Tales of the unexpected with The Boy, my pride and joy.
Today we received our first box of toys to review as part of the Toys R Us Toyologists scheme. Yesterday we had received the larger item which funnily enough wouldn't fit in the box! I'll be posting proper reviews of the items within the next few weeks but for the moment I thought I'd share the moment that The Boy opened them up.
Birthday present from Nana and Grandad.
This weekend we headed down to Hampshire. Our trip had two purposes; the first was to celebrate my father-in-law's 70th birthday on Saturday, the second was to visit her Royal Oinkness in Paultons Park. Oh yes, I am talking about the one and only Peppa Pig!
Now, why couldn't we have had the weather on Sunday that we had on Saturday when we were stuck indoors? I am Welsh; the rain shall not deter me! "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing" is a very good saying if you haven't left your waterproof in south Wales, 140+ miles away. Never mind!
Peppa Pig World opened in April of this year as a section of the rather brilliant Paultons Park, nestled in the New Forest. My husband is from the area but had never been to Paultons so this was a new trip for all of us. What struck me about Paultons is how unlike most theme parks it is; lots of family orientated rides, gardens, wildlife and birds, etc. There isn't screeching and flashing lights like in others; it's just fun.
The Peppa Pig World in Paultons is the only one in the world, and oh my, it is good. Bearing in mind it is aimed at toddlers and infants who don't want to walk far, the attraction is in a small-ish area which is really cunningly filled with seven rides, attractions and play areas.
Of the seven rides, we went on six of them (weather and The Boy's tiredness prevented us from enjoying the other one). On the right you can see:
The Boy and hubby also went on Grandpa Pig's Boat Ride, which both of them loved, especially The Boy. I haven't got a picture of that because they kept moving too fast to get one. I also went on Grandpa Pig's Little Train with him, which was a more sedate ride. He absolutely adored all of the rides, and would quite happily have stayed all day on them! In particular, favourites were George's Dinosaur Adventure and Miss Rabbit's Helicopter Ride. He hasn't stopped talking about them ever since.
In between all the little paths connecting the rides there are all sorts of delighful things to get the children excited. There's a play area with a row of Peppa Pig style houses, which lots of children were thoroughly enjoying. There's also a section called Muddy Puddles which initially I wanted to go and play in. When the rain started pelting down though, there didn't seem much point! There was also Madam Gazelle's School House and Peppa Pig's House. In that attraction there was a moving display telling the story of the Pig family having pancakes for breakfast which get stuck to the ceiling. The Boy was captivated by it.
Another thing that I really liked was that on the edge of Peppa Pig World were a few animal enclosures; Meerkat Manor (hubby's favourite animals, and now I think The Boy's too), tropical birds, rheas and emus, and penguins! They have two times during the day when they feed the penguins, unfortunately, we missed it by about 10 minutes.
On a practical note there are really good facilities in Peppa Pig World: plenty of clean toilets which have the two-in-one trainer seats for toddlers/adults, a cafe and a couple of snack bars, a big soft-play indoor area, and plenty of benches or tables and chairs for eating lunches, either bought or brought. There are plenty of bins and the whole area is tidy and very attractive to look at. They even have a smoking area tucked away in a corner out of the way.
We were lucky enough to even catch the special lady and her younger brother in pig-son, and The Boy brought home a memento of his trip! We really enjoyed our time at Peppa Pig World and didn't want to leave, but we were drenched and had a long car journey ahead of us. I am desperate to go again on a drier day, preferably mid-week. We went on a Sunday and before the rain started we waited about thirty minutes for a ride. As the ride lasted ten minutes, that wasn't too much I felt. If it had been busy I can see that the waiting time would be greater. When it rained we either walked straight on or waited five-ten minutes.
I now completely understand the appeal of Peppa Pig to The Boy, who says it's just for children?
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I was provided with free entrance tickets for the purpose of this review. However the fact that I loved it and want to go again is completely my own opinion. Oh and that of The Boy. And daddy.
I love this time of year; it's the start of the Bank Holidays and this year in particular we've been spoilt with two four-day weekends in a row. The weather has been particularly amazing for April (which is why it's grey and overcast now on the first day of May) and we've been able to take advantage of the great outdoors at almost any opportunity.
Today, however was a tad grey and overcast so we decided for an indoor activity. Having recently been sent a Happy Nappy to review (more about that in another post) we decided to take The Boy swimming. I am ashamed to admit that he has only been once in his little lifetime due to various neurosis of mine, ranging from 'I need him to have had his main jabs before I take him into germ-infested water', to 'it's Winter and I don't want him to catch a cold' and eventually 'I don't want to go when children from school might be there and see me in my swimming costume'. Pathetic isn't it?
