A bank holiday stroll

Last Sunday saw us taking a lovely trip to Ludlow, in particular Whitcliffe Common.  We decided to have a family day out and asked Mom-in-law, Mom, Dad and bro along.  Our original plan was to head down to the Cotswolds for the day but unfortunately at the last minute we discovered the M5 had been closed due to a major accident so Mom suggested heading over to Whitcliffe.

[caption id="attachment_1051" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Dinham Bridge"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1057" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Weir along the River Teme"][/caption]

We parked the car in a little layby right next to Whitcliffe Common and then headed down and along the path towards the River Teme taking in the very scenic bridges and weirs along the way.  Arnold as ever felt the need to lead the group and wasn't happy unless out in front, showing the way!  When we arrived at Dinham Bridge we realised that our last visit there had been around 14 years ago when 'S' was just a baby.  We decided to try recreating the photo we'd taken all those years ago.

[caption id="attachment_1052" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Me and 'S' at Dinham Bridge, Ludlow in 2011"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1053" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Me and 'S' at Dinham Bridge, Ludlow in 1997"][/caption]

(Sorry terrible photo! Original was awful and then a photo of a photo is never good lol)

[caption id="attachment_1054" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Arnold has an afternoon swim"][/caption]

After our leisurely stroll, which included a lunchtime swim in the River Teme for Arnold, we headed back to the car for lunch.  I'm glad to say that this is when we had our one and only heavy shower of the day which we thankfully missed whilst tucking into sarnies galore.  We headed on further up the road after lunch to Mortimer Forest.  This was a real little gem of a place and not too busy, even considering it was bank holiday weekend.  Again, the showers held off and the weather stayed clear and warm.

[caption id="attachment_1055" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="A stroll through Mortimer Forest"][/caption]

A little detour was made on the way home to Titterstone Clee Hill.  Although we'd driven over the Clee Hills many times this was the first time we'd headed right up to the top.  The views were magnificent and well worth the trip.

[caption id="attachment_1056" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="View from the Clee Hills"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1058" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="'A' and 'S' on top of the Clee Hills"][/caption]

Cornish magic and muck for luck!

Last week we returned from a lovely week in North Cornwall, in particular the little hamlet of Rosecare near the village of St.Genny's.  We found the cottage online and were pleased that they accepted dogs and had availability during August.  When we arrived the cottage was actually prettier than it looked in pictures.  'The Granary' was a section of converted farm buildings with a small courtyard outside and a short walk to a village green and several public footpaths.  Rosecare was an ideal base for exploring the local area.  Away from the hustle and bustle of the larger towns, Rosecare was a peaceful haven for relaxation and scenic walks.

[caption id="attachment_980" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Granary Cottage in Rosecare, North Cornwall[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_988" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Local views, Rosecare[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_989" align="aligncenter" width="300"] An evening stroll by the cottage[/caption]

Now, being known as the family to experience an eventful happening on any holiday,  we yet again obliged with a rather smelly but amusing offering on our outward journey.  We decided to stop the car at a little lay-by at Rackenford just after exiting the M5 to let the dog do the business and the rest of us stretch our legs.  Unknown to me there was the largest pile of turd I think I've ever seen, undoubtedly deposited by some kind of Yeti or such like.  In the blink of an eye, Arnold had eyed it up, weighed up the odds of serious discipline, figured what the hell and delved head long straight into it!  I think the actual experience was a little traumatic for him judging by the look of shock on his face, I don't think he was prepared to take on quite such a huge pile of excrement.  To say he was plastered in it was an understatement and we continued to spend the next half an hour, one pack of Johnson's face wipes, half a pack of wet wipes and a squirty bottle of water trying to remove said dung from his fur and collar.  The kids then started a debate over who was to have the pleasure of his company for the remainder of the journey.  Although we all found the whole situation extremely hilarious he still felt he should try to make amends.  He continued to place his chin on 'A's seat periodically giving her the doleful puppy dog eyes, to which she responded by backing even further into the car upholstery.  Needless to say the rest of our journey was rather noxious but much less noteworthy!

