Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Theatre Breaks Agents Compared | London Theatre Breaks

Theatre Breaks Agents Compared

Theatre Breaks Agents

Theatre breaks agencies come in many shapes but here at the London Theatre Breaks blog we like to work with three in particular. We get a small commission from each reader who books a theatre break through our links and that helps to fund our blog. The theatre breaks agents offer somewhat differing services and the best one for you depends on what you are looking for when you start searching for a theatre break package.

You need to decide what your priorities are first before you look at the various deals on offer because you are not really comparing like with like. (If you need help with this have a look at this post on our sister site Theatre Breaks Magazine.) The agencies specialise and offer various options, they often work with particular hotels or a particular level of ticket. Some agencies have offers on rail fares which you can bundle in with the cost of your tickets, other optional extras like meals can also be added. Often agencies offer discounts on London attractions when they are booked with your theatre break.

We only work with reputable agencies where we can be sure that not only will you get a good deal but that your tickets and hotel room will be honoured. Some of the other theatre breaks companies add lots of hidden extras, like booking fees, on to your final bill. We think this is not acceptable so we only recommend the following package deals:

Show and Stay Theatre Breaks

London Theatre Breaks | Shows and Hotel Deals with Show and Stay

Show and Stay is a long-established theatre package company. They are part of the larger Holiday Extras group and we have been working with them for the last 2-3 years. Feedback from customers has been very positive and we continue to recommend them. Show and Stay really specialise in getting you top quality tickets at a good price and combining them with a good choice of 3 or 4* hotels. They also offer a very good deal on rail tickets, with up to 40% discount as standard. Show and Stay often has the hot tickets that no one else has. For example when Jodie first appeared and Oliver! London was the hottest ticket in town, Show and Stay was able to offer Saturday night, best seats, when there was no other way to get them and everyone else said the show was sold out.

Now despite what I’ve said about them offering top quality tickets don’t assume that Show and Stay only do expensive theatre breaks. Their breaks are very competitive. For example someone just booked a midweek evening at Oliver! and 1 night in a 3* hotel for 2 people for only £213.96.

Superbreak Theatre Breaks

Superbreak theatrebreaks

Superbreak is where you go for bargains. They offer a range of ticket prices so if you don’t mind being in the Upper Circle you can get a very good price indeed. They have more limited availability sometimes, than Show and Stay but if you are looking for particular dates rather than a specific show they can be very good value. The hotels they work with are just as good as Show and Stay and are usually 3 or 4*.

Superbreak are a large company and they do all sorts of London breaks and breaks to other cities too. They are less specialised than Show and Stay but they still offer a good service. Their web site can be a bit harder to find your way around, as it is so large, but if you persevere you can definitely get some great deals.

TheatreBreaks.com

Theatre Breaks - Booking

TheatreBreaks.com is a smaller company established thirty years ago. They’ve been online for over ten years. They have pretty good availability, work with good 3 and 4* hotels but where they really excel is in their personal touch. They are they people to go to if your needs are at all outside the ordinary. Maybe you want to do a large group with an odd number to see Dirty Dancing on a specific weekend. Perhaps you have limited mobility and need to know that your hotel, and your theatre seats, are fully accessible. They are the best people to help you. You just phone them up quoting your reference number from the website and they will go out of their way to make sure your problems are sorted out.

Related posts:

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  2. Hotel and theatre deals Hotel Reservation Going up to London for a couple of...
  3. Hairspray Theatre Breaks ** book London Hairspray Theatre Breaks** Planning Hairspray Theatre Breaks...
  4. Theatre Breaks – The Movie In our first Theatre Breaks video story production two theatre...
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This post looks at three of the main Theatre Breaks Agents, namely Superbreak, Show And Stay and Theatrebreaks.com looking at the different specialities and strengths.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

DARnet Andy Roberts - Seashore Image Editing Tutorial 5 - Tinting


 

DARnet Andy Roberts

Seashore Image Editing Tutorial 5 – Tinting

This is the last in my series of five image editing tutorials using Seashore for Mac.

