by jo

FrubesMoves with Frubes

Frubes have partnered with the Angry Birds Movie. They have created a squawksome dance off between the Angry Birds and the pigs. We received some vouchers for H to show off her FrubesMoves too.

FrubesMoves – a simple verb which you won’t find in the dictionary is something H has been doing a spot of lately.

Frubes Frubesmoves collage

H used to do Street Dance at her last school and still shows off her moves from time to time. I encouraged her to grab some Frubes and do a few poses. This is the result…

H’s FrubesMoves came to her straight away, what with her having had some Street Dance lessons. She hasn’t done them for a couple of terms now. I always wondered with her extra long legs if she would make a better ballerina! With the poses involved, Street Dance and FrubesMoves come together well.

Frubes Frubesmoves collage

I like that she’s doing her dancing to all my old eighties classics! Even if I have no idea of the names of her moves…

I like Frubes. They’re the UK’s largest portable yoghurt brand. They’re available in Strawberry, Red Berry, Peach and Banana flavour. They also contain Vitamin D and calcium for strong bones.

I like to keep them nice and cold (as they’re perfect for a packed lunch) by freezing them. Then just pop them in the packed lunch the night before. By lunchtime they’re still nice and chilly and ready to eat.

frubes-frubesmoves-angry-birds-packs

Frubes is running an on-pack promotion until 31st October. You can win a chance to go to the Bahamas for six nights on holiday which is pretty excellent. You can also win Angry Birds Movie merchandise every week. H likes that each Frube is a different Angry Birds character.

What better excuse to try and win some prizes, get some delicious Frubes yoghurt snacks AND practice some dance moves at the same time?

We were sent vouchers to buy three packs of Frubes to take part in this challenge. This post is an entry for BritMums’ #FrubesMoves Linky Challenge, sponsored by Frubes.

by jo

A Bright Future With Unilever

“How can we create a bright future for our children?” is the question. To be honest, it scares me. I figure every little bit helps and my little bit is proving to H you can put clothes out to dry all year round.

Striped shirts on a line bright future

A bright future is passing on what I know to be a good thing to as many people as possible. Being someone who knows I don’t get listened to very often, I need to make sure it’s something that doesn’t involve effort and is obvious. My really obvious, easy, little thing is putting your washing outside all year round.

Next door thinks I’m a bit bonkers. Although if she sees washing out on our line she’ll copy me, as I always check the weather before pinning my things on the line so I’m fairly reliable.

If it’s raining, I don’t put it out there, mind. Only if I know the next day is going to be a fine day.

We don’t have a tumble dryer. We don’t need one. We have a heated clothes airer which is handy when it gets rainy. Often clothes go on it, and we don’t switch it on.

Clothes go on the line – all year round. I think this is a pretty important message to pass on to H.

Sunlight is a natural bleaching agent. When H’s school shirts are looking a little grey, hanging them on the line on a sunny day helps a lot. I did this with her baby clothes a lot too – plus they smell much nicer.

I saw the Rotaire Airer on Dragon’s Den, and they laughed at it. Their reason was that people use tumble driers these days. Well we don’t. A Rotaire Airer is better for the environment too, you’re not wasting energy either.

We received some Persil Non-Bio liquid which I rate. H and I are both sensitive souls, and need to use Non-Bio washing liquid. I like that it smells good too – and get it on the line and you cannot beat the smell of fresh clothes. Persil Non-Bio also has a little Stain Eraser Ball included in its design. This is handy, as all you need to do is pop, pour and rub – there’s more info over here. Yet again, it’s about working with the simplest things to get the best results.

H has been helping me when I put washing out. Just simple things like sorting the pants from the socks so I can pin the right things together. Once she has helped me do that, she tends to stay out and play. Another good reason to keep your clothes outside.

So this is my thing that I’m doing to make a difference and create a bright future for H. She will know no different when she grows up, and next door will copy me if they see I have clothes out. I think that’s pretty good.

This post is an entry for BritMums #brightFuture Challenge, sponsored by Unilever.

by jo

Having a Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts Themed Party

H turned seven in August, which we spent at Disneyland Paris. She wanted to have a party, so we decided to keep costs low that we’d have it at home. I thought that a Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed party would be a good idea.
Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed party birthday cake

A Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed party was a good idea with the ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ film opening soon. Once we knew the theme of the party we had to work out how to make it fun.

