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| The best things in life are free |
We have it on good authority from Janet Jackson and Luther Vandross, who are no doubt diluting the washing up liquid, ripping up magazines for loo roll and surviving on beans on toast until payday like the rest of us. Welcome to this week’s frugal news.
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| Your words on our bottoms |
 Being a group of mature adults, we like to write secret messages on the bottom of our smoothie bottles and then giggle like children because we've used the word "bottom" and no one has told us off. Last week we asked readers of our blog to have a go at writing a bottom (sorry) and ended up with over 1000 entries (it was all a bit last minute which is why we couldn’t put it in the news). The three winners, who will be gracing thousands of our bottoms in the not too distant future (as well as winning a fridge full of smoothies) are:
Have you tried looking behind the sofa? (Chris)
G'day from Down Under (Nadine Dawes)
For rescue: Insert note. Throw in sea. (Tony)
Well done to Chris, Nadine and Tony and thanks to everyone who entered. |
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| Money saving tip #43 |
 Looking for a way to get a bit fitter, save some cash and warm up your arm and hand at the same time? Next time you’re juicing a lemon, roll it back and forth on the worktop before squeezing it. That way you’ll get more juice and tone those bingo wings too. |
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| And now for a commercial break |
 Our shiny new juice advert is now on the telly, and if you haven’t managed to catch it on the box yet then give your eyes and ears a treat right here. Then, once it’s worked its magic, get your shoes on, grab the dog (gently) and head straight to the shop to stock up. |
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| Money saving tip #44 |
| Scientists have concluded that people with full bladders tend to make wiser decisions. So next time you think about blowing half your wages on a crystal encrusted mobile phone, drink a bottle of water first and think long and hard about what you’re doing. |
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| Money spending tip #45 |
 However, if you happen to have £11,000-£16,000 lying around somewhere, you could do worse than buying Sir Jimmy Savile’s old Range Rover, which will be sold at auction on Saturday 18th February. This white, first generation, 1978 Range Rover Carawagon was supplied to Sir Jimmy to aid him with his extensive charity work and comes complete with a double bed, a wash basin, curtains and “vinyl seats and plastic dashboards that were designed to be washed down with a hose”. It also comes with a V5C registration document and full MOT. See you there on the 18th, bidding paddles at the ready. |
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| And finally... |
 The Perils of flying
Lose your marble
The geometry of pasta
Close up sand
Even more sand
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| And finally, finally... |
Only time for one click this week? Make it Lionel Richie, but not as you know him (thanks to Rich C for this link)
What's the all about? Just click the birdy and it will let you re-tweet any of our 'and finally' links at the touch of a button. It's all about word of mouse these days.
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| Inside Fruit Towers this week |
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| Janel named and shamed the worst post room offenders, Joe stole Ed P’s girlfriend’s joke, Katie W lost her parcel, Delia and Emilie talked packaging in Spanish, Priya got 2 cakes, 3 candles and 1 special dinner, Clare O stuck a hot water bottle in her scarf, Conor started wearing gloves, Lilly came back for good, the trains all stopped working, Tom headed off to Berlin and Navita had a baby. |
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| bob of the week |
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Bob of the Week this week is the very inspiring Bob Matthews, nominated by his goddaughter, Lauren. Bob hasn’t let a little thing like losing his sight at the age of 20 get in his way, and has competed in 7 Paralympic games, won 8 Paralympic gold medals and set 22 world records in athletics.  He now lives in New Zealand with his lovely wife, Sarah and their 2 children and has turned his feet to cycling, ranking amongst the top 10 Paralympic cyclists in the world. He’s aiming to cycle for New Zealand at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, and we wish him all the very best. Know a good Bob? Nominate them at iambob@innocentdrinks.co.uk
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| Corner of the week |
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Is Lost and Found Corner.