Previous video tutorials have covered:

  1. Layers
  2. The Clone Tool
  3. Colour Select
  4. How to Photograph a Ghost

The topic for this latest video (5)  is “tinting”, a technique for adding or changing colour tones for discrete areas within an image. The screencast video itself was a little too long to upload to youTube in one piece, so I’ve spit it into two parts, part 1 and part 2.

Image Editing Video Tutorial – Tinting Part 1

Image Editing Video Tutorial – Tinting Part 2

The picture used to illustrate the selective tinting technique is available for practice and has a creative commons license which means that it can be reproduced should you wish to do so, with proper linked attribution.

image editing picture : Houseboat before

houseboat

image editing picture : Houseboat after

tintedhouseboat


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Seashore Image Editing Tutorial 5 – Tinting

Related posts:

  1. Image Editing 3 : Colour Select with Seashore for Mac
  2. Image Editing Lesson 1 : Layers
  3. Image Editing lesson 2 : The Clone Tool

More Recent Articles

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Monday, December 28, 2009

MyBlogLog? (Yahoo! Developer Network Blog)

MyBlogLog?

Yesterday, rumors surfaced around Yahoo!’s imminent shutdown of its MyBlogLog service. Frankly, it’s no secret within Yahoo! that we’re actively discussing the future of MyBlogLog. However, it’s also true that we have not made any final decisions at this point. Is a shutdown on the table? Sure, that’s an option. But there are other options as well. We know this creates some uncertainty for current MyBlogLog users. While we aren't quite ready to share more details, we promise to keep you posted.

Chris Yeh, Head of YDN

Posted at December 23, 2009 11:47 AM | Permalink

Well this is a terrible shame indeed if mybloglog is to be closed down. The system still has loads of potential as a nifty networking platform and I partocularly like the pro version of the stats package for giving realtime updates of any developing traffic situations. Admittedly I don't use the widget which displays the faces of blog visitors anymore, since some visitors apparently find it slightly disconcerting to see the echo of their own visit displayed for all to see.

If yahoo! don't know how to develop mybloglog and reget buying it in the first place then why not sell it on so that somebody else can do something with it?

Posted via web from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Best Broadband Deals in the Countryside | Best Broadband Deals

Best Broadband Deals if you live in the countryside

Which are the best broadband deals if you live in the countryside or want to move to a remote part of the country?

It’s a problem that has no easy answer but it well worth researching if having a good fast broadband internet connection is important to you, but you also want to be able to live somewhere where the quality of life is different to that in the cities. If you already live somewhere that doesn’t have the best broadband deals that many city dwellers enjoy available to you then you you’ll still want to get the best internet service you can, possibly regardless of the price really. Working with a slow internet is both inefficient and also unpleasant and frustrating so paying a bit more just to get the kind of service that others would take for granted is still worthwhile.

The key factor is coverage.

So how do you find out if your area or intended area is covered by the better broadband internet service suppliers? Well one way to find out is to go to the various broadband ISPs websites and find the part which deals with enquiries about coverage. There you will be asked for a postcode, landline telephone number, or both. From this you’ll get an answer which tells you whether it will be possible to order a broadband package deal from that supplier, but it won’t really tell you how fast the eventual internet connection is likely to run at. That’s because the ultimate connection speed is going to depend on a number of factors including the quality of the wiring into your house and the distance from the telephone exchange. The state of the specific telephone exchange local to the house is important too. If it’s an old one that hasn’t be upgraded to work with modern fast broadband, then you could be stuck for a long time without a slow internet connection until BT finally decide to get around to upgrading that exchange.

But you might not find out that the internet connection is impossibly slow at your new house in the countryside until after you’ve already moved in! How annoying is that?

Researching Best Broadband Deals

So my suggestion is that you do some research on the ground rather than from your computer. You’ll need to find out if any prospective neighbours have already grappled with the rural broadband problem and see which solutions they have come up with. Be careful though, because the potential service from just half a mile down the lane might be very different, so if you find a good result nearby then try to check that they are actually connected to the same telephone exchange as the house you are thinking of moving in to. You might be able to do this by looking at the telegraph poles and wire going from the road to the houses, or by enquiring at BT themselves.

