After last week’s four-eyed monster, POD is back creating an even scarier creature. The monster kits she received for her birthday have been a huge hit and our 3 year old loves designing her own variations.
It’s wonderful to see the concentration on her face as she decides what goes where and carefully places it in position.
Here he is in all his glory. The monster with no name.
The smell of damp conifers was incredible after all the rain. Inhaling deeply you could almost feel the fresh air kick start your lungs. The sun was shining, there was hardly a cloud in the sky and it was mild.
Managed by the Forestry Commission, Alice Holt covers over two thousand acres of Corsican pine with 350 acres oak.
The forest looked awesome. A shiny sheen was visible on the leaves and there was green moss was everywhere. Like an immense carpet framed with bracket and conifers. Rays of sunlight peeped through 
the trees making the ground below sparkle.
The pirate sheep in the timber play area is always a hit as POD can climb the side ropes to get on board and steer. She loved pretending to be a pirate with Daddy, shouting “you can’t have my treasure” up above.
There were a lot of puddles to wade through after that and POD tested the majority. Christening her new coat and snazzy welly warmers in the meantime.
POD likes to collect things when we’re in the forest but today was all about escaping. Running off as fast as she could with Mummy and Daddy chasing behind. It was the most hilarious game ever!
With the crash helmet in place, it was time to test out the new scooter. POD decided to keep her helmet on afterwards providing on tap entertainment to unsuspecting passers-by. Nothing like a bit of forest fun in a beautiful woodland setting to blow those cobwebs away!
Hello all and welcome to What’s The Story? for w/c 13th January.
Thank you to everyone that joined in last week, again so many fabulous posts! Faves of the week were Together we make Coombe Mill rock, Love Bombing, Reflecting part 2, The Polar Bear plunge, A Centenary, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Schumi: A Ferrari legend and Katie and her camera. The ones that made us crack up were Goodbye naps, goodbye sanity, Fancy Dress and Brotherly Love.
What’s The Story? is a photography based Linky that enables you to share the stories behind your photographs. It’s open from 6.30am every Monday through to Sunday.
To join in with What’s The Story?, all you have to do is share a photograph and the story behind it. You can say as little or much as you like in your post and your photo/s can be from any time – old or new. You can link up a old post too if it’s relevant.
You’ll find What’s The Story? posts from previous weeks here if you fancy catching up at any time – or indeed need inspiration!
Feel free to use the What’s The Story? badge or link back – I’m happy to share your post in return. Please do take the time to comment on some of your fellow bloggers posts when you can.
Thanks again, have a wonderful week #whatsthestory
What made this second week of Project 365 interesting was the return to work. A photograph a day when you’re mostly home based will no doubt prove a challenge at some point. What a great way to encourage creativity and push the boundaries though.
So here we are everyone. Welcome to Project 365 week #2.
Day 5
The first image is one I’ve wanted to capture since we moved to Surrey in 2010. This iconic clock can be found above Guildford’s cobbled High Street. It’s attached to the Guildhall which was once a courtroom.
Day 6
Day 6 saw POD draw in-between the lines for the first time. She also painted and created a four-eyed monster.
Day 7
With the Christmas decorations boxed away, we returned to work and POD to nursery.
Day 8
The hand stitched journal that *accidentally* jumped in my arms at Paperchase was used for the first time.
Days 9 and 10
The sunshine re-appeared for two whole days this week! It was great to have a quick nose around the garden.
And fantastic to see signs of life even if it is a little bit early!
Day 11
It was a glorious day so we headed to Alice Holt which is cared for by the Forestry Commission. The damp forest smelt incredible. POD got to try out her new scooter too.
In February 2013, Tanya from Mummy Barrow, Annie from Mammasaurus and Penny from A Residence visited Ghana with Comic Relief. Whilst there they sent home hundreds of digital postcards which were images of the four Comic relief projects they visited.
Team Honk even recruited celeb blogger Katy Hill along with the support of Jonathon Ross and Davina McCall. That was just the beginning of what became a social media phenomenon. You can read the full story here.
Team Honk Blogger Relay – Lands End to John O’Groats
Team Honk’s master plan this year begins on Sunday 12th January 2014. A relay from Land’s End to John O’Groats involving 200 bloggers who are collectively looking to raise £20,000. The Team Honk blogger relay kicks off in Cornwall and will finish on the 23rd March in John O’Groats. That’s a whopping 3,000 miles over a period of 6 weeks – you can check out the route here.
We’ll be walking, jogging, roller skating, swimming, pushing buggies, jumping on trains, flying…you name it we’re probably doing it!
The Fleet leg
My leg of the blogger relay begins in Hampshire. On Thursday 6th February, Tanya from Mummy Barrow, Laura from Lady Briggs and myself (Charly from PODcast grappling with a box of frogs) are among a group travelling from Fleet to Wokingham.
To make it more difficult for ourselves we’ve doubled the normal route from ten miles to twenty. We’ll take three buses to get to Crowthorne and from there we’ll walk three miles to Luckley House, Wokingham. All in fancy dress of course!
Waiting for us there will be Suzanne from 3 Children and It who will cycle with Belinda Albasini (not a blogger) and Filipa Kay from Gourmet Mum TV. They will take the baton nine miles to Reading where it will be handed to Alice from My Life My Son My Way and her gang.
Sponsor Team Honk
With a Team Honk target of £20,000 and a group target of £500 we need all the help we can get! Please support our fundraising efforts by sponsoring us to do something funny for money. You can sponsor our Team Honk group here.
Social media supporters
With the #TeamHonkRelay starting tomorrow, we’re calling for Team Honk social media supporters – or social honkers! We want to gather social media supporters who can get the message across about who is doing what for each day of the relay. If you’d like to get involved, sign up for emails here. You can also follow Team Honk on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.
Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games
The first ever Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Games take place from Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd March 2014. The public can join the fun and games by running, swimming or cycling their way to raising cash at over a thousand venues around the country, including the landmark events at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Sponsor the Dove family
The Doves will be doing the Sport Relief Mile on Sunday 23rd March at Queen Elizabeth Park. If you’d like to sponsor the Dove family, you can do so here.
As one of the biggest fundraising events, Sport Relief brings the entire nation together to get active raise cash and change lives. The money raised by the public is spent by Comic Relief to help transform the lives of some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people both at home in the UK and across the world.
Standing there you could barely see the wood paneled walls for the coloured jars. There was something special about this retro sweet shop, perhaps that’s why you felt like Alice in Wonderland. You didn’t move but your eyes darted all over the place while you decided what went in your white paper bag.
Fizzy Cola Bottles were a firm favourite but what could go with them? Rhubarb & Custard and Kola Cubes? What about Flumps, Love Hearts and Flying Sauces? Or Strawberry Laces, Fried Eggs and Fruit Salad? So many decisions.
Once you had that white paper bag in your grasp, there was no stopping you. That first Fizzy Cola Bottle twinkled on your tongue before the fresh air hit your face.
Decades later retro sweets have retained their appeal, not least for their ability to bring back the fondest of memories. The Gobstopper have recreated this feeling of nostalgia with a wonderful shop that sells everyone’s favourites.
Fizzy Cola Bottles was again my first choice. The decision after that was tough as The Gobstoppers’ range is huge! In the end Kola Cubes and Fizzy Peaches were selected.
The retro sweets arrived in great time and were perfectly packaged. A large smile spread across my face when I opened the Kilner glass jar. You couldn’t help but shut your eyes, take a deep breath and remember that wood paneled sweet shop. They tasted as you expected them to – utterly divine!
Ordering retro sweets from The Gobstopper couldn’t be simpler. You just select your preferred Kilner glass jar size and the sweets you’d like in it. There are a wide range of gift options available too including jar and box sets. Not to mention retro sweet selections for parties!
There are a hundred variations to choose from so whether your taste is fizzy and sour, soft and chewy or boiled, you’ll find those childhood favourites you grew up with. Whether for you, a family member of a friend it’s a great trip down memory lane.
Disclaimer: We received a Kilner glass jar with our choice of sweets from The Gobstopper for the purpose of this review. All opinions are our own.
After the explosion of colour we experienced in the Glasshouse at RHS Wisley, there’s a mixed bag of photographs this week.
The garden has taken a real beating recently. A leaning fence flaps like a bird when the wind blows and the ground resembled a giant puddle up until a couple of days ago. Quite a relief the willow tree in the garden is no longer there – beautiful as it was.
It feels too early but buds are beginning to appear and flowers are starting to bloom. Rosy red apples remain in a 
nearby tree. The birds are happily chirping away – even at night-time.
These signs of life coupled with the occasional bout of sunshine are a fabulous reminder of last Summer.
Having fun with our toddler in the garden, even it if meant chasing after her with a blob of Factor 50 in your palm, enjoying alfresco dining and taking lots of photographs.
We saw a glimmer of those heady days when we visited friends in Sussex recently. It was chilly when we 
ventured out for a walk but the sky was blue and the sun shining. It is the best feeling when fresh country air hit your lungs!
After navigating our way through muddy woodland, we crossed open fields scattered with frosty leaves. Then whilst walking down a lane we saw a butterfly basking in the sunshine. A strange yet welcoming sight for January. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if Spring was on its way?
Linking up with Mammasaurus for How Does Your Garden Grow?
Exploring her creativity is a role POD takes very seriously – she loves drawing, sticking and painting. This week she coloured between the lines for the first time.
The people she draws freehand now have a face, arms and legs. Pictures of Daddy are often a cross between Tin-Tin and a potato. Mummy is a smaller version of Daddy but with hair just on one side of the head. POD’s interpretation of herself is usually egg-shaped. Everyone must have socks so their feet don’t get cold.
POD celebrated her third birthday on Christmas Day. She received an array of new paint and craft kits which have been tested out over the festive period.
POD also got the opportunity to make a monster. Aptly named “monster” he has four eyes as two just weren’t enough!
This photograph of the World renowned Waitomo Glowworm Caves in North Island was taken in 2008.
The glow worm, Arachnocampa Luminos, is unique to New Zealand. They were first explored by local Maori Chief Tane Tinorau in 1887.
On arrival at the Black Water Rafting Co, we were supplied with a wet suit, shorts, shoes and a hard hat with a headlamp. It was a funny process and we looked ridiculous once we’d got all the kit on! It was a great ice breaker.
We set off on the Black Labyrinth cave adventure once all twelve of us had received a black rubber tube.
In the darkness of the Ruakuri Cave, the headlamps went on and we slid onto our tubes. Floating in the water we snaked down the river together taking in the sparkling glowworms on the ceiling above us.
You wanted to scream when you had to slide down a waterfall backwards. You were thankful you didn’t when you realised it wasn’t actually that long.
Our black water rafting experience saw us slip off our tubes and chase after them on several occasions. It was dark and the rocks slippery underfoot – the relief when you caught your tube was immense.
After the noise and excitement came silence except for the sound of dripping water. Above us thousands of glowworms sparkled in the darkness. We were deep underground.
As we neared the light, we saw stalactites aplenty before we reached the exit of the cave. It was an incredible journey that touched all the senses – terrifying at times but mostly exhilarating.
Photo credit: Waitomo Glowworm Caves