As it so happens, I think I may have created a little rod for my own back here (which is good because it's knackered since having had The Boy and could use a little support!).
We took The Boy along to the pool fairly confident; he loved it last time and he loves the bath. He seemed a little unsure when we toddled into the shallow end (and I mean shallow, it's a long slope which starts at the edge of the pool and after about 30-40 feet is only 2 foot deep) but generally quite happy. We went a little deeper so that the water was up to his ribs and he was still fairly happy. After a good splash and kick around, we took him a bit deeper. He clung to me so tightly it was like someone was trying to rip him from us.
Uh-oh!
You see, I lack confidence in the water even though I love it. I can't stand putting my face under the water, I don't like going out of my depth without being about two arms length from the edge and if someone splashes me then the irrational fear creeps in and I panic. My mother is petrified of the water and was determined that all four of us would not be. My father adores the water and used to go scuba-diving regularly when I was a nipper. So you think I'd follow him? Only I don't. And it stems from going swimming with him to Swansea swimming pool when I was about 9 years old. He left me in the shallow end while he went and had a quick go in the plunge pool under the diving board, and they turned the wave machine on. I got swept under and had difficulty regaining my footing. Ever since then I've freaked out.
I have always wanted The Boy to be confident in the water, hubby loves it and adores swimming under the water; testing himself if he can get from one end of the pool to the other in one breath (he can't quite). I want The Boy to love the water like that. Don't get me wrong, he did enjoy himself; he splashed and kicked, giggled and squealed with pleasure, but I just expected him to be fearless like he was last time. Maybe I pushed him too far today? All I know is that next time, we'll take it slowly and stay in the very shallow end for longer.
Oh and next time will be a lot sooner, we've decided to take him a couple of times a month from now on.
He was so tired, he fell asleep eating his lunch with a mouthful half eaten!
Last year, Easter was a bit non-consequential for us; The Boy was too young to appreciate anything to do with it, besides not having any chocolate until he was one years old (something that didn't happen until June). Therefore this year was going to be different.
Hubby started the day well, he managed to take the hints from twitter and got me these.
I felt slightly guilty because he had a Mint Aero Easter egg in exchange. However, The Boy chose it by shouting "Daddy! Egg!" in the middle of Asda and reaching out and grabbing it. When this was explained, all guilt was instantly diminished!
We then gave The Boy his Easter egg, it was a Zigzillas one with a mini xylophone and a mini tambourine in. Not that that mattered, as you can see!
Having stayed up 'til half past midnight making the structure of The Boy's Easter basket ready for his Easter Egg Hunt, he helped me decorate it this morning before he went back for his nap.
Then after lunch, we had our Easter Egg hunt. It took a while for The Boy to get the hang of it, and actually resulted in daddy having to hide the eggs repeatedly throughout the remainder of the afternoon. However, we all had great fun!
What better way to start the day than with a full English breakfast?
After a long night with one male snoring on one side of me and the other shouting semi-conscious demands of "up-py" (you work out which one was who), I was quite relieved to 'feel' the dawn break; sunlight peeking through the curtains, birds singing in the trees, silverware being delicately placed on the dining table next door to our bedroom. If the temperature last night is indicative of what the Summer will bring, I am moving to Alaska.
I've raced ahead, let me rewind. Yesterday we 'popped' up to Reading to see a couple of old friends; a few ex-colleagues of mine. We stayed with one of them in Thatcham last night having had a really pleasant evening consisting of a meal out at a local carvery (scrummy veggies galore), followed by red wine, nibbles and chat later on. The Boy decided that mummy and daddy didn't need sleep between 1.30 and 3.00am, which was marvellous because daddy had kepy mummy awake with his snoring between midnight and 1.30am. At 3.30 I fell into a state of comatosed delirium and woke at 7.25.
Once breakfast was troughed, the travelcot packed and the boot re-assembled we pegged it off to meet up with the other ex-work friend that I keep in touch with, at Beale Park. Beale Park is a fabulous wildlife park and gardens just outside Reading. It's great for children of all ages, but I think best for those under the age of 10 years. There's a selection of animals in really well thought out enclosures; nothing zoo-like, think wallabies, meerkats, prairie dogs, lemurs, storks, macaws, kookaburras, owls, etc. There's a dedicated safe area for picnic-ing in with a zip-wire for the older children once they get bored.
One of the best things about Beale Park is the train that runs around the gardens, the other is the Little Tikes Village, and the final one is the paddling pool found in the play area! This was the bit I was really looking forward to, testing out the all-in-one SPF50+ swimming costume that I'd recently bought for The Boy, and seeing him splashing around in the sunshine and having a good time.