It may sound extreme to base a decision on whether or not to buy or rent a particular property partly on the availability or otherwise of best broadband deals in the exact location, but if your work or other large part of life is dependent on using an acceptably fast broadband in the house then it’s going to have a big impact on everyday living and just getting by more easily.

AddThis

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 8:24 am and is filed under best broadband deals. Follow the comments through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or leave a trackback. Edit this entry.

Thinking of moving to your dream house in the country? Better make sure the broadband is usable first.

Posted via web from Best Broadband Deals

Best Broadband Deals in the Countryside | Best Broadband Deals

Best Broadband Deals if you live in the countryside

Which are the best broadband deals if you live in the countryside or want to move to a remote part of the country?

It’s a problem that has no easy answer but it well worth researching if having a good fast broadband internet connection is important to you, but you also want to be able to live somewhere where the quality of life is different to that in the cities. If you already live somewhere that doesn’t have the best broadband deals that many city dwellers enjoy available to you then you you’ll still want to get the best internet service you can, possibly regardless of the price really. Working with a slow internet is both inefficient and also unpleasant and frustrating so paying a bit more just to get the kind of service that others would take for granted is still worthwhile.

The key factor is coverage.

So how do you find out if your area or intended area is covered by the better broadband internet service suppliers? Well one way to find out is to go to the various broadband ISPs websites and find the part which deals with enquiries about coverage. There you will be asked for a postcode, landline telephone number, or both. From this you’ll get an answer which tells you whether it will be possible to order a broadband package deal from that supplier, but it won’t really tell you how fast the eventual internet connection is likely to run at. That’s because the ultimate connection speed is going to depend on a number of factors including the quality of the wiring into your house and the distance from the telephone exchange. The state of the specific telephone exchange local to the house is important too. If it’s an old one that hasn’t be upgraded to work with modern fast broadband, then you could be stuck for a long time without a slow internet connection until BT finally decide to get around to upgrading that exchange.

But you might not find out that the internet connection is impossibly slow at your new house in the countryside until after you’ve already moved in! How annoying is that?

Researching Best Broadband Deals

So my suggestion is that you do some research on the ground rather than from your computer. You’ll need to find out if any prospective neighbours have already grappled with the rural broadband problem and see which solutions they have come up with. Be careful though, because the potential service from just half a mile down the lane might be very different, so if you find a good result nearby then try to check that they are actually connected to the same telephone exchange as the house you are thinking of moving in to. You might be able to do this by looking at the telegraph poles and wire going from the road to the houses, or by enquiring at BT themselves.

It may sound extreme to base a decision on whether or not to buy or rent a particular property partly on the availability or otherwise of best broadband deals in the exact location, but if your work or other large part of life is dependent on using an acceptably fast broadband in the house then it’s going to have a big impact on everyday living and just getting by more easily.

AddThis

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 8:24 am and is filed under best broadband deals. Follow the comments through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or leave a trackback. Edit this entry.

Thinking of moving to your dream house in the country? Better make sure you can find out if the broadband is any use first.

Posted via web from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Andy Roberts - Redpoll

Redpoll

A redpoll visited our wintry East London garden today, part of a small mixed flock of birds including Great Tits. It’s the first one I’ve seen, and this brings the garden birds list total up to 25.


Redpoll

Originally uploaded by ArunMarsh

There’s snow on the ground and plenty of birds are out there stocking up on the wild bird food we put out for them.

The solitary squirrel who took up residence a year or so ago has found a mate, and they can both tightrope walk across the clothes line to get to the bird feeders, which provides entertainment but it seems they are afraid of starlings, so when a flock of those comes by all the other little birds get their feeders back for a while, not to mention the woodpecker.


