Everyone wants their graduation day to be the perfect day and parents want their son or daughter to have the perfect day. Roscoe House it the idyllic place to stay to make your graduation a day and night one to remember. Roscoe House has stylish spacious and serviced apartment situated walking distance from the graduation ceremonies so you don’t need to worry about the English weather! Perfect to make your day stress free! After the ceremonies there are many high quality places for your graduation lunch just an easy from the ceremonies and Roscoe house. Throughout July there are also many events in the city so why not check them out and make your stay longer to really celebrate your graduation.

Here’s some great little recommendations to make your day really special:

The London Carriage works is a contemporary restaurant with a selection of dishes freshly made from local and organic produce. The dishes on the menu are complemented with a carefully selected wine list to make every occasion special. Opening in 2003 with high reviews the restaurant is one of the cities leading and in 2008 won taste of England.  Chef Paul Askew with his South East Asia travels and kitchen experience in New York have helped influenced him to create a modern international menu that will make your dining experience one to remember!

The hotel is located on Hope Street that runs parallel to Roscoe House

http://www.thelondoncarriageworks.co.uk/the-menu/default.phuse

Puschka located on Rodney Street serves a variety of international dishes and is renowned for its tasty food and great service; some have described the restaurant as a “hidden gem”. Everything on their menu is made to order and uses local seasonal produce.

http://www.puschka.co.uk/

60 Hope street is situated on Hope Street minutes away from Roscoe House and opposite the Philharmonic hall theatre, ideal for an after dinner treat to watch live music and see the Philharmonic orchestra perform.  The restaurant 60 Hope Street has a stress free and friendly atmosphere. Its modern, stylish décor and attention to fine detail make the restaurant a special place to celebrate you graduation. The menu offers a wide variety of choice and there are regular offers. The best of British offer at £19.95 per person includes a 3-course meal and a bottle of wine to share for two people

http://www.60hopestreet.com/

There are also many places to eat in the Centre and at the Albert Docks. The new development on Liverpool one has many restaurants with great out door eating areas for a summers evening. Why not try Zizzi restaurant in Liverpool One, an Italian restaurant with a fine selection of oven stoned baked pizzas and freshly made pastas. There are many Stylish and traditional bars in Liverpool that would be perfect to carry on the celebrations of graduation day. The Pump House by the Albert Docks is full of history is a warm and friendly restaurant/bar with a great outdoor seating area and offers a wide choice of affordable wines, beers and spirits.

The Britain’s Got Talent Live Tour returns this summer with a mix of raw talent from the ITV1 show and top live acts including musicians, acrobats, dance troupes, magicians and comedians. It’s a great night out for all the family to enjoy – last year’s tour sold out 26 arena performances, so get your tickets for this year now.

Last year’s live tour saw winners Diversity showcase their slick street dance moves and innovative choreography, Susan Boyle wowed the crowds with her unique voice and sensational stage presence and people’s favourites Stavros Flatley brought their Cypriot charm and a party atmosphere to arenas across the UK. Not to be outdone angelic young singer Hollie Steel, baby-faced soul star Shaheen Jafargholi and Brummie break dancer Aidan Davis showed that Britain’s kids really do have talent too.

• Kites over the Mersey

12th & 13th June 2010

The Dips, New Brighton

Tel: 0151 666 3188

The ‘Dips’ at New Brighton host Wirral’s eighth annual Kite Festival, featuring award winning guest fliers from all over the world plus the best of the British flyers. The event takes place from 11 – 4 on both days, with a variety of spectacular show kites on display, including artistic kites, giant inflatable kites, sports kites and power kites. There’s also a kite-making workshop for have-a-go fliers out there who haven’t got a kite handy, which costs £1.50. And if that’s not enough entertainment for you, there’s also a children’s funfair, trade stands and food court.

To begin with there is the fantastic new Echo Arena (0151 475 8888, www.echoarena.com). This 11,000 capacity venue is linked to the BT Convention centre in the Albert Dock and has hosted some of the biggest names in comedy (such as Eddie Izzard, Russell Howard and Steve Coogan) and music (Pink, Rihanna, Girls Aloud, Bryan Adams), as well as many other exciting acts, such as the MTV Europe awards, Walking with Dinosaurs, Premier League Darts and the Masters Six a Side Soccer tournament. It is a truly outstanding new venue that gives the city a true international quality events centre that certainly attracts the cream of the world’s talent to the city.

