You may recall we visited the wonderful Loseley Park earlier this year.
The house was one of the first stately homes to be open to the public and its been home to the More-Molyneaux family for 500 years.
It has a phenomenal garden which covers 2.5 acres and is divided into ‘rooms’, each of which has its own personality.
We had sat in the sunshine eating Loseley ice-cream before visiting a magnificent walled garden. It was beautifully laid out with roses, flowers and herbs. Ancient Wisteria covered an entire wall and nearby was a Mulberry tree reputed to have been planted by Queen Elizabeth I.
There were over a thousand old English rose bushes in the rose garden, perfectly framed with low and precisely clipped box hedges. The flower garden contained a fiery display of reds, oranges, yellows and blues.
A herb garden showcased an array of ingredients which have supplied the main house for hundreds of years.
The white garden was my favourite. It was a tranquil oasis of white, cream and silver with a water feature taking centre stage. It’s also where POD saw her first dragonfly.
Located near there was the Kitchen Garden, a practical organic vegetable garden with unusual varieties, and a wildflower 
meadow which could be seen across the moat.
Aside from not visiting anywhere this past week, there is a reason for this trip down memory lane. Loseley Park held a photography competition shortly after our visit which I entered. An exhibition showcasing all entries and the prize giving takes place in 2 weeks. Although I won’t win anything, I will be so proud to see three of my photographs mounted on the wall.
We’re linking this post with How Does Your Garden Grow? over at Mammasaurus. If you have a garden post you’d like to share, click on the badge below.
For the first time in the Dove household, we’re embracing the spirit of Halloween.
This began with the painting of ghouls – in the lounge initially as Daddy was using the kitchen table. Messy play was exactly that and it wasn’t long before blue hand prints decorated the sofa. POD loved painting her ghoul which ended up purple and yellow with an orange swirl despite appearing blue.
Back in the kitchen, next up were paper mache spiders. Again POD opted for maximum paint coverage. In the process creating an impressive army combat spider!
Thank you to The Nurture Store and Red Ted Art for providing pumpkin inspiration. This year was our first attempt at pumpkin craft so please be kind. Next time will see an improvement for sure. We created a Pinterest board with oodles of ideas so we’re not short on those!
The Mummy pumpkin originally had seventeen eyes but we decided two would be plenty. POD did have help making the hair after discovering straight pipe cleaners don’t attach themselves. We also created a Cinderella pumpkin carriage. The wheels were made with persimmons which were then decorated. It would have been fabulous to paint it white but the supplies were lacking.
For Halloween we’re having a special supper which will include ghoulish cakes with pumpkin faces. The table will be decorated with our creations and littered with glittery spiders. Not to mention the odd eyeball if I’ve not eaten them! POD will no doubt still be wearing the devil costume she went to nursery in. We have face masks to wear too. It will be fun!
We’re linking up with The Gallery at Sticky Fingers and Post Comment Love at Vevivos.
POD was home when a package from Parragon arrived. She was so excited when she discovered it was a book and a puppy blankie.
She loves dollies and soft toys, only recently taking an interest in a bunny blankie she’s had since she was a baby. POD took to the puppy blankie immediately and he’s been a permanent fixture in her bed since. She named him ‘Doggy’ but this is the same toddler that has dollies called Boadicea, Bob and Rice!
From the makers of ‘Snuggle Bunny’, the Little Learners Sleepy Puppy Pack is a brand new gift in the collection that’s ideal for both babies and toddlers. As well as the soft puppy blankie, the set features a soothing lullaby board board.
POD loves stories and will often demand 3+ after her bath. She’s interested in wide range too from board books through to ones that are probably too old for her. She’s also started taking an interest in reading to herself and her ‘friends’. The last book we reviewed for Parragon, Wonderful Wildlife 123, she almost knows off by heart.
The lullaby board book, entitled A Little Goodnight Book, is a soothing lullaby. So much so you find yourself almost talking in a whisper “My sleepy one, it’s time for bed, time to rest your sleepy head”. Initially she found this style of reading highly entertaining and told Mummy to “read it properly” but she soon relaxed.
The words “Close your eyes and do not cry, listen to my lullaby” are particularly apt given POD’s current refusal to sleep. Saying that she’ll get herself comfortable and this book definitely calms her. It’s not sending her to sleep but we can’t have everything can we! The Little Learners Sleepy Puppy Pack is available from Amazon currently priced £6.25 (RRP £7.68).
Disclaimer: As one of the Parragon Book Buddies, we received the Little Learners Sleepy Puppy Pack for the purposes of this review. All opinions are our own.
This is a photograph of the Emerald Lakes in New Zealand. Minerals leaking from the surrounding rock cause them to be a beautiful turquoise colour. With steam vents above the lakes responsible for a sulphurous smell.
Some say the volcanic peaks of Ngauruhoe, Tongariro and Ruapehu are among the top ten single-day treks in the World. All are highly active, a small eruption occurred as recently as 2012, and the terrain reflects this.