A dusting of snow

A dusting of snow


Snow picture by Linda Hartley

Squirrel gnawing on a walnut root

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Redpoll

Related posts:

  1. Big Garden Bird Watch results are out
  2. How to Photograph Birds
  3. Fledgling Baby Birds

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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Andy Roberts Music

Andy Roberts Music

Andy Roberts Music: Andy Roberts sings Close Your Eyes by James Taylor
Andy Roberts music and songs as recorded or performed live at Havering Folk
Club and elsewhere ... Video by Linda for Andy Roberts Music channel on
youTube. ...
http://andyrobertsmusic.blogspot.com/2009/12/andy-roberts-sings-close-your-eyes-by.html

YouTube - Andy Roberts sings Close Your Eyes by James Taylor
Dec 4, 2009 ... One More Cup of Coffee - Bob Dylan - Andy Roberts Music ...
Grow Fins from Captain Beefheart on acoustic guitar by Andy Roberts music
...

Recorded shows, VIDEOS from Andy Roberts Music on USTREAM. Listing ...
See the most-popular recorded live shows, videos from Andy Roberts Music on
USTREAM. Listing all videos pg. 1 of 2. (Music childrens music)
http://www.ustream.tv/discovery/recorded/music-childrens-music?broadcast=577790

video « Andy Roberts
Tags: andy roberts music, cormorants, london, London bridge. Ths should
make a slideshow of pictures of London Bridge. There are cormorants
underneath London Bridge, which is absolutely true you know.
http://andyroberts.wordpress.com/category/video/

havering | most popular | Mister Wong
Nov 17, 2009 ... Andy Roberts Music: Havering Folk Club. Havering Folk Club
meets at the Golden Lion in Romford on Wednesdays at 8.00pm ...
http://www.mister-wong.com/topics/havering/


Andy Roberts Music

http://distributedresearch.net/blog/andyrobertsmusic

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Sharps Orchard Cider and Abbey Ales Hells Bells




Sharps Orchard Cider – Abbey Ales Hells Bells
December 15, 2009 at 8:26 am

Acclaimed Cornish brewery Sharp’s of Rock near Padstow has teamed up with Cornish Orchards to produce a cider for the UK market.

Orchard Cider is made from 100% local cider apples and is being trialled in selected outlets in Cornwall and Devon.

Joe Keohane, of Sharp’s, said: “Our introduction to Cornish Orchards was the Eden Project. We are incredibly proud of the cider produced as a result of this partnership.” Orchard Cider is the only draft cider available at local tourist attraction the Eden Project.

Sharp’s said there are plans to extend the distribution of Orchard Cider next year.

Another brewery, Bath’s Abbey Ales has launched Hell’s Bells, produced by the Tricky Cider Company, situated in the Blackdown Hills in Somerset.

Abbey Ales managing director Alan Morgan said of his company’s new product: “We will be offering it to our existing customers initially, and in our own pubs, the Star, the Coeur De Lion and The Assembly Inn.” Distribution will be extended later in the year.

 

Posted via email from Cider

Monday, December 14, 2009

Early Day Motion proposes Cider tax hike

After the pre-budget poposals to review the whole regime of taxing
cider in time for next year's budget, now we have an early day motion
demanding that cider be taxed the same as beer.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8411698.stm

The Early Day Motion reads: "That this House notes that duty paid on a
pint of 5% alcohol cider is 29p less than is paid on a beer of
equivalent strength." and "further notes that the UK Treasury could
raise £400m annually in additional revenue if cider duty were brought
into line with beer duty".

Posted via email from Cider

Sunday, December 13, 2009

West End Shows London

 

Time for another quick round up of the West End shows. London theatreland at the end of 2009 is beginning to adapt slightly to the changing economy and the initial bravado about the industry being recession-proof has faded. The same old shows are still playing to nearly full audiences in the West End, but the theatre going public is expecting to be able to find bargain packages and special offers before committing to future bookings. As ever, a large part of the London audience is comprised of visitors to the capital, more from abroad and a few less from the UK regions. The percentage of foreign language speaking ticket buyers has even been recognised by theatre managers with Hairspray trialling a gizmo that provides a text translation in sync with the show in several popular languages.

