A Family Day Out at Fordhall Farm Fordfest Music and Beer Festival

We are so lucky to live near to the beautiful Fordhall Farm in North Shropshire.  It is a lovely place where we can go for walks, visit the animals, dine in the tea rooms and breathe in the fresh country air.  Yesterday, they held their annual beer festival, Fordfest.  With live music, local ales and activities to keep all the family entertained, it is a great event.  Plus Ella was invited to play on the acoustic stage in the beer tent!

My nieces were also performing so it was a lovely opportunity to catch up with family.  Ella played beautifully, performing her own arrangements of some of her favourite Killers songs along with an acoustic version of Jason Derula's Wiggle and Iggy Azalea's Fancy!  I just love how engaging Ella's performances are, and her smile and love of playing light up the place.  She gained a new fan who said that she was 'special' and asked for her autograph as he was convinced she will get famous one day!

Freddy and his sisters had a great time trying out the circus skills:  hula hooping, ribbon twirling, plate spinning, stilt walking, diablo and juggling.  It was lovely watching them have so much fun!  I loved the freedom that Freddy had, to run around, try new things and make new friends.

We enjoyed listening to some local bands play on the main stage, we ate veggie burgers and Ian sampled the local ales from Shropshire breweries.  I watched the traditionally rural barrel rolling competition and my niece's boyfriend won the trophy, beating off the competition in a rather ferocious final!  It was a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon in the country.

Fordhall Farm continues to be one of our favourite local places and we really enjoyed Fordfest!

How to make picnic food more fun!

We had a lovely day out at Delamere Forest for the Robert's Bakery 50 Days of Summer Bloggers' Picnic.  Myself, Ian, Ella, Kizzy and Freddy really enjoyed making a fun picnic, with recipes demonstrated by the ladies from Roberts Bakery, which we later got to eat for lunch.  The recipe ideas were really inventive, elevating a humble sarnie into something way more exciting!  

We used the new Robert's Bakery White & Wholemeal bread which includes fortified white flour and high fibre wholemeal flour to bring together the best of both worlds.

Thank goodness the weather was kind to us, as the masterclass in sandwich making took place on benches outside.  Al fresco food preparation added an element of summertime fun to our lesson in picnic prep!

Here's what we made:

Sunshine Sandwich

These 'peep hole' sandwiches are filled with a mix of low fat grated cheese, grated carrot, sunflower seeds and raisins.  Bulking out the grated cheese with grated carrot gives a lower calorie filling and adds extra nutrients. Each hole is filled with one of the ingredients to make an impressive looking sandwich that little ones will love.  You could adapt this sandwich to make traffic lights, popping in tomato, sweetcorn and lettuce in the holes. 

S.L.T.

The vegetarian sausage, lettuce and tomato roll is a twist on the BLT.  The mayonnaise, Greek yogurt and black pepper dressing complemented it perfectly, and was lighter than using mayo alone.  Served in the new Roberts Bakery White and Wholemeal buns they made a tasty roll.

Peanut Butter and Banana Monkey

aka Nutty Nana

The fun monkey faces with peanut butter, banana and a little honey, were really effective.  Raisins added the details and made these sandwiches look really cool and perfect for feeding to my own little monkey Freddy.

Strawberry & Cream Hearts

Cream cheese, rocket, strawberries and black pepper make a really interesting and elegant sandwich filling. It's like having a cream tea on bread! The heart shaped sandwich with a cut out top is the ideal food to serve at a tea party.  They look so pretty and the strawberry goes so well with black pepper and rocket.

With our sandwiches and rolls packed into boxes, we headed to a tent where a storyteller was waiting to share some stories with us while we ate our lunch.  The children loved joining in with the storyteller's tales, and it was great to see Freddy getting involved.  He has come on such a long way from the shy little lad he once was!  The food went down well with everyone too, the veggie SLT being my favourite.

After our picnic, we had a lovely walk around Delamere Forest with Clearly Bex and her lovely children.  We enjoyed the fresh air, scenery and sunshine and had a great time.  It was fabulous to meet a fellow Shropshire blogger!!  Freddy got on so well with his new friend, it was so nice to see them both playing with sticks, jumping in puddles and exploring the forest together.  My girls loved looking after all the little ones, chasing after them and holding their hands as they clambered down banks to paddle in the streams.  After a rainy wash-out of a half term, it was such a blessing to enjoy a day outdoors. 

Thanks to Roberts Bakery for a fantastic day!