The Tongariro National Park is a World Heritage site. It has the distinction of dual status, as it has been acknowledged for both its natural and cultural significance. Scenes from Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit have also been filmed here.
As part of our 2008 visit to New Zealand, we embarked on a 19.4 kilometre trek across The Tongariro National Park. This sounds like it was planned but it wasn’t – we did it on the spur of the moment. Little did we know how tough it would be or that I’d re-break two toes a couple of kilometres in. Wimping out wasn’t an option either given we were dropped off at the start and collected at the finish.
Climbing uneven layers of ancient and modern lava flows and volcanic deposits was a challenge. The Devil’s Staircase was hard work and steep; up to 1,600 metres above sea level. The view down the valley and across the countryside when we reached the top was something else though.
After passing South Crater on mostly flat ground, we faced an uphill walk on an exposed ridge to the Red Crater. This was just one of several active craters in the Tongariro National Park.
The views over the Oturere Valley, Rangipo Desert, Kaimanawa Ranges and down towards the Emerald Lakes were incredible. Seeing those spectacular Emerald Lakes close-up was definitely a highlight of the trek. Quite surreal too especially after realising the ground was hot to touch and looking at the core of a volcano!
The descent from the Red Crater to the Emerald Lakes was not to be rushed as loose scoria gave way underfoot. There was an old lava flow to the left spreading across the floor of the Central Crater with the Emerald Lakes to the right.
The Tongariro Alpine Crossing track then followed the edge of the Central Crater before trekking up to Blue Lake. This lake is sacred so it was disrespectful to eat or drink around it. The climb to the North Crater was easier and from there we followed the route to Ketetahi Springs where we embarked on the final leg of the trek. The toes were screaming but we made it to the finish and in good time too. We completed the Tongariro Crossing in 6.5 hours – the average being 7-9 hours.
Given the entire length of it is across raw volcanic terrain, at an altitude of up to 1,800 metres, it was a pretty good effort. We rewarded ourselves with an ice cold lager. But not before we’d quenched our thirst so we could savour every single mouthful.
We’re linking this post up with What’s The Story? here on PODcast and Magic Moments at The Oliver’s Madhouse.
Hello everyone and welcome to What’s The Story? for w/c 28th October. Incredible we’re here already, it doesn’t seem five minutes since it was August!
So many fabulous posts again last week, thank you so much for joining in and sharing your stories. We especially enjoyed Christmas is a time for giving, Fasting on women and water, Our first kiss, Hand in hand, The Future of F1, 21 again, Included, What’s Up Doc, It’s Me and First swimming lesson.
What’s The Story? focuses on sharing the stories behind your photographs. All you have to do is share a photograph and describe the story behind it. You can say as little or as much as you like about your photo and select one taken any time. You might choose one you took recently or a real oldie you need to scan! New posts are always the best but you can link up older ones should you wish too.
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What’s The Story? is open from 6.30am every Monday until the following Sunday. Thanks again for joining in and have a super duper week.
If you read this round-up post, you’ll know we’ve visited RHS Wisley several times these past months. With each season showcasing a different look, we’ve just returned to see what Autumn had to offer.
When we arrived we discovered ‘Autumn adventure’ – an eye spy game RHS Wisley created that uses all the senses.
We had to SEE a yellow leaf, a robin, a red leaf, a gardener, some berries, a seed head, a bird hide and a spiders web. HEAR the sound of water bubbling, a tractor, footsteps on a wooden bridge and ducks quacking.
FEEL a pine cone, smooth sundial, rough bark, a green man, the wind of my face, dry, crunchy leaves, a warm hand to hold and flakey peeling bark. SMELL fallen rotting leaves, damp soil and plants, a tree and ripe fruit.
POD loved this game and we did well finding as much as we did. Not sure what she was most excited about the discovering, “escaping” or jumping in muddy puddles!
RHS Wisley showcased a completely different look to our last visit a few weeks ago. It was an explosion of colour, the leaves on the trees almost creating a warm glow. Everywhere you looked was simply beautiful.
Famously RHS Wisley is home to the local cultivar Nyssa Sylvatica ‘Wisley Bonfire’. For a few days in October this pyramidal broadleaved tree produces the most vibrant, fiery display as it’s leaves begin to fall. It’s impressive.
The Wild Garden offered hues of red, orange and gold. The Acers and Japanese Maples in particular looked amazing and it was wonderful to see the sunlight reflected on the water.
The Glasshouse was just as exciting as its been on previous visits. Offering an array of beautiful plants and flowers, the tropical zone showcased unusual species we’ve not seen before including a rather fabulous banana tree.
We were lucky the rain clouds dispersed while we were there – replaced with blue skies and glorious sunshine. Although a fleeting visit on this occasion, we left RHS Wisley tired and happy. If there was one word to describe Autumn there, it would simply be “wow”.
We’re linking this post up with Country Kids at Coombe Mill, How Does Your Garden Grow? at Mammasaurus and Celebrate Autumn with Only the Best for Baby.
