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Surrey

Applying for a school place…again

It’s been a little while since we’ve written about school. But applying for POD’s junior school place is already filling me with dread and that’s without the months of waiting. You may remember POD didn’t get offered a place at the local school when she was four (in 2015). She ended up starting reception at another school, which was a faff to get to, and she didn’t know anyone. That said, after a bumpy start, POD ended up making lots of friends and finished her reception year with a glowing report. We decided to stay on the waiting list for the local school “just in case” although we did question whether we’d move her if she was offered a place.

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The majestic Loseley Park, Surrey

Loseley Park is one of those places that just makes you take a deep intake of breath. The house has been a family home for some five hundred years and four generations of the More-Molyneux family live there today. Built in the reign of Elizabeth I, Loseley Park is situated in the North Downs in Surrey and surrounded by ancient parkland.

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Back to school essentials

The summer holidays seem to have flown by this year. The combination of our kitchen renovation (we re-located our kitchen to our dining space) and a holiday in Asturias has certainly helped with that. Either way we’re fast approaching September and the start of a new term. Hard to believe POD will be in Year 2, it really doesn’t seem five minutes since she began reception.

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A Tree Top Adventure With Go Ape

I’ll never forget the time I turned my back for a few seconds only to discover POD had scaled a chair and was just about to launch herself off the table! She was about two at the time and she’s been a climber ever since. Every time we visit the Alice Holt forest she asks if she can do Go Ape Junior but she’s not been big enough until now. Last weekend however she finally got to give it a go. We were a little apprehensive however as her first tree top adventure at Center Parcs a few months ago really didn’t go to plan. POD ended up dangling from a zip wire, unable to go forwards or backwards, in monsoon-like rain!

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Springtime at Bocketts Farm Park

Yes I know spring is over and summer is well and truly here (we even have a paddling pool in the garden!) but I had to share these photographs from a trip to Bocketts Farm Park though. It’s a working farm and we always love it there but springtime is just a little bit special. Little did we know we’d end up seeing quite so much or that six year old POD would be so taken with a lamb she asked to bring it home!

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Sharing with La Famiglia at Prezzo

I’m not sure I know anyone that doesn’t adore Italian food. The Doves certainly love it so we were totally up for the #PrezzoLaFamiglia Challenge at Prezzo. La Famiglia is a pasta sharing bowl designed to feed up to four people. That did mean of course the three of us had to agree what to have! Initially, we thought we might share Spaghetti Bolognese as it’s one of POD’s favourites. That said, we had our eyes on one of the other sharing bowls.  

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Fun with a new trampoline

Earlier this year as well as (finally!) getting offered a place at a local school, POD secured a spot at her old gymnastics club. She’d been there weekly until she started school and we’ve had to wait almost two years for a weekend slot to become available. She continued with gymnastics elsewhere in the interim but the sessions were very much floor based. She missed a lot of the apparatus especially the trampoline which was conveniently located next to a foam pit. It’s great watching her now, bouncing on the trampoline before doing a forward roll into the pit, it always makes her giggle.

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The Doves with doves at Claremont

It was one of those days where it was drizzly outdoors but we were craving fresh air. By the time we reached Claremont, the rain was slightly heavier but we were itching to blow away those cobwebs. It always makes me laugh as parents we’ll head out whatever the weather whereas in years gone by we’d probably be more inclined to stay in the warm. Claremont is a wonderful spot though, the estate was once a dukes’ retreat and a playground for princesses and Queen Victoria.

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On the donkey trail at Hatchlands Park

Just before POD went back to school, we escaped to Hatchlands Park in the Surrey Hills. Managed by the National Trust, there are a whopping 400 acres of parkland to discover so it’s an ideal spot for blowing away the cobwebs. There’s plenty to keep POD occupied from climbing trees to exploring the natural play area which has its own tree house. This last visit coincided with a trail which involved following the story of Morris and Callum – the Hatchlands Park donkeys.

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A beautiful walk in Alice Holt Forest

We’ve been fans of the Alice Holt Forest in Hampshire since we moved from London to Guildford. I seem to remember my first visit was in 2011 when I was on maternity leave and we’ve gone ever since. Managed by the Forestry Commission, these woods are located just a few miles south of Farnham in Surrey. They provide the perfect stomping ground for POD what with the adventure trails and natural play areas which have always suited our little climber. There was something a little bit special about our last visit though in that the light was just superb.

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