During our week we visited our usual North Cornwall hangouts such as the beautiful Duckpool Beach, Atlantic Village (Devon, I know but it still counts), Bude Light, The Pepperpot, Tintagel with a couple of new additions including Padstow and Port Isaac.  Padstow had a lovely charm but unfortunately was overrun with holiday makers making it very difficult to even navigate the narrow streets, especially dog in tow.  It's definitely somewhere I'd love to revisit but maybe mid winter when the hoards have departed.  Port Isaac lived up to all expectations and luckily the sun came out to improve its appeal even more.

[caption id="attachment_981" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Port Isaac, home to 'Doc Martin'[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_982" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Port Isaac[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_983" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Beautiful Duckpool Beach, nr Bude[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_984" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Kids at Duckpool Beach[/caption]

As this was Arnold's first visit to Cornwall we thought it only right to let him experience the fantastic rock pools on Summerleaze beach.  'P' threw numerous stones into the little pools and Arnold delighted in splashing and eventually submerging his whole head to grab them and drag them out onto the sand.  He had a whale of a time although I think his initial fascination with the sea has now worn off as he certainly didn't seem as keen to get wet this time around.  Considering this was his first real 'beach' holiday and due to the fact that he's only 14 months old we did wonder how he'd behave, but he really was a complete star.

[caption id="attachment_990" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Fun in the rock pools![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_991" align="aligncenter" width="300"] A bit wet behind the ears![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_992" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Relaxing on Duckpool Beach[/caption]

We left the cottage after a super week in Cornwall but had one more treat in store - Hartland Carnival.  After attending on many occasions as the children were growing up we decided we couldn't head back to the Midlands without stopping by for a visit.  Hartland Carnival is the most politically incorrect source of opinion you will ever see.  This year's floats were tame by previous years attempts but none the less entertaining.  There was a terrific 'double-decker' Harry Potter effort complete with revolving tree transporting wannabe wizards and witches around on broomsticks and also a fantastic 'Inbetweeners' float complete with yellow fiat precariously balancing on the edge of a lake.  Other great efforts included 'Chilean Miners', 'Smurfs', 'The Lynx Effect Comes to Hartland' (brave chap taking an outdoor shower) and 'Hartland Senior Citizens do Fame'.  All in all what better way to end a lovely week.  Oh yes, and no poo related incidents on the return journey to report either!

[caption id="attachment_985" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Harry Potter Float[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_986" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Hartland Performing Farts do 'Fame'[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_987" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The Inbetweeners Float[/caption]

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Hats off!

Updated my Florida scrapbook about a month ago and completely forgot that I'd not posted the new pics.  I did a couple of new pages, one based on Disney's Animal Kingdom - Kilimanjaro Safari's and another based around our addiction for trying on hats at the various parks.

[caption id="attachment_951" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Wild Things"][/caption]

I managed to get some super animal print cardstock from Ebay and used my newly bought Craft Robo to cut out the elephant and giraffe templates and also the 'Wild Thing' lettering (although I have sold this now as it did get to be a bit of a faff continually setting the pc up with it).   I wrote a short section of script from the tour onto the elephant.

[caption id="attachment_952" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Hats Off!"][/caption]

I had a rather random selection of backing papers already, from various packs I've bought on Ebay so decided to use some of these to make the page colourful and fun.  I managed to download a superb 'Willy Wonka' font which I used for the title and once again used the Craft Robo for this.  This was then attached using sticky pads to give a 3D effect.  I'd seen an article in Cardmaking and Papercraft magazine on crinkled paper flowers so had a go at this as an embellishment, using a flower shaped brad from WHSmith to finish off.  A Martha Stewart Deep Edge 'Flower Bed' punch was used for the edges of the spotted paper which I purchased from Secretcrafter recently.  A fantastic buy as I've used it loads!

Here's a close up of the 'Hats Off!' piccies:

Universal's Islands of Adventure

Firstly let me say right away that we were soooooo looking forward to Universal we could barely keep the smile from our faces.  You see, for those of you not in the know, Universal's Islands of Adventure houses the ultimate in park attractions for millions of people around the world, namely The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Heaven!

