Encouraging birds into our garden with Wilko

My dad has always loved birds. He's always enjoyed feeding his feathered friends and watching them in his garden. He is very knowledgeable about all the different types of bird and gets very excited if he spots something rare. His enthusiasm and love of the birds is quite contagious, and I've found myself happily watching many a wood pigeon, jay, wren or buzzard because he has pointed them out to me.

When Wilko offered me the chance to be one of their Wild Bird Bloggers, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to introduce my own children to one of their Grandad's interests, as well as a great chance to encourage wild birds into our garden, supporting our native wildlife.

Birds bring colour and movement to the garden and can provide lots of entertainment as you watch them feed, sing and defend their territories. Helping them survive the winter months keeps them well fed and encourages a variety of species into your garden. Feeding birds is so mutually beneficial - you provide them with something to eat - you get fabulous display of nature in return.

We received a lovely box of items from Wilko, designed to attract wild birds into the garden:

• Wilko Wild Bird Nesting Box
• Wilko Wild Bird Wooden Bird Table
• Wild Bird Cage Seed Feeder
• Wilko Wild Bird Food

The bird table needs assembly using a screwdriver. Once assembled it is quite sturdy and provides a table with a roof to keep food dry and offer some shelter. At £10 it is a real bargain. The cage seed feeder is a clever way to keep little birds safe while they feed from the tube, protected by the wire cage. It also stops big birds or squirrels from stealing their food. The top can be lifted off to fill the feeder and clips on securely afterwards. For £6, it is a great quality feeder that does the job really well, while offering extra security to small birds as they feed. The nesting box is made of natural wood and is easily mounted to a tree where it provides a great spot for small birds to make a nest. The front panel can be removed to make an open fronted nesting box. At £2.50 it is extremely good value and will provide a wonderful opportunity to watch birds as they nest and rear young.

Freddy, who is six years old, had a great time helping his daddy build the table, fill the feeder and position the nesting box. Everything is sturdy and well made and is a welcome addition to the garden. The wooden designs of the bird table and nesting box fitted in very naturally and looked really good. Freddy was very interested in the idea of feeding the wild birds and asked lots of questions about which birds will come to eat the seeds. Introducing children to the wildlife on their doorstep, helps them understand their environment and nurtures a respect for the local flora and fauna. He got very excited to see a friendly robin hopping around picking up the seeds that had been dropped on the floor. Taking time to notice the local bird population, hearing the birdsong and spotting familiar breeds really is a lovely activity for children to engage in. We really hope that a family of birds take up residence in the bird box, because that will be amazing!

Activity around the new bird feeder has been a bit slow, probably due to the windy, wet weather, so I haven't managed to catch any shots of the birds making the most of their new bird table or seed feeder. However, we are hoping that once the birds start 'tweeting' about the new place in town where they can get free food, word will get around and the peckish birds will make a bee-line for the garden. Then we will have a lot of activity from our feathered friends that will make us all into keen twitchers!

The types of bird we will be hoping to attract include tits, finches, sparrows, blackbirds and thrushes. Wilko's wildly tasty seed mix contains sunflower seeds, millet and red dari, which is a perfect, nutritious feed for table, feeder and floor, and at just £1.50 for 2kg is great value and will encourage birds into the garden. Bird spotting is fun and free and can be done from the comfort of your own home as you watch out of the window to see the birds in action. Children can keep a tally chart, write a bird diary or draw sketches of the birds that visit, making an opportunity for some creative learning at home.

The Wilko Wild Bird range is excellent value for money, so much cheaper than similar products bought from a garden centre. Everything is such good quality, well made and well designed. I really can't fault any of the products for the price.

I might not have captured any photos of the products in action, but here is a snap of a blue tit enjoying the fat balls in my sister's garden from last summer. I hope I will be able to get lots of beautiful wild bird photographs of my own soon!

You can see the full range of Wilko Wild Bird Supplies online.

A Fantastic Family Holiday with Forest Holidays

With the beautiful weather we have been having, holidaying in the UK has been a great option this year.  So we were delighted to spend a week staying in a gorgeous and luxurious log cabin at Blackwood Forest in Hampshire with Forest Holidays.  The stunningly beautiful 270 hectare Beech forest is the perfect setting for a tranquil break surrounded by nature, but with easy access to major roads, Micheldever railway station (which is just 40 minutes from London) and local amenities.

