• Self drive boating at Cliveden
    Buckinghamshire - days out

    Self drive boating at Cliveden

    April 23, 2026 - By 

    Cliveden in Buckinghamshire is one of our favourite historic houses to visit. The house is currently run as a hotel (afternoon tea there is on my bucket list) but we try to visit throughout the year to enjoy the gardens and tearooms. Did you know that the Cliveden estate runs along part of the Thames, and you can hire riverboats? This is something we discovered a few years ago and finally got round to doing. Boating has only just opened for the season, but the weather was amazing, so we jumped online to book a boat. Our boat was for…

  • The Mundo Pixar Experience London
    days out

    The Mundo Pixar Experience London

    April 21, 2026 - By 

    If you’re looking for a fun activity with the kids, then I can recommend a trip to Mundo Pixar World London at Wembley. This is a pop-up immersive experience, and something my teen really enjoyed. My teen grew up watching Pixar films because I’ve always loved them too. We watch a lot of films and it’s something fun to do as a family. My teen had spotted this experience online but as soon as she mentioned it to me, I began to see the posters advertising it too, mainly as they feature some of my favourite Pixar characters! Mundo Pixar…

  • The Elephant Trail at Battersea Power Station
    days out

    The Elephant Trail at Battersea Power Station

    April 16, 2026 - By 

    During the Easter holidays we decided to visit The Elephant Trail at Battersea Power Station in London. We love a public sculpture trail, especially an animal one, and lunch at Battersea Power Station sounded pretty good to us too. We left the teen at home to revise for his exams and headed into London with the other teen and the dog. The Elephant Trail at Battersea Power Station Battersea Power Station is always a fun destination, but the sculpture trail was an added bonus. We downloaded the free app so we could collect the unique code on each sculpture, and…

  • A visit to Brompton Cemetery
    days out

    A visit to Brompton Cemetery (The Magnificent Seven)

    April 12, 2026 - By 

    I’ve written before about The Magnificent Seven, the seven private cemeteries which were laid out in London in the 1830s and 1840s, as a solution to London’s overcrowded churchyards. I love learning about the history of London and these cemeteries are an integral part of life and death in London, they are also a great place to walk and explore. A visit to Brompton Cemetery (The Magnificent Seven) Brompton Cemetery opened in 1840 and was designed by Benjamin Baud to be an open-air cathedral and colonnades flank the central drive leading to an impressive domed Chapel. Uniquely the cemetery was…

  • Summit at Ally Pally with teens
    days out - Haringey

    Summit at Ally Pally with teens

    April 9, 2026 - By 

    A few years ago we took the opportunity to climb up and over the O2. It was a fun experience which has stuck with us ever since, it’s not often that we find an activity that impresses the teens. We discovered that you could climb over Ally Pally, this is one of my favourite buildings in London, so we booked it for an Easter treat. Summit at Ally Pally with teens Ally Pally, or Alexandra Palace, is a beautiful historic building in Haringey. We visit it frequently for gigs and the theatre and the views over London are worth a…

  • sashiko pin cushion
    days out

    The Stitch Festival 2026

    March 25, 2026 - By 

    Last week I spent a day at The Stitch Festival at the Business Design Centre in Angel. Living in London means I am spoilt for craft shops and creative workshops, but I can’t resist seeing everything under one roof. The Stitch Festival 2026 As well as my ticket, I also booked my workshops in advance – choosing punch needle, adding embroidery to knits and a sashiko class. I love the opportunity to learn something new and thought these three classes would be fun. The punch needle class took place before the festival opened, so I had a very early start…

  • A half-term visit to Pause Cat Café in Bournemouth
    days out

    A half-term visit to Pause Cat Café in Bournemouth

    February 26, 2026 - By 

    Looking for family-friendly things to do in Bournemouth over half term, I found a Cat Café near where we were staying. Everyone enjoys a trip to the Cat Café (except the dog, obviously), so we booked a slot in advance so we could sit and relax for an hour during a busy day. Exploring Bournemouth for the first time We’d never visited Bournemouth before, but we spent a few happy hours on Bournemouth pier, in the seaside arcade, and a bit of retail therapy. We even found a branch of Scribbler tucked away on a side street and treated ourselves…

  • days out - London Borough of Westminster

    Elf The Musical at the Aldwych Theatre

    December 31, 2025 - By 

    We’ve been fortunate to book a couple of trips to the theatre over the Christmas holidays. Last weekend we went to Ally Pally to watch A Christmas Carol, and earlier this week we booked tickets for Elf the Musical. Elf The Musical at the Aldwych Theatre Based on the beloved 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, Elf is the funny and charming tale of Buddy, who mistakenly crawled into Santa’s bag as a baby and was raised as an elf! Way too tall and not so great at his job, Buddy is the North Pole’s biggest misfit… and knows he’ll never…

  • Camden - days out

    The Gingerbread City at Coal Drops Yard

    December 29, 2025 - By 

    It’s not Christmas without some gingerbread. We’ve been baking a lot of gingerbread over the last few weeks and decided to make a visit to this years The Gingerbread City. The Gingerbread City at Coal Drops Yard This is an annual exhibition of gingerbread buildings, organised by the Museum of Architecture. We try and visit every year and enjoy seeing what people have created from gingerbread. This year’s theme, The Playful City, celebrates the power of fun, curiosity and design to make our cities happier, healthier and more connected. From colourful, interactive public spaces to rewilded rooftops and buildings that…