H and Milo the Giant African Millipede from Wild Fangs

We booked Wild Fangs who were brilliant! Wild Fangs have a great website with all the information you could need and I highly recommend them.

H and Derek the Bearded Dragon from Wild Fangs

Wild Fangs were fantastic. Faik was brilliant when it came to keeping the kids attention. This was quite a job, there being seventeen of them. He brought along five creatures from his selection. The kids all got to meet each one, and H got special attention as she was the birthday girl. Even the shy children were stroking the creatures at the end which was good to see.

H and Tiny the African Bullfrog from Wild fangs

The creatures were only a small part of the Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed party. As it was at home it meant we could do bits to make it feel a bit more like Hogwarts. Poundland, Tiger Stores, Hema and Wilko all have a great range of Halloween products in-store at the moment. I stocked up on cobwebs, bunting, spiders, rats and halloween themed sweets at a low cost.

Tiger Stores cobweb bowl

Besides this, I had to create as much Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed party ideas as I could. There were some easy ones – Golden Snitches made from Ferrero Rocher. Just stick some greaseproof paper wings on them.

Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed Golden Snitch Ferrero Rocher

Train shaped cheese biscuits which H said could be Hogwarts Express cheese biscuits.

Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed Hogwarts Express cheese biscuits

Shaun was the creative one – he found some great things. Get a sheet and a bathroom cleaner sponge, and print bricks onto it.

Making Platform nine and three quarters for a party Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed

Stick it around your doorway and you’re going through platform nine and three quarters. I may have seen a few Potter-mad kids doing it several times as they thought it was so cool.

Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed Platform Nine and three Quarters

How about floating candles? Get the inside of kitchen roll tubes, use a glue gun to make some drips down the side like candle wax. Paint it white, and then make a ledge inside for a battery-operated flickering candle. Hang them from the ceiling using cotton and some good strong sticky tape. It looks fantastic too.

Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed party floating candles

Of course, no party is a decent one without party games. Our Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed party games included Judge the Odd Socks competition. All kids had to come with odd socks on in honour of Dobby. Sleeping Lions became Sleeping Fluffy, in honour of Hagrid. Musical Bumps was Musical Expelliarmus, and Musical Statues would have been Musical Petrificus Totalus. We had Pin the Scar on Harry – just a simple printed out picture of Mr Potter, and a post it note cut into the shape of the scar. We ran out of time for that one too.

There was an epic Pass the Parcel game too. Inside was a Smiggle glittery ball (£2 in their current sale) which you might find in a Divination lesson at Hogwarts… maybe?

Making chocolate frogs for the Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed party

My favourite thing were the frog moulds I bought. We made several chocolate frogs, complete with a cola bottle middle (which tasted SO good). After all, everyone loves a chocolate frog, right? You can get the moulds on ebay for about £8. H enjoyed making them, and initially we tried them with ground up Swizzels sweets which was good too.

All in all, H’s Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts themed party was a success. I’m pleased we managed to pull it off at short notice, and the kids enjoyed themselves.

by jo

Ten Years

It has been ten years.

Ten years since my dad died. Ten years. How did that happen? I can remember so much but also so little. My daughter grows up having never met him.

Taken away too young by cancer. Bowel cancer which had spread to his liver. Too late to save him.

Only 64. He had all the signs, and yet nobody thought it could be that. He had tests and more tests until they revealed the truth. “a matter of months” was what they said. Four months later it was over. Friday 13th October 2006.

We were there. Sitting in the hospital, in our own room. York hospital didn’t have a cancer ward at that time. My Dad was on a ward where people go after having hip replacements. It was a happy positive place which was quite nice to go in and out of. It wasn’t a place someone went to die.

We stayed awake with dad. He was barely conscious, having uttered his last words to us on the Monday, breathing his last breaths.

I hate cancer. I hate that it has affected my family, and will continue to do so. My mum (who is still alive) has had it twice. H has been  brought up knowing what she needs to look out for. By the time she’s an adult there will be a cure, I hope.

Ten years though. What has changed in the last ten years? I’m not sure. Are you seen quicker by a doctor these days? When dad got his diagnosis his treatment started. He had chemotherapy, to try and shrink the tumour.