As you can imagine, upon arriving at the park this was to be our first port of call.............or

so we thought!  We headed straight through the park, past the hoards of tourists queuing for Jurassic Park and Spiderman, with our sights firmly set upon Hogsmeade.  We rounded the corner to be told that the 'area' was at capacity and everyone wishing to visit had to get a return pass.  We'd heard about the great 'Harry Potter queues' but kind of thought that due to it being early in the day, midweek and the middle of February queueing would be in our favour.  Nevertheless, we hovered around the park and returned two hours later.  The 'world' itself is made up of the little village of Hogsmeade complete with many of the shops and sights from JK Rowlings imagination and Hogwarts castle. 

The Three Broomsticks, Ollivanders, Honeydukes and Zonko's were all present but were a little disappointing.  Choice of stock was limited and compared to Disney seemed very expensive.  The queue for Ollivanders alone was longer than that for any of the rides within the area, hence to say we didn't bother but all bought wands from the little stall outside Hogwarts.  Butterbeer however is delicious!  We bought 2 large tankards (which you get to keep afterwards) one was liquid and one was frozen - we had a great debate of which one was the nicest.  Without giving too much away Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is a must.  The queueing area takes you through Hogwarts castle with many famous sights along the way.  Once through the queuing area we boarded 4 seater cars that took you on an amazing journey through Harry's world.  I'm embarassed to say I had my eyes closed for much of it especially due to inclusion of spiders!  You may be picking up a bit of a theme here that, yes, I'm basically a coward.

Now, other than the Harry Potter section of the park I have to say we were very disappointed on the whole with Islands of Adventure.  This may have a lot to do with the fact that, as I've said before, we're not big on 'rides' and this really is a 'rides' kind of park.  We did go in the Jurassic Park Discovery Centre and upon entering it all looked great, all decced out like in the movie but then after spending a bit of time in there it just seemed to be lacking.  We all agreed that it could have been made a whole lot better.

One things for sure though, we will never be returning to Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoopendus. The name Circus McGurkus Cafe Sick would be more appropriate!  The food here was just horrible - all precooked and left on warming plates, fries were like rubber and tables not cleaned.  In fact I had to clean our own table before we could sit down.  There just weren't enough staff to keep up with the sheer volume of customers.  The music was also ridiculously loud that you couldn't even hold a conversation.  Strangely enough, within 24 hours we'd all been a little ill!  We made our feelings quite clear to the market researchers who were keen to get our opinion outside the park.

So that's it, my post on Islands of Adventure is at an end and is probably half the length of the posts I've written on Disney.......................this should tell you something :)

The Magic of Disney - Welcome to the Kingdom!

So, we arrived, villa was lovely and after spending a chill out day by the pool our first port of call was then to be Disney's Magic Kingdom.  This was mostly down to my choice but in my eyes we couldn't possibly think of starting our Disney's vacation anywhere else!  I think on the day we headed out I was more excited than the kids!

"Cinderella's Castle from Main Street"

Everyone who's been to Disney tells you about the magic and in particular Magic Kingdom but nothing can prepare you for the tingle you feel that first time you walk down Main Street and see Cinderella's Castle standing majestically in front of you.  Even as a child I can remember wondering if I'd ever get to see the castle for myself one day and then standing there........I couldn't quite believe it was finally real!  Main Street itself is just lovely with authentic looking buildings adorning each side of the street, flowers, hanging baskets, immaculately kept lawns and music coming from all directions.  Even the litter bins, fences and lamposts are inkeeping with the theme of the particular section of the park you're in.  Mickey Mouse is just everywhere from fence railings to the tread on the tyres of parade vehicles, in fact it's quite fun to look out for 'hidden' mickey's whilst on your travels.

