Author: Alan Hooper
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Crab Rangoon Recipe
We recently invited Samantha and Steve Rickleton and Chloe and Simon McGuirk over for cocktails and nibbles. The idea was to have a few themed cocktails and ideally some connected nibbles. My theme was Disney, but mainly the Disney World resort Hotels official cocktails and food. Then a Crab Rangoon recipe caught my eye. Just…
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Geocaching trip to Birmingham
I’d hummed and harred about booking a Geocaching trip with Chris Speed and Stephen Coulson for a few weeks. It needed to be somewhere halfway down the country and somewhere cheap. Chris is from Great Yarmouth, so it seemed a halfway point was fairer. The cost factor is mainly because we always seem to have…
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Viva Brazil – Birmingham
On a recent geocaching trip to Birmingham, we headed out into the town centre on a Saturday night. Not fully realising that it was the opening weekend for the German Christmas Market there. The Town centre was PACKED! I mean that with more capital letters than it is socially acceptable to use. Every bar we walked…
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Long Play Café – A quick cuppa
Its not that often I get to have just a random day off work. Or should I say a day off work without any real purpose. Usually it would be that the kids were off, or a delivery was coming, or even a job needed to be done. Today was a day to just do…
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Miss Saigon 25th Anniversary Performance
I love musicals… there I’ve said it! I’m one of the very few Newcastle based Dads that hates football and love musicals… and Disney. It’s something that I was brought up into. Every other year my parents would take me down to London to see a show. The first one I remember being Phantom of…
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Pizzastorm – Greys Quarter, Newcastle
My eyes are opened nearly every time I go into Newcastle’s Town centre. Normally for good reasons. We’d headed into Eldon Square to get some new glasses. Don’t worry I did go to Spec Savers. Although I was surprised to see that Vision Express is next door with an almost identical glass shop front. Are…
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Great North Snowdogs Trail – Completed
As you’re probably aware from past posts Me and Imogen love a good trail / challenge. With St Oswald’s Hospice releasing the Great North Snowdogs, we aimed to complete the spotting guide. With 61 Snowdogs hidden around the North East, it isn’t going to be a simple afternoon stroll. Great North Snowdogs Trail App Trophies…
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Halloween at Butlins Skegness
We’ve been coming to Butlin’s in Skegness every year for 5 years now and I have to admit I took a little convincing to book up the first time. When our friends suggested a holiday in Butlin’s, my reply was “Butlin’s!??!?”. The image that was built up in my head was draughty cabin rooms, with enforced…
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A very Fruity Christmas Cake – Part 1
For the past 6 years I’ve been baking our own Christmas cakes. I chose a random recipe and it was so fruity I felt it was miles better than any shop bought effort. With the amount of fruit in it it isn’t cheap, but then again, Christmas isn’t cheap! Ingredients 1.5kg of mixed fruit (sultanas,…
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Disney on Ice – Frozen
We’ve been to several Disney on Ice productions over the years. I even decided to go and see a show with Catherine one year… before we even had kids! It’s no secret that the Hoopers are huge Disney fans, but at the same time, we are realistic. If we have a poor experience we wouldn’t…