Manchester Blog

Circus Funtasia at Wythenshawe Park

★★★★★


Imagine a world without no internet.. Circus Funtasia have created just that indeed. They are back with their UK tour, showcasing a family friendly circus, featuring top talented performances and even dangerous world class stunts. A circus with a modern twist which is suitable for all family members, whether you are 3 years old or 103 years old.. and let’s face it who doesn’t love the circus? When Rosie at Circus Funtasia contacted me to invite* me to the show at Wythenshawe Park (thanks Rosie!), I just couldn’t say no and with the invite accepted I was ready to check out my first circus of the year and Circus Funtasia’s first UK destination of their 2020 tour. 

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Going to the circus is a treat for anybody and when entering the Big Top, I was just as excited as the little kids running around getting their faces painted ahead of the big event. Inside the circus tent, it was very clean and tidy and had the usual ringside and tier seating areas, along with a candy floss stand, face painting and another stand for popcorn, hot food and hot and cold drinks. It was also great to see how friendly the team are and they do all really work so hard. Not only to welcome guests and get the set ready but some were also part of the actual cast, taking on two performances each day.

THE GEEK
Not your typical clown, Circus Funtasia is modern, sleek and is definitely ‘down with the kids’, with their very own ‘Geek’ frontman. He kept the crowd entertained throughout the show and at some point took part in juggling with fire batons and other stunts himself. He was a great alternative to a traditional clown, very funny for all ages and was very much a part of the overall show.
GLOBE OF DEATH
As scary as ever, the death-defying globe of death took centre stage and not only two but three motorbikes took the plunge inside the metal caged globe, with members of the cast actually stood in the middle.. terrifying but you can’t actually stop watching. Travelling at up to 30-40mph, around and over each other and at one point in the dark, it is definitely an act not to be missed.

AERIAL AND ACROBAT ACTS
There were various acrobatic acts throughout the show, taking place at the highest point of the circus tent, including silks, aerial ropes and even walking upside down across monkey bar hoops. Each act really did showcase the talent of the Circus Funtasia cast and shows how hard they work.

WHEEL OF DEATH
Bringing Peaky Blinders to the Big Top and keeping with the modern circus theme was the Wheel of Death. Taking on the Wheel of Death at terrifying speeds, skipping, swinging in and out of the wheel single handed and at one point blind folded, had not only me but most of the audience watching in shock and at one point, the poor little boy sat near me was shouting for them to stop.



KNIVES, FIRE, MAGIC AND.. HARLEY QUINN
Danger seemed to be top of the list at Circus Funtasia and the level of danger was taken to the next level. Not only was there a fire eater, taking on dangerous fire eating stunts, but also their very own Harley Quinn (yes Harley Quinn was there!) juggling with hoops, fire batons and even with knives whilst riding around on a segway.. danger alert! The genie performed some amazing magic and there was even a foot juggler on a bike, not only juggling footballs but also fire!

OVERALL
A circus not just for kids but for adults too.. I throughly enjoyed Circus Funtasia and so did my family. There is something for everybody to see and enjoy and the cast all work very hard. The show is not only modern and contemporary but at some points it has you on the edge of your seat. I would definitely recommend, whatever your age,  booking tickets to visit Circus Funtasia when they arrive at a venue near you. Be prepared for an epic and family fun, actioned pack afternoon.

You can catch the show at Wythenshawe Park until 01 March 2020 or follow where Circus Funtasia will be performing next here. 


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Barburrito is a Mexican style fast food restaurant where the main food item on the menu is the ‘worlds famous’ burrito. The first ever UK burrito restaurant was opened in 2005 by Barburrito and was actually opened in Manchester Piccadilly. After great success in Manchester Piccadilly, Barburrito opened further restaurants in and around Manchester and several more restaurants around the UK, including London, Bristol, Scotland, Leeds and many more. The restaurant has now become a national brand in the UK and although seen as a fast food style restaurant, they aspire to serve fresh, healthy, Mexican inspired food, namely the burrito.

Like any fast food restaurant, you have a choice of different dishes and at Barburrito you can choose either the Classic Burrito,  Loaded Burrito, Superfood Burritto or the Naked Burrito. There is also the option of Quesadillas, Tacos, Nachos, Fries and even a Kids Menu.