"Splash Mountain"

We knew before we headed to Florida that 'S', 'A' and myself were not big 'ride' people but we were determined to try as much as we could stomach!  Our first stop off at Magic Kingdom was Splash Mountain where 'A' nearly backed out at the last minute.  After some persuasion we all boarded the little boat, twisting and turning with a couple of little drops before the final 52ft drop and huge splash.  I think I actually left my stomach behind somewhere on the way down and also discovered that I have the ability to scream quite loudly when frightened poo-less (regardless of the fact my eyes were shut tight) ! :)

"Mickey's Move It Shake It Street Party"

We visited far too many rides at Magic Kingdom to tell you about all of them but some of our favourites were Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World, Monters Inc Laughter Floor (where guess who's very surprised face was first to appear on the huge screen for all to see?!), Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin, Tom Sawyers Island and Mickey's Philarmagic.  The time flies by so quickly while you're in the park but along with the many rides, we also queued for autographs, took many many photo's, watched shows and generally absorbed the beautiful surroundings.  We reserved ourselves little spots throughout the day to watch the various parades which were always wonderful, superbly organised and full of smiles and energy.  Cast members are extremely friendly and helpful just as you'd expect and nothing is too much trouble.

'A' meeting Mary Poppins"

On our first visit we stayed for 'The Magic, The Memories and You' a light projection show where pictures, colours and animations are projected onto the castle itself and also the parks 'Wishes' fireworks display narrated by none other than Jiminy Cricket himself! On our second visit we were lucky enough to have 'accidently' planned a day when the parks 'Main Street Electrical Parade' was scheduled.  This was just spellbinding with many different floats and characters adorned in thousands of coloured lights.  Our pictures and video just don't do it justice.



Exiting the park each night was an experience in itself but on our second visit we decided to leave via the ferry that travels from Magic Kingdom, across Bay Lake and back to the Transportation and Ticket Centre.  We found this to be a much less crowded and relaxing trip rather than the monorail we'd travelled by on our first visit plus the view of Cinderella's Castle across the lake at night was just to die for!

All in all Magic Kingdom was by far the favourite park of us all, just for it's sheer wow factor.

We have returned.........

Well here we are, back in 'not so sunny' old England after our lovely 3 week holiday in Florida - what a contrast!  We've gone from temperatures in the mid 70's - mid 80's to temperatures closer to 50f and even snow up in the North! I mean, come on, it is March now after all, I did expect to come home to at least a little warmth!

So, the holiday of a lifetime, where do I start?!   It's hard to believe now that we were there for 3 weeks as the time just seemed to fly by. During our stay we visited all four of the Disney parks - Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios, Universal Parks - Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Centre, Discovery Cove plus Downtown Disney and Universal Citywalk.  After such an action packed vacation I think I'll have to break my 'report' into separate blogs or I'll never get it all in! :)

So here goes............blog number 1..............

The Villa!

We chose to stay at a villa located on 'Tuscan Ridge', Davenport which we found online through a google search.  We'd looked at so many villas that it was hard to choose but we liked the fact that 'The Elm' had a great website packed with information and pics and the absolute selling point was the fact that it had both a pool and jacuzzi that were South facing.  We contacted Gary & Anne the owners and right from the start the communication we received from them was first class.  We were offered a discount due to our long stay and even received a Christmas card from them which we thought was a lovely personal touch.  Prior to the holiday itself Gary sent through super detailed directions to take us from the airport to the villa which included photographs of signs and junctions to really make things clear.

The villa itself was just lovely and exceeded all our expectations.  It had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, living room with dining area, family room, large kitchen / dining room, games room, laundry room plus of course the most important part.............the pool and spa.  The villa had a wonderful light and airy feel and felt like a real home from home.  There were TV's in pretty much every room along with a Playstation 3 in the family room and Playstation 2 in the smaller bedroom.  The family room sideboard was stacked with family board games and 'A' was chuffed to bits to find a basket full of Jacqueline Wilson books in her bedroom.  The villa was so spacious that we found ourselves only using the family room and kitchen area during our stay with the living room / dining area being as untouched when we left as when we'd arrived!  Each bedroom had plenty of storage space and the master bedroom had a walk-in wardrobe that put 'A's bedroom back home to shame!

The kitchen was well stocked with plates, cups, glasses and so on and the appliances were just fab especially the washing machine and tumble dryer which I used on numerous occasions.  For the first time ever I returned home with almost no dirty laundry which was just wonderful!  The games room housed a very good pool and football table.  We found this was great for the kids to play on especially 'S'  who tended to play whilst we were getting ready to leave for the parks each day or after returning in the evening.