However, that is not all the city has to offer. The City Centre boasts some of the finest theatre’s in the country. The grandiose Liverpool Empire (0844 847 2525, www.liverpoolempire.org.uk) often hosts some of the best travelling musical shows in the country, as well as selected individual acts, such as Derren Brown and Derek Acorah ,as well as host of top  comedians, for example confirmed for 2010 include Mark Watson, Jason Manford, Dara O’Briain and Lee Mack. Comedy lovers can also head to the Royal Court (0870 787 1866, www.royalcourtliverpool.co.uk) which not only showcases some of the best new comedy play-writing by local talents, but also hosts the Rawhide Comedy Club each week and often has comedians playing gigs. The Everyman and Playhouse Theatres (0151 709 4776, www.everymanplayhouse.com) both offer a variety of shows to suit all tastes, from reworking of the classics, such as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, to the promotion of local playwrights through to contemporary tales by some of the best writers from across the United Kingdom.

If you are a lover of classical music then the place to head is undoubtedly The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (0151 709 3789, www.liverpoolphil.com) the home of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Not only does ‘the Phil’ have a lengthy list of fantastic classical shows throughout the year, but interspersed with that are several more contemporary artistes who love the chance of playing this important and historic venue. Tony Bennett, John Barrowman and Bryn Terfel are just three household names confirmed for the 2010 season, which also features a fantastic programme of concerts aimed at firing children’s enthusiasm for music. The Phil also hosts comedian’s with 2010 confirming the likes of Stephen K Amos, Lee Mack and Frankie Boyle all confirmed at this historic venue.

If you like your music a little off the beaten track and prefer to listen to some young, local bands and the occasional tribute act, then the 02 Academy is a good starting place (0844 477 2000, www.o2academyliverpool.co.uk) which has hosted the likes of The Coral, The Dead 60’s, Little Flames and The Zutons in recent times.

All these fantastic venues are just within a short walking distance of the vibrant Liverpool city centre and offer the lucky visitor a wealth of different opportunities to take in a show at one of the many fantastic venues across this historic city.

Its Mike here, sorry it has been a while since our last update we have not had a minute to our selves over Easter.
If you came to visit us then we hoped you enjoyed our egg hunt.
Back to our keeper news, we have had a baby boom with over 90 leaf insects hatching and more each day and with a running total of 31 red spotted assassin bug nymphs, plus our first baby African train millipede not to mention the 20 emperor scorpions which were born 2 weeks ago and are on display with their mum at the encounter zone.
The mum is very protective of them and they will stay with her for about 3 weeks until they have their first shed, then it’s off into the not so big bad world of our husbandry room. Where we will care for them and send them to other zoo collections.

About 3 weeks ago a member of the public donated a Salmon pink bird eater tarantula, she is HUGE and is settling in to our vet room we plan to rotate her with our existing salmon pink on display in our reception.
We also now have 4 Orchid mantises that we are growing on in our husbandry room and once they are big enough they will go on display in the rain forest.
Also for all you school groups we now have snippet our rainbow crab in the education room, he has became a firm favourite with all the staff as he has attitude.

That’s all for now guys, hope to see you soon.

Mike

The first place to head for the fashion conscious visitor is the Metquarter (0151 224 2390, www.metquarter.me.uk). This shopping complex, which opened shortly before Liverpool One, is situated in the historic Whitechapel off the main shopping routes of Lord Street and Church Street. The fashion conscious shopper can find plenty of designer labels inside, such as DKNY, All Saints, Levis, Secret Drawer, Hobbs, L.K Bennet, Hugo Boss, Timberland, Tommy Hilfiger, Diesel, Gieves and Hawkes and Armani. Not to mention the shoes on offer by Kate Kuba and Kurt Geiger.

Whilst the fashion conscious shopper could spend all their time in the Metquarter, to do so would be neglecting the myriad of other fashion boutiques that have opened across the city in the past few years. Another City Centre mall, where the emphasis is firmly on style and elegance, is Cavern Walks Shopping Centre (0151 236 9082, www.cavern-walks.co.uk). Here you will find jewellery by Christopher James as well as some of the biggest names in British fashion; VIP Dressing Room, Cello Boutique, Solely Shoes, Cricket, Drome Couture and the doyen of good (or bad, depending on your view) taste Vivienne Westwood all have shops in the mall, which is situated just along from the famous Cavern Club, the birthplace of the Beatles, that gives it its name.