The Toadstool is running a Big Christmas Wishlist blogger competition with the prize £300 worth of toys. They’re also offering the chance to become a Toy Toad Tester – an opportunity the Doves would relish.
POD loves pretend play and role playing so the first item on our Toadstool Christmas wishlist is the Haba pretend play doctor suitcase. POD has an Aqua Doodle she calls her ‘nurses bag’ and frequently tells her toys she’s a doctor. She’d love to take temperatures, dress wounds and give medicine.
Not only would it be a great gift for Christmas but also for her birthday. She will be three on Christmas Day this year.
She has an incredible imagination, recently I found her collecting dinosaur juice in her laundry basket! She loves dressing up and spent half of last weekend as an Eighties pumpkin witch. This Haba American Indian 
brave eagle costume would be perfect for role playing and adventures – no doubt her dollies would be enlisted as her tribe!
The Janod giant circus train set and playworld is superb. With acrobats that stand on each other’s heads, train carriages that carry animals and a monkey on a bike, it would add a whole new level to imaginative play. Given POD’s favourite phrase is “hello everybody welcome to my circus”, she’d be over the moon to have her own.
POD is lucky that she has a granny that makes wonderful hand-made dresses and woolens. We spotted the rather lovely Habba doll Little Scamp Mette which is a soft doll the same size as her hard faced dollies. POD’s imaginative play with her dollies includes talking to them, changing their clothes and ensuring they’re wearing a clean nappy.
Pretend play frequently includes “peoples”. At home these often end up in a bag as their fire station home has limited space. Playing with “peoples” is an interactive experience for POD as she talks to them and refers to herself in the third person. This fabulous Plan toys playhouse with furniture has 3 floors and open sides – she’d be beside herself!
She’s reached the stage where she wants to play games. The Sleepy Princess Haba game is great as it’s for all the family. It’s based on an adaptation of the Princess and The Pea – a story she loves. She already has a competitive streak so it would be interesting to see how she’d get on.
The Janod Nutty Squirrel Balancing Game is made of solid wood with the objective to pile up as many hazelnuts as possible on the squirrel without making them fall. This would be a huge help to POD’s motor skills.
POD loves the backpack she has for nursery, often wanting to wear it despite its size. The Lilliputiens Liz Ladybird back pack would be a great accessory for when we’re out. POD is fiercely independent, she’d be ecstatic to have a bag she could carry herself. Not only would she fill it, she’d play with it too. Likely it would be called “ladybird bag”.
The final choice is the rather plump but adorable Worry Eater – Sorgenfresser Schnulli. The idea behind it is that you draw or write down your worries and feed them into Schnulli’s mouth. The mouth is then zipped shut with all the worries banished by morning. POD has had dinosaurs and lions in her room before so Schnulli would be ideal to keep her feeling safe.
You can find photographs of the Doves Toadstool Christmas Wishlist on our Toadstool Pinterest board. We thoroughly enjoyed a rather longer than intended browse of The Toadstool website. They offer a wide range of pre-school toys that are good value, beautiful and kind to the environment which is exactly why we’d love to work with them.
This photograph was taken at the start of 2008 in New Zealand’s North Island. The train carriage in the background is a Thai Restaurant we’d just had a meal at. It was a fabulous place which had kept all it’s original features. So much so you could almost imagine what it might be like on the Orient Express – albeit on a much grander scale!
We were in New Zealand for a friend’s wedding. They’d spent the best part of a decade in the UK but had headed back home in 2007.
When we arrived we stayed in a converted railway carriage in the beachside town of Raglan. An unscheduled stopover in LA meant we were there for one night rather than two but we had a great time nevertheless. Situated on the west coast of the Waikato region, the scenery in and around Raglan was incredible. The black volcanic sands create a sense of atmosphere and it’s a surfing mecca for wave riders, with three world-class point breaks.
The next stop was a reunion with the groom to see England play the Black Caps in Hamilton. Although England lost by ten wickets, it was a relaxed environment sitting on the grass of the ground with much banter. And beer. When it was sunny we posed in our sunglasses. When the rain came, on went our Kagool’s and we pulled childish faces from underneath our umbrellas.
We stayed until twilight when the black clouds threatened and the moon shone brightly. When everyone left the ground was littered with plastic beer bottles but not for long. A clever machine appeared and scooped them all up! It was definitely a night to remember with both old friends and new.
Having said our goodbyes, next stop was the Bay of Plenty. Nestled beside the cerulean blue Lake Rotorua is Rotorua itself, a volcanic-shaped wonderland with thermal activity is its heart. It offers geysers, bubbling mud pools and steaming craters. We sat in a hot spring watching the geysers and mud pools until our skin shriveled. Then we’d get out, cool down with a cold shower and do it all over again.
The following day we headed towards Taranaki to meet the groom before his big day. We promised him that weekend we’d be back for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. Little did we know POD would arrive the year before.
We’re linking this post up with What’s The Story? on PODcast and Magic Moments at The Oliver’s Madhouse.