Once you decide on the type of burrito that you want, you then choose your main filling, which can either be; grilled chicken, pulled pork, fried vegetables, chicken and chorizo, grilled steak, sweet potato chilli or spicy shredded beef. Your main filling is accompanied by white or brown rice or beans (mild or spicy which are similar to kidney beans) and then either pepper and onions or mushrooms. You then also choose the salsa (a mild, medium or hot sauce) and any additional extras like guacamole, cheese, tortilla chips and coleslaw.. trust me it does taste nicer than it sounds!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I’ve mentioned a few times on my blog that I am always looking out for new and different places to eat for lunch. With Barburrito on the door step of the office, I took a short stroll through Piccadilly Gardens and got in line to order my burrito. The que at Barburrito was lined up outside of the door but people were served very quickly and there was plenty of seating inside if you wanted to eat in, rather than take away. 

As soon as I was served at the counter, I was asked if I had ever been to Barburrito before and if not, they would explain the concept and the options available to me. I thought that this was great customer service, especially if you are unfamiliar with the concept and it was great to hear them ask when they were so busy. I had already been to Barburrito before so I was already familiar with how to order, however it was new to my friend and they explained it clearly to her. 

I ordered the small Classic Burrito (£5.95), with grilled chicken, white rice (they didn’t have brown) and a medium salsa. Unfortunately there were no pepper and onions available and I settled on ordering mushrooms, lettuce and grated cheese as my additional toppings. My friend ordered the small Classic Burrito (£5.95), with grilled steak (60p extra), white rice, mild salsa which consisted of a mix of tomatoes and onions and then for her additional toppings mushrooms, lettuce, grated cheese and guacamole (£1.00 extra). 

Overall, the choice of main fillings was quite extensive for a burrito restaurant but some fillings do cost extra, so be careful to read the menu above the counter before ordering. The service of creating my burrito was very quick from start to finish, however, my burrito was not exactly what I ordered. I did ask for the medium salsa to be added to my food but instead I was given the mild salsa (tomatoes and onions). I’m unsure if the medium salsa was unavailable at the time of ordering as I couldn’t see when they were making my burrito, however, it’s important that food is made to order, especially when people have different allergies and diets that need to be catered for. I was also disappointed that they didn’t have all of the additional toppings when I placed my order as this meant that I had to basically have what they had left or none at all (I wanted the pepper and onions but had to have mushrooms), which didn’t seem fair as the toppings are included in the price of the burrito. 

I was also disappointed at the length of time I had to wait to pay for my food. It took longer to pay then it did to actually order and create my burrito. The service throughout creating my burrito was very good and all staff were really friendly and attentive but it was let down by the wait paying at the end and the fact that the member of staff on the till didn’t seem to be interested and wanted you to pay and then move on as quickly as possible. 

TASTE

Ignoring the fact that my burrito was not the exact fillings which I ordered, the burrito was actually very tasty. I could taste each and every individual flavour and I did enjoy it. There could have been a little bit more of each filling (for the price) but to be honest it did more than satisfy my hunger. It was wrapped up firmly, keeping the fillings in the tortilla tightly wrapped up and the foil kept my food warm which was ideal for taking it back to the office to my desk. My friend also commented on the fact that she really enjoyed her burrito and again hers was tightly wrapped and the foil kept the food warm on the short journey back to the office. Again, she commented that a little more filling could have been added to the tortilla wrap, especially the main ingredient (grilled steak in her case) but she would return back to Barburrito again. 

COST AND VALUE

Both small Classic Burritos cost £5.95 each but as my friend ordered hers with grilled steak and guacamole, it cost a total of £7.55. When taking into account that a burrito is just a tortilla wrap, filled with one main ingredient, rice and beans and then salsa and additional toppings, I think that it is quite an expensive lunch option. However, I did find the burrito to be quite filling and I wasn’t hungry afterwards. Taking into account that the restaurant is in Manchester City Centre and is made in front of you with fresh ingredients, I would consider Barburrito to be a ‘mid-range lunch option’ which would be my go to lunch for a treat every once in a while. It was just very disappointing that my order wasn’t right and the toppings that I wanted were not available. 

OVERALL

PROS AND CONS

Pros

Cons

• Order made partly wrong and lack of fillings
• Slow when paying

FOODIE RATING

I give Barburrito in Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester a Foodie Rating of 3/5. It would have been a 4/5 if they would have given the option with the rice and if they had not got part of my order wrong. Paying at the till also let it down as it took longer to pay than it did to order and create the actual burrito. 

Want to know more about Barburrito? You can check out their website and social media here: barburrito.co.uk

Everybody enjoys new technology (well most people I know do!) and when IllumiBowl offered me the chance to try out their motion-active toilet night light, I jumped on board and thought I'd give it ago. So I've been testing out the IllumiBowl* for over a month now and I'm actually impressed by this little nifty gadget.