This is where gloves, CDs by The Feeling, ping pong balls, chairs, lonely boots and biker jackets go to be reunited with their rightful owner, or to make new friends. |
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| You’re still here? Congratulations. |
| So are we. 12 days into 2012 and the Mayan prophecy still has another 354 days left to kick in. So revel in the moment, get outside, savour the sweet taste of everything or just enjoy this week’s news while you still can. |
| January is hard |
 We said that last week but it's still hard. Shiny resolutions are looking scuffed, edible tree decorations are still being consumed and everything is more or less the same shade of grey. When you do manage to leave the warm bosom of your sofa, you're bombarded by posters telling you to GET UP, GET ACTIVE, GET FIT, STOP EATING CHOCOLATE SANTAS FOR BREAKFAST, NOW, NOW, NOW, YOU, YES, YOU. You know those posters are right (if a little shouty). You know your trainers need some air. All you need is some inspiration. All you need is a man called Kriss.
Remember last week we told you all about our 'Win a healthy New Year' promotion for January? Well, it's still January, and next week it's going all Kriss shaped. Our big prize on Tuesday is the chance to ask Mr Akabusi anything you like as we'll be giving away a personal chat with the legend himself, plus a load of smoothies. To be in with a chance of winning, you just need to pick up one of our special packs, and enter the code here on the 17th January. Good luck. |
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| Sandwich chat |
 Another week, another newsletter, another contractual obligation to tell you about new stuff we’ve made. This week we haven’t made anything new (apart from that film we just told you about). So instead we’ll use this space to tell you about a conversation we overheard down the sandwich shop on Monday:
Boy 1 [pointing to his mate who is checking out two pretty girls in the queue]: “Is he annoying you, girls?”
Girl 1: “¿Qué?”
Boy 2 [looking hopeful]: “Are you girls Spanish? Are you from Spain?”
Girl 1: “Sí, sí. Yes, we are.”
Boy 1: “Do you live in Rome?”
[Silence in sandwich shop followed by muffled giggles. Boy 2 looks on disgusted. Boy 1 orders a ham Panini, oblivious.] |
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| Focus on Fruit #3 |
 Given that this is still a slow news week, we trawled through previous editions for ‘inspiration/stuff to reuse’ and dredged up Focus on Fruit. It was meant to be a series focusing on the fruit we use in our smoothies but we only ever wrote about coconuts and apples. So this week, it’s the turn of pineapples:
- The pineapples we use in our drinks are the Maui Gold variety. They are also known as MD2. Nothing to do with C3PO or R2D2 whatsoever
- Back in Victorian times, you could hire a pineapple for your dinner party for £5,000 per night.
- Currently, a third of our pineapples are Rainforest Alliance certified. We’re working on the rest.
- Pineapples are an international sign of hospitality. Which is why so many old houses have stone pineapples on their gate posts.
- Pineapples contain an enzyme called Bromelain which is good at breaking down protein. So if you need to tenderise a piece of meat, give it a rub with a pineapple ring.
Stay tuned right here for more Focus on Fruit before the end of the year/world. |
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| And finally... |
Cats in space (thanks to Trope for this link)
Zombees
They're ear warmers, Jim, but not as we know them
Bookshop shuffle
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| And finally, finally... |
Too busy worrying about your luggage turning up to click on anything else? Soothe your suitcase stress right here
What's the all about? Just click the birdy and it will let you re-tweet any of our 'and finally' links at the touch of a button. It's all about word of mouse these days.
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| Inside Fruit Towers this week |
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| Rachel founded the innocent WI, Ben W listened to dubstep in the shower, Joe M weighed up the melons, Scott C popped the question, Dan drove the lovechild of a tin can and roller skate to work, Vickie got back on the bike and James D lost his A5 notebook, which had his name on the front and was last seen pre-Christmas on his desk. There is a reward for its return. |
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| bob of the week |
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This week’s Bob of the Week is Laura Bob, nominated by Friends of Bob. Laura Bob who is also know as Bobita and Bobette, used to sell plastic swords and cuddly toys for a living. In her spare time, she likes to dress as a giraffe, teach people to ski in Chamonix and hang out at the cricket club in Desborough.  If you know a good Bob, let us know at iambob@innocentdrinks.co.uk and they might end up here next week.
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| Corner of the week |
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COTW this week is still Forbidden Corner. Yes, still. Step away from the Quality Street. You know you hate the orange creams. Step away from the creamy booze and toying with the idea that it is acceptable to have a little sip.