The large three bedroomed Silver Birch cabin was exquisite and quite honestly the nicest accommodation I have ever stayed in at a holiday resort.  A feature floor to ceiling window gives magnificent views of the idyllic surroundings and makes you feel a part of the great outdoors, while making the rooms feel light and airy. The decor was modern, clean and well conceived, bringing in elements of the forest along with a bold but tasteful colour theme that runs throughout the cabin.  The place was spotless and so well equipped, with an excellent kitchen, which included microwave, oven, hob, fridge freezer and dishwasher.  Little touches such as the inclusion of Jenga and Scrabble made you feel immediately at home.  The optional entertainment package offers wi-fi and TV channels if you want to stay connected to the outside world.  It was cosy, comfortable and a real home from home.

Having a private outdoor hot tub was the most luxurious addition to our holiday home.  It was serviced daily and had a rubber duck left on top to let us know it was safe to use.  It was wonderful to relax in the hot tub, and it was particularly fabulous at night with its underwater lighting.  Freddy absolutely adored it, thinking it was his own private outdoor bath/swimming pool.  

The forest setting is glorious.  The cabins are spaced well apart so you feel quite secluded, adding to the magic and enchantment of the break. The cabin has two parking spaces outside, which is really convenient. There are lots of walks and cycle tracks around the forest and a really great 3.8 km trim trail, which we went around several times in the week.  Some days we never saw another soul on our walks, it was so tranquil, peaceful and relaxing.

The exercise equipment around the trim trail caused some healthy competition as we tried to outdo each other.  On the squat lift apparatus, Ian felt quite superior, being able to lift the same weight as the three kids could lift together!  It was fun to challenge each other on the monkey bars, sit up bench and balance beam. All the equipment was wooden or made from green metal so it blended in nicely with the surroundings, and came with clear instructions for use.  It was a great way to enjoy some exercise and following the trail provided a well signposted walk through the forest.

The Forest Retreat is at the centre of the resort, offering a cafe, coffee shop, reception and well stocked shop.  You can book activities and in-cabin spa treatments and pre-order take away food such as pizzas (which can be delivered directly to your cabin) or baked goods to be picked up for breakfast.  The quality of the food was excellent, especially the freshly baked pain au chocolats that we all enjoyed as a morning treat. We loved the coffee shop and were able to sit outside in the sunshine with our drinks on the decked area. They have a nice menu offering light lunches and meals, and also have a bar. There is also a cycle hire shop and a children's play area. The facilities are more than adequate, providing everything we needed, with friendly, helpful staff on hand.

Getting away together to such a lovely place, with amazing accommodation and being blessed with such gorgeous weather has made us even bigger fans of holidaying in the UK.  From our location in Hampshire, we had easy access to the New Forest, the Isle of Wight and Winchester for day trips, but mostly we just really enjoyed exploring the forest and relaxing in the hot tub together.  We even took part in the #getyourskillson challenge and had some fun in the great outdoors while we were there.

One of the biggest pleasures of our holiday was simply having fun in the forest: running, jumping, balancing, playing, hiding, swinging and exploring.  We looked at the flora and fauna of the forest and breathed the fresh air on our outdoor adventures.  It's exactly the kind of holiday that I would want my children to enjoy together.  It was perfect.

Forest Holidays offers "simple luxury in stunning locations" with nine idyllic resorts to choose from. Blackwood Forest was beautiful, tranquil and the cabins are outstanding. The resort wasn't overcrowded or commercial, it's just so peaceful, unspoilt and in harmony with the nature that surrounds it. It is definitely somewhere I'd stay again, we loved it.  Somewhere to escape to and reconnect as a family.

You can find out more about Forest Holidays and book your own break at www.forestholidays.co.uk.

We received a discount to use against this holiday in return for an honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own...we genuinely adored it!

The Great Outdoors

With the sun shining and the temperatures rising, yesterday was the perfect day for heading off to the beautiful town of Ellesmere for a walk around the mere.  It's a beautiful area, rich with wildlife and nature.  It was wonderful to enjoy and explore the great outdoors together as a family, having fun and making magical memories.

Climbing trees to reach the sky.

Enjoying the sunshine and expressing ourselves, creating shadow pictures on the ground.

Nesting birds with their gorgeous babies make us stop to gaze.

Trees that have fallen provide a haven for wildlife and make a beautiful natural sculpture.

Exploring our surroundings, discovering exciting things and learning about nature.

 Riding high on Daddy's shoulders so you can reach the leaves on the trees.

Perfectly pretty flowers adding splashes of colour to the landscape. (11 year old Kizzy took this photo, which I think is an excellent shot capturing the beauty of a simple buttercup!)

Adventures await as we discover play areas where you can jump, climb, balance and swing.

Role Playing as Harry Potter armed with a stick wand, casting spells as you go.

Coming together as a family, spending quality time with those you love.

