Advantages: fun for all the family
Disadvantages: none

...Because my daughter loves barbie so much i decided to buy her this movie. My daughter really enjoyed watching this movie not only because it was a barbie movie but because it is also a ballet movie. Barbie swan lake is the third animated movie that has been made. PLOT ****** Barbie stars as a young bakers daughter Odette. Odette comes across a beautiful unicorn and the unicorn goes into the enchanted forest where she follows it deep into the forest. Odette gets caught by the evil wizard Rothbart who then casts a spell on odette which transforms her into a swan,although the fairy queen counters the spell Odette still ends up being a swan by day and a human by night. The evil wizard is trying to defeat his cousin the fairy queen and take over the enchanted forest and it is the job and destiny of Odette to save the enchanted forest... Read review

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Advantages: A collection of wonderful songs & boppy tunes :-)
Disadvantages: None

...One Step Beyond was released in 1979 & features their huge hits One Step Beyond, My Girl & Night Boat To Cairo, all classics that stand the test of time so well & are still just as good these days as they were at the time ! The saxaphones, heavy beats & Suggs' chirpy tones all merge into a distinctive style which is so recognisable. My personal favourite track on this album is Swan Lake, based on the Tchaikovsky suite, but with a great rock beat, just wonderful ! The other tracks are good too, there really isn't a bad one. ENJOY :-)... Read review

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Advantages: don't worry, they only seem to do it to me!
Disadvantages: they hiss, they bite, they pinch!

...Ornithophobia Since I was a little devil of 8 years old I have always feared birds, the feathered kind that is! One in particular…… Swans. Wherever I go, they always seem to find me, day or night. Swans look so pretty don't they? Beautifully gliding through the rivers and lakes, showing off their snowy white feathers ever so gracefully. Once upon a time, I too used to think they were one of the most beautiful birds nature had to offer. Well let me tell you, they are bloody vicious! Like the phoenix but instead these birds rise straight from the flames of hell! Interested yet? Still want to know more of why a devil like me is scared to of a swan? Here is my story……….. October 7th 1989 - The Country Park Here we have a little Dempsey at the sweet and innocent age of eight years old. Often after school or at the weekend my mother... Read review

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Advantages: free for the parks and gardens and only £3 entry into the other sectors. A great day out for both young and old
Disadvantages: Can be difficult to get to with kids as it's a tube and bus ride

...Syion House is a Castle opposite Kew Gardens. There is a large garden that streches down onto the Thames river. There is a few activities apart from relaxing next to the river. There is a reptile park (snakes & crocodiles), walk-in butterfly house and a large lake that one can either sit next to for free or pay £19 for a days fishing. Difficult to believe it's in central London. I chanced my luck and caught a 6 pound rainbow trout. There is also a farmers market, nursery and outdoor center. There is a neighbouring farm, with cows and horses for the kids to see as well as a variety of ducks, swans and the ever impressive peacock. Syion Park can be reached by car with a large car park or by tube to Gunnersbury and then the 256 bus. Advantage is that it is free for the parks and gardens and only £3 entry into the other sectors. A great... Read review

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Advantages: Wonderful cast, setting, thought provoking
Disadvantages: some unneccessary swearing at points

...The film is set in a typical Northern mining town where men are men, and ballet is for girls and nancy boys. We see Billy practice in secret and blossom with his ballet teacher's help from a novice to a talented young dancer. Eventually and after a long battle, his family come to terms with the inevitable career and his father and brother are proud to watch Billy perform as a grown man in Swan Lake. Billy's friend who had discovered that he himself was gay has to hide it, but we see him revealed in his glory at the end of the story.There was a fantastic moment in the middle of the film when somebody in a dress opens the door to Billy, and it turns out to be his friend in one of his mother's dresses, saying that his dad did it all the time! A feel good film with a very happy ending.... Read review

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Advantages: Picturesque part of the country, fairly luxurious, Fantastic Gym
Disadvantages: No Spa, Prices can be steep, Summer Hols are too busy

...The Swan Hotel at Newby Bridge is situated at the Southern most tip of Lake Windermere. It is in a beautiful location, overlooking the river Leven (which flows into Windermere) and is set back from the main road, accessible by a traditional stone bridge which has been there for centuries. HISTORY ********** The Swan was formerly a small, traditional guest house and the old part of the building dates back to the 18th century. It's owners, Mrs Bardsley and the late Roland Bardsley subjected it to a huge overhaul in the mid nineties, spending a vast amount of money converting it from a homely 7 bedroomed inn to what it is today. THE HOTEL ************** It has 55 bedrooms, 7 of which are in the old part of the building. The further 48 rooms, 6 of which are suites, are spread over two floors in the new wing of the hotel. To the rear... Read review

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Advantages: insigtfully funny, beautifully written, a childhood classic
Disadvantages: copies can be difficult to find though recently reprinted here in the UK

..., gently revealing lessons on life and self identity through the comic events as well as the episodes of personal triumph. Most tellingly, it gives a sense of unusal prescience in a children's book, foretelling that the jouney to adulthood is but the beginning of our maturation into who we ultimately are. As an adult, we again meet Sam, once more camping at that lake of childhood holidaytime with his own father, and waxing philosophical in his journal. He is beginning to understand that as much as his life has moved on, and he himself has grown, life still gives him pause for consideration. "Tonight I heard Louis's horn. My father heard it, too. The wind was right, and I could hear the notes of Taps, just as darkness fell. There is nothing in all the world I like better than the trumpet of the swan. What does "crepuscular" mean?"... Read review

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Advantages: Loads to do
Disadvantages: None

...get a ride round the wee lake in a boat called The Swan Princess (I think that's what it's called). In Peashom park they hold a mock battle a couple of times a week where little aeroplanes coming crashing down blowing up boats in the lake. They regularly have someone playing the organ in a kind of floating bandstand in the middle of the lake which is really soothing and of course ice-creams and the like can be purchased in the park as well. At night Scarborough is ideal for strolling along the beautifully lit up sea front which is lined with loads of rides for the kids interspersed with lots of lovely wee shops. Hot doughnuts are on offer which is a big favourite with our kids. The only thing that I could say would be a down side to Scarborough would be the fact that it is a bit hilly but I must admit that has never put us off going... Read review

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Advantages: Very cheap, very pretty
Disadvantages: Surly locals, scary (though tasty) food

...and gloopy mud that form the lake’s natural shore. When we first strolled along the lakeshore on a rather hot day, we saw a swan with its black webbed-foot sticking out at a rather unnatural angle. At first we thought that the poor thing was deformed, until we saw another with its foot in the same position, and another, and another. It seems that on particularly hot days (of which there were many) the swans use their feet as cooling-vanes, like the plates on the back of a stegasaurus. It didn’t look at all comfortable, but the swans seemed quite happy, so there you go… ~~HUNGARY~~ Hungary in general is a small (36 000 square miles) but fascinating country. It is still recovering from its communist past and does not seem to have quite got the hang of tourism. Most of the local faces bear somewhat suspicious expressions... Read review

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Advantages: Brilliantly acted and emotionally charged
Disadvantages: the ending could have been extended

...ballet school. The final shot of Billy as a young man, about to make his debut in the all male production of Swan Lake, before his proud father, brother and long-time school friend, will thrill you and send you rushing for that final tissue - as emotional an ending to any film you are likely to get.... Read review

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