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London’s ice sculpture festival has just finished by the sculpted works left behind are quite something to behold. Apart from the fact that anyone living outside of the UK suffering through heat waves would love to wrap their arms around these masterpieces, the artists provided a source of wonderment and entertainment for many visiting the festival.

Seasoned sculpting professionals were on hand to help amateurs who were completing ice sculpting workshops. Under the steel eyes and guidance of ice sculptors like Krisztian Pogany and Asange Amerasinghe, huge blocks of ice began to take shape and form. Some of the most impressive pieces were Krisztian’s Boris Bike, and Asange’s giant Jubilee diamond marking the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee year. In its fourth year, the Ice Sculpting Festival was a free event but was ongoing entertainment for office workers at the Canary Wharf buildings who could watch the ice sculptors create their pieces from scratch. Sculptors were given two days to complete their pieces and the winner was judged on Saturday 14^th January 2012.

It’s that time of year again. Christmas time! The time of cheer and good will and the city of London is one of the most incredible places to be during this time. Oxford Street is said to be London’s busiest street with over 200 million visitors per year and apart from Oxford being an extravagant shopping destination which sees shopping statistics soar in December, there are the world renowned Oxford Christmas lights that attract Londoners and tourists alike.

Christmas lights are being put up, red is becoming the new fashionable color, the smell of tinsel fills the air and ‘ho ho ho’ can be heard in popular shopping malls. Yes, it’s that time of year again; its Christmas time and the taste of Christmas time too.   What a lovely time of year, well I love it at least and what is more wonderful than the Christmas spirit, spending time with family, holidays and gift wrapping is the delectable food that comes with it. The quintessential Christmas lunch is something I yearn for all year long. Plum turkeys and gammon perched up on our lunch table and pulling the colorful crackers waking up granny is what it’s all about. This year, The Taste of Christmas is sure to exude all of the good and yummy things Christmas has to offer.

The festive season is all about good feelings, good deeds and of course, good food – and during December, London will play host to a number of gourmet food festivals to tempt and treat even the most discerning connoisseurs. Visiting a London food festival during the Christmas season is a great way to get into the festive spirit, pick up some delicious gifts for your loved ones and indulge in fine food and wine prepared by some of London’s top chefs.

While frozen delivery fleets are gearing up to cater to the city’s Christmas food festivals, some Londoners might be wondering which of these fine food celebrations to attend; here are three top festival picks for the Christmas season, where guests can eat, drink and be very merry indeed!

On a recent visit to the Ealing Farmer’s market, I discovered that the larger London farmer’s markets are not necessarily the better ones. Situated in the heart of Ealing on Leeland road, this local farmer’s market is small and picturesque and fills up in the early morning with Refrigerated Freight trucks as exhibitors lay out their first picks of the day and freshest in produce from the nearby farms.

In the United Kingdom 43% of households own a pet. In the USA it is even higher. Many people own pets, love pets and will inevitably own an animal companion throughout their lives. The London pet show happens every year and all the furry, reptilian, slimy, large and small pets come out to play, put on a show and interact with their owners.

Everyone remembers having imaginary friends then those friends turned into our animal pets and then humans. Many agree the best of friends were our animal counterparts. Even now we take solace in our pets. They provide us with unconditional love and are fiercely loyal. At the London pet show, one of the bigger ones among pet shows UK, we get to explore the eclectic mix of ‘best friends’ attendants bring along while taking the family out and letting the kids have some wholesome fun. The London Pet Show is a dynamic live event, packed full of hundreds of different breeds of animals, amazing live animal action displays and fun and informative talks and demonstrations. The quintessential pet, the dog is a huge attraction at the pet show and all aspects are covered, from games and training and even to pet vacuum cleaners.  There are five diverse and exciting zones to discover at this ultimate pet show, which feature Dogs, Cats, Small Furries, Exotics & Aquatics and Pets.

The epicentre of London has so many diverse and amazing things to do and experience. They really have catered for Londoners and tourists alike. In the upmarket and quiet suburb of Notting Hill made famous by the movie ‘Notting Hill’ starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, lies the well known Portobello market.

Every year in September the edges of London’s River come alive with the annual Thames Festival, and 2011 looks to be no different from years before. Usually only used by the locals for Christmas party boats or for a place to run along in the mornings, the Thames River comes alight with a myriad of international food flavours, fireworks and theatre attractions in celebration of London and its iconic river.  It is free to all attending the Thames Festival and is the biggest festival of arts and hosted by the mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

Every girl dreams of that special day, from when she gets into her first white dress and stares into the mirror. Planning your special designer wedding can take months and months of phone calls, emails and indecision. Why not allow the very best wedding specialists, who can organize and supply everything from your hens party cruise on London’s landmark river through to your custom wedding gown and invitations to all be in one place? Welcome to the 3 day Designer Wedding Show which will be taking place from the 7^th through to the 9^th of October in London at Battersea Park.

Families from all over London will soon be flocking to Regent’s Park to enjoy a fun-filled day out at Lollibop, a London festival created specially for kids. While most London concerts and West End festival tickets are aimed at grown-ups, the Lollibop festival is billed as “The Big Bash for the Little People”, offering a wide range of entertainment and activities for kids… and the young at heart.

Lollibop 2011 promises to be bigger, brighter and better than ever! Here are just a few of the sweet surprises you can expect when you visit the popular family festival this August:

The Enchanted Forest
This magical woodland is filled with friendly creatures, and it’s here you’ll find the LollyBooks story reading area and get the chance to learn some magic tricks at the famous Lollibop fairy and wizard school.