What to do on the rainiest of days during the rainiest of rainiest summer holidays in living memory? Most mums, especially the sensible ones, would stay indoors, break open the craft box, and have a cosy afternoon in. Me? I take on the challenge of Go Ape! Who wouldn’t, right? Apart from all those sensible people obviously. Continue reading
As regular day trippers around the UK, we spend a lot of time on the road. I learned to drive as soon as I could afford regular lessons for myself, and it’s the best thing I ever learned. Driving has enabled me to take jobs that otherwise would have been difficult and has meant we can get to so many more places as a family. Driving has been and still is a big part of my life. The thought of my own children out there on the roads does worry me though – the roads are a lot busier now than when I was a teenager learning to drive. I’m not looking forward to them getting behind the wheel of their own car! Young Driver has come to the rescue. Continue reading
On our recent trip to Dartmoor, the girls really wanted to meet some Dartmoor ponies. While there are plenty loose on the Dartmoor hills, it’s hard to get up close to them; it’s not guaranteed to spot them wherever you go, and it’s not a great idea to get too close to them – they are wild ponies after all. We decided instead to go to The Miniature Pony Centre near Moretonhampstead, and we are very glad we did!
Do you take your family’s electronic devices on holiday? I know we do. While you may have the philosophy that holidays are family time and ban devices for the duration, we have found that taking our devices suits our holiday style.
The teen has a phone which she uses to keep in touch with family and friends, and the younger children have tablets. They enjoy using their devices and they don’t seem to disturb our quality family time at all. Sometimes they can be a real boon – have you ever been camping during a week of rain and tried to keep four children occupied? There are only so many card games you can play! I know some will judge us for this, but we do what works for us. Like at home, as long as device time is managed effectively, then it shouldn’t have a negative impact. Continue reading
Over the summer holidays, we spent a sunny Sunday visiting Borde Hill Garden near Haywards Heath in West Sussex. Borde Hill Garden extends to over 200 acres, with the formal gardens making up 17 acres. The gardens form a series of themed outdoor ‘rooms’, both traditional and modern in design. There are lots of different and interesting areas to explore. Continue reading
Up the road from Abbotsbury Swannery and part of the trio of attractions in Abbotsbury is Abbotsbury Children’s Farm. It’s a nice little farm for younger children with a mix of animal attractions and play areas.
Abbotsbury in Dorset is home to a trio of wonderful attractions. In June 2017, we were invited to have a look around Abbotsbury Swannery during their baby swans event, and we had a great time. If you’re fans of wildlife, then this place is well worth a visit.
This week, The Foundling Museum in London invited us to go and see the exhibition Picturing Hetty Feather and meet author Jacqueline Wilson. As my two older children have read pretty much every Jacqueline Wilson book ever written including the entire Hetty Feather series, we couldn’t say no to this one!
Looking for somewhere for a city break in Europe? You wouldn’t go far wrong with Brussels. It’s a short hop away on the Eurostar or by air, and it’s a great place. It’s not too big, cosmopolitan yet humble, different but not alien. Continue reading
We were sent a Lava Brightsounds 2 to play with while on our camping trip to Andrewshayes Holiday Park – it’s a 3-in-1 piece of travel kit, and we found it very useful. Thanks to Lava Accessories for sending it to us. It is said to be “one of the best gadgets you’ll take camping this year” and it was certainly true for us!