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  1. Up Close to Tigers, Rhinos, Meerkats and Lemurs at Woburn Safari Park

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    Do you know of someone who would love to get that bit closer to some of the animals at Woburn Safari Park in Bedfordshire?

    Well, they can!

    Virgin Experience Days now have Up Close Animal Encounters Encounters at Woburn.  You can get Up Close to:

    Find out more about this Up Close Tiger Encounter

    Tigers - get up close to Amur Tigers.  They are extremely rare.  Off you go in a 4x4 with a ranger, who'll take you to see the wonderful Amur Tiger.  You’ll spend 30 minutes in the park’s tiger section - and get as close as is safe to one of the four beautiful Amur tigers.  Your experience includes entry to the safari park for one person. This experience is for 1 person (£99) but there's one for two people available as well.  For two people click here (£159))

    Or would you prefer to get close up to one of the world's largest land mammals, the Rhino?  

    Get close up to one of the world's largest land animals, the rhino

    Again, you'll be heading off in a 4x4 to get closer to the park's two South African white rhinos, and you might get a peek inside the rhinos’ house if there’s one in there!  Entry to the safari park is included.   The experience is for one person (£99) but you can also get it for two people (£159)

    Or what about an Up-Close Lemur Encounter?

    Or what about an Up-Close Lemur Encounter?
    Look at those lemurs!  Head off to find all four species of lemur in the park - be prepared to say hello!  Your guide will be able to answer any questions you have about them, and if the lemurs are in a friendly mood, you might be able to pat and tickle them!  Entry to the park is included for one person if you're buying the experience for one person (£99) or if you want an Up Close Lemur Encounter for two people, it's £159 and you get entry for them both. 

    Get closer still to a meerkat or two!

    Or if you prefer the smaller animals, you could get closer still to a meerkat or two or more!   Take a seat in the enclosure and the ranger will scatter food around you to encourage the meerkats to get close up.  They may even use you to sit on!  My father did something like this at Paradise Wildlife Park in Hertfordshire and one meerkat actually stuck his nose inside of Dad's jacket.  You'll have 30 minutes with the meerkats and the keepers will answer any questions you've got.  The experience includes entry to the safari park for one.  All for £99 for one person or you can take a friend and do the experience for two (that's £159)

    Obviously how close you get depends on the animals - you can't get too close to rhinos or tigers, for instance. But this could be a great gift for anyone who would like to find out more about them and get up closer!  It's also a great chance to discover more about these animals from expert rangers. 

    Visit Virgin Experience Days to see more experiences at Woburn Safari Park

     

     

  2. Dinosaur Roar! competition at the Natural History Museum

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    Enter the Natural History Museum's competition and you could win a Dinosaur Roar! bundle

    The Natural History Museum shop has a Dinosaur Roar! competition on at the moment. It's to celebrate the release of the new World of Dinosaur Roar! magazine, 

    One lucky entry could win a Dinosaur Roar! bundle - worth £100.00!  And there are 3 runner- up prizes too.

    The lucky winner receives the Dinosaur Roar! bundle, which includes...

    • £30 to spend at nhmshop.co.uk
    • The World of Dinosaur Roar! magazine
    • 4 World of Dinosaur Roar! books
    • The World of Dinosaur Roar! board game
    • The World of Dinosaur Roar! dominoes
    • The World of Dinosaur Roar! sticker pack
    • The World of Dinosaur Roar! 35 piece jigsaw puzzle

    If that wasn't enough to do a Dinosaur Roar! about, it's ever so easy to enter this competition.  You can enter online - just answer one simple question - one question, three possible answers and you pick one answer.  

    The competition closes 29 August 2019.  

    Go on - do a Dinosaur ROAR! and head off to enter here

    By the way, the Natural History Museum  have an extensive selection of dinosaur gifts for kids but also they have some for adults including toys, games and puzzles, soft toys, personalised dinosaur gifts, clothes and accessories, goods for the kitchen and homeware - take a peek here.

