It is amazing how big things grow from tiny seeds of hope and dreams.   

Hamleys started life in Cornwall.  William Hamley dreamt of opening a toy shop - and in 1760, he did!  What would he think if he were alive today to walk into the Hamleys' store on Regent Street in London? 

It began life as Noahs Ark in 1760 and became a London landmark by 1837.  In 1881, a new branch was opened, because of the demand for fun, and magic. The store had to add five more floors to cope1

It did go through difficult times in the 1920s and closed in 1931 - only to reopen again after it was bought by a chap called Walter Lines, Chairman of the Tri-Ang company.  In the same year, Queen Mary gave Hamleys the Royal Warrant.  More difficult and dangerous times followed in the Second World War, when the building was bombed five times. 

The late Queen Elizabeth II received toys from Hamleys from her grandmother, and gave them to her own children too.  Her Majesty honoured Walter Lines with another Royal Warrant as "Toys and Sports Merchant" in 1955, and today the store is still going strong, packed to the rafters with toys everywhere you look!

There's a Winter Sale at Hamleys!

And the good news is that Hamleys have a Winter Sale on, with up to 70% off some items!  There's everything you could want - and to help make choosing a toy easier, Hamleys have a  Gift Finder to make life easier for you!

There's a great offer on this gorgeous Paddington Bear!
He was £24.99, and he's now £17.99!
Find out all about him here.

Today, of course, commerce is a bit different, thanks to the internet - you can still visit Hamleys in London, but you can also visit their online store whilst staying at home! 

And Hamleys have some great offers on, wanting to bring joy and happiness and magic to as many children as possible.  Mind you, I really fancy some of their soft toys myself...

This is the Hamleys® Pig Soft Toy, 
also on offer for just £11.00 instead of £22.00
Find out more about this Pig Soft Toy here.

Not only have Hamleys got their Winter sale, but they've also got a couple of discount codes for you, so you've got a choice - they both end on the 29th February 2024.

Discount codes for Hamleys!

NEW10 gives you10% off over £40 (This code can't be used in conjunction with any other code, and the discount is off full priced items only. It excludes gaming.)

CART5 gives you 5% off all toys.  (This code can't be used in conjunction with any other code and also excludes gaming.)
 

Head to Hamleys' store here 

And this is Hamleys Ski Bear!
For £26.00 instead of £38.00
Find out all about this bear here.

Personal gifts make for great momentos, giving frequent reminders of a cherished moment together or experiences over times – special moments, occasions and those times you had a good laugh, shared a moment together, experienced something – or just enjoyed the moment.

Inkifi has products such as photo printing, retro prints, square photo prints, personalised photo books and personalised notebooks!

The Caption Photo Book means you can add text alongside the photos

They’ve also got calendars  You can create your own cards, too, including Christmas cards to send.

This is the Classic Frame

This is the Montage Gallery Frame

 
This is the Moments Frame (the one right at the end of the hall)
It takes 52 photos - perhaps one for each week of the year?

This is the Inkifi Walnut Desktop Calendar
£33.60

They use products that are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (the FSC for short).  They’re also a member of the 1% for the Planet foundation, so 1% of their annual turnover goes to environmental causes.

SPECIAL OFFER!

And to help you, Inkifi have a special offer for you!  You can save 30% off  site wide - you don't need a code.  But be quick - the offer ends on Monday 15th January 2024 at midnight! 

Visit Inkifi.com here.

Just to let you know, Emma Bridgewater's Winter Sale is on and there's up to 50% off!

It's a great chance to get presents for people or treat yourself! 

Her Pottery is up to 50% off.

Visit the Mug range here - there's up to 50% off in the Winter Sale!

Her Glass is up to 40% off.

They were £80.00 and they're now £48.00 in the Winter Sale

Wood, Enamel and Kitchen Textiles are 30% off.  Here's the Vegetable Garden Lemons Round Birch Tray, normally £35.00 but now £24.50

And there's a Seconds Winter Sale, too - Seconds are products where Emma Bridgewater has spotted a slight fault in the finish, decoration of shape - those products become "seconds".  They are structurally sound but may have blemishes like small marks or imperfections in the paint work, so they are called "Seconds"

So this is a great chance to grab a bargain!

Head to Emma Bridgewater's Winter Sale here.

One of my great pleasures in life is looking through the window and watching the birds in our garden feast and rest.

Every morning at the moment, we have a blackbird who hops around the garden before coming to tuck in to the berries on the pyracantha.  Ours is the Pyracantha Soleil d'Or  giving off a bright yellow colour and providing us with much joy, especially when the blackbird tucks in.  

Find out more about this Pyracantha Soleil d'Or 
from Thompson & Morgan here

So if you're trying to think what to get a nature lover for Christmas and they've got a garden, one thing you could give them is a pyracantha.  Then you've got a win-win - a win for your loved one and a win for garden birds!   Thompson & Morgan have several different colours to choose from, one of which is this lovely bright red one below:

This is the Pyracantha coccinea 'Red Column' Firethorn - 

We are training our pyracantha along a wooden fence, to encourage more birds to visit.  There's a bird bath by it as well so that they can both feed and drink, and it's kind of like their own restaurant, if you like! 

 
This is the Garden Life Wooden Insect Hotel
with lots of hollow tubes for insects to rest in.
Flutter away to find out more!



The RSPB has this Bird Bath, amongst others, in its range.
It's always important with any source of water for wildlife
to make sure that they can climb out, so sloping sides are a must. 
£25.00 from the RSPB Shop.

Give wildlife somewhere to rest and nest, to feed and drink, and they will come.  Britain's nature is in trouble so anything we can all do to help will be important.  Every action matters!  And supporting  nature and wildlife with your present buying is one way to help.

 
Why not give them a plant for pollinators such as bees and butterflies?
Take a look at the range with Thompson & Morgan here.

(And if you want to try growing some wildflowers yourself, 
there's advice and help here to get you started.

As you may know, there are thousands of experience days people can enjoy to get them out and about, from gift memberships to one-offs, from afternoon teas, to visits to attractions.

And there are also lots to give you the chance to try a new skill, or improve a skill, to try something new.  Photography, pottery, painting, singing, dancing, horse riding, flower arranging - they all give people the chance to give something a go!

Virgin Experience Days have a "Experiences to Enjoy At Home Collection" for £35.00.

For £35.00.
Find out more from Virgin Exprience Days

This means that your loved one can have an experience from the comfort and convenience of home!  There are over 20 to choose from within the collection such as languages, garden design, interior design, nutrition, mindfulness, gin tasting and writing.  

But there are lots of others you can also look at outside of the collection.  Called Stay at Home experiences, Virgin Experience Days lists nearly 300 of them.  Some are things to eat and/or drink, but others do give you the chance to learn something new or try something out.   

• There are subscriptions (book clubs, fitness, coffee, tea, cheese, knitting, gin, rum, Indian curry etc) 
• There are physical gifts (candle making gift kit, name a star, buy a piece of the moon, chocolate, wine, cheese, afternoon tea, hampers, making your own soap)
• At home date nights - everything you need for a romantic evening in, aaaahhh

And there are online experiences available through Virgin Experience Days, too, so that you can enjoy doing something from home and - in many cases - learn something new.

Click here to see the range of online experiences
from £18.99 from Virgin Experience Days