People say that you shouldn't look back, and this is true. After we'd said our goodbyes we drove back past our old house (our first house) and the school where I first taught. On previous occasions I've felt a pang of, not remorse or regret, maybe sentimental what might have been. Not this time. I felt sorry that the residents of our old house don't care more for it, and I had a little wave of memories from my promising career, but generally I felt content. Happy knowing that moving back home seven years ago was the right decision; that the life that we have now is good and satisfying. I've kept in contact with the colleagues that matter and they have proven to be real friends, people who are genuine and caring. Everything happens for a reason, and our reason is The Boy.
"Go and give that to Mummy".
How many other mummies across the land were woken up by that whispered instruction today? I smiled to myself, turned over and stretched my arms out ready. In trotted The Boy quizzically looking at the card in both hands. I prised the card from his reluctant hands ("pwees, tar") with the bribe of my phone to play with and he then proceeded to rip open the envelope once I'd rescued my card.
I was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers by The Boy (and hubby because little'un couldn't see where he was going) the flowers of which he chose himself yesterday in the florists. All I can say is that The Boy has good taste and must have inherited my Bampi's horticultural talents.
I also had some scrummy Baileys chocolates (which is good because the bottle is empty) and a book of 'Mothers' Wit' (I hope he's not implying I need pointers!).
After a blustery picnic (which we bought in Tesco, I'm not making one on my day) overlooking Swansea Bay and a play in the park there, we went to Plantasia, which is a mini-rainforest type attraction. It was just the right size for The Boy and us to cover in an hour; it was informative without shoving it in your face, not crowded and fun. He loved watching the fish and catching the raindrops falling from the waterfall. He also tried to give the parakeets some water because he thought they might be thirsty!
In the evening, we had Mothers' Day: The Sequel for my own mum as she and dad came around for dinner. I gave her the canvas that I had made by Alyson at Lucy's Locket which she adored.
All in all a very satisfying day for me. Thank you hubby and The Boy.
This morning we woke up for the last time in our little cabin. I want one of my own, I'm not going to pretend I don't! They are the most gorgeous, relaxing and luxurious places to stay when self-catering. Check-out was 10am so we rushed around madly packing up. I tried to be efficient and dropped the plug for baby monitor on my big toe. I screamed, I cried, I sobbed, I wailed. There was blood, tears and swear words. Hubby tried to help by giving me an ice-pack: an 8×4 inch ice-block for my big toe. He got sworn at and returned with a cold, wet, flexible compress instead.
After we waved goodbye to the stunning Forest of Dean we headed to Butterfly World at Symonds Yat. I'd been there as an 11/12 year old and remembered it vividly. I wanted The Boy to experience it. We were the only people there and it wasn't that hot in the tropical house, so the butterflies were quite sleepy at the time. Turns out this is a good thing as it appears this is where my phobia of moths/flying things might have stemmed from. I assumed my memory of it was a happy one; apparently not. After the first butterfly flew within two feet of me, I fled back out and returned with a net and hat over my bonce. The Boy was initially disturbed as he wondered who this monster was and what she'd done with his mother. I'd post a photo but I look stupid so instead admire the prettiness of a newly hatched (1o minutes old) butterfly.
After I'd recovered from a near heart-attack (I managed 30 minutes in there, but then I had to flee whilst trying to pretend to the owners that I'd had a lovely time!), we drove back to Cardiff and stopped off in a soft-play centre that I'd wanted to go to for a while.
Jump is a fabulous play-centre and I now understand the peak prices. However, we went mid-week, mid-term so adults were free and 1yr olds (how convenient?) were only £3! A complete and utter bargain because we could easily have spent a whole afternoon there. There was the most amazing dedicated under 5s area I've ever seen in one of these places: a sensory room; a puzzle, dressing up and construction room; climbing equipment; a trampoline; a ball-pit; and ride-ons. In the main play area, there was three different climbing 'frames' with huge ceiling-floor helter-skelters (I rediscovered my 12 year old self who wasn't frightened of flying objects), bouncy castles, ball pits, bowling alleys, trampolines and air-hockey! We had a really good quality lunch served by helpful and friendly staff.
All in all a good end to our mini-holiday!
Last night I fell asleep watching the stars twinkling overhead in the sky.
No, I haven't taken up camping, that is so never going to happen! The Forest Holidays cabins have large floor-ceiling windows (in the living room and main bedroom) which allow the light to stream in and cleverly illuminate the solid wooden floors and help to bring the outside 'in'. This morning when The (poorly) Boy came in with us at 4.55, he also pointed out the stars. At 7.25 when we all woke up, he glanced up to look at the trees and declared 'stars, gone.'