Back then he was considered too young for the regular bowel cancer screening, as you had to be 65. These days the age is lower. I’ve had various tests offered to me at 46 underfunded wonderful NHS.

Things are changing, People are still dying.

Ten years though. How? Please read the Beating Bowel Cancer links above, pass them on to a parent. If it helps save a life then that’s a good thing.

Dad at Marston Moor

by jo

Jedi Training Academy at Disneyland Paris

Back in August we spent three days at Disneyland Paris. We had clear plans for what we wanted to do every day, and on our last day it was Jedi Training Academy.
Jedi Training Academy Jedi H with lightsaber

Jedi Training Academy is fun – but involves a long wait. Because we were staying at the hotel Santa Fe, I managed to get vouchers to swap for breakfast in the park on our last day. This saved us a lot of time.

H as Rey, Official Disney Rey Costume

We bought H the official Disney Rey Costume – using our discount with DisneyLife. Of all the Rey costumes I liked this one the best – and H really felt the part too. She’s being all moody and thoughtful here. (while waiting to meet Mary Poppins, of all things)

We also had Extra Magic Hours which meant you can enter the park early every day. Between the hours of 8am to 10am you have access to a lot of Disneyland Paris, regular ticket holders are then allowed in from 10am. This meant we could get in line for Jedi Training Academy quite early on which made a big difference.

There is a person who checks you in – and you’re issued with a laminated pass. This means as long as someone stands in line, you have a place. Waiting in line meant Shaun got in place for 9.15 – and Jedi Training Academy booking in starts at 10.45. Be prepared to wait for a long time. H and I went off and did the Buzz Lightyear ride a couple of times while Shaun waited.

Jedi Training Academy Jedi H practicing

Once the doors open, you’re directed to a desk, and your potential Jedi has to answer a few questions. H started well – they asked how old she was, and she replied “fine”. Oops. She had her Rey costume on, so they knew she was a fan. You have to be over 7 to do Jedi Training Academy.

We got a 2pm timeslot which fitted into our plans. You have to turn up 30 minutes before your time to get in some essential pre-show training, as well as get some robes.

Jedi Training Academy H and stage

Then 2pm arrives. Jedi Training Academy begins. A french Obi Wan/Ewan McGregor lookalike Obi Wan introduced proceedings. Sixteen Jedi’s of various ages lined up on stage, including H.

A sidenote; for most of the time with school we’d had tears and worries about speaking out at class assemblies.

Not so with Jedi Training Academy. H strode onto stage with a confidence I had never seen before. She did as she was instructed, coming out on centre stage and had a quick lightsaber battle with Darth Vader. They used the force to make R2D2 rise, and more.

Jedi Training Academy H and certificate

H had the time of her life! Oh, and she got a certificate at the end too. “So now I’m a proper Jedi” she added.

Jedi Training Academy H and Rey

H looked the part, she acted the part, and she had a wonderful time. I would recommend Jedi Training Academy at Disneyland Paris if you have a Star Wars fan. It is available at no extra cost, and the only thing that it costs you is time. Queuing.

Jedi Training Academy info is over here. We bought H the Rey costume, using our DisneyLife discount from the Official Disney Store. If you’ve seen Part 1 of the new Star Wars Go Rogue trailers (which are brilliant), there are more!

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4 – the final part!

by jo

I Promise by Zanib Mian

H is seven now. She has to deal with disappointment and takes it more to heart than she used to. We were sent the book I Promise by Zanib Mian. If someone makes you a promise but fails to act on it, you can still do something about it yourself.

I Promise by Zanib Mian

I Promise by Zanib Mian is a short sweet book with a positive message.

Sometimes in life you’re promised things which then never happen. I’m guilty of that, I know. H will sometimes say “But you promised!” and I kick myself at having said the word and not acted on it. It’s usually because we’re so busy, and I’ve forgotten and I try to make it better. I Promise by Zanib Mian makes this turn of phrase a positive thing.

H has had many things promised to her from family and friends, and often they don’t happen. Generally she’s disappointed when it does. I usually try to do it with her instead wherever possible.

This is what I Promise is about.