New West End Shows, London 2010

Love Never Dies

Andrew Lloyd Webber insists this is not a sequel to Phantom of the Opera but the plot for this big new show continues the story 10 years later with the same characters. Opening in the West End London in March 2010

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is going to be as well known as Oliver because of a similar TV contest to find Dorothy, a show called “Over The Rainbow”

Chicago

Not a new show as such but Chicago in London manages to keep fresh interest through a series of creative cast changes. Early in 2010, West end favourite Ruthie Henshall returns to play Roxy.

Moonshadow

Cat Stevens is back, but different. At some point Yusuf Islam’s “Moonshadow” musical will appear in one of the West end theatres and I think it will find a lasting audience after initial problems settle down.

London Musicals and Plays

Oliver, London

Oliver is on its third Fagin and now Kerry Ellis, the former Wicked star is due to take over from Jodie Prenger as Nancy.

Billy Elliot, London

A Surprising huge success on Broadway, Billy Elliot in London edges further into a long continuous run at the Victoria Palace Theatre. Support the Miners.

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

Tennesse Wiliams’ Cat On A Hot Tin Roof is the hot ticket for non-musical show in London, with a much acclaimed adaptation brought over from a sell out run on Broadway.

West End Shows London Theatre Breaks

LionKing-westendshowslondon

West End Shows London Theatre Breaks as thoughtful presents or booked online during the holiday as an antidote to the festive season.

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West End Shows London

Related posts:

  1. 7 Best London Theatre Breaks
  2. Summer Theatre Breaks
  3. Theatre Breaks Magazine

More Recent Articles

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Saturday, December 12, 2009

Ship Confirmation

Dear ANNIE,


Thank you again for your order. Your order has shipped via UPS BASIC.
You can expect your order to arrive within the next 4 to 7 business
days, (Monday through Friday).

Order Number: AVO0114825034

If you would like to track your order, please access the carrier site
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information until they have scanned the package. Please wait 24 hours
to track your order.

Carrier: http://www.ups.com

Package Number for tracking purposes: 1Z66492FPP34259289

PLEASE NOTE: The dollar amounts shown are reduced by the discount
amount (if applicable). This confirmation includes the total for all
products ordered and shipping & handling charges.

Your Order:

Billing Information:
a.roberts@gmail.com
ANNIE ROBERTS
329 CANTRELL
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19148 US

Shipping Information:
ANNIE ROBERTS
329 CANTRELL
PHILADELPHIA, PA 19148 US

PRODUCTS ORDERED:
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Price Total Price
00341580 Fairy Dust (S)-mark I-Mark Custom 1
$4.50 $4.50
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$4.50 $4.50
00938740 Vintage Khaki-mark I-Mark Custom 1
$4.50 $4.50
03149880 Corset-mark I-Mark Custom Pick Ey 2
$4.50 $9.00
03347470 Rebel-mark I-Mark Custom Pick Eye 1
$4.50 $4.50
03085870 Blackest Black-GLIMMERSTICKS Eye 3
$2.99 $8.97
03122380 mark Snap To It Mezzo Custom Colo 1
$6.00 $6.00
03358140 Goldtone Wire Gift Basket 1
$1.00 $1.00
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Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Friday, December 11, 2009

wedding reception Kings Hall Edinburgh

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Crawford, Kelly <Kelly.Crawford@principal-hayley.com>
Date: 2009/12/11
Subject:
To: aroberts@gmail.com


Dear Aileen

 

Thank you for your call yesterday.

 

With regard to your wedding reception in April 2010, I can offer the 2nd and 30th at the moment.

 

The room we would use for you party is the Kings Hall, I have attached a picture for you.  We would include a dance floor, bar, staffing, set up and break down of the room, candles on the table and also the chair covers and table linen.

 

We would look to charge a room hire of £1500.00 with a menu in the region of £20.00 or so per person.  I do not have any official menus on the system at the moment but the type of things you can do with this kind of service style would be curries, pasta, stovies this kind of food.  As we discussed this kind of situation works better for your numbers as it avoids the queuing situation at a buffet station.  Our wines start from £19.95, and we would advise that you allocate half a bottle per person.  I have attached the wine list for your consideration.  You could also offer a welcome drink of sparkling wine which would be £5.00 per person.

