PODcast | A multi-award nominated lifestyle blog

The Bay of Plenty

Last month you heard about the 2008 trip we made to New Zealand for a friend’s wedding. This photograph was taken whilst we were in Rotorua. It was the day after we’d been reunited with the groom for the first time in c.3 years.

Rotorua is known as nature’s spa of the South Pacific. It’s said Rotorua’s geothermal water, mineral-enriched muds, Maori massage and indigenous herbs play a special role in local spa culture. Located in the Bay of Plenty region, it offers a myriad of spa options whether a simple soak in a thermal stream or a full day at a luxurious spa.

The smell of sulphur in the air is characteristic of Rotorua. It’s also the heartland of New Zealand Maori culture. Although most of the Maori population live in urban areas, there are marae (meeting grounds) in the Rotorua district.

If you’re looking to view the amazing volcanic activity in the Rotorua region, you can visit Wai-O-Tapu, Waimangu Volcanic Valley or Hell’s Gate – a spooky thermal reserve. You can also check out the Pohutu Geyser which can shoot water 100 feet skyward.

Having travelled over 100km from Hamilton, we opted for a standard spa where we had the opportunity to sit in our own spring. It was a strange sensation being surrounded by bubbling mud pools, geysers and steaming craters. But relaxing nonetheless. A perfect stopover before continuing our journey southwards to the wedding.

We’re linking this post up with What’s The Story? here on PODcast. If you’d like to see other blogger’s photographs and the stories behind them, click on the badge below.

What’s The Story | 2nd December 2013

Incredible to think we’re in December already, where did the time go!

Thank you to everyone that joined in with What’s The Story? last week. We especially liked Sights in Langkawi, Where did my baby go, Silent Sibling, Family Time, Paris, Our Beautiful Family, Little Father Christmas, Capturing Memories, The Passage of Time and Black Star Riders.

I’m not around until Monday afternoon this week so I might be a bit slower than usual reading your posts.

If you’re new to What’s The Story? and you’d like to join in, all you have to do is share a photograph and describe the story behind it. You can say as little or much as you like in your post and your photo can be taken at any time. It might be one you took recently or a real oldie. New posts are always best but you can also link up a previously published post if it’s relevant.

What’s The Story? is open from 6.30am every Monday until the following Sunday. Do take the time to comment on some of your fellow bloggers posts when you can. The What’s The Story? badge is below, I’m happy to share your post if it’s displayed in your post or sidebar.

Thanks again for joining in and have a wonderful week #whatsthestory

Foraging for Father Christmas

With this year being the first Christmas and birthday POD is likely to remember, we thought it nice to surprise her. Last night she got to meet The Elf on the Shelf, more to come on that, and today a Christmas themed treasure hunt was planned.

Daddy hid various Christmas characters in the garden while I occupied her busy indoors. Treasure ranged from Christmas themed soft toys to decorations and finger puppets. Father Christmas, reindeer and snowmen were hidden in the flowerbeds, trees and bushes.

The plan was once she’d found her ‘treasure’, we’d surprise her with the Christmas tree. Then we’d decorate it together. It was inevitable POD would have other ideas so we stayed in the garden and played with her new friends. They had a ride in her trike and paid a visit to her playhouse while she got re-acquainted with her slide. In the garden we noticed an apple tree had born some rosy red fruit so POD picked a few samples.

While we were outside Daddy made a start on putting the tree together. We have an artificial one but it’s German so well made and looks great especially with lots of red baubles and beads . I always get a fuzzy feeling when I see the decorations.

POD was born on Christmas Day 2010 and that was the first year we had these decorations. They’re hugely sentimental. As is the reindeer we have on our front door – he was the first homely thing I saw when I came back from hospital.

As well as fir cones with ribbons, Beatrix Potter characters and hand-made decorations, there’s a snow globe that says “Baby’s first Christmas 2010” on it. It really was although POD and I were still in the hospital at that point.

After their garden adventure, the characters came inside for some indoor fun in Daddy’s boots. The tree was then decorated and POD’s amazing advent calendar was hung on the wall. It looks wonderful as does the tree. It’s great we’ll be able to enjoy it for that little bit longer this year. Here’s to POD having an incredible Christmas and third birthday.

We’re linking this post up with Magic Moments at The Oliver’s Madhouse.

Silent Sunday

Win the Fat Face Land Rover #LoveWINter

In 1988 two friends were desperately trying to avoid working for a living and set off to enjoy themselves in the French Alps. Although life was good it was inevitable their funds would run low.

The plan was to design some sweatshirts, sell them at night, ski during the day, stick around until Spring then head to the beach. Fat Face was born and the rest as they say is history.

The same entrepreneurial spirit and passion remains at the brand’s heart to ensure everything it does is designed to be loved for life outside the 9 to 5.

Love Winter. Love Fat Face.

Last month saw Fat Face launch their #loveWINter campaign. Celebrating the beauty of Winter, it encourages everyone to wrap up warm and get outdoors. We all know there’s no such thing as bad weather if you’re wearing the right clothes!

