evening entertainment, a spa, a golf course and special events also thrown into the mix. If you haven’t been to Alton Towers yet, make 2012 the year you check out this great theme park. And if you fancy a short break away, you’ll find great packages to the Splash Landings or Alton Towers hotel, to make the fun last longer!

P.s With summer just around the corner it’s not only the kids that are excited. I absolutely love the time of year, and its a great opportunity to make use of the garden and catch some rays, or invite the friends and family over for a BBQ to enjoy some good food and great weather. I know most of you are probably the same, which is why I thought I’d share with you this fabulous deal for a Rattan Garden Furniture Stack or Sofa Set or Cube Set from £229 available on Groupon today.

These garden sets are made from hard wearing rattan and come with a 12 month guarantee against the elements. The two seater set is made of brown rattan and comprises a glass topped table and two chairs, which can be stacked neatly away in a vase shape during the winter months. The sofa set lounges around with a tempered glass coffee table, a two seater sofa, and two arm-chairs, all coloured in a dark chocolate-hued weave. And finally, the largest but no less clever cube set contains a glass table, four chairs and four stools, which all pack into a space saving box when not in use. All sets come with cushions for comfort.

Photography by Defragged, ThrottleUK, Rollercoaster Philosophy and Mallorca-inspiration

FILM: The Rooftop Filmclub, The Queen Of Hoxton, Ongoing

Although the weather may be fighting the fact, summer is just around the corner. Accordingly, The Rooftop Filmclub is back in business. Forget a stuffy-summer-cinema (or overzealous, flip-flop hating air-con), The Rooftop Film Club offers cult-classics under a blanket of weather-permitting stars. The Queen of Hoxton hosts the event, promising a big screen, wireless headphones and comfy seats. Upcoming features include “Some Like It Hot”,” Purple Rain”, “Casablanca” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. But hurry . . . tickets are selling like cool-and-comfortable cakes.

THEATRE: REDFest, Old Red Lion Theatre, Until Saturday

A couple of weeks ago I recommended REDFest; a three week event celebrating the very best in New Writing, at the Old Red Lion. Over the last three weeks 18 short plays have been premiered and performed across the festival, with six being shortlisted for the coveted award of ‘Best New Play’. This week one of the remaining six will be chosen – by votes placed by the audience and industry professionals. From gut-wrenching tragedy to gut-shaking hilarity, REDfest caters for everyone. Think of it as a theatrical Pot-Luck, where you are invited to vote for your favourite dish.

MUSIC: The xx, The Electrowerkz, Monday May 14th

The xx have just announced a few warm-up dates prior to the big summer festivals. Here is your opportunity to see the Mercury award winners in a (relatively) intimate setting. The acclaimed band make stark, dark, beautifully melancholic pop; perfect to twist your pivots to.

ART: World Photography Awards Exhibition, Somerset House, Until May 20th

It’s your last chance to see the highly recommended World Photography Awards Exhibition at Somerset House. The stunning show features the top images from the Sony World Photography Awards; including contemporary documentary, sport, portraiture, landscape and fashion photography. The event also boasts a programme of talks and workshops. Un-missable, it’s quite simply overflowing with beautiful, inspirational work.

WILDCARD: Ben & Jerry’s Core Tour: Free Ice Cream,

To celebrate the launch of its new core flavours, Ben & Jerry are handing out free ice cream. Yep: Free. Ice. Cream. The London leg of the tour hits our fair capital this weekend. Do this – or regret it!

I must admit that 4 weeks in I’m actually really enjoying it – aside from the aches and pains and the early Saturday morning starts for my weekly 5km run I’m finding it a really fun and a genuinely enjoyable thing to do. Oh, but there is one other tiny niggle about taking up running… running kit.

For the first couple of weeks you get by and suffer in silence with your existing jog pants and baggy t-shirt, but now I’m really getting into the swing of it I want to look a bit more like a genuine bona fide runner, and so I think it’s time I invested in some decent and vaguely fashionable sports kit.