Credit: IllumiBowl.com

IllumiBowl - around £10.00

IllumiBowl  are an American company who were first featured on a program called Shark Tank in 2016. They have created the worlds first toilet night bowl light and are taking the 'bathroom gadget' sector by storm. They are on a mission to introduce as many households as possible to the IllumiBowl motion-active night light and since being on Shark Tank, now sell the IllumiBowl world wide.

So what is the IllumiBowl?
The IllumiBowl is a little box with a small arm that fits around your toilet bowl and attached to the arm is a little light, which lights up when it gets darker (during the night) and when motion is detected.. simple yet genius! It will only light up when you walk into the bathroom during the night.. therefore making it easier on your eyes when you're half asleep - no more bright lights during the night, no more walking into the sink, bath etc.. you can go straight back to bed without fully waking up..or waking others up.. perfect!

How to set IllumiBowl up..
It's so simple and easy to set up and literally only took me a few seconds, so perfect to those who hate 'DIY'. To set up the IllumiBowl just following these simple steps;

1. Place 3 x AAA batteries into the back of the Illumnibowl;
2. Lift the toilet seat up and simply bend arm over the toilet bowl, whilst ensuring the white box is on the outside of the toilet bowl.. and that's it.. you're all set to go ..once it gets dark!
3. For the best motion sensor detection make sure the white box is facing the door as much as possible

Why do I need an IllumiBowl?
There's no particular reason why you need an IllumiBowl but after using it for a few days you will WANT an IllumiBowl for your bathroom. Although probably aimed at small children, this little piece of technology is amazing and helps brighten up your bathroom.. literally! 

Another great function about this product is that you can either set it to change through a cycle of different colours including white, blue, green, pink, purple, orange etc (once motion is detected) or you can set is to that it only lights up showing one colour - either way it's pretty cool and the light isn't too bright but is bright enough so that you can see where you are going.


The IllumiBowl will also only light up when the lights are off and motion is detected, therefore saving on battery power and making the batteries last longer. I've been trying out this product now for the past month and the batteries are still going strong. It's also simple to keep clean with a damp cloth.

Overall Opinion
Overall, I think that the IllumiBowl is an innovative product. It is a smart little gadget that it completely different to most other 'technology' products and although you may think that you don't need a gadget that lights up your toilet bowl, once you try the IllumiBowl.. you will WANT one. You will find this product to be smart, different but yet a simple little household gadget that is fun for all family members and all ages. It's also a great talking point for friends and family and I would definitely recommend trying out the IllumiBowl.

As well as IllumiBowl, the company have also expanded their cool 'light up bathroom range' to include IllumiSink (light up sink attachment), IllumiShower (light up shower head) and the IllumiSoap (light up soap dispenser) - I'd love to try more of their range to see how they actually work so watch this space.

Who doesn't enjoy getting there hands on the latest technology? I know I do and I love reading about and where possible, trying out the latest gadgets, so when I was asked to try out the Penclic R3 Mouse*, I was excited and somewhat intrigued as to what the mouse would be like to use. I had never heard of or even seen a pen built into the form of a computer mouse, so I couldn't wait to try it out.


Penclic 3 Mouse - around £59.99

Who are Penclic?

Penclic are a family-run Swedish company based in Stockholm, Sweden and they create ergonomic computer accessories which are unique, stylish, smart and completely innovative to what I have seen so far. 

What's included?

Include inside Penclic's smart packaging is:

First Thoughts

When I first opened the Penclic R3 I was impressed by the packaging that the R3 Mouse was presented in. It looks bright, vibrant and would stand out if purchasing from your local shop. The packaging is sturdy, well packed and prevents the R3 Mouse from moving about and stopping it from being potentially damaged.

The Penclic R3 is extremely easy to set up but you do need to let it charge for awhile before using (this was annoying as I couldn't wait to use it!). Once charged, you simply place the USB into the USB port of your laptop or computer, turn on your R3 Mouse and it connects almost immediately, turning the mouse wireless.

Using the R3 Mouse
At first I found the Penclic R3 Mouse strange to use, I have never used any form of ergonomic mouse before, so it does take some time to get used to. During the first few times using the R3 Mouse, I found that it made my hand ache but I think that this could be down to the fact that I wasn't used to using this style of mouse. After using the mouse for awhile, it became easier on my hand, comfortable to use and I found it very lightweight and easy to move around on different surfaces.

