Like many children, POD has always been a fan of Disney. Classic films like Beauty and the Beast, Tangled and Snow White are among her favourites along with the more recent including Frozen, Cinderella and Inside Out. It’s not just films either, she’s always loved books with Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid from the Disney Movie Collection in the mix. The latter features Ariel, a mermaid who wants to be human so she can marry a Prince.
Yes I know it’s a hard life! Although truth be told we really wanted to go to the Gin Festival. Devised by Jym and Marie Harris, it enables visitors to try a plethora of gins with expert advice on tap. The Gin Festival has seen enormous growth since its 2012 inception, growing from a single event to reaching thousands of gin enthusiasts all over the country.
We spent many years living in London before POD was born. Way back in 2008 we had a loft conversion fall through although it ultimately resulted in us remodelling the rest of the house! Being a Victorian property, our main bathroom was downstairs so we turned this into a kitchen and the existing kitchen became a dining room. Upstairs a room we used as a study was transformed into our new bathroom. With access to it only from a bedroom, we had a corridor built so it was easy to reach. We never imagined such a small room would be able to accommodate a shower, a sink, a toilet and the roll-top bath we craved. The end result was superb – Victorian fixtures and fittings in keeping with the house coupled with the most beautiful tiles.
When POD didn’t get offered a place at the local school last year, it came as a huge surprise. The school is walking distance from our home so we never imagined we’d have to research other schools. It was a worrying time what with getting our heads round the school admissions process and wanting to give our four year old the best start. As it happens she ended up going to the school she was offered a place at and, despite a rocky start, finished reception with a glowing report. POD recently started Year 1 at the same school and we remain on the waiting list for the nearest school. We don’t know if we’d accept a place if POD was offered one but it would be nice to have that choice.
With the German engineering it’s synonymous for, you can expect unparalleled styling from head to toe with Braun. There are a series of six new products in the beard, hair and body styling range, all boasting world class design and in-depth grooming expertise.
Five year old POD has only ridden a handful of times. This has mostly been locally in Surrey although she did get the opportunity to be led round (by us!) at an equestrian centre in Le Touquet a few months ago. She certainly doesn’t ride regularly although the delight in her face when she does is undeniably infectious! The Horse Club Riding Centre from Schliech is perfect for imaginative play regardless of whether you ride or not. Even the POD Father said “wow that’s incredible” when he first saw it.
POD is loving the new Classic Peppa Pig range – you may remember we recently reviewed the laughing Peppa and the Air Peppa Jet. As a life-long fan of Peppa, George and the gang, she was thrilled to receive Princess Peppa’s Enchanting Tower which comes with its own detailed figure of Princess Peppa!
Josh Wakely, the creator of Beat Bugs, broke new ground when he was granted permission to bring The Beatles’ songs to a new generation. It had taken him over three years of trying. Beat Bugs features more than 50 songs from the Lennon/McCartney ‘Northern Songs’ catalogue with covers by world-leading music artists.
You might have read about the ShibaJuku Girls dolls from Flair. Designed by Melbourne-based toy maker Madelaine Hunter, they’re set to give 60 year old Barbie a run for her money and shake up the toy industry. Designed for children aged 5 to 10, the Harajuku-inspired ShibaJuku Girls dolls offer children something very different.
POD always loves activities that allow her to explore her creativity. She’s continually colouring, drawing and sticking with clay creations up there too. The Poppit Shopkins Ballet Activity Pack enables her to make mini clay versions of Shopville characters.
