• How to make a Summer Smash Book for kids
    crafts - holidays - Summer

    How to make a Summer Smash Book for kids

    July 26, 2017 - By 

    My children got brilliant school reports this year. I am so proud of them and all the hard work they do at school. With the 6 week school holidays I do worry a little about them losing some of the skills they have learned. I’m not a pushy mum (honest!) but I’ve introduced a few things to make sure their learning doesn’t slide over the holidays. For the last few years we’ve taken part in the Summer Reading Challenge run through our local library. This is as simple as reading 6 books during the school holidays for which they are…

  • The Westbury White Horse and Bratton Camp
    days out - holidays - parenting

    The Westbury White Horse and Bratton Camp

    July 8, 2017 - By 

    In all the years we’ve been visiting family in Wiltshire I don’t think I’ve ever written about the Westbury White Horse and Bratton Camp. Both are managed by English Heritage and are free to visit. They are open all year round and are our go-to place when we need to burn off some energy. The Westbury White Horse The White Horse is visible from afar and is a famous local landmark. The kids spend most of our journey to Wiltshire looking for it and they always know we are nearly there when they can see it. Local records suggest the…

  • 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…

  • picture for June
    holidays - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday happy things {Week 140}

    June 5, 2017 - By 

    We’ve had a really lovely half term break. My lucky children have an Inset Day today whilst I’m back at work for a couple of hours. I’ve been super organised and got their school uniforms ready and PE kits packed for when they do go back on Tuesday 🙂 We were all looking forward to making some half term memories and we packed in quite a lot. We spent a few days with my mum in Wiltshire and pottered around enjoying the weather and relaxing. We took the children to Bratton Camp where they could run around but tried not…

  • A visit to Great Chalfield Manor and Gardens with kids
    days out - holidays - Local Review - Wiltshire

    A visit to Great Chalfield Manor and Gardens with kids

    May 24, 2017 - By 

    I can’t quite believe it’s half term next week. The last few weeks have flown by and I haven’t written half the posts I wanted to about our Easter holiday adventures! We’re off to Wiltshire for a few days over half term. On our last visit we were lucky to visit Great Chalfield Manor and Gardens, a charming 15th-century manor house with Arts and Crafts garden, near Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire. Entrance to the manor is by guided tour only. Unfortunately we were unable to get tickets for the house so had to be satisfied with the gardens. Fortunately they…

  • local miniature railway
    days out - holidays - London - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List – Week 110

    October 31, 2016 - By 

    Half term has whizzed by. We didn’t seem to sit down at all which was good although I am feeling in need of a little holiday now! I’m so happy to be sitting down writing this, hot cup of tea by my side, listening to the hum of the washing machine. As much as I love my kids, I was happy to see them off to school this morning!  Instead of my usual 5 favourite things from the previous week I thought I would write a recap of our half term adventures. We started our week with a trip to…

  • days out - holidays - parenting - Wiltshire

    Barton Farm Country Park

    October 1, 2016 - By 

    Just to prove that we don’t sit indoors and spend all our time crafting a few weeks ago we spent the morning at Barton Farm Country Park near the pretty town of Bradford-on-Avon. Every time we visit we find something new and this time was no exception. When we arrived we headed straight for the ancient tithe barn. The weather was threatening to rain and we knew we could hide away inside if necessary. It’s a spectacular 14th century monastic stone barn, 51 metres long, with an amazing timber cruck roof. The tithe barn is part of a complex of…

  • on the beach
    Cath Kidston - holidays - Monday Happy List - Summer

    Monday Happy List – Week 101

    August 29, 2016 - By 

    Bank Holidays are extra special around here. The sun is shining and we are looking forward to an extra family day and hopefully a long overdue trip to the cinema to watch The BFG. I am also relishing the thought of my inbox having an extra quiet day 🙂 This morning I am bringing you my weekly Monday Happy List special Bank Holiday edition. I mentioned that we are away for a few days. We started the week in Exeter, chasing rhinos around the city. We seem to pack an awful lot into weeks away which is both fun and…

  • The Great Big Rhino Project and Trail
    days out - holidays - parenting - Sculpture trails - Summer

    The Great Big Rhino Project and Trail

    August 28, 2016 - By 

    We’ve finally been able to leave London behind and visit family and friends in Devon. We come a couple of times each year so always have our favourite places to re-visit around Exeter. This year we stayed in a fab hotel in central Exeter which was  a great base for exploring the city. The weather has been perfect so we spent a fun afternoon down by the Quay as well as walking around the Cathedral, City walls and historic buildings. On our first day we discovered a colourful life-sized painted rhino and quickly realised this was a really fun public…