If someone promises you the world, but try as they might, they cannot deliver, what do you do? You get the world for yourself…

I Promise by Zanib Mian is a book of few words, but has a positive message throughout. People will let you down, but grab that opportunity and make it happen yourself, is the general gist. It’s empowering.

I Promise by Zanib Mian

When a young girl comes across many broken promises in her life, a young man promises her the world. He fails. The only thing the young girl can do is take matters into her own hands. Can she really give herself the world? You’ll need to buy I Promise by Zanib Mian to find out.

It has lovely illustrations and is suitable for age 3 and up. You can order it now from Amazon, RRP £6.99

I Promise by Zanib Mian is published by Sweet Apple Books and is available now.

We were sent a copy of the book to review.

by jo

Gnomes Unearthed at Hampton Court

We love a trail, especially one which involves finding a statue of some kind. Gnomes Unearthed is a new trail at Hampton Court which runs until 2nd October 2016.

Gnomes Unearthed at Hampton Court, finding Umbriel

Gnomes Unearthed is a new trail currently running at Hampton Court Palace. Umbriel is Hampton Court’s mysterious gnome who has appeared from underground by the Magic Garden’s spell. He appears in fifteen locations in the Hampton Court grounds.

Each Umbriel statue has a story to tell around the Hampton Court grounds by pressing a button on his arm. Stephen Mangan tells each story. The statues also include contributions from Michael Rosen and Francesca Simon. Lucy Worsley who writes for the Royal Historic Palaces also contributes a story.

Gnomes Unearthed at Hampton Court, finding Umbriel

The stories come from schools and companies local to Hampton Court. Artists and writers then brought them to life.

Gnomes Unearthed is also a great excuse to walk around Hampton Court’s gardens.

We followed a trail which includes the gnomes, and gave us several activities in the grounds. Oh, and a bit of acting too… as Shaun, H and I were the only members of the public on our trail we were several characters, which was fun! (I was Oliver Cromwell for a short while, H was Princess Mary and did a “very tragic death”!)

The good thing about Gnomes Unearthed is there’s a map to find them all. We had managed to find eleven of them (and we KNEW there would be one in the maze), so grabbed a map and got the lot.

Gnomes Unearthed at Hampton Court, finding Umbriel

The best thing? Once we had them all we were able to rejoin the trail we had started earlier. They were doing a performance to decide who should design Hampton Court’s gardens. After that we got an hour’s worth of playing in the Magic Garden too.

There’s so much to do at Hampton Court. Our Historic Royal Palaces Membership gave us free entry and it made for a fun afternoon.

by jo

Our 2016 Memberships and Passes

We’re pretty organised when it comes to having memberships and passes for various places. It makes life easier when you can turn up somewhere having already paid. So I thought I’d go through our current ones.

National Trust, Scotney Castle, membership and passes

National Trust. We’re still National Trust members. As far as membership and passes go, this is the one we’ve had the longest at six years now. We make our money back each year and there’s a neverending supply of places to visit. It costs us about £100 a year.

Our Summer - Tintagel, membership and passes

English Heritage. We’ve had this for over a year now as part of Shaun’s CSSC membership. The Civil Service has corporate membership which gives you a discount in the gift shops. We’ve used this a lot and visited some fantastic places. We enjoyed Tintagel in Cornwall when we stayed nearby. This costs us £4 a month.

Legoland Windsor Taylor Swift Legoland Windsor

Merlin Passes. We’re coming to the end of our second year of Merlin Passes. We were planning on going to Chessington or Legoland for Christmas this year. But Merlin have doubled the price making it and it’s expensive. It’s not worth it. We have enjoyed visiting places like the London Dungeon, London Eye, Chessington and Thorpe Park as well as SeaLife in Weymouth. With the price hikes and paying extra we won’t be renewing these ones next year. They were fun but we can get discounts via Shaun’s CSSC membership if we choose to visit a Merlin attraction. We still have one last trip to Alton Towers to go this year, another surprise for H! This costs us £360 a year.

Hampton Court, H on dragon, Hampton Court Magic Garden, membership and passes

Historic Royal Palaces. We took out this one on a whim and it has been brilliant. We’ve visited Hampton Court so many times this year. The best part is that you can visit the majority of the palaces in any weather, and there’s plenty to do. We’ve loved the Magic Garden at Hampton Court. I want to go back to Kensington Palace now I’ve been watching ‘Victoria’ on ITV every Sunday! Having this membership has made history so interesting for us. This cost us £90.

