When summer arrives the best thing to do is take eating outdoors, and fire up the barbecue. Of course you just have to have all manner of marinades and sauces to pack in the flavour and ketchup is probably the priority for burgers and hotdogs. I’ve got my own tomato plant growing nicely but for … Read more
Paddling pools are the number one summer garden accessory. When you think about how many hours the kids spend jumping in and out of the water they’re fabulous value for money. My advice having had many different types of pool over the years is to go for a simple shape rather than one with all … Read more
This is a really simple way to enter in to the world of preserve making and is made from foraged dandelions, offering a vegan version of honey. The finished result is sweet and has a fragrant flavour, useful to use as a honey substitute in baking recipes and in things like salad dressings and marinades … Read more
These Nerf Bunkr inflatable cubes are the stuff of childhood dreams. We were delighted to be given the opportunity to review them. In the picture above Arlo is hiding right behind them, camouflaged and ready to take aim and fire with his nerf guns to unsuspecting mother over here who’s been the unfortunate target all … Read more
This summer is promising to be a good one. After a year of lockdown it’s fabulous that restrictions have lifted and we can head out and about on adventures, but of course we can’t head out to attractions every day as we don’t have the budget. I’m looking forward to sunny days in parks and … Read more
Finally one of Arlo’s favourite places to visit in Birmingham has re-opened – Thinktank – home to Mini Brum, the science garden and so much more – and we were delighted to visit and explore this weekend. Navigating around the ever changing roadworks in the city centre was a nightmare but eventually we found the … Read more
As most of you know I’m a bit of a geek, and I’m proud of it. I love all things science related and so when it comes to covering educational topics such as “space” with Arlo of course I have involve some fiction along with facts to bring it all to life for him because … Read more
Life has changed so much for us over the last twelve months, just like it has for everyone. As the pace of life slowed right down I realised just how much money I was wasting on things which aren’t at all necessary. I’ve gone a year without drinks from coffee shops on my daily commute … Read more
Arlo is getting to the stage now where he’s interested in games and competition. He’s always claiming he’s the winner, it’s always a race to brush your teeth the fastest or climb up to top of a hill first, and so I began to introduce games to him at Christmas. One of our absolute favourites … Read more
Yesterday we visited All things Wild, a family attraction based near Evesham in Worcester. I have nothing but positive feedback for this place as we had such a wonderful time yesterday and we can’t wait to revisit. Of course yesterday the sun shone down and for the first time in forever we were wandering around … Read more
We had a wonderful day out last week at Warwick Castle. The unpredictable weather we’ve been experiencing lately seemed to settle for one day and the sun shone down on us as we explored the castle grounds. I booked our tickets online in advance and the trail was included in the ticket price. If you … Read more
Embark on a Safari Adventure at West Midlands Safari Park West Midlands Safari Park, nestled in the heart of the British countryside, is not just a destination; it’s an immersive journey into the wonders of the wild. As you approach the park, anticipation builds for the four-mile self-drive safari, a thrilling odyssey through African and … Read more
Arlo is absolutely obsessed with all things relating to the natural world. He could name a dozen animals before he could recognise colours and he continually surprises us now with amazing nature facts. Just yesterday on our way to the Safari Park he told me that ants were one of the strongest animals – I … Read more
You might know that I’m a little bit of a chocoholic – and that’s because it runs in the bloodstream. My mum (in the pic above) is a chocolatier and so we get lots of chocolatey treats all year round, and especially at Easter. There’s just something about Easter Egg chocolate that fills me with … Read more
The kitchen has taken me a long time to get right. What I thought I wanted was in fact totally wrong for this space and the available light. Nine months after I first began testing paint samples on the wall I finally have a space I’m happy with. I couldn’t begin to tell you how … Read more
Now that spring has finally made an appearance there’s an abundance of colour bursting in to life at the Botanical Gardens. We have been visiting the gardens since the 1980’s when I was a little girl so trips to the gardens are always nostalgic for me. There’s some areas of the gardens which remain unchanged … Read more
We had a wonderful afternoon at Kingsbury Water Park, we opted to hire bicycles to make sure we could see as much of the space as possible – and with fifteen different lakes and 600 acres to explore we will most certainly be coming back again. Open from 1st April every day (subject to the … Read more
This beautiful Manor House and it’s grounds is certainly worth a visit if you’re in the Midlands, it’s just around the corner from Kingsbury water park, and makes for a delightful couple of hours outdoors. The hall is currently closed due to covid restrictions but with spring in bloom there’s plenty to explore within the … Read more
The last twelve months has been a time of upheavals for everyone. We’ve all had time to reassess our priorities and for many of us it’s not likely that we’ll be going “back to normal” once lockdown finally ends. Working from home made me really value my living space and I decided back last spring … Read more
The school holidays are about to commence, another few weeks at home, after only being back for a few weeks seems almost crazy! We’ve covered every messy play idea imaginable and it’s fabulous that parks and tourist attractions are starting to open up. Like most families we all still need a bit of down time … Read more