• making wax melts
    days out - Hillingdon

    Wax melts workshop @ Wick and Ceramic

    June 4, 2025 - By 

    A few weeks ago my daughter and I took part in a fun workshop at our local ceramic cafe making mini jelly cat inspired clay models. We had such a great time we decided to go again, this time booking a wax melts workshop. We’ve made our own wax melts at home using a craft kit but were excited to make more. Wax melts workshop @ Wick and Ceramic First of all we painted our own wax burners. There were so many colours to choose from, along with a handy guide to what the colours would look like once glazed…

  • d20 Uxbridge Board Game Cafe
    days out - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    d20 Uxbridge Board Game Cafe

    July 26, 2023 - By 

    A few weeks ago we visited our local Board Game Cafe, d20 Uxbridge Board Game Cafe. If the name sounds familiar that’s because they have another branch we’ve previous visited, d20 Watford. d20 Uxbridge Board Game Cafe The Uxbridge branch can be found down Windsor Street which is the prettiest street in Uxbridge. It’s full of independent shops and the perfect place for a board game cafe. It’s at the furthest end of the street, away from Uxbridge town centre, but still only a few minutes from Uxbridge underground station. There are at least two rooms at d20 so we…

  • Bluebells in Old Park Wood nature reserve, Harefield
    Hillingdon

    Bluebells in Old Park Wood, Harefield

    April 26, 2023 - By 

    Over the weekend we went off is search of bluebells. These pretty flowers bloom from late March to early May and are one of the last flowers to bloom in the woods. Bluebells are a protected species in the UK and we look forward to seeing them each Spring. We heard about a lovely woodland walk through the bluebells on the outskirts of London, so went off to find them. Bluebells in Old Park Wood, Harefield Old Park Wood nature reserve in Harefield is a little off the beaten track. It is behind Harefield Hospital and accessed via footpath from…

  • Church Gardens
    days out - Hillingdon

    Re-visiting Church Gardens, Harefield

    May 8, 2022 - By 

    A few weeks ago we had the chance to re-visit Church Gardens, Harefield. This is a private garden but open on certain days throughout the year. It’s in a lovely part of north Hillingdon, well worth a visit with kids as there’s always something new to see. Re-visiting Church Gardens, Harefield Our last visit was six months ago so we were looking forward to seeing the gardens in a different season. Our first stop was the walled garden. As it was the beginning of Spring the daffodils were in full bloom. The greenhouse was full of seedlings and it was…

  • Exploring Church Gardens, Harefield
    Family Life - Hillingdon

    Exploring Church Gardens, Harefield

    September 12, 2021 - By 

    You all know that I love to explore my local area at the weekend. It’s easy to live somewhere and assume you know the area because you do the school run or shop on the high street. The first Lockdown we experienced last year meant we REALLY explored our local area. We took the chance to go on walks and re-visit them over and over again. We visited in Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, and some of those places are now our favourite places to go with the kids and the dog. However, we are still discovering new places on…

  • wild flower field ickenham
    days out - Family Life - Hillingdon

    Wild flower meadow Ickenham

    July 4, 2021 - By 

    I was really keen to re-visit the wild flower meadows we discovered in Ickenham last year. I had a few comments about it on my Instagram and wanted to pop over to see if the same fields had been left as wild flower meadows. We’re lucky to have lots of open green spaces in Hillingdon and we all love to see the wild flower verges which have been sown. This year there were red and pink poppies which are now over, but the verges are still full of colourful wild flowers and cow parsley. Wild flower meadow Ickenham Our little…

  • Exploring The Gravel Pits, Northwood
    Family Life - Hillingdon

    Exploring The Gravel Pits, Northwood

    June 27, 2021 - By 

    After 7 years we are still discovering new places on our doorstep. This weekend we explored an area known as The Gravel Pits in Northwood. Exploring The Gravel Pits, Northwood Unsurprisingly the area got its name as gravel was extracted during the time gravel was used for road surfaces. By the late 1890’s the gravel pits at Northwood were described as “worked out” and no more gravel could be extracted. Fortunately this small area remained unbuilt on and became a public amenity for the people of Northwood to enjoy. The woods are dominated by sycamore, ash and common hawthorn, interspersed…

  • Ducks Hill Farm egg vending machine
    Family Life - Hillingdon - Ruislip

    Ducks Hill Farm egg vending machine

    June 19, 2021 - By 

    We love to support local businesses and couldn’t wait to visit Ducks Hill Farm who have just installed an egg vending machine! We couldn’t wait to go and buy some and with Father’s Day coming up we wanted to use the eggs for a special Father’s Day breakfast. Ducks Hill Farm egg vending machine Ducks Hill Farm is based in north Ruislip and sells fresh eggs. They have recently installed an egg vending machine at the entrance to their farm so you can always get hold of their delicious fresh eggs. The egg vending machine is housed in a small…

  • How to celebrate Middlesex Day
    Family Life - Hillingdon

    How to celebrate Middlesex Day

    May 14, 2021 - By 

    Did you know that Middlesex Day is celebrated on May 16th? We’ve proudly lived in Middlesex for the last 8 years and are looking forward to celebrating Middlesex Day this weekend. Does Middlesex still exist? A little bit of background – Middlesex is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbouring ceremonial counties. The name means territory of the middle Saxons and refers to the tribal origin of its inhabitants. The word is formed from the Old English, ‘middel’ and ‘Seaxe’ (‘Saxons’). Established in the Anglo-Saxon…