Since receiving a copy of Kiddiwalks we've been enjoying some lovely days out at local places that we hadn't even realised existed until now. This week's adventure took us to Aldenham Country Park on the outskirts of Elstree. Aldenham is council owned and run (at present - I hear rumours that may be to change early in 2012) and as well as there being plenty of green space there is also a large lake with sailing and a small farm. One of the big benefits of a council run place like this is that it doesn't have the steep admission costs that many of the ... read more
A return to Butterfly World
It's nearly two years since Mr C and I first visited Butterfly World, so having read Mediocre Mum's review of her recent visit I though it time we returned, with Little Miss C this time. I should start with a bit of a warning for anyone reading that isn't aware yet; the big dome hasn't been built yet. I know they said it would be ready by 2011, but it isn't and instead you have a big hole filled with wildflowers. Not quite the same. We did struggle a bit to work out exactly what they had done since our last visit. We think the playground area is new, but then ... read more
The Alnwick Garden
The C family were fortunate enough to spend a week recently up in Northumberland with my family. I know Northumberland rather well having spent many a family holiday there over the years and there are places that I go back to time and time again, but also many others that I simply haven't been to (or some that I can't remember going to, but my parents tell me that I have!) Alnwick Gardens falls into that second category - somewhere that I have seen signs for on the A1, but never actually made it to. This year we decided to change that. Now, I should say that my Godmother (who is ... read more
Bing event video
I sometimes find myself struggling to remember just what I got up to on a weekend when asked on Monday. I put it down to a combination of getting older and being a mum. When asked to remember something a few weeks ago I struggle even more. It's now been a few weeks since Mr C and I had a great time out at the Bing Your Britain Photography Day and whilst I remember it being a fab day, details are more than a tad sketchy. Luckily help is at hand though with this fab video put together by the people at Jam who organised the event. I'm not going to admit which ... read more
Bing Your Britain Photography Day
I was fortunate enough to recently be invited along to a photography day in London organised as part of Bing's Your Britain photography competition. The day kicked off with coffee, cupcakes and a workshop with the wonderful Jackie KIng. I've always wanted to be a better photographer and Mr C has been trying to teach me things for a while, but it's rare that I get the chance to concentrate on it for a whole day, but luckily that's exactly what I was able to do on Saturday. Jackie's tips at the start of the day helped me to focus on what I should be ... read more
London Green Fair
It was a complete fluke that Mr C and I stumbled across the London Green Fair on Saturday, but I'm so glad that we did. We were both in London for a rare day on our own to take part in the Bing Your Britain bloggers day (which I will expand on in a separate post as it was fantastic) and as part of the day our challenge was to take photographs around the city. After the initial briefing and workshop we instantly headed to the nearest bit of green space; Regent's Park. We thought we might find some interesting nature or wildlife there, but instead we ... read more
A day at the farm
This picture just perfectly sums up how Little Miss C's been recently; full of beans and keen to explore everything, normally with a cheeky grin on her face! Yesterday we had a lovely day out together at Wimpole Home Farm, along with an old friend and her two kids. We dodged the showers for most of the morning, but still managed to squeeze in time to see the pigs being fed and a first sit on a donkey. After lunch, at the insistence of an adventurous three year old, we went over to the adventure playground where the rain caught up with us properly. After such a dry period, it was ... read more
Moore at Hatfield
We managed to squeeze in an extra day out at the end of Mr C's week off work. Hatfield House really is no distance from where we lie, yet for some reason we hardly ever go there. The local BBC news did an article recently on the Henry Moore exhibition that they are currently hosting (Moore at Hatfield) so we decided to pop along and have a look. The sculptures are spread about in the West Garden and that separation between them does give each one its own space in such a way that they don't feel like they're competing with each other. Each one has its own character and ... read more
An afternoon at the zoo
For Mr C's birthday this year we had a family day out at Whipsnade Zoo and enjoyed it so much that I also signed up to become a "friend" of ZSL meaning that I can visit there or London Zoo for free as often as I like in a year. Entrance for under twos is free too - so both LMC and I were sorted and hence this afternoon we had a lovely couple of hours visiting the animals. She may not look very impressed about it, but LMC was actually fascinated to see elephants up close like this whilst they were exercised around the site. It may not be obvious from this picture, but ... read more
Autumn colours
Another blogging break, but this time due to a family holiday to Northumberland and Little Miss C's first holiday. A lovely trip where we were fortunate enough to have amazing weather for this time of year. The thing that stunned us most though was the autumn colours that we were delighted to see wherever we went. Even the trees along the sides of the A1 were beautiful! Nature's autumn show may not last long, but whilst it did it was stunning. The trip itself provided a lovely opportunity to catch up with my whole family and to spend some precious moments with them. LMC also had her ... read more