Easter is nearly here and with the kids off school, it’s good to have a few things planned. At Morrison’s we’ve searched high and low to find the best family activities for the holidays:   

National Trust

If you don’t have enough space for an Easter egg hunt, why not go to one at a National Trust garden?  From Good Friday to Easter Monday Cadbury’s are hiding Easter eggs at Trust sites all over the UK. This will keep your children entertained for a few hours while you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Visit the website to find the trail nearest to you: http://www.eastereggtrail.co.uk

Lake District

This year marks the 100th birthday of Beatrix Potter’s Jemima Puddle-Duck.  In the story Jemima searches for somewhere to lay her eggs. What better way to celebrate the occasion than an Easter egg hunt in the Lake District? Beginning on 19th March, families can search for 100 coloured eggs across Cumbria. And these are not just chocolate eggs. Each contains a prize such as a holiday in the Lakes and Beatrix Potter gifts. To find out more visit: http://www.hop-skip-jump.com/special_events.php

Kew Gardens

Your kids will relish the chance to meet the Easter bunny at Kew. All they need to do is follow his trail of eggs among the flowers and track him down. And if they fancy meeting a real bunny you can pop along to the Giant Rabbit Rescue at Brentford Gate: www.kew.org.uk

Imperial War Museum

If you’re looking for an educational event that your family will enjoy, the Imperial War Museum is the answer. Here your children have to earn their chocolate by acting as secret agents. They will follow a trail around the Cabinet War Rooms and decipher a top-secret password to find the golden egg. http://cwr.iwm.org.uk 

Rievlaux Abbey, North Yorkshire

If you’ve had a few too many Easter eggs why not take a trip back in time instead? Visit this breathtaking monastic abbey on the Yorkshire Moors from Sat 22nd to Mon 24th for a chance to see falconers in Tudor costume. Your children will be amazed by the birds in flight and may learn a thing or two about the role they played in Tudor times. www.english-heritage.org.uk/Easter   

Differences between US and UK student life

During a year spent studying in Berkeley, California, I was struck by the different lifestyles of our cousins across the pond. Here are some of the key reasons I suffered from culture shock: 

Competition

A spirit of competition motivated many of my classmates, which extended from academic life to something as innocent as pumpkin carving. Having been lured by the promise of free Halloween candy, I found myself completely unprepared for the heated battle that would take place in my dining hall. I knew something was amiss when I noticed that the guy sitting next to me had sellotaped a pattern from the internet onto his pumpkin, and was spreading out an elaborate set of knives and scooping tools in order to do it justice. His look of intense concentration while he created his masterpiece was reminiscent of a brain surgeon performing a vital procedure. 

Faced with this predicament, I attempted to envision something more ambitious than my original ‘face’ plan. I became disheartened as a bit fell off of the California bear that I carved, making it look like a pumpkin with a hole. My neighbour, needless to say, inspired awe at having managed to recreate Edward Scissorhands in vegetable form.

Dress code

Just as students at Berkeley do not wish to be constrained by outmoded theories and conservative ideology, so they desire to escape from the restraints of synthetic materials, collars or anything requiring an iron. Elasticated waistbands and hoodies are in, and it is not unusual to see students wearing their pyjamas to lectures as they take Freud’s Interpretation of Dreams a bit too seriously. 

As an Arts student I was completely unprepared for such casual attire. The boho look was in Portland café well before it graced the fashion magazines on Sienna or Kate. Anyone who has been to the English Department corridor can testify that it is a catwalk for the latest styles, inspired by designer collections and made possible by H&M. Unlike Americans, who don’t study in anything they couldn’t sleep in, English students don’t dress in anything that they couldn’t dance in.

Social life

Academic competition in Berkeley is fierce and aided by copious amounts of coffee. Luckily, the all-night cafes dotted around university towns offer both a social and a study zone, so those highlighters need never be far at hand. Unlike the Nottingham student, who favours clubbing, the age limit on drinks means that parties are the main sites of youthful abandon. Many parties are on offer so it is wise to be discriminating, i.e. never go to an engineering frat party where the theme is pimp n’ ho. 

Study

Americans take study very seriously and choose their modules in order to network with top professors, in order to get the best possible references for law school. By first year, the average student will have mapped out their career route and is prepared to overcome all obstacles, including sleep and free time, to get there. 

The typical Nottingham student takes study very seriously, particularly during the 48 hours before a coursework deadline and less so during the rest of term. Unlike, their American counterparts, students in the UK are less career-minded and more interested in finding themselves, especially if they happen to find themselves in the Arc with a drink.

Accommodation

In the US, students are divided into 2 camps. The jocks and cheerleaders live in fraternities and sororities, sumptuous single sex households with servants and ample parking space for those hefty four by fours. These involve disturbing initiation rituals and are structured according to a complex Greek system based on intelligence and who your dad is. For further research, see such films as ‘Clueless’ and ‘Mean Girls’. 

The 2nd camp involves the more liberal student who lives in communal housing. Named Co-ops, these houses are run by a resident elected government who debate pressing issues such as how many lentils to buy per week and what snacks to provide at the naked jacuzzi party.

In the UK students are divided into 2 camps: Freshers and everyone else. The majority of Freshers live on campus in halls that are structured according to an ancient tradition of dirty songs and bar crawls. These involve initiation rituals such as Campus 14, food fights and setting the fire alarm off by ill-advisedly making toast after a night out at the Works.

Other students live in the student metropolis of Lenton, with the most sought after houses situated a short distance from a cash point and a corner shop. It is here that the students mature to adulthood by way of independent living, overcoming the everyday onslaught of bills, learning how to use a washing machine and bonding over episodes of neighbours a la pot noodle.

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Enjoy a little more height

There’s something so empowering about wearing heels.  It’s like you’re ready to take on the world.

Get that feeling when you drive. The new Daihatsu Terios is a 4×4 with the compactness of a small car.

You’re higher off the ground so you can see more and be totally confident.

Feel taller. 

After a hard day’s work, slip into something comfortable.

With its cushioned interior and increased legroom, the new Daihatsu Terios feels so spacious and secure. You can even change the angle and height of your seat so it’s just right for you.

After a day in the office, you deserve to unwind. Why wait until you get home?

Drive the car with a designer label.

The new Daihatsu Terios is the glamorous 4×4. It looks so good it won the prestigious German Red Dot Design Award last year. The judges loved its compact size, modern shape and powerful presence.

Just because you need more space doesn’t mean you have to give up on style.