Of course, no slave to fashion could ignore the wealth of opportunity that is gifted them by the brand new Liverpool One (0151 709 7780, www.liverpool-one.com). At Liverpool One you can even hire your own personal stylist (0151 232 3140), to revamp your existing wardrobe! If you prefer to undertake this arduous task alone, then you are spoilt for choice. From the larger department stores, such as Debenhams and John Lewis, to famous high street brands such as Gap, Oasis, Monsoon or Jaeger, down to the more refined choices of Cath Kidston, Radley and Blue Inc. There are more stylish shops than you can shake a designer handbag at in this 1.65m square foot of shopper’s paradise!

If you don’t want to pay the premium prices of designer clothing, then a walk up Church Street and Bold Street in the City Centre is ideal. These thoroughfares are the heart of the City Centre and have plenty of high street stores, such as Karen Millen, Dune, Kookai, Topshop, Solo and Schuh! to keep the most demanding fashion shopper amused, without putting excessive strain on the credit card!

If you prefer to pick your way around a market to pick up bargains or to buy the raw materials for your own fashion creation, then Liverpool offers two outstanding and world renown markets well suited for this. St. Johns Market (0151 708 8948) in the City Centre is well worth checking out for bargain hunters and if your visit takes in a Sunday then the Heritage Market (0151 207 7227, www.heritagemarket.co.uk) along the dock road, a short walk or taxi ride from the City Centre, is well worthy of a visit, if only for the fact that it is housed in two of the huge former tobacco warehouses that once served the mighty port of Liverpool.

A short car or train journey will bring you to Southport Town Centre, famous for the excellent Lord Street and Chapel Street quarter. Chester City Centre is also easily reachable on car or train for a trip around the elegant City centre which houses a huge variety of quirky shops against the backdrop of this Roman town. Finally, no trip to Merseyside would be complete for any fashionista without taking in Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet (0151 348 5600), situated just off the M53, the huge retail park offers some of the biggest names in fashion, Calvin Klein, Gap, Kurt Geiger, Ted Baker, French Connection, Ralph Lauren and Burberry at fantastically reduced prices.

It is easy to see why Liverpool is quickly gaining the reputation as the Fashion Capital of the North!

World Museum Liverpool, William Brown Street

Tel: 0151 478 4393, www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/wml

Take the family along and discover the secret world of plants in the interactive Plantastic! exhibition at the World Museum. Plants are used everywhere in our daily life – often without knowing or thinking about them. Over 40 exciting interactive displays show the dynamic life of plants and explore the themes of feeding, providing, reproducing, moving and surviving in this fun exhibition. Marvel at the magical realm of giant leafy canopies, massive seed pods, huge root systems and strange man-made trees, and learn about biodiversity, climate change, and how essential plants are for our world’s survival.
• Cafe Sports
Stanley Street
Tel: 0151 239 5070, www.cafesportsengland.com
Visit Jamie Carragher’s bar/ restaurant on Stanley Street and get your face painted every Saturday. This tasty, healthy, bright restaurant is packed with TV screens covering the latest sport, and you might even spot a star…

• Cirque du Soleil; Saltimbanco
Echo Arena, Kings Waterfront
Tel 0844 8000 400, www.echoarena.com
26th – 30th May
The magical Cirque Du Soleil returns to the Echo Arena with its vibrant signature production Saltimbanco. This timeless Cirque production is a thrilling and kaleidoscopic celebration of awe inspiring artistry and agility with breathtaking acrobatics. Cirque whisks you from seemingly impossible balancing, jumping and spinning during the Chinese poles or the Russian swing to the gravity-defying bungees and trapeze, crowd-pleasing juggling and acrobatic bicycle, to the celebrated and very unique clowns. Technical expertise and extravagant design are woven together by uplifting spectacular costumes, amazing lighting, humour and enchanting music and magic.

I hope everyone has had a fun week we certainly have at the bugworld experience

We have had 3 leaf insects hacth this week. These are black when they hatch our but turn green after a few days. We have had to incubate the eggs for 5-6 months.

Also this week we fed our leeches with cows blood. Instead of using sausage skin to hold the blood we used a collagen based skin that worked a lot better and didn’t split. The leeches will kept off show for two weeks, so that myself and mike can monitor them, but also so that their water can be changed every day as they produce urea in the water, and this can adversely affect them.

Our 10 rhino beetles grubs that hatched a couple months ago are thriving and they are now at the L3 stage of growth. The different grub sizes are categorised into 3 forms L1, L2, L3. L1 is the first stage and this life stage usually measures from 30-40mm. The L2 lifestage measures from 60 -70mm and L3 grubs measure upto 80mm.
We are hoping that the grubs start going into cocoon in the next month.

So if you want something a little different this weekend why don’t you pop in

Wiggles and Giggles

Jeff