Swans gracefully swim alongside us as we make our way home.

This post has been inspired by the Center Parcs May Challenge and the tip to create a photographic scavenger hunt.  We have come up with a photo to represent each of the letters to spell out CENTER PARCS whilst capturing family moments and the wildlife around us!

‘This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots100 May challenge. If I’m chosen, I would like to visit Whinfell.’

Help Your Kids Engage with Nature this Spring

Do you know your Ash from your Elm?  Or your Sparrow from your Starling?  If the answer is no, then you are not alone.  According to a survey conducted by CBeebies show Tree Fu Tom many parents are stumped when their little ones ask them questions about nature.  When they see a flower in bloom or hear a bird singing in the tree, many parents are unable to identify what they are.

Help is at hand!  We can all brush up our knowledge ready to tell our children about the wonder and excitement of nature, as we explore the plants and wildlife in our parks, gardens or woodland.

Join in with a live WebTV show here tomorrow (Thursday 20th March) at 2pm, where Zoologist and nature writer Jules Howard will reveal some interesting facts about nature in Britain and guide us through what to look out for this spring when we are in the great outdoors.  Polishing up our own knowledge can help us to open our children's eyes to the wonders of nature this springtime.

Show date:  Thursday 20th March
Show time:   2pm

Our Review of Center Parcs Sherwood Forest

Last Friday, we headed off to Nottingham, to enjoy a prize of a three night stay in a pair of three bedroom Woodland Lodges courtesy of Center Parcs Sherwood Forest.  My two eldest children joined us which meant I had my family, including my 5 month old grandson, altogether for a few days.  Thanks to Center Parcs' hospitality, we were treated to a wonderful long weekend with all the trimmings!  Even the sun shone for us, which made for a perfect family break.

The Woodland Lodge was quite practical and utilitarian looking from the outside, being single story, flat roofed and built from brick and wood cladding.  But inside it was modern, spotlessly clean and very well designed.  The main living area comprised of an open plan, fully equipped kitchen with all mod cons enclosed by a bar-like counter, a six seater dining area and a lounge with corner sofa and  built in TV.  Patio windows opened out onto a patio area with a BBQ and six seater table and chairs.  A full sized blackboard had a chalked on message welcoming us to Center Parcs which was a lovely touch.  Lovely photo artwork was hung on the walls making the place look really inviting.  Our lodge was stocked with some grocery essentials and a few luxury items to make our stay special.

The two twin bedrooms and double bedroom had very comfy beds made up in crisp white linen.  There was adequate storage and a vanity area.  The main bedroom had a TV.  There was a family bathroom with over-bath shower and a second toilet.  The accommodation included a cupboard where an iron and ironing board, cot and highchair were stored making this a very friendly family choice of accommodation.  It was a perfect venue for baby Ted's first holiday with our family.

Bike stands allowed us to lock up our bicycles safely outside, and a large hall was perfect to store the pushchairs, hang our coats and store our shoes.

 Our lodge was nestled in an area of woodland with a duck pond in its centre.  The flora and fauna surrounding us was delightful.  We had regular woodland visitors: swans, ducks, geese, moorhens, squirrels and rabbits, who came to our patio looking for breakfast every morning.  The natural setting was a wonderful playground for Freddy to let off steam, explore and play.  He made friends with children from neighbouring cabins and they enjoyed playing with sticks!!  It was idyllic!

Although the lodges have full self-catering facilities, Center Parcs boasts a host of restaurants and takeaways to tempt you away from the kitchen.  We were treated to a meal at Huck's where we were invited to eat, drink and be merry!  We had a table overlooking the lake.  The American style restaurant has an informal atmosphere and even has a play area for the kids.  Children can eat from a buffet so they don't have to wait for their food.  Adults can choose from the Tex-Mex menu which features delights such as burgers, burritos, ribs, fajitas and steaks. 

To start we had the Surfboard platter that consisted of onion rings, a dipping pot of hot cheese and spinach sauce, goats' cheese empanadas, bruschetta, lime shrimp and buffalo wings.  It was enough for us all, both veggies and non-veggies alike and brilliantly presented on a mini-surfboard at the table.  For mains I chose the Portobella Mushroom sandwich served in a Brioche bun with salad, coleslaw and 'wet' fries (fries topped with cheese sauce).  It was very good and the portion size was big!  Freddy, being a little vegetarian, wouldn't have done justice to the kids' buffet of hotdogs, nuggets, fishfingers etc, so the waiter went out of his way to get him a cheese pizza from the next door restaurant.  It really went beyond the call of duty and we were very grateful!  For dessert, we had the absolutely massive Giant Sundae of Classics.  It consisted of ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate brownie, marshmallows, sprinkles, sauces and loads of chocolate  sweets in a huge bowl!  We all enjoyed cocktails, including non-alcoholic ones for the kids.  My Mudslide was gorgeous made with Baileys, Kahlua and vodka mixed with ice-cream and served with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.  Megan had a funky Jam Jar cocktail which was brilliantly presented in a glass actually made from a jar.  The restaurant experience was excellent.  We ate loads, drank some fabulous cocktails and enjoyed a relaxed meal overlooking the picturesque lake.  Perfect!

