• Jack's Lock Harefield
    Family Life - Hillingdon

    Exploring Jack’s Mill, Harefield

    May 8, 2021 - By 

    The Hillingdon Trail is a 20 mile path through Hillingdon’s countryside from Cranford in the south east to Harefield in the north west. Since we moved to Hillingdon we have been exploring parts of the Hillingdon Trail. One of our favourite spots is a walk along the canal to Black Jack’s Mill. Exploring Jack’s Mill, Harefield We walked from the car park at The Coy Carp and Copper Mill Lock. This is a great location to explore and stop for an afternoon drink! A few years ago we took the children on a special Santa canal boat trip run by…

  • Harefield Church and Commonwealth War Graves
    Family Life - Hillingdon

    Harefield Church and Commonwealth War Graves

    May 2, 2021 - By 

    A few weeks ago we re-visited St Mary’s Church in Harefield which has Commonwealth War Graves in the cemetery. The church is on the outskirts of Harefield and a lovely place for a walk. St Mary’s Church, Harefield St Mary the Virgin is the parish church for Harefield and the oldest building in Harefield. Mentioned in the Domesday Book it has some notable monuments, such as the 17th century tomb of Alice Stanley, Dowager Countess of Derby. She lived nearby at Harefield Place (demolished in 1813). When we visited the snowdrops were out in the older parts of the graveyard.…

  • Searching for bluebells in Ruislip Woods
    Family Life - Ruislip

    Searching for bluebells in Ruislip Woods

    April 28, 2021 - By 

    I love this time of year. The evenings have both light and warmth and puppy walks are so much more enjoyable than they were a few months ago! There are some lovely walks we can take from our house but our favourite is in Ruislip Woods. We noticed the first bluebells a few weeks ago so went off searching for bluebells in Ruislip Woods. Searching for bluebells in Ruislip Woods Ruislip Woods National Nature Reserve is the largest block of ancient, semi-natural woodland in Greater London and include one of the most extensive oak/hornbeam coppice woods in southeast England. It’s…

  • Gingerbread easter eggs
    Family Life - gingerbread

    Gingerbread easter eggs

    April 18, 2021 - By 

    You may remember that last Christmas we all had fun decorating ready-made gingerbread house kits from The Best Bit. I was so happy to see that they were producing kits for Easter, so snapped up a gingerbread easter egg kit from The Best Bit. Easter was early this year and also fell at the beginning of our Easter holidays. We were so busy with our usual Easter baking that these got forgotten, we managed to squeeze them in just before we went back to school. The kit included 6 gingerbread eggs to decorate and fill. I thought it would make…

  • A trip to Bekonscot Model Village and Railway
    Buckinghamshire - Family Life

    A trip to Bekonscot Model Village and Railway

    April 16, 2021 - By 

    We are so excited to be able to plan family days out again. We have missed our days out and although we have been out every day, the walks began to get slightly boring. Even with our little pup adventure walks and bikes and scooters, it has been hard keeping the kids entertained. So what did we book for our first day out since places re-opened? We booked a slot at Bekonscot Model Village and Railway which is just 20 minutes away. It’s a place we visited when the kids were younger and we wanted to visit again before they…

  • Elephant trail at Spitalfields Market London
    Family Life - Local Review - London - Sculpture trails

    Elephant trail at Spitalfields Market London

    April 11, 2021 - By 

    We love a wander around London and the old East End is a real favourite old stomping ground of mine. It’s a great area to visit with kids and there’s lots to see and do. Old Spitalfields Market is a vibrant market full of independent traders, but you will also find some well known brands in the surrounding shops, as well as lots of places to eat and drink. Our visit took place a few weeks ago but despite the restrictions we thought Old Spitalfields Market was still worth a visit. The market was open for takeaway food and drink…

  • Anti-Bacterial Slime Pots from Canal Toys
    Family Life

    Anti-Bacterial Slime Pots from Canal Toys

    April 8, 2021 - By 

    My children have been counting down the days until our local toy shop re-opens. Our local toy shop is amazing and we have all missed popping in for a browse of the latest toys and games. My youngest loves slime so was excited to receive the new Anti-Bacterial Slime pots from Canal Toys to try out. Anti-Bacterial Slime Pots from Canal Toys My daughter has a huge slime collection but we have never seen a product which claims to help children keep their hands sanitised! Canal Toys have invented a great product which is perfect for the craziness of the…

  • Oxhey Activity Park
    Family Life - Hertfordshire

    Exploring Oxhey Activity Park

    April 7, 2021 - By 

    Our local area has some amazing places which we have been lucky to explore over the past year. We have the best of both worlds, being on the outskirts of London with easy access to central London as well as the surrounding countryside. I’ve shared some of our outdoor escapes and today I wanted to tell you about Oxhey Activity Park because if you have children they will want to go there! Exploring Oxhey Activity Park Oxhey Activity Park has only recently opened between a re-developed strip of land at the bottom of Oxhey Park towards the River Colne. We’ve…

  • Exploring Hillingdon Court Park with kids
    Family Life - Hillingdon

    Exploring Hillingdon Court Park with kids

    April 3, 2021 - By 

    On our attempt to explore more of our local area we have been able to visit Hillingdon Court Park on numerous occasions. Hillingdon Court Park is a lovely open space within the London Borough of Hillingdon, another park carved out from an old estate, like Eastcote House Gardens. Exploring Hillingdon Court Park Hillingdon Court Park comprises a huge open space with outdoor gym, children’s playground, tennis courts, bowling green, as well as formal gardens. It’s a lovely space to walk the dog and take the children for a run. The children’s playground is lovely with different areas for different ages.…