Due to the length of our stay we were lucky enough to be able to have quite a few leisurely days by the pool.  We'd heard many people say how tiring the parks can be but we didn't quite believe just HOW tired we were!  It was lovely to have a 'day off' every few days where we'd sit in the sun, swim in the pool then head off shopping or for a meal later in the day.  There was a great selection of outside furniture and even a box of inflatables to use in the pool (which we made great use of!).  The pool truly was South facing which meant that we got the sun from early on a morning until it set around 6.30 each night. 'A' made great progress with her swimming while we were there and is now able to swim quite confidently under the water.  Even I made progress with my fear of water as by the last day I'd managed to submerge myself and swim and whole length with my face in the water!  This may not seem like much, but will come as a great surprise to those of you who know me well!

I tried to think of some negative points to make about 'The Elm' to make this a really unbiased review but I honestly can't think of any! We loved every minute we spent there and it just felt so comfortable returning each day after a hard day of disney-ing.  I would recommend 'The Elm' to anyone who's looking for a good value, luxurious villa whilst visiting Florida and I just hope that we can return again in the not too distant future.

For further information on 'The Elm' please visit http://www.tuscan-ridge.com/ where lots more photos and information are available.  You can also email info@tuscan-ridge.com and I'm sure Gary or Anne will be very pleased to help you.

Please mention that you read great things on Tales from a Mother, Musician and Multi-tasker!

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'The Gallery' - Man & Dog

Gallery theme for this week is 'Black & White' and I had just the picture in mind for this.

 

Bude in Cornwall has always been a favourite holiday destination of ours ever since the children were little.  One of our most loved spots is 'Duckpool' - a small National Trust beach a little further up the coast from Bude.  We've spent many a Summer and Autumn day sitting on this beach and this particular photo was taken on a .............Summer day (yes, you wouldn't think it would you!).  The sky was so dark and stormy but the camera just wouldn't do it justice.  I tried a B&W setting and voila!  It captured the scene just as I'd wanted.

The kids first holiday abroad!

We've just returned from our 2nd trip this year to Puerto Pollensa.  God!  Isn't the weather pants back here!

The kids and ourselves had the most fantastic time and the weather out there in Majorca was superb.  Think the hottest day was probably Sunday which was 34c and unfortunately we chose that day to trek around Alcudia and Pollenca (Old Town)!  Probably not the wisest thing to be doing in those conditions but we enjoyed it all the same.  Had a slight detour as we left Alcudia - we departed the town in the wrong direction and started on a drive along the coast.  Unfortunately though the road then started to climb and wind up into the mountains.  I was having kittens but said "ooh just keep going we'll get to a turning eventually!" hmmmmmm.  It didn't quite turn out that way as when we'd reached almost the highest point we found that it was a dead end!  We had to come all the way back down the winding roads but now on the outside nearest the steep drop!  I closed my eyes for most of it and if it hadn't been such a long way I'd have quite cheerfully got out and walked!  The kids thought this was all highly amusing, especially the thought of a puddle on my seat at the end of the journey

We spent most of our holiday on the beach and even though it was June it wasn't crowded at all.  We all went in the sea - yes, including me! Can you believe it???!  It's only taken me 31 years but at last I've been in the sea to swim.  I have the photo's to prove it!

We ate out loads and went back to Bony's to visit Jose and Pablo.  The kids thought they were both great and couldn't wait to return each time to collect more sweets from them!

We upgraded to a larger apartment this time and it was great.  Ground floor right next to the pool.  It had 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and even a dishwasher and washing machine.  There was also a rather large and unwanted spider on the 1st day of our holiday that paul removed once and upon it's return was quite swiftly flushed down the toilet!  I know you shouldn't but I really do hate the blighters.

I felt much easier on the plane this time and the kids were fine too.  'A' had some pain in her ears upon landing in Majorca which caused a few tears but neither of us felt much at all on our return.  Sam actually said, that the plane was one of the best parts of the holiday.

We really can't wait to go back.  We just need to decide now whether it's Majorca or somewhere new next year.  The way the weather is here at the moment we might move there permanently