#loveWINter

As part of the #loveWINter campaign, and to mark the closing of the brand’s 25th anniversary year, Fat Face has launched a very special competition. The chance to win the Fat Face Land Rover Defender and all the kit you’ll need to embrace life outside 9 to 5 this Winter.

The prize

You will win everything you need for the ultimate Winter adventure – the Fat Face Land Rover Defender 110 XS station wagon complete with roof rack, roof tent and camping kit!

Enter the competition

You can enter the competition online at www.fatface.com/lovewinter or visit your local Fat Face store. The competition closes on December 13^th and lucky winner will be announced on Christmas Day. Good luck everyone!

Disclaimer: A Fat Face gift voucher will be provided for participating in the #LoveWINter campaign. Opinions are our own.

A lesson learnt

Tots100 and PartSelect are giving bloggers the opportunity to win a professional house clean and £250 to spend on an appliance. This post is all about sharing some appliance love, in turn telling a cautionary tale.

If we had a coffee machine, that would be my most loved appliance. As we don’t it a toss up between the retro fridge and the Dyson. This post relates to the latter.

Last year our Dyson stopped working. Usually it would go to Dyson heaven and we’d replace it. On this occasion we decided to try and get it repaired. I suspect as we’d received a timely offer in the post for a service.

When the engineer arrived it became apparent very quickly that he was knowledgeable about all things Dyson. It was quite refreshing and a new experience for us given we’ve never serviced anything before. Other than the car.

Our toddler was under two at this point. The engineer had said hello to her when he arrived then focusing his efforts on the Dyson.

Retrieved objects included the obligatory string, hair and elastic bands along with a giant fluff ball, plastic and plastic. We’d had some building work done a few months earlier so the plaster find wasn’t as strange as it seems. Despite laying all his findings out on the floor, POD continued to be well behaved and stayed out of his way.

Despite removing all blockages and replacing a clearly past it filter, the Dyson refused to come back to life. Further inspections were undertaken and the Dyson was turned on and off several times in the process. Further dismantling was necessary and it wasn’t long before the engineer’s hands had vanished into a Dyson abyss.

I asked if I should unplug the Dyson from the wall and the response was “don’t worry I won’t lose my fingers”.

He nearly did when out of nowhere our toddler turned on the Dyson. To this day I have no idea how she found the strength or turned it on so fast, she was only little. Thankfully my record breaking dive to the off switch saved all his fingers, he just hurt his pride. But he did a fabulous job mending our Dyson.

This post about our Dyson being serviced is an entry into the Tots100/PartSelect ‘Love Your Appliance’ competition.

The Savill Garden

The Savill Garden is part of The Royal Landscape in Windsor Great Park which comprises of The Savill Garden, The Valley Gardens and Virginia Water. Woodland, lakes and gardens cover over 1,000 acres.

The Savill Garden was created by Sir Eric Savill in the 1930’s with the support of King George V and Queen Mary. Since then many others have been on a tireless quest to add their expertise and creativity.

It is said to be Britain’s finest ornamental garden, a true wonder and a garden for all seasons. November is probably not the best month for a first visit but those Autumnal hues beckoned!

It was difficult not to notice the wigwam like structures when I arrived. They were quite spectacular. On closer inspection they seemed to comprise of those huge leaved perennials called Gunnera I think.

They have thick, hairy leaves than can grow nearly 5 feet across and the plant can be 8-10 foot. The conelike blooms they produce can be 3 foot high. It’s a weird plant but intriguing and I’m sure they provide a great hiding place in the Summer!

Taking the Azalea Walk, there was a sense of calm amid beautiful surroundings. Burnt orange bracken lined a wonderful pond with bridges offering the opportunity to pass from one garden to another.

The Winter Garden was already showcasing wonderful displays with blasts of colour. The woods were covered in a blanket of golden leaves. The other gardens looked beautiful especially the Maples. How incredible the Spring and Summer Gardens must look in the warmer months.

The Autumn Wood was still alive with reds, oranges and golds. leaves, acorns and chestnut husks littered the ground, berries hung from the trees. Just when I was thinking what an enjoyable walk it was, I came across an Acer.

Protected from the elements, it had retained the majority of its red leaves. I didn’t realise I was being watched until I was taking photographs from underneath it. That’s perfectly normal though isn’t it?

We’re linking this post up with How Does Your Garden Grow? at Mammasaurus.

A guaranteed white Christmas at Butlins

There’s nothing better than getting in the festive spirit and enjoying quality time as a family. It’s special for us too given our toddler turns 3 on Christmas Day.

If you’re looking to do something magical with the family this year, Butlins can offer you a guaranteed white Christmas!

It has Christmas themed short breaks at all three of its resorts – Bognor Regis in West Sussex, Minehead in Somerset and Skegness in Lincolnshire from the 13th December. Each resort will be transformed into magical winter wonderlands complete with all the trimmings of a Butlins break.