     

  3. Portmeirion® Botanic Garden goodies from Scotts of Stow

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    Looking through the catalogue for Scotts of Stow which came with some magazine or other, I loved the look of this very pretty Portmeirion® Botanic Garden Lavender Jug.   Portmeirion® products from Scotts of Stow

    Scotts & Stow's catalogue says it has deep violet-blue spikes of lavender with flitting butterflies, and it’s a glazed earthenware jug 20cm high.   It’s also dishwasher, oven and freezer safe.  

    You could use it as a jug for lemonade outside in the summer or Pimms, come to that, or have it in the house with lovely flowers in.   The design is part of Portmeirion®’s Botanic Garden range, first introduced over 45 years ago.  The jug has classic English country garden flowers – Lavender, and it’s sprinkled with butterflies and the range’s trademark green leaf border. Looking at it, I could almost feel myself in the garden pouring a Pimms or lemonade from it!  

    Portmeirion® Botanic Garden Mug from Scotts of Stow

    This is the Portmeirion® Botanic Garden Mug from Scotts of Stow
    £14.95
    Different designs are available :-) 

    When I went through to the Scotts of Stow website and searched up Portmeirion®, I was absolutely amazed at the range of products you can buy in that range, with everything from mugs and bowls, plates and glasses, tea-sets and jugs, coasters and placemats – it was quite something and so very delightful to look at.  I quite lost track of time as I browsed through the range.

    Portmeirion® Botanic Garden Worktop Saver from Scotts of Stow
    Portmeirion® Botanic Garden Worktop Saver from Scotts of Stow
    £12.95
    bringing colour to a room :-) 


    If you want to take a look for yourself, here’s the Portmeirion® range from Scotts at Stow – happy browsing! 

     

  4. Special offers from the National Trust Online Shop

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    There are some great special offers from the National Trust Online Shop at the moment and here are a couple of ideas: 

    National Trust Over The Vile Scarf, Coral
    The National Trust Over the Vile Scarf, Coral.
    It was £25 and is currently £20 online :-) 
    Visit the National Trust Shop's website here for more info.

    This beautiful scarf is called the National Trust Over the Vile Scarf, Coral, and it's been designed exclusively for the National Trust by their in-house designers.

    It forms part of the Over the Vile collection. It's actually inspired by an overhead view of hedgerows.  These are vital, because they are what is known as wildlife corridors - a sort of motorway system for wildlife, if you like, enabling them to keep scampering and moving through the fields and hay meadows at the Vile, Rhossili.

    Here's a close up of the Over the Vile Scarf

    This very pretty scarf is a joy.  I bought one for my mother, who loves it because a) she loves the quality and b) she can wear it with several different outfits and c) she finds it handy to add warmth on the occasions where it just feels a bit chilly.  It's made of 100% polyester.  And now she's suggested I get my sister one for Christmas so of course I have.  

    There's also a tote bag in the Over the Vile collection which was £28.00 and is now £22.40.  You can see it here.  It would go well with the scarf. 

    This scarf is on offer for £20 instead of £25, as are a number of scarves (not all of them, I hasten to add) on the National Trust shop website

    Looking ahead to the colder weather (!), there are other items on offer, too in the clothing and accessory section, such as these Wool Gloves (Grey) which are £7.50 instead of £15.00.  They are made of 100% wool and are a Donegal grey. 

    Wool Gloves, GreyWool Gloves, Grey
    These were £15.00 and are now £7.50. 

    		  

     

     

  5. Buy tulip bulbs online with Thompson & Morgan and save yourself £££

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    Treat yourself to Thompson & Morgan's Tulip Patio Collection!
    Treat yourself to Thompson & Morgan's Tulip Patio Collection! 

    Why not split the tulip bulbs with a friend if there are too many for your patio?  This could be a great way to add colour to your day as you see your beautiful tulips out on the patio, adding cheer to the garden!

    But they go in beds and borders as well as containers so you can create a gorgeous sea of colour to enjoy year after year.  

    Thompson & Morgan say they are easy to grow, they like the full sun and they are hardy :-)

    • 64 tulip bulbs for just £11.00 instead of £33.98 (save £22.98)
    • 32 tulip bulbs for only £6 instead of £16.99 so you can save yourself £10.99!
    • Or you can buy 40 tulip bulbs for £19.99

    The bulbs are dispatched by the end of August. 

    Go to Thomspon & Morgan's website and grab this offer now!