NUS Extra. I’ve signed up to do a course in writing a children’s book which is going slowly. I have my idea and it’s written, but I need to make the time to complete the course. The course means I’m eligible for NUS Extra membership, and it has been brilliant so far. I get 10% off in Superdrug and the Co-Op, and some excellent discounts at Pizza Express too. There is an option to add Gourmet Society membership to it but I didn’t. Then again, Shaun gets it with his CSSC membership so we’re covered if we ever need it. This cost £12.

Painshill Park, membership and passes

Historic Houses Association. This is one of the memberships and passes I’m considering for next year. It would cost around £100 for the three of us but has a lot of properties around the country. We’re staying in Cornwall, we visit York too, and of course nearby there is Painshill Park.

So this is all at the moment. I think it’s a pretty good variety of places to visit and things to do. On the horizon I’m looking at Disneyland Paris passes. They make it worth it if you visit for five days and also offer some good perks and discounts. I also like their FastPass system as everyone can use it.

Do you have any memberships or passes you use that we haven’t covered? Come and suggest them in the comments below.

by jo

Testing a vTech Kidi SuperStar and Our Thoughts

Recently we went to the launch of the vTech Kidi Superstar. H got to have some singing fun with CeCe Sammy, the famous vocal coach.
Kidi Superstar

The vTech Kidi Superstar is a fun addition to musical toys in your house. It’s a microphone stand, with a console for added activities and effects. Also, you can plug in your iPod or CD player and sing along to your favourite pop songs.

When you’re seven and you think you know all about pop music, it’s one of the most fun toys you can have.

H and the Kidi Superstar

H is growing in confidence the older she gets. When she stood on stage for Jedi Training Academy at Disneyland Paris was a huge moment for me as a parent. She has never been a natural performer, preferring to hide in the background. She’s quite like me in that respect. I get the feeling she’s starting to grow in confidence – and I love that she’s doing this.

Kidi Superstar Console

The vTech Kidi Superstar has several modes in the main console. You can do some tongue twisters, or even just a spot of beatboxing. There are many different things you can try – and H is enjoying playing around. I love that it’s intuitive so she gets on with it without having to ask for help.

Kidi Superstar Warmup with CeCe Sammy

When she had her lesson with CeCe Sammy, it was all about enjoying music. Joining in without knowing the words. Having fun. Feel the music. Don’t feel conscious about it. Again, H got on with it with little or no fuss. It was a special moment to see her doing things and being less self-conscious about herself. Then again, when I was seven or eight I remember singing along with the pop songs on the radio. This is the best feature of the Kidi Superstar.

Plug in your iPod or CD player, and there’s a button you can press which lowers the sound of the vocals of the song. This means you can sing over the top. Which is genius! We’ve found the best results come from a CD, though both are good.

Kidi Superstar Portable with HThe console can be removed from the microphone stand too, and easily carried around. Handy if you want to do a spot of dancing at the same time as singing.

Since H had her lesson with CeCe Sammy, she doesn’t need to know the words – she can just sing along to the tune. Ohh and she is too – a lot. It is possible the only words she knows in their entirety are for Courtney Barnett’s album… as seen with her ‘Elevator Operator’ rendition. We’ve also been getting ‘Hello’ by Adele, ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ by Justin Timberlake, ‘Lush Life’ by Zara Larsson and most of Madness’s backcatalogue.

A video posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on

One of the fun parts of the Kidi SuperStar is changing the microphone sound. There are five preset modes, with one of them being ‘normal’. Then you’ve ‘higher’, ‘lower’, ‘robot’ and ‘echo’. We like echo… it works quite well with pop songs.

Kidi Superstar Close Up

In summary, would we have bought this for H? Before trying it I am not sure we would. Having played with it now I would definitely recommend. It’s a Kids Karaoke Machine and it is building her confidence. Every night after school she is on there singing a different pop song – and we’re having requests to invite friends over so they can have a go too. I think the vTech Kidi Superstar could be a popular toy this Christmas, and it’s loads of fun too!