You’ll love the magical Skyline Snowstorm which takes place in the heart of their resorts at the Skyline Pavilion. Also included in your break is the Ice Rink and Winter Wonderland where every child gets a free gift from Father Christmas.

The Skyline Snowstorm guarantees a white Christmas and there are Christmas themed arts and crafts as well as a traditional family pantomime. Set around a giant storybook, with great costumes, cool sound effects and infectiously funny acting, you’ll see the tale brought to life.

If you’re there on Christmas Day you’ll be treated to a five course Christmas dinner so you can sit back and relax. No worrying about cooking or washing up!

You can enjoy live entertainment featuring your children’s favourite TV characters such as Mike The Knight and Angelina Ballerina. You can also make use of the indoor sub-tropical Splash Waterworld and traditional fairground.

Guests visiting over New Year will enjoy a New Year’s Eve party for the whole family with a spectacular fireworks display and live entertainment.

Christmas themed breaks start from only £41 per person, for a 3 night break. You can book online here or call 0845 070 4730. All breaks are priced per person and subject to availability. Entertainment may vary by break and resort and is subject to change.

Disclaimer: We are proud to be a brand ambassador to Butlins and will be taking a complimentary short break with them next year.

Iconic box sets from Paramount

Paramount has a number of iconic box-sets available to purchase for Christmas. These include family favourites such as Shrek and Madagascar along with the likes of Indiana Jones, Transformers, Dexter and Sex in the City.

FAMILY FAVOURITES

Shrek – a magical series of animated films that brings together all parts of the Shrek legend including Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After. Based on the book by William Steig, Shrek tells the story of an ogre whose life is suddenly shattered by an invasion of annoying fairy tale characters. Determined to save his home, he cuts a deal with evil Lord Farquaad and sets out to rescue Princess Fiona.

POD has thoroughly enjoyed what she’s seen of Shrek. She’s fascinated with it although it’s slightly worrying she thinks Shrek is Daddy and Princess Fiona is Mummy!

Madagascar – a tale of a group of New York Central Park zoo animals that find themselves on a trip to Africa. Assisted by four absconding penguins, they end up in Madagascar among a bunch of lemurs. This set includes all three films.

GIFTS FOR HIM

Indiana Jones The Complete Adventures – a Christmas treat for the hero in your life from award-winning duo Steven Speilberg and George Lucas.

Transformers – with Transformers 4 coming to cinemas next year, now is the time to re-cap on the Autobots adventures. The box set contains Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Dexter – after eight seasons of cling-film wrapped kills, heart-stopping near misses and shocking twists, it’s time to mourn the loss of our favourite thriller as Dexter comes to a shocking end.

Under The Dome – the first season centres on a small town that is suddenly sealed off from the rest of the World by an enormous transparent dome. The town’s inhabitants must deal with surviving the post-apocalyptic conditions while searching for answers.

GIFTS FOR HER

Sex in the City (The Essential Collection) – it defined how we wined and dined and made fashion that bonafide best friend. Rarely does a TV series capture a moment but over it’s six seasons, Sex in the City certainly did.

Dynasty – relive the glitz and glamour of this 80’s classic drama. Scandalous love affairs, dirty business deals, power struggles, catfights and bulging shoulder pads add to the drama in a show that epitomised glamour and greed. Box set contains 58 discs.

The Borgias – betrayal, incest, arson, suicide, theft and corruption abound in the Emmy® nominated final season of The Borgias. Catch up on the last 10 episodes or get to know the infamous family from the beginning with seasons 1-3.

Elementary – experience season 1 of this crime solving drama with a box set of all 24 episodes. Stars Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu.

Disclaimer: We were sent a complimentary copy of the Shrek box set which includes Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and Shrek Forever After.

November

November saw us visit a magical wonderland with hidden surprises.

England’s most elegant 18th century landscape garden is home to a crystal grotto. Hundreds of thousands of crystals including calcite, gypsum, quartz and fluorite have been used to re-create what is an extraordinary folly.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling and the walls sparkled with crystals. It’s said on a still day ‘nature’s mirror’ can be seen inside the crystal grotto. We are back in a few weeks for POD to meet Father Christmas.

We took POD to her first firework display, a spectacular show watched by 17,000 people. The torchlight procession was an incredible sight.

We’ve really been able to appreciate Autumn this November. POD has seen conkers for the first time and she’s loved seeing leaves change colour. Her excitement has meant I’ve enjoyed it more than I ever have before and I’ve loved photographing it. Regardless of the cold, it makes such a different to how you feel getting some fresh air in your lungs!

Alongside this aura of calm and tranquility comes reflection and panic. In November 2010 I was 8 months pregnant with POD. I remember that time like it was yesterday and the anxious feeling of being a mum-to-be.

November always passes by so quickly, everyone is counting down to Christmas. If I had my way, I’d like to slow it right down. Just so I can reminisce in the period that led to our Christmas Day baby being born.

We’re linking this post up with The Gallery at Sticky Fingers, the theme is November.

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