 

Do let me know if you are interested and if you would like to visit the venue.  I can accommodate weekend visits if this is more convenient for you.

 

Kindest regards

 

Kelly

 

Kelly Crawford

Wedding and Special Event Co-ordinator

 

The George Hotel

19-21 George Street

Edinburgh

EH2 2PB

Tel: 0131 240 7155

Email: kelly.crawford@principal-hayley.com

 

 

 

 

 

 


Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Thursday, December 10, 2009

[ukcider] Ominous words re cider duty

I can't see anybody much rallying round to defend the small
cidermakers this time. There was a good chance to do so a short while
back but enough of them preferred to hitch their colours to
organisations that are ultimately dominated by the lage cider
manufacturers or brewers. So when the time comes to repeal the 7000L
exemption there will be a little bit of token protest from the
officials, then that's it - gone. So much for some people's
retirement plans.


2009/12/10 Richard Fairhurst
>
> From the Pre-Budget Report:
>
> "5.99 The cider duty regime will be reviewed and proposals brought
> forward at Budget 2010."
>
> Richard

Posted via email from Cider

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

The London Internet Exchange

Hello Andy Roberts,

The London Internet Exchange, where the vast majority of the UK Internet
traffic is routed trough, is currently experiencing severe networking
difficulties.

This is causing significant packetloss and intermittant outages.

We'll keep you updated.

Please do not reply directly to this email as it is sent from an
unmonitored email account.

Kind regards,

Posted via email from Andy Roberts email podcast photo music and video blog on Posterous

Oliver! theatre breaks on sale now | London Theatre Breaks

It doesn't seem like a whole year since Oliver had been going for a few months and was up for Oliver theatre breaks as popular Christmas bookings

Posted via web from London Theatre Breaks

Tuesday, December 08, 2009

London Weekend Breaks By Rail | London Theatre Breaks

Are you looking for more information about London weekend breaks by rail? That’s actually a very good starting point because you’ve already made the best decision as far as transport goes for arriving in London. Go by train and you’ll not have to be worrying about things like car parking, how to pay the congestion charge or long motor way traffic jams holding up coach journeys. The fast inter city trains are also the quickest way to get from most UK cities into one of the central London mainline stations.

London Weekend Breaks By Rail londonweekendbreaksbyrail withtheatre 219x300

London Breaks by Rail - Express Routes

Weekend breaks can be for a West-end theatre show on any Friday, Saturday or Sunday night combined with a hotel stay of one night or more, including the show date. The most popular break tends to be a one-nighter including the big Saturday night out, but getting away early on a Friday makes a lot of sense too. Traveling on a Friday and Saturday gives a clear run through but Sundays can be fine for getting home too, depending on which rail line takes you back. All I’m saying is, check for regular Sunday engineering works if the service that relays between your city and London is one that may be prone to scheduled maintenance on a Sunday.

Longer Weekend Breaks

If your weekend break means going home on a Saturday of course, the traditional weekend has only just begun but then again I’ve noticed that for some people around here, the weekend definitely starts to ramp up on a Thursday night! London can be a very pleasant play to stay on a Sunday with less of a hurried atmosphere but still plenty of things to see and do so staying on for the whole weekend and then booking to get back on a Monday during the daytime can make for an extremely satisfying London weekend rail break, more like a mini holiday really. You could even make it a three or four night stay with the weekend theatre trip included, especially worthwhile if you have a long distance rail journey from one of the smaller rail networks that lie beyond the core inter city services.

London Shows for Weekend Theatre Breaks

One of the advantages with buying a theatre breaks package is that you can get good tickets for any of the more popular shows, even on a busy Friday or Saturday night. I tried to get an impulse ticket from the famous half price ticket booth the other day and after a lot of waiting around I came away without making a purchase. That was because the shows on offer didn’t include two that I was most interested in, and because the prices offered are not anything like half price at all.

So supposing you’ve always wanted to grab a friend and go and see Hairspray, Dirty Dancing or Sister Act on a Saturday night but couldn’t find any available tickets except from the disreputable touts and so-called discount kiosks, well the answer is to do just a little bit of forward planning and organise a weekend break in London for just a few weeks down the line, then you can get on with life knowing there’s a fantastic treat in store for you to look forward to.