I don’t see why I should have to look like a frump when I’m out doing my thing. I’m sweaty, red-cheeked and usually panting like a dog so if I can at least do it looking stylish then that’s a winner and so many of the big brands now cater for the more fashion conscious of gym/exercise bunnies. They’re still clothes – you’re still wearing them in public so why should have to wear shapeless sacks just because you’re out exercising rather than shopping.

Nike Relay Capri – Black/Matte Sliver

After only 4 short weeks I’ve come to a startling realisation – lycra is a runners friend. Let’s face it, no one has a right to judge you for having a few extra lumps and bumps when you’re pounding the pavement so I’m going to bite the bullet and invest in some good running tights. Being seen is the name of the game and I don’t want to hide away in black – it’s just not my colour – so these three-quarters in grey are just the ticket!

Nike Relay SS – Tango Heather/Magenta/Reflective Silver

I’m not yet prepared to do lycra on the top half, I’ll wait until the Michelen Man has left the building with my spare tyre before I start thinking of anything that figure-hugging, but a good baselayer is essential. The trouble is, baselayers tend to be far more functional than fashionable however someone at Nike HQ must’ve cottoned on to this because they’ve managed to combine the two brilliantly in this bright and cheerful top

Adidas by Stella – Run Snake Tee – White

And of course designer Stella McCartney was drafted in to design a range for Adidas and came up with some really nice twists on standard fitness kit, like this baselayer.

Vizion Rip Zip Jacket – Flou Pink/Black

Fitness kit is all about being lightweight and practical so this jacket fits the bill without question – lightweight, bright but best of all it has removable sleeves turning it in seconds from a jacket to a gilet – super practical and super stylish at the same time.

Nike Time Out FZ Hoody – New Green Heather/Sail

Even when I’m not running I like wearing sports kit, it’s comfortable and easy to wear so a nice cosy hoodie like this one is great to throw on when I’m heading to the cafe after my Saturday morning run…it’s all about the post-run cuppa and bacon sarnie you know!

P.s Now that I’ve started training it’s important that I eat well, and preparing my food the right way is one of the steps I will be taking to aid my training and help stay in shape. I’ve come across this great deal on Groupon today, which I’ll be snapping up as it allows me to do just that – George Foreman Heritage Grill or Five Portion Family Grill for £29 with up to 59% off!

This George Foreman lean, mean grilling machines offer an alternative to frying, and makes fro a great addition to the kitchen. The sloped design channels fat and grease into separate drip tray so you can eliminate much the unwanted fat and grease making your meat that much healthier. It has the capacity to cook up to five portions at once, and the grill panels have a non-stick finish which would make cleaning it a doddle. A great grill for a great price – what’s there not to love about this deal!

Photography by Brett Jordan

]]> http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2012/05/10/fit-and-fashionable/feed/ 0 http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2012/05/09/chocolate-monkey-cupcakes/ http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2012/05/09/chocolate-monkey-cupcakes/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 12:50:14 +0000 Jemma http://blog.groupon.co.uk/?p=35948 These Monkey Cupcakes might look a challenge but they are surprisingly easy and you can get all the ingredients from any supermarket! The best part is that the monkeys are made from chocolate, golden syrup and fudge – so they taste extra good!

Chocolate Monkey Cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes:

• 4oz Butter
• 4oz Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 2 Tbsp Milk
• 3oz Self-Raising Flour
• 2oz Cocoa Powder

For the Decoration:

• 6oz Buttercream / Icing coloured Purple
• Purple Food Colouring
• 7oz Milk Chocolate
• 4oz Golden Syrup
• Approx 12 pieces of Vanilla Fudge
• Vermicelli Sprinkles
• Foam Banana Sweets
• Black & White Fondant Icing

Method

1. It’s super easy to make the cupcakes. Simply cream together the butter and sugar then add in all the other ingredients and mix until well combined and smooth. Spoon the mix into 12 cupcake cases and bake in a preheated oven (at 180 degrees) for 12-15 minutes.