My full time job involves working in an office at a desk, so the R3 Mouse is perfect for this, not to mention it has been built to help prevent and/or ease repetitive strain injury (RSI) and after using this little gadget for awhile, I can see exactly why.. I felt that there was less strain and pressure on my hand and I didn't have to use as many movements with my hand as I usually would with a normal computer mouse. However, the only downfall was that I often found it difficult to get the mouse to 'click' where I wanted it to ..sometimes making it frustrating to use!


Features of the Penclic R3 Mouse

• Can be used by both right and left hand users
• Laser sensor
• Compatible with PC and MAC
• Wireless
• Rechargable
• Click and scroller

Overall, the Penclic R3 takes sometime getting used to but it is generally a smart, sleek little gadget that is ideal for using with a laptop or computer. I sometimes found it difficult to use as it often wouldn't click where I wanted but hopefully with time, practice and patience, I may be able to work out how to precisely 'select and click' exactly where I need to. The fact that it is lightweight makes it easier to transport alongside your laptop and is perfect for people who find it difficult to use an ordinary mouse.

VERDICT

Score: 4 out of 5 : Innovative, different and unique. Just wish it could be used with my iPad and had more 'click' precision.

PROS

- Wireless

- Simple to set up

- Rechargeable

- Lightweight / Portable / Smart / Sleek

- Can use on many surfaces

CONS

- Takes awhile to charge

- Can't use with iPad

- Not always precise when 'clicking' the area you want

Who doesn't love a face mask once in awhile?! I've never actually used Superdrug's own brand face masks before but when I saw that the price tag of their Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask was only 99p I thought I'd have a try - at 99p you can't really go wrong can you?

Credit: Superdrug.com

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Pick 'n' Melt Christmas Gift Set - RRP £12.00

Who are Pick 'n' Melt?

They are a new and innovative company which pride themselves in being the ultimate scented pick 'n' mix candle company, offering over 250 different scented wax melts or scented candles. They have been established since November 2016 and offer vegan friendly candles made from natural, sustainable, vegetable soy wax.

Christmas Candle Gift Set

I was kindly sent the Christmas Candle Gift Set to try out and the set included;

The scents which were included in the gift set are; 

Snow, Festive Tree, Mistletoe and Wine, Christmas Time, Cocoa and Log Fire, Robin Red Breast, Christmas Spice and Frankincense and Myrrh. 

Once I received and opened my package from Pick 'n' Melt, I was greeted with a lovely ceramic candle wax warmer, which has their logo on the side, a pick 'n' mix yellow and white, candy striped paper bag which inside were the wax melt candles and a 'menu' of the different scents available - the packaging compared to other candle companies used is very unique and innovative and definitely stands out from the crowd!

The Product Itself..

I was worried at first about how powerful the scent of the candles were - very strong scented candles always seem to give me a headache! However, I found the smell to be overpowering as all 16 bags of wax melts were together in one bag! When using the candle wax melts individually, the smell is strong but not too overpowering and from the candles used so far, it smells exactly like the scent described on the packet.

It took approx. 5-10 minutes for one pack of wax melts (6 small cubes included in a pack) to turn from a wax cube into liquid and overall the scent of the candle did last a good few hours.. approx 5-6 hours in total. I did however find it useful to light the tea light candle a few minutes before placing the wax melts on top of the dish.  I also found the ceramic wax warmer to be of very good quality, sturdy and is a candle warmer which can be used any time of year. It would make a perfect gift for friends and family ..or even yourself!



Pick 'n' Mix - Join the Party!

They also offer a monthly subscription where you can try more of their candle scents, exclusive offers and competitions. At the moment they currently offer two different subscriptions;

• Standard Subscription £8.00
• Supreme Subscription £12.00

I think this is a great idea and gives people the chance to find their ultimate favourite Pick 'n' Melt scent. Also gives you the chance to create your own scents by mixing different wax melts together! A great way for Pick 'n' Melt to develop a trend on social media / Twitter! You can find out more about this by clicking here

Verdict:

Overall, I think the Christmas Gift Set is great and I would recommend buying this. The Pick 'n' Melt brand itself is creative and unique and offers the largest selection of candle scents I've ever seen. I would class this brand to be towards the luxury end of the 'candle market' but still priced competitively. I hope to see them roll out more larger candles of popular scents in the future!

• Long Lasting (wax melts)
• Quirky / Innovative - the packaging, brand and range of scents
• Large Selection of Scents
• Competitively priced

• Smells beautiful and elegant
• Fragrance is long lasting - on your skin and in the bottle!
• Clever design of bottle - sleek and minimalistic
• Competitively priced whilst on special offer