We also sampled the delights of Dexters where we had an excellent veggie burger and milkshake, and the Dining In takeaway where we had a pizza meal deal delivered to our lodge and the amazing Pancake House (their Banoffee pancake was simply fantastic).  The onsite Starbucks provided a familiar setting for coffee and snacks.  The local Parcmarket stock a great range of groceries.  They have a lovely bakery section selling yummy cakes and biscuits!

During our stay we had bicycles from the onsite cycle hire shop.  I have never seen so many bikes of all shapes and sizes in one place!  We had mountain bikes for the adults.  Freddy had a trailer that was towed behind one of them.  He loved being ridden around the woodland setting and it was a very efficient way of transporting him around safely.  It was lovely to cycle around the roads knowing that we wouldn't encounter traffic.  Kizzy loved the freedom of being able to cycle around in a safe and beautiful environment.

Center Parcs Sherwood Forest has a lot of free activities to enjoy.  There are several outdoor play areas which were great with a lot of very impressive and unusual pieces of equipment for the children to play on.  The older kids enjoyed joining in the fun and "helping" their younger siblings climb up, slide down, swing and bounce!  The lake has a lovely, sandy beach which was a hit with the little ones.  They could build sandcastles and dig holes as if they were at the seaside.  

The fabulously landscaped, sub-tropical swimming pool is brilliant!  Freddy used one of the inflatable jackets that are free to borrow, so he felt confident in the water.  The main pool has waves that go off every half hour.  The outdoor pool was absolutely glorious in the lovely weather and I could easily believe I was somewhere tropical as I relaxed in the warm waters.  The older children loved the flumes and slides.  I was coerced into riding the rapids and instantly regretted my decision as I was tossed inelegantly through the water, not knowing which way was up, eventually sliding down with a huge splash into the plunge pool at the end.  The children thought it was hysterical and I did eventually laugh at my misfortune after the event!!  Freddy loved the children's pool featuring a pirate ship and a mini flume and slide.  It was really fun for him to splash and play in the warm water.

There are a lot of paid for activities to try out including golf, archery, high ropes, pottery, sports, watersports and exercise classes.  We tried our hand at a family game of ten pin bowling.  We were pretty shocking but it was good fun and the venue was pretty cool with funky lighting and effects.  Freddy and Ted scored best as they used ramps and bumpers to take their turns.  The rest of us threw most of our balls into the gutter!

The Aqua Sana is the onsite spa.  We were all treated to a 3 hour spa session where we experienced the different saunas and steam rooms and enjoyed the outdoor pool.  Ian and I had a Serail Mud Treatment where we smothered ourselves in different muds and then steamed ourselves for 25 minutes before showering the mud off.  It was very mucky but my skin felt lovely afterwards.  My girls babysat Freddy while we were at the spa giving Ian and I some alone time, and Freddy some quality time with his doting sisters!  While the older kids were at the spa, Ian and I had our first solo grandparenting task of looking after Ted on our own.  He survived...so I guess we did OK!

Overall, we had an excellent short break, enjoying everything that Center Parcs has to offer. Even with the different ages of the children, everyone had a great time in the great outdoors.  

Centre Parcs is not a super cheap holiday destination.  Instead it is a high quality alternative to travelling abroad where family can get together in a stunning environment with great accommodation to suit every budget (from the more reasonable Comfort lodges to the luxury Treehouses) and plenty of activities to take part in.  The facilities are excellent and the site is family friendly.  It's definitely worth spending your budget on a Center Parcs holiday tailored to suit your needs.  There are activities for every age group and the Subtropical Swimming Pool is excellent and free.  You can spend a lot of money at the restaurants and on activities, but you don't have to.  The self-catering aspect of the lodges means you can dine in cheaply if you choose.  There are enough things to do that are free meaning you don't have to spend a lot on extras to have a good time.  Although hiring a bike is great, it's not essential as everything is within walking distance.  

Whatever your budget, Center Parcs is a great destination for spending quality time with family and friends.  We loved it at Sherwood Forest and definitely hope to return.

Find out more at www.centerparcs.co.uk