2. Now for the fun part, making the monkeys! To make the monkeys you need to make modelling chocolate (imagine chocolate the consistency of plasticine). Simply melt the chocolate, stir in the golden syrup and pop in the fridge until set.

3. For the monkeys head, create an oval shape from modelling chocolate. Then break off a piece of fudge and shape into a smaller oval for the face. Grab a cocktail stick and poke to holes into the fudge for nostrils. Then cut through the fudge with the cocktail stick to make a mouth shape. Use a tiny bit of white fondant icing for the eyes and a tiny bit of black fondant icing for the pupils. I also used a little extra fudge for eyelids as.

4. Now the ears – make two circles from the modelling chocolate, then two smaller circles of fudge on top of the chocolate. Squeeze one side of the ear, then pop onto the side of the head.

5. The arms are simple too, just mould the fudge to a long oval shape and stick in individual vermicelli sprinkles in the end for claws!

6. To finish your cupcakes, spread over a layer of your purple icing then place a monkey head on top of the cake, position a foam banana sweet to the side of it, then place the arms around the banana.

Hope you enjoy making these yummy chocolate monkeys!

P.s If my blog has got you craving something sweet and chocolatey, then be sure to head over to Groupon as there is a great deal with Dutch chocolatiers ‘La Red Club’. They strive to make organic chocolates which are much healthier than your usual bars – without compromising on taste. This offer for Organic Chocolate: Ten (£9), Twenty (£18), or Thirty (£25) Bars, with up to 55% off; really is a treat for the taste buds and the wallet!

These organic chocolate bars are made with a low GI natural palm sugar, tickling tongues and sweet teeth alike. Each set is made up of an assortment of bars, including milk, hazelnut, and dark chocolate, ensuring each mouthful is sweet, sweet as a nut, or bittersweet respectively. Wrapped up in stylish packaging, the chocolate bars have been made in Europe, where the art of chocolate is at its finest.

Recipe & Photography by Iced Jems

]]> http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2012/05/09/chocolate-monkey-cupcakes/feed/ 0 http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2012/05/09/ladybug-canapes/ http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2012/05/09/ladybug-canapes/#comments Wed, 09 May 2012 08:12:50 +0000 Rebecca O’Sullivan http://blog.groupon.co.uk/?p=35980 You’ve seen them on our Facebook page and here’s how you make these delightful little creatures. It really will amaze you at what you can do with a few cherry tomatoes, a dollop cream cheese, some crunchy crackers, and a sprinkling of creativity!

Ladybug Canapés

Ingredients

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• Black paste food colouring
• 1/2 teaspoon minced chives
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/8 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
• 36 Ritz crackers
• 18 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 18 large pitted ripe olives
• 72 fresh chive pieces (about 1-1/2 inches long)

Method

1. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth. Remove 1 tablespoon to another small bowl and tint black with the black food colouring. Place the tinted cream cheese mixture in a small plastic bag and set to one side.

2. Add the chives, garlic salt and parsley to the remaining cream cheese mixture (first bowl). Spread over the crackers then arrange two tomato quarters on each for the ladybug wings.

3. For the heads, halve the olives (width-wise) and place one half on each cracker. Insert two chives into the olives which act as the antennae. Use tinted cream cheese mixture to pipe spots onto wings.

It really is as simple as that! Enjoy!

P.s Why not go that extra mile and make these scrumptious treats using your very own home grown vegetables with today’s fabulous Groupon; an Allotment and Veg Patch Set: One (£15.99) or Two (£30) Sets of Vegetable, Herb, and Salad Seeds, Plus Tools – with up to 62% off!

Packed with seeds for all seasons, this gardening kit contains a harvest of vegetable, herb, and salad sprouters to sprinkle on a window box or across an allotment. A matching trug, fork, and trowel equip gardeners to plant rows of tasty vegetables and fragrant herbs. The seeds consist of about 40 different varieties, such as beefsteak tomatoes, parsley, and even jalapeño peppers.

