A Wonderful World

                                                 A SHOW THAT ISN'T AFRAID TO TACKLE TRUTH AND TRAUMA. Ola Ince directs an insightful ‘Romeo and Juliet’ at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre which takes to the stage from 26 September to 17 October. This production is unlike any other take on the play I have seen, despite honouring Shakespeare’s text throughout, they also step away from tradition in many ways. At moments, characters inject a few responses using modern day language, but I felt this doesn’t jar at all, it only adds a light-hearted humour and heart-warming connectivity that everyone craves when watching theatre. This company are bold and unforgiving and that’s what I loved most. Despite other productions drawing on the violence and conflict throughout the play between Montagues and Capulets, many performances that focus on a traditional delivery of the play draw on the prevalent theme of love, to shower the audience with that pure and unbreakable connection between the star-cr

                                                Channel 4 returns with another powerful piece of television. New drama ‘Help’ centres itself around the Coronavirus pandemic in its height as it first emerged in 2020. The two hour long drama is set in a fictional care home in Liverpool in the spring, and follows a carer (Jodie Comer) as she bonds with a patient (Stephen Graham), as the pandemic hits she is put to the test in horrific circumstances. This vital one off television creation shares insight into the impact Coronavirus had on care homes during its initial onset and looks at the undervalued care workers whose job was to keep the patients going. Its necessity comes with its strength at shining a light on the hard work and voices of those that continued to work and care during such a difficult and uncertain time, recognising how important the work is that these carers do and raising awareness around that. Such a harrowing topic is often difficult to watch, but equally enligh

US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles has changed the narrative around mental health. In stepping away from the Tokyo Olympics final after achieving her lowest Olympic vault score, she’s sparked conversation around the importance of putting ones health first and prioritising caring for ourselves. Losing her bearings mid-air and experiencing ‘twisties’, a mental block resulting in the loss of spatial awareness, she pulled out in fear of her mental and physical state. Despite the discomfort or difficulty it may cause along the way, we have to continue to consider our mental wellbeing and the benefits of doing so. The young athlete was and is a huge name across the world, and therefore faced with a huge amount of pressure and expectation from those watching, she was expected to win gold by many as she has so gracefully many times before. She was set to succeed similarly to her wins at Rio 2016, with expectations from the nation on her shoulders. It’s this unnecessary burden and strain that ca

                                                 'CLASSIC AND CREATIVE COCKTAILS' Despite the lack of sun recently, the summer holidays and summer months have meant family and friends have been reuniting and coming together as restrictions have eased. Sun or not, hopefully you can get some garden gatherings and parties can get booked in the diary. Over the course of the pandemic we have had the time to explore and get resourceful in our kitchens, one of the popular experimentations being cocktails. Whether you’re trying to save a bit of money at home rather than spend away in the pub, you’re looking to host the next garden party or want an activity to delve into with family or friends, I thought I’d share some easy and tasty cocktails to try creating at home. 1)     BANANA COLADA (Serves 2) - 100ml Rum of choice - 250ml Pineapple Juice - 2 Bananas - 60ml Cream of Coconut (400ml coconut milk, 375g caster sugar, pinch of salt) - Ice Cream of coconut directions: Combi