• Mottisfont House and Gardens
    days out - Hampshire - National Trust - parenting

    A day at Mottisfont House and Gardens

    July 1, 2017 - By 

    A few weekends ago we met up with some friends at Mottisfont House and Gardens in Hampshire. Entry was free with our National Trust membership cards and we had a great day out exploring the house and gardens. The weather wasn’t great (ok, it rained on and off all day) but it didn’t stop us from spending an insane amount of time outside. Mottisfont House is a former Augustinian priory set beside the River Test with an amazing park and garden. The park has ancient trees and an eighteenth century summer house. The Lime Walk was designed by Geoffrey Jellicoe…

  • Despicable Me 3 film review
    days out - film review - parenting

    Despicable Me 3 film review

    June 27, 2017 - By 

    Our family love all things Minion so have been looking forward to the release of Despicable Me 3 for a while. My children have opened a few Despicable Me 3 Kinder Eggs and we reviewed some of the new Despicable Me Mineez too. They also got their hands on some Despicable Me Happy Meals toys – we’ve been pretty much immersed in all things Despicable Me and minions! So when we were invited to the premiere of the new film in Leicester Square we just had to attend. We managed to keep it a secret until we arrived at Leicester…

  • days out - parenting

    Topping up tummies {Wings and Wheels Model Spectacular}

    June 24, 2017 - By 

    Today we had a pretty long day out at Wings and Wheels Model Spectacular. This is an annual radio control model show which takes place at the historic North Weald Airfield in Essex. We try and go ever year as my husband flies model planes (and has radio control cars and boats too!). There was plenty to see and do. The children both wanted to have a go at everything. My 7 year old drove a remote control lorry around a track (badly). They both enjoyed the radio control boats. The weather was so much cooler than it has been…

  • The Handmade Fair 2017 discount code
    crafts - days out - Local Review - London

    The Handmade Fair 2017 discount code

    June 22, 2017 - By 

    Like many people I love to craft but find my spare time squeezed by children’s parties, play dates, swimming lessons and food shopping. Life is busy and I find myself looking wistfully at my half finished sewing project or half cut paper template. Thankfully there are a few crafty days out which I can rely on throughout the year to keep me sane. This year I’ve already been to the Spring Knitting & Stitching Show and I’ve booked my tickets to The Handmade Fair taking place at Hampton Court between the 15th-17th September. For the last few years I’ve gone…

  • West Kennet Long Barrow with children
    days out - holidays - parenting - Wiltshire

    West Kennet Long Barrow with children

    June 17, 2017 - By 

    Over the last few months we’ve been exploring the area around Avebury in Wiltshire. I love ancient sites and I’m trying to encourage my children to see the beauty and significance of the Avebury World Heritage Site too. TheWest Kennet Long Barrow is one of the largest, impressive and accessible Neolithic chambered tombs in Britain. Built in around 3650 BC, it was used for a short time as a burial chamber, with nearly 50 people being buried here before the chambers were blocked. It is now part of the Avebury World Heritage Site. The walk to West Kennet Long Barrow…

  • a walk through Ruislip Lido
    days out - Local Review - London - parenting - Ruislip

    Ruislip Lido {exploring the local area}

    June 11, 2017 - By 

    We spent the morning at Ruislip Lido, a reservoir and artificial beach in Ruislip, within the London Borough of Hillingdon. It’s a really lovely place to visit, situated between Ruislip Common, Ruislip Woods, and Poors Field, an historic part of Ruislip. Originally opened as a feeder reservoir for the Grand Junction Canal in 1811, the reservoir was reopened in 1933 as a lido, with facilities for swimming and boating. Today you’re no longer allowed to go swimming or boating but there’s a splash park, playground, outdoor gym, beach area and lovely walk around the lido. We’ve visited the Lido since…

  • West London Racing Centre
    days out - Hillingdon - Local Review - London - parenting

    West London Racing Centre {exploring the local area}

    June 3, 2017 - By 

    I’ve mentioned a few times that my husband and children have a collection of model cars they like to race (this is on top of the model cars and model planes!). When we moved to West London we began looking for somewhere to race the cars, other than the woods or local park. Someone recommended the West London Racing Centre. The West London Racing Centre is in the corner of Pole Hill Open Space, a park in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The WLRC is designed to provide an organised venue for racing 1:10th Scale Electric On-Road radio control model…

  • Celebrating Elderflower season with Belvoir
    baking - days out - London

    Celebrating Elderflower season with Belvoir

    May 31, 2017 - By 

    I’m so excited for the start of June tomorrow. May has been a great month but I can’t wait for more sunshine – mainly so the kids can play out more! Did you know that the beginning of June also marks the traditional start of summer when the Elderflower bursts into flower in our English hedgerows? Baking Madeleine Hot Air Balloons with Lisa Faulkner Elderflower sums up Summer perfectly for me. We had an Elderflower tree in the garden of our old house and every year my husband promised to try making our own cordial. We never did get round to…

  • The Diary of a Wimpy Kid screening with Joules Clothing
    days out - film review - London - parenting

    The Diary of a Wimpy Kid screening with Joules Clothing

    May 30, 2017 - By 

    Today we were invited by Joules Clothing to attend a screening of the latest film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, at 20th Century Fox. I’d heard of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series of fiction books, written by the American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. All the main books are the journals of the main character, Greg Heffley. We haven’t read any of the books or watched the previous films but were excited to see the film based on the trailer, which we all thought was funny. We had a lovely afternoon in London before the…