London weekend breaks by rail are also perfect for really special occasions such as a big anniversary or celebration. Never mind seeing Les Miserables from the back of the upper circle, with theatre breaks packages it’s often possible to get best available seats with a competitive price guarantee, because the tour agents buy blocks of tickets way in advance and can therefore hold the best seats open for people who are booking the whole London weekend theatre package thing with the hotel stay and return rail tickets included.

This is just one suggestion, but supposing you were a big fan of the Phantom of The Opera having seen it many years ago, and fancied repeating the experience in today’s West End. This gives you two possible shows for London Weekend breaks by rail because the new show with the Phantom opens in March 2010 and it’s going to be one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s biggest shows ever, called “Love Never Dies“. By booking the rail tickets well in advance in combination with London weekend breaks, (that’s the show and hotel stay), you get the full discount on the rail tickets which can mean as much as a 70% saving off the regular return saver.

If it appears as if the only shows on in London are the big musicals then that’s certainly not the case. There are always a number of serious plays also on in the West end, usually for shorter runs but not always, and these are also available for London weekend breaks by rail. In 2010 there will be more Shakespeare, Pinter and Becket as well as modern American playwrights, and some comedy plays too.

So you’ve decided very sensibly to opt for London weekend breaks by rail, thought about which show you’d both like to see, and maybe opted for a Friday night or Saturday theatre ticket depending which suits you best and considered the best time and day for homewards travel. All that’s left is to balance the convenience of a central London hotel with the economy of staying a little further out, but there is always a good selection of options available when booking London weekend theatre breaks. Now let me see, what else is there to worry about?

Related posts:

  1. Theatre breaks with discount rail (13.76)
  2. Weekend Breaks with Basil (13.18)
  3. Friday Theatre Breaks with Dinner and Hotel (12.073)
  4. Free Hotel Offer with London Theatre Breaks (10.225)
  5. Luxury hotel and theatre deals (9.865)

I think London Weekend Breaks by rail are going to be as popular as ever in 2010

Posted via web from London Theatre Breaks

Monday, December 07, 2009

LION 2009 - The News

LION 2009 NEWSLETTER
Dear Colleague
The 2nd Annual Winter LION Global Videoconference Broadcast
Wednesday December 9th 2009

 

The 2nd “LION in Winter” Broadcast will focus on "Myringoplasty: How we do it". Ten surgical techniques for tympanic membrane repair will be demonstrated using different approach, technique and material.

The Broadcast will commence at 08:45 and finish at 17:30. The timing: is GMT +1. Please check your local corresponding time zone at http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock

Final Program of the 2nd LION in Winter Broadcast
Timing: GMT+1
08h 45 Opening remarks: Moderators from Utrecht (Netherlands)
 
Chris Aldren Gerry O’Donoghue John Oates Shakeel Saeed Rinze Tange
Chris Aldren Gerry O’Donoghue John Oates Shakeel Saeed Rinze Tange
 
         
09h 00 Live surgery : Myringoplasty in Marseille & Béziers
Case presentation
  Arnaud Devèze France Arnaud Devèze
Marseille (France)

Inferior TM perforation
Endaural approach
Temporalis fascia

ppt
  Robert Vincent France Robert Vincent
Béziers (France)
Posterior-inferior TM perforation
Transcanal approach
Tragal perichondrium
ppt
10h 15 Live surgery : Myringoplasty in Utrecht, Hannover & Béziers
Case presentation
  Wilko Grolman The Netherland Wilko Grolman
Utrecht (Netherlands)
Posterior TM perforation
Endaural approach
Cartilage/Tragal perichondrium
ppt
  Thomas Lenarz Germany Thomas Lenarz
Hannover (Germany)
Central TM perforation
Endaural approach
Tragal perichondrium
ppt
  Benoit Gratacap France Benoit Gratacap
Béziers (France)
Inferior TM perforation with myringitis
Retro-auricular approach
Temporalis Fascia
ppt
12h 45 Live surgery : Myringoplasty in Utrecht, Hannover & Sao Paulo
Case presentation
  Wilko Grolman The Netherland Wilko Grolman
Utrecht (Netherlands)
Sub-total TM perforation
Endaural approach
Cartilage/Tragal perichondrium
ppt
  Thomas Lenarz Germany Thomas Lenarz
Hannover (Germany)