You are only allowed to approach Forbidden Corner if you found a chocolate tree decoration down the back of the sofa. Go on. Add it to the pile. Then get back to the Thigh Master. |
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| Open the window. Or better still, |
| go outside, look up at the sky, take a big, deep breath in and pause. That, my friend, is the smell of 2012. Fresh, new and full of promise. Just like this week’s news. |
| First official bit of news for 2012 |
| January is grim (despite smelling fresh). |
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| Second official bit of news for 2012 |
 But we have the answer to help make your January sparkle and get your 2012 off to the healthiest start possible. For the next few weeks, we’re giving away a prize with every little bottle and big carton of our smoothies. That’s right – a prize EVERY time. From free smoothie vouchers to gym passes, yoga retreats in Spain and your own personal trainer, all you have to do is enter the special code online or by text and you’re one step closer to a less grim Jan and a newer, shinier you. To find out more, have a look here. |
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| Third official bit of news for 2012 |
 Our new juice blends are now in the shops and you can choose from delicious apple and raspberry or tasty tropical (depending on whether you need to be transported to a dappled orchard or a desert island). You can find them in ASDA right now and in other shops very soon (we’ll keep you posted). Given that at least one person you know will be on some sort of miserable cabbage maple syrup nothing beginning with C diet, cheer them up with a bit of sunshine in a carafe. Better still, give their eyes and ears a treat courtesy of a smoky orange grove and the dulcet tones of Captain Jean Luc Picard. Or even better still, win yourself a case right here. |
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| First official bit of ramble for 2012 |
 We've had the bananaphone in Fruit Towers since Day 1 and despite various ‘holidays’ and ‘kidnappings’, it’s still here in pride of place on the 5th floor. And whilst many a cynic have scoffed that one cannot possibly make telephone calls on a banana, they are soon to eat their hasty, disbelieving words as a couple of clever chaps at the University of Tokyo have made it a reality. Okay, it’s an augmented reality but nonetheless, one day you might be able to use a banana as a phone and an empty pizza box as your laptop. So put that in your pipe, Banana Disbelievers, and never let it be said again that we’re not ahead of the trend. |
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| And finally... |
Decorate by dots (thanks to Dan for this link)
Happy Birthday, Master of the Universe
Run rabbit, hurdle rabbit, bounce, bounce, bounce
Proposal pass (thanks to Germainiac for this link) |
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| And finally, finally... |
6 days in and no time already? Need a single click fix? Click yourself happy just like Jeff (thanks to Oldmingey for this link)
What's the all about? Just click the birdy and it will let you re-tweet any of our 'and finally' links at the touch of a button. It's all about word of mouse these days.
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| Inside Fruit Towers this week |
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| Jojo offered a single Malteser in return for some brown parcel paper, Lewis offered invites to the private view of a trendy East End art show, Nick L offered his spare room for rent (Poets Corner in Acton, built in wardrobes, live in girlfriend), Ruvan offered the innocent band their first recording contract, Dan offered the help of a lovely Dutch intern for 12 weeks and the Office Angels offered chocolate in return for having a New Year clean out of Fruit Towers. NB: All offers are still open until Sunday 8th January. |
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| bob of the week |
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Bob of the Week this week is the Bob. Not the haircut, not a man christened Robert but the bob movement. Whether that’s bobbing your head along to whatever music you’re listening to or walking along the street with a bounce in your step, make sure this week you bob wherever you’re going.
 Not only will you burn calories, you will instantly feel better when it’s raining outside, just by bobbing along. Normal Bob service resumes next week so if you know a good Bob, email us at iambob@innocentdrinks.co.uk and your Bob might well be the next BOTW. |
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This week’s COTW is Forbidden Corner and you can make one in your very own home. Simply take all the stuff that has the potential to tempt you to break your shiny new year resolutions (undrunk booze, leftover Quality Street, your ex’s phone number) and pile it up in a corner of your house that you never visit.
Cover it with a dustsheet and then ignore until January 31st when it is officially okay again to bathe in eggnog, eat toffee pennies for breakfast and send blank text messages to your former beau. |
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innocent foundation