]]> http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2012/05/09/ladybug-canapes/feed/ 0 http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2012/05/08/the-healing-hands-of-reiki/ http://blog.groupon.co.uk/2012/05/08/the-healing-hands-of-reiki/#comments Tue, 08 May 2012 13:12:29 +0000 Melissa http://blog.groupon.co.uk/?p=35956 What’s your favourite beauty treatment? If I could have any treatment in the world, right this second I would choose a massage. I love massages; they are just the nicest most wonderful treatment you can ever get…I think so anyway. Normally I would go for a Swedish massage, I like how floppy you and how lose all of your muscles feel at the end of the treatment.

Last week I tried a different kind of massage, I tried something called ‘Reiki’ massage. It’s not offered at every beauty salon because you need to have a certified practitioner to perform it and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I found it very relaxing and de-stressing.

Reiki was developed by a Japanese Buddhist in 1922 and centres around the idea that the person performing the Reiki is transferring universal energy ‘ki’ to the patient’s body to create a state of equilibrium and to evoke healing. It can help to relieve stress, tension, and emotional trauma and is used widely as a form of complimentary therapy.

People get Reiki for all different reasons, like I said its aim is to heal so it’s fantastic if you have lots of negative energy within or just need a release from the stresses and strains of everyday life. I chose my practitioner very well – this is really important because you should only allow a trained practitioner to perform this kind of treatment.

I have only ever had Reiki twice in my life, I had it once last week and the time before that was about 6 years ago. That treatment 6 years ago was simply life changing. I was having an extremely hard time emotionally (who needs relationships eh?!), so I did what most girls would do in that situation and booked myself in for a facial, something to make me feel good! As I was setting up the appointment something urged me to book in for some Reiki too; I thought, what the heck…I’ll try anything once.

So I had my facial and then went in for my Reiki and being the sceptic I am I didn’t say a word about the goings on in my life, I just let the masseuse or ‘Reiki Healer’ (Pascale) do her work. To my surprise something profound happened; I felt a complete emotional release; all the pain seemed to lift form my body. I wasn’t cured but I felt a 100 times better.

After my treatment Pascale told me she could feel my pain in her hands, that she could feel my heartache, she said she knew I was going through a tough time but that things would get better. She told me I would meet someone new very soon, ‘imminently’ she said – that’s one word from her treatment that day that has stayed with me.

I wasn’t convinced of this but had plans to go out with my cousin that evening so I went home and got ready and went out. I didn’t want to go out and everything I did that evening, even just getting to the venue urged me to keep going, and something rather amazing happened that night. While on the dance-floor having a boogie I looked up at the door; as it opened I saw two men walk in, one of the men looked right at me. We stared into each other’s eyes of a second or two it was love at first sight. I didn’t realise it then, but that man would become my husband.

So that one Reiki treatment was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. Like I said it’s not for everyone but if your mind is open it can do some wonderful things, it can help you feel relaxed, calm, and it can even change your life!

p.s As this is more of a health and lifestyle blog, opposed to my usual beauty articles; I thought I’d continue the trend in the deal I’ve found for you this week. For all of you smokers out there who are really looking to make some changes in your life, there is a fantastic deal available on Groupon today for an E-Cigarette Starter Kit With 17 Cartomizer Refills for £19.55 from VIP – with 60% off the original price!

Offering an electronic alternative to traditional tobacco, these VIP e-cigarettes contain none of the carcinogens or tar found in regular cigarettes. The battery-powered e-cigarette comes with 17 nicotine cartomizer refills in menthol or tobacco flavour. The pack comes complete with a USB charger, car charger adaptor, and cigarette box, and is legal to use indoors.

Photography by Tara Angkor, thomaswanhoff and ♣ ℓ u m i è r e ♣

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