H and CeCe Sammy

Here’s a video from CeCe Sammy with some top tips.

by jo

Our Summer In Pictures

We’ve had a busy summer, spent far too much money and now Autumn is rearing its slightly chilly head. So here’s a quick post of the best bits of our summer.
our summer - Weston Super Mare Sand Sculpture

Our summer began in Weston Super Mare. We always stop somewhere on the way to Cornwall and try to make it interesting. This year it was the hotel Bella Vista at Weston Super Mare which was in a great location for the beach and having a wander.  Their sand sculpture festival was brilliant – I loved this one the best. It says

My dad is an astronaut travelling to different planets
When he’s not scoring the winning goal
Or saving people’s lives
Actually my dad’s a plumber, but he’s my dad and I want to be just like him

Cornwall. A fab time was had by us all. We stayed at Hallagenna Cottages in St Breward and had a lovely little cottage at a brilliant price. It was ideally located for good beaches and getting around and we managed not to overspend too. H loved saying hello to Beatnik and Charlie, the two horses every morning. She made friends with two girls in the cottage opposite. They would all go and see the horses, often without Shaun or I. Hallagenna has some horse riding stables over the road, but we ran out of time. I’d highly recommend them as a good base to stay around Bodmin.

Our summer - Beatnik at Hallagenna Cottages

When we were in Cornwall we visited Polzeath which was a great beach – so much we went back a second time. Many sandcastles were built.

Our summer- the beach at Polzeath

On our way to Hallagenna we stopped at Tintagel – breathtaking views. Good walks. Fresh air.

Our Summer - Tintagel

When in St Breward, you have to pop in Coombe Mill, where Fiona made us so welcome (and made a delicious cake), and The Boy and Me gang invited us for a BBQ and a meal another night too. We’re going back there next year at the same time as TBaM gang – H and the boy got on so well! So that’ll be several feed runs in 2017 – H really enjoyed it.

Our summer - Coombe Mill

Padstow. Speedboat riding around the bay and wandering around the shops. (especially Seasalt)

Our summer - Padstow Speedboat

Hidden Valley Discovery Park, of course.

Our Summer - Hidden Valley Discovery Park

Yurtlife!

Our summer - Glamping

Then we got back to London and it felt a bit depressing.

But that was okay, we were only mid way through our summer so we went off to Paris for Shaun and H’s birthdays. We stayed at the Novotel Tour Eiffel which was a great location and quiet. It’s close to the Eiffel Tower which we visited on Shaun’s birthday, going all the way up to the summit. Prebooking tickets is a very good idea as you don’t have to queue.

Our summer - Paris from the Eiffel TOwer

We also went to Le Relais Gascon, a salad restaurant in Montmartre which makes really big, delicious salads. We last went almost ten years ago, so it was good to see it hadn’t changed one bit. A vegetarian salad and a glass of red wine was a great end to the day.

Our Summer - Le Relais Gascon

A cruise down the Seine is a good thing. We prebooked tickets and got to sit and have a quick beer while going up and down the river. It was very relaxing. We prebooked with Vedettes du Pont Neuf. It lasts an hour and you can go at any time. We went after our Eiffel Tower trip to have a sit down.

Our summer - boat trip on the Seine

H had no idea we were going to Disneyland Paris for her birthday. At all. She did not believe us until we got to the hotel and then she realised it was for real, and I wasn’t tricking her.

Our summer - Disneyland Paris

We had three fun packed days. It was crazy. Crazy non-stop fun. When I can gather my thoughts about it I will do a post, but we managed so much and ended up shattered.

We went to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Adventure

Our summer - Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show at Disneyland Paris

We did a spot of Princess dining at Auberge de Cendrillon for H’s birthday. She was so full she couldn’t finish the white chocolate slipper.

Our Summer - Auberge de Cendrillon

H did Jedi Training Academy and fought Darth Vader on stage. Shaun queued for over an hour to get her a slot – in boiling hot sun too. What a star!

Our summer - Jedi Training Academy

Then it was time to come back to London, but not before the long weekend, our local Environmental Fair, and finally H’s inset day from school and a family trip to Crystal Palace Park.

Our Summer - Crystal Palace Maze centre

We did so much more too.. this is the short version.

Our summer in pictures.

I need a holiday…