Getting to Grips with a Rope Swing

With a little bit of sunshine managing to breakthrough at the weekend, Freddy took full advantage of the garden.  Dressed in his LEGO Movie onesie and his customised Skribbies hi-tops, my little man decided to master the art of the rope swing.  The girls, when they were younger, never really managed to do much more than hang off it clinging on for dear life with both hands, but Freddy had bigger plans.  Climbing up the ladder to the platform of his slide and swing set, carrying the rope with him, he launched himself off the edge with the rope wrapped around his waist.  Like a miniature Tarzan he flew through the air, coming perilously close to the frame of the play equipment he had jumped off, but undeterred by the dangers of his new game.  He has continued to experiment with his rope swing and it has become his garden toy of choice.  Sometimes he lands in a heap but springs up declaring "I'm OK!" before brushing himself down and doing it all over again.

It is so wonderful to see Freddy back to his old self, healthy, happy and full of energy enjoying the garden and the great outdoors.  After so many weekends being written off due to ill health, I am looking forward to making the most of the improving weather and enjoying some family fun!

A Walk in the Countryside #countrykids

A sunny Sunday afternoon is the perfect opportunity to get some fresh air and exercise on a family walk in the countryside. For the first weekend this year, everyone was feeling healthy enough to have some family fun and we enjoyed a thoroughly overdue adventure: climbing trees, running through fields, playing aeroplanes, swinging on rope swings and having fun!  

Country Kids - A day out at last!

At last, a weekend where the sun was shining and we were all germ free!  It was absolutely wonderful to head out for a lovely walk and play in the fresh air.  Freddy donned his wellies and made the most of the weather as he climbed, ran, slid and jumped to his heart's content.  I hadn't realised just how much I have missed the great outdoors, and we fully intend on making the most of all the local places we are lucky enough to live near.

Today's adventure was to Bridgemere, which includes Britain's largest Garden Centre and covers 50 acres of land on the Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire borders.  There are extensive gardens to explore which have lovely play areas for the kids to enjoy.  There is also a restaurant, a cafe with a soft play area and some great shops.  Freddy was delighted to spot one of his friends from school and had a lovely play with him in the indoor play area while we enjoyed a nice hot drink.  It's lovely to see him so sociable and joining in with the other kids.  He used to be so shy and reserved, now he gets stuck in and makes new friends wherever he goes. It reminds me just how far he has come!

Hopefully we will see many more lovely weekends where we can enjoy many more lovely family days out.

Enjoying an Alton Towers Scarefest for Halloween #countrykids

We have just come back from two brilliant days at Alton Towers Halloween Scarefest.  We love Alton Towers.  Not just because of the rides, but also because of its beautiful location, stunning gardens and impressive, albeit ruined, stately home.  

As Merlin Annual Pass holders we don't have the pressure of trying to pack as much in to one day as we would if we were paying the full entrance rate.  It means we are far more relaxed and happy to take in the surroundings, instead of dashing off to the next ride queue.

I love the decorations that appear around the park on Halloween.  The giant pumpkins are fabulous and the kids are always happy to climb inside for a photo!

The thing we like most about the Halloween Scarefest is the live horror mazes.  This year, 11 year old Kizzy was totally up for being scared witless by everything on offer.  This meant experiencing all four of the live actor horror mazes:  The Sanctuary, Carnival of Screams, Terror Towers and the Zombie Scare Zone.

For anyone who has never been through a Scarefest maze, they are basically an interactive walk through that tells a story while actors terrorize you!  Strobe lighting, smoke, tight spaces, smells, loud noises and themed scenery act to disorientate you, as the actors dressed up for their roles whisper in your ear, jump out on you and generally mess with your mind.  It's like living through a horror film!

My favourite this year was the outdoor Zombie Scare Zone, set in a post apocalyptic urban street where the undead wandered around.  They sniffed us, chased us, made terrifying noises in our faces and stared at us with their dead zombie eyes.  It's frighteningly fun and the actors are amazing in their roles, giving you just the right amount of attention that you can cope with!  Kizzy loved it and is now a fully fledged horror fan!

 While the girls went on some of the mazes and rides, Freddy enjoyed the freedom of running around the open spaces and climbing on apparatus dotted around the park.  He hung off of the giant flower stems and jumped on giant toadstools.  He loves playing outdoors and we were blessed with some beautiful autumnal weather.

The Halloween characters entertained the kids around the park.  Patch the Pumpkin was one of Freddy's favourites and he was happy to meet him and pose for a photo.

