Rehome a Horse this month... go on!

A slight departure from my normal themes I know, but as a lifelong horse lover, this story really caught my eye. (And almost brought a tear!)

A new scheme launched by the World Horse Welfare charity is expected to raise the profile of horse adoption this month. The scheme, dubbed ‘Rehome a Horse Month’, aims to tackle the growing number of horses living in shelters after being abandoned or because owners cannot afford to keep them.

Having rode horses most of my childhood, and remembering how my parents struggled at times to afford my hobby, and according to the charity, the problem has worsened during the credit crunch, as horse owners that have been made redundant or have fallen on hard times are not less able to pay for maintenance and vet bills. Plus, if they're anything like me, young riders these days expect the latest riding boots to co-ordinate with the rest of their outfit!

The scheme has been given wholehearted approval from royalty this week, with well-known equine enthusiast the HRH Princess Royal visiting the charity’s headquarters at the Hall Farm Rescue and Rehoming Centre in Snetterton, Norfolk.

The Princess Royal was privy to a special show jumping display organised by the charity to demonstrate the successful rehabilitation they carry out with horses that have been victims of abuse or neglect, and who may have physical disabilities as a result.

The display served to highlight the progress these horses can make when given the right care and attention from specialists such as those at World Horse Welfare. The rehoming scheme ran by the charity is the largest in the country, with around 1,500 horses in need of a new home at any one time and a rate of almost 300 horses rehomed every year. However, these numbers speak for themselves, with a greater number of horses left to rehome than those who receive new owners.

Needless to say, those considering giving a horse a second chance in life should contact World Horse Welfare as soon as possible to get involved with this wonderful scheme, and if any of my lovely blog readers want more information I'd be happy to point them into the right direction.

New Care Bear series

It has now been released that a new Care Bears series is now in the works at American Greetings Properties and is scheduled to air in 2012 for the brand's 30th anniversary.

The company, which is also home to all of the programmes cute Strawberry Shortcake, Holly Hobby, Madballs and many other brands, will produce a brand new CGI series which will also include a new line of toys in 2013.

Care Bears debuted in 1982 as a line of cute and colourful toys and has generated in excess of £2.0 billion since 2002.

Care Bears follow the adventures of a collection of cute and brightly coloured bears which have even cuter names like Bedtime Bear, Wish Bear ,Cheer Bear, Tenderheart Bear, and Love-a-lot bear. The Care Bears 1985 movie grossed over £30 million internationally at the box office.

"The Care Bears are not just a piece of 80s pop culture, but an enduring and still beloved properties whose messages of caring and sharing are as relevant today as they were when the property was first introduced," said AGP marketing director Gabrielle Oliff.

Toy Story 4 details leaked!

Toy Story 3 was one of the films of summer 2010 that made mine and my kid’s summer. Rounding off the trilogy that first started in 1995, in which we saw a group of toys that we would grow to love to the final film where we see the toys cast out by their beloved loyal owner Andy, and trapped in the Sunnyside day care centre. After a thrilling, climax to the film in which our heroes narrowly escape certain doom, we see them passed into the possession of a new younger loving owner. The film was a rarity in film threequels, perfectly rounding off a series whilst still maintaining the classic love and attention to  detail and the quality of the previous two.

It will come as a surprise to many that after the fairy tale sendoff that we all thought was the end for out lovable group of toys, is not the end as it was casually released by none other than Woody himself that the fourth instalment of the popular animation is in the process of being worked on

Speaking to BBC Breakfast to promote his upcoming Larry Crowne, the much-beloved actor responded to an inquiry about a fourth, saying:

“I think there will be yeah. Yeah, yeah. They’re working on it now. There you go.”

This revelation will draw many a mixed reaction from pixar and toy story enthusiasts alike as many will feel that the seemingly closed end to the previous film should be left alone and as the series is set to continue it will continue to draw positive and negative feedback wherever it goes.

Personally I believe that this venture is more about the money and less about the love and care we associate when we see a toy story film and I will be greatly saddened if the next film is purely being made for a quick and easy profit.

LEGO Through The Years

It's fair to say that Lego is one of the classical toys of all times. We have all played with them and some of us still have them at home. Lego toys are great for children as they can improve their learning capabilities and even hand-eye coordination. What few people know, however, is that Lego has been around for more than 70 years.

The building frenzy has started a long time ago and it is still continuing. Children seem to be mesmerized with the toys and also adults love to play with them. The history of Lego started back in 1947 when the first injection machine was introduced in the factory. But the small bricks that we know today have not taken life until 1958. Ever since this brick was patented, the frenzy surrounded the Lego toys is still growing. There are the kid Duplo versions and the Lego technic and the Lego mindstorms NXT sets, and Lego has evolved with the times better than most other toys over time. You're now able to visit the multi-million pound Legoland Theme Park in Windsor, and have tie ins with all the latest Hollywood Blockbuster films, producing Batman,  Indiana Jones, and Star Wars lines, even extending into video games for each.

The toy has became such a worldwide phenomenon that each year, children spend about 5 billion hours playing with the toy. The Lego factory actually produces about 19 billion Lego toys in a single year and there are about 915 million combinations possible for the 2 x4 Lego toys of the same colour.

The beauty of Lego toys is their appeal to such a broad range of people and ages, from pre school age and can even be applied in the pre university levels in order to teach maths, language skills, science, engineering and all sorts of technology principles. Indeed, the Lego toys have been an inspiration for many people including Jonathan Gay, the man that invented Flash, the programming code.

Some companies actually use Lego toys in their recruitment system as it can prove how creative the candidate really is. It is true is that Lego’s can be used both for kids, adults and basically anyone that likes to be creative. Probably this is why they are so widely sold. If you take all the Lego bricks that are bought in a year and connect them all together then you will actually circle the world five times. 

My son loves Lego, and I'm sure that when he grows up and one day has children of his own, they'll experience the same wonder and joy from the toy as his Mum and generations before. What are your experiences of Lego?

Struggling for interesting gifts this Fathers' Day?

Gifts play a special role in any special occaision, but when we have to make gifts for the people we love things seem to get a bit more complicated. Making gifts for your mother or your father can be nerve racking when you don’t know what they would like. However, don’t despair and try to see the fun side of things. Everyone loves to laugh so why not give your father something funny that he will surely love and keep as a memory.

Fathers are usually more complicated than mothers when it comes to gifts, maybe because they tend to be more serious than our moms. But none says that they cannot enjoy something that has been given from the heart. For instance, if your father is a company man and he wears a suit to work every day and a shirt even in the weekends then the answer is staring right at you: cufflinks. Don’t go for the boring gold ones, but instead for some funny shapes. Maybe your initials, little hearts (the token of your love for him) or maybe a symbol of his favorite hobby such as little fish if he likes to go fishing. This can also be a reminder of your father-kid expeditions when you caught your first fish and he helped you release it back in the water.

But there are many other things that you can give him. When your father is passionate about gardening then a new lawn mowing machine he’s been looking for maybe a great idea. Or if he likes BBQ and tends to engage the whole family in preparing the meals in the weekend, then you can give him some new BBQ accessories and an apron stating “Best Dad”.

Tickets to his favorite football match or maybe to a concert from a band that he really likes can also be great alternatives. If your father is passionate about music and guitars, what can be more wonderful than to give him the guitar that he has always dreamed about? When it’s too expensive then you can ask the whole family to pitch in. He will surely appreciate and cherish the gift. For those that like collector’s items you can provide him with the much needed piece that was missing from his collection.

When you come to think about it, there are a great number of things that you can give your father. The bottom line is to give the gift with all your heart and your gesture will speak more than a thousand words.