After a hearty continental breakfast we set off for a local attraction intriguingly called 'Puzzlewood'. It is so called because the whole place is a bit of a puzzle. It is full of scowles (a geological feature originated through the erosion of natural underground cave systems, uplift and erosion caused the cave system to become exposed at the surface) and a mile of pathways which were laid down by a local landowner in the early 1800s. These pathways meander through the trees and gulleys to open up this ancient forest, originally for the amusement of his friends and children. It's a little bit of a local celebrity having been used in the latest series of Merlin (the episodes: 'The Crystal Cave', 'The Eye of the Pheonix', and 'The Coming of Arthur', plus the one with the giant scorpions shudder) and a Doctor Who episode entitled 'Flesh and Stone'.
This was a completely different attraction to yesterday's debacle and looked promising from the outset. At the entrance there is a lovely little coffee shop selling home-made items, which doubles as a gift shop. Next to this there is a timber-trail playground set amongst 10-15 picnic benches. Follow the path along to a few farmyard animals (chickens, ducks, geese, a pig wallowing in mud), and just before the wood there is a barn half of which houses more farm animals (sheep, goats), the other half is home to a wooden puzzle; 'a maze of secret doors, dead ends, ups and downs and rounds and rounds'. We didn't go in this because The Boy is too young at the moment, I would imagine that children six and up would have great fun in there.
The wood itself is glorious! Even in this monochrome and dreary season, it is awash with colour from the mosses, ferns and lichens covering all the rock formations and banks. As you enter into the main glade, it is perfectly obvious as to why people think that it is the inspiration behind the elves' woods in JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings. It is magnificent! The whole wood is riddled with paths twisting and turning through this chasm in the rocks or over these tree-trunks or under this fallen tree. It is stunning and awe-inspiring. We loved it, The Boy had fun squelching through the mud until he was faced with the first of many sets of steps. Daddy carried him and he soon fell asleep nestled in.
Be warned: there is no way you could take a pushchair along the paths, heavily pregnant women may want to give it a miss (lots of slippery, steep steps and paths) and there are no sign-posts for the way out, you have to explore (the paths do seem to loop back around to the main glade, but if you keep the field with the cows on your right, it heads back to the entrance). Saying that, this is a must-see local attraction; absolutely magnificent!
Our timing turned out to be impeccable as always; just as we sat down in the cabin the heavens opened and pelted the forest with huge and heavy hailstones!
Things have been fraught recently; I hate this time of year finding it really depressing, life has been monotonous, we've been knackered, and our summer holidays seem such a long way off in the future. I declared that we needed a break and investigated a couple of different options. I have only once been to Butlins (Pwllheli, Noth Wales) when I was in Year Six and I am sure that it has moved on a great deal since 1988, but I looked on TripAdvisor and was not overwhelmed with the standard of accommodation, which was a shame because the entertainment looked fabulous. Centre Parcs was the obvious choice but not at £800 for 3-night weekend break!
Then I remembered that my brother had been to a Forest Holidays site in the past. The one at the Forest of Dean opened in September 2010, and being only an hour away seemed ideal because The Boy is like his mother and does not travel well. We booked a Copper Beech cabin for the tidy sum of £250!
Today was the day for our mini-break. We've never actually been away as just a family before. We've been away with my parents, but not just the three of us. We finally managed to pack everything into the car and I withheld The Boy's sleep so he could doze off on the journey. Did he? Did he heck! He normally sleep for two hours during the day, he had 16 minutes in the car. He was distraught, I was distraught, hubby wasn't happy either!
We rocked up to the Bracelands site mid-afternoon. Check-in isn't normally until 4pm, but we were there an hour earlier and they were happy to hand over the keys. The cabins are at the top of a hill nestled into the middle of a forest which has carefully been cleared in strategic places to make way for 77 cabins, a Forest Retreat welcome centre and a few gravel tracks connecting them together.
This is the main difference between Forest Holidays and Centre Parcs; there is no swishy swimming pool, no soft-play, no chain-restaurants, nothing like that. There is a reception centre that has a mini-mart and there are the trees. That's it! Make your own entertainment together as a family. And this is exactly what we need.
We've already made a start at having fun together, just the three of us. The Boy has already experienced something new: splashing in puddles. Don't get me wrong I have taken him out but puddles in tarmac aren't quite the same somehow. He has thoroughly embraced the concept and we almost had to drag him away from them! The Boy was absolutely captivated with the cabin and the whole idea of trees being right outside. From the moment that we pulled into the space outside our Copper Beech cabin and opened the door, all that could be heard was the rain falling through the canopy of the evergreen forest and the birds singing in the trees. He was enthralled! It's due to rain tomorrow, but it's not a problem; we've got our wellies and waterproofs.