The park stayed open until past 9pm.  The girls queued up for more than 2 hours at the end to ride The Smiler in the dark.  They agreed it was well worth the wait to experience the 14 loop rollercoaster in the pitch black dark. Having a hotel room for the night meant Ian and I could take Freddy back to the room when he'd had enough.  He flagged at about 8pm after having spent the entire day walking around, playing and enjoying the sights and sounds of Halloween for the little ones at Alton Towers.  His big sisters enjoyed the more hardcore Halloween Scarefest experience, but we all agreed that we had had an absolutely fabulous day!

I'm linking up with Country Kids!

What Fred Said and an Urban Picnic

It's been a bit of a taxing week for Freddy.  I think 5 weeks at school is catching up with him and his sleeping and eating have been affected.  He's been so tired after school and I think he's having a growth spurt to add insult to injury.  It's tough being a 4 year 3 month old school boy.

In spite of that, my lovely boy has still given us some gems:

Freddy: Do you know what gravy tastes like?

Nana:  No, can you tell me what gravy tastes like?

Freddy:  Gravy.  (Logical!!)

The girls were talking about the organs of the body (for some reason) and Freddy told them that he had a heart.  They asked him what his heart was for.  He pondered, clasped his hands under his chin and looked to the skies dramatically..."It loves!" he said.

We drove to Manchester today and Freddy was gazing out of the window.  We went past a big electricity pylon.  Freddy said, "Are we in Paris?  They have one of those in Paris."  The pylon did bear an uncanny resemblance to the Eiffel Tower!

Freddy decided that he needed to enjoy a bit of the outdoors this weekend (he clearly wanted to get involved with #countrykids today!)  Before we left for our day in Manchester, for Ella to attend a university open day, Freddy packed himself a picnic.  He packed a cool bag with some food and also put in a blanket.  He announced that he was going to "have a picnic like Peppa Pig did" in the episode he had watched before we left.

  Where was Freddy going to have a picnic?? We were going to Manchester, to the heart of the city.

Freddy was undeterred by this fact and found himself a little concreted spot in the street where he opened up his bag and set down his blanket before tucking into his yummy snacks.  The mild autumn weather was perfect for picnicking, even when there is no grassy spot available.

It proved to me that you don't need to go somewhere fancy for a little one to turn it into an outdoor adventure.  He really makes me smile :)

We encountered an intense storm on the way home which resulted in the biggest, brightest double rainbow that I have ever seen.  Eventually the rainbow disappeared from our view.  My clever boy said "Is that because it isn't sunny and rainy anymore?"  Genius!

We are looking forward to our half term holiday, just one more week to go!  I'm counting the days until I've got Freddy home for a week of rest, relaxation and quality mummy time!

The Medieval Damson Fayre

This weekend, a medieval market came to our little town to celebrate the traditional festival of the Drayton Damson Fayre. Although we were massively busy this weekend with a belated family birthday weekend for Kizzy's birthday, we found an hour to pop into town to join in with the fun.

Morris dancers, fire-eaters, musicians, the local regiment of the army including their gorgeous and huge Irish Wolfhound mascot, some rescue owls and loads of stalls selling various wares made the fayre a great spectacle.  Stall holders and some of the visitors were dressed in medieval clothing, adding to the theme of the day.  Our local town is steeped in so much history, it was interesting to learn more about an event that dates back to the 1400's.

Freddy really enjoyed having a go at embossing his name into a piece of leather using a wooden hammer to bang the letter stamps.  He did a great job and got to take home his very own handmade leather keyring.   He was also quite delighted with the fancy dress stall that sold weaponry and armour and picked out a red and gold shield for himself.  He spent quite a lot of the weekend challenging his grandad to sword fights!

It was nice to get out into the fresh air, after a week of being poorly, and enjoy a wander around our local market town.  It is nice to support the community and lovely to see such a great turn out for an event.  The day was bustling and we enjoyed popping into the local shops.  The wholefood shop was a great place to stock up on vegan goodies, now that my eldest daughter has become a fully fledged dairy-free vegetarian. I really enjoyed revisiting some of the products I used to buy when I was vegan and I discovered a few new ones too.  Megan's enthusiasm for her new way of eating is really rubbing off on us all!

