Autumn Delights at The Lost Gardens of Heligan Harvest Festival

Monday, October 21, 2019 Permalink
Harvest festival at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall

Every year I mourn the end of summer, but when autumn arrives, with it's host of golden leaves, orange pumpkins and golden light, I can't fail to be won around. Harvest time is such a wonderful celebration of all that autumn has to offer, and the Lost Gardens of Heligan always put on a beautiful harvest display. We've visited in autumn before, but this time it was just me and my husband, no kids! Our visit this year was in early October and the Barn was filled to the brim with pumpkins, onions, gourds, grains, and vegetables - it really was a sight to behold and I couldn't resist sharing some of the photos from our trip. There is something undeniably comforting ...

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Maximising Toy Storage Space in an awkwardly shaped Playroom | AD

Sunday, October 13, 2019 Permalink
Alba Stackable Playroom toy storage from Great Little Trading Company, using corner shelves to create best use of space

Disclosure: This is advertisement feature in collaboration with Great Little Trading Company, who kindly provided us with the Alba toy storage One of the things we were most excited about with the new layout of our house was the addition of a dedicated playroom for the boys. I'm not sure who was the most excited, me or them! Although we've made good use of toy storage solutions in the past, we've never had a room which was solely for the purpose of play, so it feels like a huge luxury to have that space now. Being clever with storage Despite our joy at having a playroom, we do have a few issues with the room that mean clever toy storage is absolutely key. ...

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Family Fun at Carters Steam Fair | AD

Thursday, September 26, 2019 Permalink
The Gallopers at Carters Steam Fair

Disclosure: We were given a bundle of ride tokens in exchange for this blog post and promotion on social media Our visit to Carters Steam Fair last autumn was one of the highlights of our year. Their beautiful colourful rides absolutely charmed us all, and I've kept a keen lookout to see when they would be visiting near us this year, and I was thrilled to see they would be close to us again in Woking. If you've not heard of Carters Steam Fair before, you'll more than likely recognise them, as they've featured in numerous films and TV shows, including Paddington 2, and Call the Midwife. They've spent the past 40 years rescuing and restoring vintage fairground rides and taking them ...

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A Travel Inspired Bedroom for a Little Explorer | AD

Monday, September 23, 2019 Permalink
Travel inspired child's bedroom, featuring Intrepid Blue Map Mural Wallpaper

This is a collaborative post in partnership with Murals Wallpaper One of the things I was most excited about when it came to decorating our new house was the boys' bedrooms. I've been using Pinterest to pin ideas for ages and I really wanted to hit the right tone for them. I loved Ben's old nursery, which was rainbow themed, but wanted something a little more grown up for him this time around, but still with a lot of little boy charm. I've always been a big wallpaper fan, and one of my favourite pins on Pinterest was this beautiful Map Wallpaper Mural from Murals Wallpaper. I must have pinned it over and over again, so I was thrilled when ...

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A Bedroom to Inspire a Reluctant Reader | AD

Monday, August 5, 2019 Permalink
A bedroom to inspire a reluctant reader, featuring the Great Little Trading Company

This post is an advertisement feature, written in collaboration with the Great Little Trading Company. For as long as I can remember, I've been an avid reader. I could read before I started school, and I would devour books as a child, coming away from the library with stacks of 10, only to return a week later having read them all. But it's not a trait that I've passed on to my eldest son. Despite my best efforts in reading to him, he's shown very little interest in books and stories and the huge emphasis that school places on the importance of reading and writing has been a worry for me. Slowly but surely, he is starting to find a ...

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Once Upon A Castle: A Visit to Hever Castle | AD

Tuesday, July 30, 2019 Permalink

This post is an advertisement feature. We were given free tickets in exchange for this blog post. Hever Castle in Kent is somewhere that I've wanted to visit for absolutely ages, and although I was able to have a very quick tour earlier in the year, I couldn't wait to return and spend a whole day there. It's the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and supposedly one of the most haunted places in the UK. But forget about ghosts, the gardens and grounds are absolutely beautiful, and they have so much on offer for children that it makes a fantastic day out. We were lucky enough to visit for their Once Upon A Castle weekend, complete with smoke breathing dragon, Flame, ...

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The Best Splash Parks in Berkshire

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 Permalink
Max splashing in paddling pool laughing

I may be a Surrey girl now, but I grew up in Berkshire, and still spend a huge amount of my time over there. While Surrey may be more blessed with free splash parks, there are loads of splash parks in Berkshire if you're looking for somewhere to cool off this summer! Jocks Lane, Bracknell Jocks Lane is a fantastic park space, tucked away behind a housing estate in Bracknell. There is a splash pad, a cafe, a large play park, tennis courts, plenty of parking, and a zip wire in the playing fields at the back. It also backs onto a wooded copse if you need some shade to cool off. Free to enter and to park. Locks Ride Recreation Ground, Winkfield ...

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Discovering Bournemouth’s Hidden Gems

Wednesday, July 10, 2019 Permalink
Little boy standing on stepping stones in a Japanese garden. He is wearing a blue t-shirt and yellow shorts and is looking down, contemplating his next step. In the water below, you can see an orange koi carp swimming in the pond

This is a collaborative post; our spending money was gifted by Hotels.com, but all views are my own. Last weekend we decided to make the most of the sunshine we've been having and head down to Bournemouth to enjoy the beach. It's a bit of a drive for us, so we've not explored the area much before, but it's a great place to visit, with lots of beautiful spots to visit and there are plenty of hotels in Bournemouth if you decided to stay over and make a weekend of it. We were asked to check out some of Bournemouth's hidden gems, so I did a bit of research to take us away from the tried and tested places and came up ...

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Gaining Water Konfidence at Alton Towers Splash Landings | AD

Monday, July 8, 2019 Permalink

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Konfidence This year, we are very lucky to be working as Brand Ambassadors for the child swimwear company Konfidence, and we are putting their range of swim aids to the test. So that we could really experience what they can offer, Konfidence very kindly arranged for us to visit Alton Towers so that we could try them out in the Splash Landings Water Park. And they even managed to time it on one of the hottest weekends of the year - we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to head to a water park! If you've followed us for a while, you may know that both my boys haven't had the easiest ...

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Calke Abbey: The Beauty of Decay

Friday, July 5, 2019 Permalink
The orangery at Calke Abbey. View towards doorway, with flaking blue paint above, and huge palm tree to the right

I've wanted to visit Calke Abbey for so long, but being near Derby and us living down South, has meant that a trip just hasn't been possible. But when I knew we were heading up to Alton Towers for a trip, I was really hoping that we could fit in a visit on our way home. Calke Abbey is a study in faded grandeur. At every turn there is peeling paint, crumbling brickwork, and overgrown courtyards, telling the story of an eccentric and introverted family who never threw anything away and who craved isolation. The National Trust have taken a 'repair not restore' approach to its work at Calke, and this has created an estate filled with beautiful textures and a ...

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