Anterior-inferior TM perforation
Endaural approach
Tragal perichondrium

ppt
  Oswaldo Laercio Cruz France Oswaldo Laercio Cruz
Sao Paulo (Brazil)
Central TM perforation
Retro-auricular approach
Temporalis fascia
ppt
14h 45 Live surgery : Myringoplasty in Béziers & Marseille
Case presentation
  Robert Vincent France Robert Vincent
Béziers (France)
Sub-total TM Perforation
Transcanal Approach
Tragal Perichondrium
Total EAC Skin Removal
Watch the Video: click here
ppt
  Jacques Magnan France Jacques Magnan
Marseille (France)
Inferior TM perforation
Schambaugh approach
Temporalis fascia
ppt
 
To download all surgical cases presentation, click here :
pdf
16h 00 Panel discussion – Controversial case presentation
 
Moderators (from Utrecht):
Chris Aldren, Gerry O’Donoghue, John Oates, Shakeel Saeed, Rinze Tange.
Panelists (from Sao Paulo, Béziers, Marseille, Hannover, Utrecht, Padova):
Oswaldo Laercio Cruz, Gregorio Babighian, Arnaud Devèze, Benoit Gratacap, Wilko Grolman, Thomas Lenarz, Jacques Magnan, Robert Vincent.
17h 30 Closure

Their demonstrations will detail the various surgical approaches (transcanal, endaural, retro-auricular) and repair techniques (overlay, underlay) using several materials (fascia, perichondrium, cartilage).

The live surgery session will be followed at 16:00 by a 90mn panel discussion. The moderators located in Utrecht will present controversial cases to the panelists located in their own center (Sao Paulo, Utrecht, Hannover, Padova, Béziers and Marseille).

You are invited to send your question to the surgeons during the live surgery session and the panel discussion via the moderators by email : lion2009@lion-web.org.

 
The Format of the 2nd LION December Broadcast

Pre-operative case presentation :
Each surgeon has selected two patients with perforation of the tympanic membrane in order to highlight their technique of choice for repair. They will present individual cases prior to embarking upon surgery.

Each presentation will be performed in Powerpoint format via the LION videoconference network by the moderators prior each corresponding surgical procedure. It will detail the history and clinical features together with audiological findings, and other investigations felt to be relevant.

The operating surgeon will outline his thoughts and the reasoning behind the method he intends to employ to explore and repair the defect.

Panel Discussion :

During this live broadcast there will be extra alloted time for a panel discussion following the live surgery session.

Because of the real time interactive ability of the LION HD Network this discussion will be similar to any panel discussion at major conferences. It will give the opportunity for the audience to tackle the panel on their individual views. You can also put questions to the panelists via the moderators by email : lion2009@lion-web.org.

The group of Moderators at LION’s Utrecht Hub will present a selection of cases both straightforward and complex to the participating surgeons. Each case will be illustrated by at least 3 Powerpoint slides detailing history, appearances and audiological findings.

The surgical panel will be asked to comment on their individual reasoning and strategy for treatment and repair of the perforation, if they feel appropriate.

How to take part in the 2nd LION in Winter Broadcast
You can view the 2nd LION December Broadcast via internet from any computer. Go to http://www.lion-web.org . From the home page click on “Internet Streaming” and follow the instructions. Internet access is free.

You can send your questions to the surgeons via the moderators at any time during the broadcast including the panel discussion by email : lion2009@lion-web.org.

For colleagues within easy and economic travelling distance of the Utrecht Hub LION extends an invitation to join the moderating team and follow the event, free of charge, at the Utrecht's ENT Department meeting room. If you wish to come to Utrecht to follow the 2nd LION December Broadcast click here.

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