Sainsbury's were there demonstrating some recipes and I sampled Vegetable Quesadillas and Shrosphire Blue Cheese Potatoes.  Both were very nice but as they contained cheese, Megan couldn't try them so we stocked up on some fruit from one of the stalls.  Sadly, they didn't actually sell damsons so we made do with donut peaches and bananas.  We watched a blacksmith making things in the way they would have done back in medieval times, but my girls were more interested in watching a very, very handsome community police officer instead!

I'm glad we made the effort to pop along and Freddy loved his leather stamping activity...anything that involves hitting things with hammers is high on his list of things that are fun!

Here is a video made by our local Drayton Crier, in case anyone is interested in finding out more about the history of the Damson Fayre and seeing what went on in our local community this weekend.

                        

An Afternoon Walk in the Countryside

We are so lucky to have the beautiful Fordhall Farm with its country trails right on our doorstep.  It's a lovely place to walk around and get some exercise and fresh air on a Sunday afternoon.  The farm is certified organic and is community owned having 8000 landlords who helped save the farm from development by buying shares in the land.  The land is used for the benefit of the community and there is a wonderful restaurant and farm shop on site.  There are animals being reared naturally with the utmost focus on their welfare.  They aim is to support Wildlife, Food, Farming, Sustainability,  Education, Health and Our Children's Future. We are proud to have such a wonderful place in our town.

I love watching my country kids playing together and running freely across the fields at Fordhall Farm.  They  can jump on the tree stump stepping stones, play on the wooden see-saw, balance on the logs and swing on the tyre swing.  They explore the dens and spot nature's flora and fauna.  It's just a perfect place and we love it.

We had a lovely afternoon with our country kids, enjoying the very best of what North Shropshire has to offer.  (Unfortunately Ella decided to stay at home finishing off her Chemistry homework that she has left until the last minute!)

Fun In The Sun at Alton Towers

Today we had a wonderful day at Alton Towers.  I had used a year's worth of accumulated Tesco Clubcard Points to exchange for six Merlin Annual Passes that will give us access to all the Merlin attractions for 12 months.  It also gave each of us a drinks capsule that comes with unlimited refills. So we were all set to kick off our year of fun with a day out in the sun!

It was blissfully hot meaning we could go on the water rides without worrying about getting wet.  Always a bonus!  I did get my Fitflops a bit soggy which is a hideous experience.  Slipping around inside wet shoes, garroting my big toe with the leather thong is grim whatever the weather!

Although there were lots of people in the park, the queues were not too bad meaning that we all got to go on the rides we wanted to.  Freddy enjoyed the kiddies' rides which we literally walked straight onto.  The girls went off to have their first experience of The Smiler, which had a 90 minute queue time.  (It had been 3 hours earlier on in the day...in 30 degree temperatures!!) They said it was well worth the wait!

Alton Towers is my favourite theme park because it is just such a lovely place.  The big old stately home, the beautiful gardens, the open green spaces and the magnificent lake complete with a mini menagerie of feathered friends are all an attraction in their own right.  Add to that some world class roller coasters and some fun rides for little ones and you've got a place that it perfect for a family day out.

I was very pleased that Alton Towers have now got their own burger restaurant in the park, and it has a pretty decent bean burger on the menu.  As a season ticket holder we got 20% of the price making a burger, fries and 16 oz drink meal deal just £4.80.  Not bad at all for some convenient fast food on site.  Plus it was efficient and friendly too.

Ian, Freddy and I went to the Sea Life Centre and enjoyed watching the multi-coloured fish swimming around in their tanks.  Freddy loved finding out the names of the fish.  He loved the Soldier Fish, the Lion Fish and the Puffer Fish!

We all met Sid from Ice Age for a photo op!  We also saw the Ice Age 4D film, which was actually a bit scary for Freddy and very loud.  He spent the entire time sat on my lap with his ears covered!

Freddy loved the Dung Heap playground and enjoyed climbing on the rope climbing frame. 

Now we have our annual passes we fully intend on making the most out of our weekends and school holidays by visiting as many of the attractions as we can.  I love the excellent value that the Merlin Annual Pass represents, especially when bought with Tesco Clubcard Vouchers.  Just £52 buys the pass and unlimited drinks for a year.  I won't have to think about the cost of days out or the added expense of buying drinks for a while!

Autumn Fun

 Country Kids

I love Autumn and remember, as a child, the joy of stomping through the fallen leaves.  Today watching Kizzy enjoying the season was really wonderful.  Kicking up the crisp, brown leaves and throwing them in the air, she embraced all the fun of playing in the autumnal landscape.  It took me back to my childhood!