• Walking amongst the moon daisies in West London
    days out - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    Walking amongst the moon daisies in West London

    June 27, 2020 - By 

    We’ve discovered some amazing places to walk our puppy near us. I’m not sure we would have found quite so many pretty places on our doorstep if it wasn’t for the puppy. He loves going on a walk, especially if he can run through long grass. We recently re-visited one of our favourite walks to tick some more geocaches off our list. We went out after dinner when it was cooler and came across the most wonderful fields of moon, or oxeye, daisies in West London. They were so pretty shining in the late afternoon light. We definitely have a…

  • poppy fields near Welwyn, Hertfordshire
    days out - Hertfordshire - Local Review

    A trip to the poppy fields near Welwyn, Hertfordshire

    June 12, 2020 - By 

    Our council always plant wild flowers around where we live and this year they included some gorgeous colours of poppies. We keep meaning to stop so a can take a closer look. A few days ago a friend posted some beautiful photos of her boys visiting fields of poppies near London and we decided we should visit the poppy fields too. When are poppies in season in the UK? Poppies are annual plants with some seedlings germinating when soil is cultivated or disturbed. There can be rapid growth between April and June, and the first flowers usually appear in June.…

  • A trip to Langley Park Country Park, Bucks
    Buckinghamshire - days out - Family Life - Local Review

    A trip to Langley Park Country Park, Bucks

    June 3, 2020 - By 

    Our first picnic of the year took place at Langley Park. Now we are allowed to venture out further from home, we thought we would love to visit somewhere new. We’re frequent visitors to Black Park which is the other side of the A412, but had never visited Langley Park before. We packed the puppy and a picnic and set off to explore somewhere new. A trip to Langley Park Country Park, Bucks Langley Park is one of Buckinghamshire’s best kept secrets. Langley Park is steeped in history and a nationally important haven for wildlife. The car park is quite…

  • Cranford Country Park, Hillingdon
    Family Life - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    A trip to Cranford Country Park, Hillingdon

    May 22, 2020 - By 

    Last week we were able to visit Cranford Park, another Green Flag award winner (in 2002 and every year since then) in the London Borough of Hillingdon. The weather was amazing and we were all excited to visit somewhere new. We took the puppy and were excited to learn something new about the borough we live in. Cranford Park, Hillingdon Cranford Park was the former seat of the Berkeley family, and is now the surviving remains of a former country estate easily accessed from the M4 motorway. The 144 acre (58 hectares) park features a number of historical relics including a…

  • exploring Ickenham Marsh
    Family Life - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    Exploring Ickenham Marsh

    May 17, 2020 - By 

    The major benefit of life right now is the chance to explore our local area. Living on the edge of London means the best of both worlds – a quick hop on the underground into town, and fields and woods on our doorstep. Over the last 2 months we’ve been exploring all the paths and byways around our village. We’ve kept the kids busy with geocaching and collecting leaves and flowers to press when we get home. Hillingdon Trail We live in the middle of the Hillingdon Trail, a 20 mile path though Hillingdon’s countryside from Cranford in the south…

  • Looking for the Battle of Britain House, Ruislip
    Family Life - Hillingdon - Local Review - London - Ruislip

    Looking for the Battle of Britain House, Ruislip

    May 9, 2020 - By 

    We’ve lived in Ruislip for a good few years now and were intrigued when we heard about the ruins of a house in the heart of Ruislip Woods, where agents of the Clandestine Operations Division were trained for secret operations in occupied France! Doesn’t that sound like an amazing story!? We’ve wanted to look for the ruins for years and finally found the time. I wrote a little about Ruislip Woods a few weeks ago. There are numerous paths through the different woods and we’ve had fun exploring them over the weeks. This is my favourite time of year and…

  • The best place to see bluebells in West London
    Family Life - Local Review - London - Ruislip

    The best place to see bluebells in West London

    April 24, 2020 - By 

    I’m not sure if Spring came early this year but two weeks ago we came across the best place to see bluebells in West London. We are fortunate that Ruislip Woods is our go to place for our state sanctioned daily exercise. We might be a little biased, but I think it is the best place to see bluebells in West London. The best place to see bluebells in West London Ruislip Woods is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and national nature reserve covering 726 acres in Ruislip, Hillingdon. The woods became the first national nature reserve in an…

  • Walking with The Snowman trail, London Bridge City 2019
    days out - Family Life - Local Review - London - Sculpture trails

    Walking with The Snowman trail, London Bridge City 2019

    December 31, 2019 - By 

    We’ve been wanting to get out to explore the latest art trail in London for a while. Did you know there was a Snowman art trail in town this winter?  This year, London’s most picturesque Christmas market, Christmas by the River, has welcomed a festive sculpture trail celebrating Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman. The Snowman story has been an integral part of our book advent for a few years now. We love the story and have enjoyed the animated version to over the last few weeks. So when I heard there was an art trail dedicated to The Snowman I knew…

  • Aladdin at Harrow Arts Centre
    Family Life - Local Review - London

    Aladdin at Harrow Arts Centre, London

    December 20, 2019 - By 

    It’s just not Christmas without panto and this year we were delighted to be invited along to Harrow Arts Centre (HAC) in Harrow, London to watch Aladdin. Following the success of Immersion Theatre’s The Wizard of Oz (2017) and Beauty and the Beast (2018), Harrow Arts Centre are delighted to welcome Prime Pantomimes, a partnership between Immersion Theatre and Selladoor Worldwide to HAC this Christmas. Aladdin at Harrow Arts Centre, London Prime Pantomimes make bespoke, high-energy visual feasts packed with audience participation, call and response, music, and West End-standard performances to create unforgettable shared family experiences. With heaps of audience…