PODcast

A sunny walk at Sheepleas

Located within the Surrey Hills Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty is the wonderful Sheepleas. Managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust, this site of Special Scientific Interest is a mosiac of woodland and grasslands and a haven for wildlife.

It was wonderful to wear Summer clothes and feel the warmth of the sun on our skin. POD ran through the woodland like a little fairy shouting “come on Mummy and Daddy”. She had a renewed sense of freedom and a spring in her step – perhaps because she was without her coat, hat and wellies.

The name ‘Sheepleas’ is a pointer to its centuries-old use as sheep-grazed meadows or ‘leas’, supporting the local wool industry. The Cowslip Meadow is a well-known Spring phenomenon with visitors coming from far and wide in April and May. Last year this meadow was crowned Surrey’s ‘Coronation Meadow’ – a project created by HRH Prince of Wales to select a wildflower meadow in each county of the UK.

Although the Cowslip Meadow is a sight I’d love to see, today’s walk was a leisurely affair. We just followed the pathways, took in the sunshine and said many times we couldn’t believe how warm it was. It must have been almost twenty degrees that day.

The picnic area provided a great space for her to run around although she stopped occasionally to take in the butterflies and birds overhead. There was much chasing too and she quickly realised Mummy and Daddy can’t run in circles quite as fast as she could!

POD made a beeline for a bench when she got something in her shoe, in turn presenting the most idyllic scene.

After more running around, POD made her way to another bench where she sat and pondered. It wasn’t long before all three of us where trying to squish ourselves on this tiny bench and much hilarity ensued as a result!

As we were leaving the picnic area, the strangest thing happened. POD climbed on a bench for an impromptu lie down. She didn’t even notice I was there with my camera, capturing what was a really wonderful moment.

No walk would be complete without sticks. POD threw this one to a passing dog but he wasn’t interested in playing so she reclaimed it!

Walking back to the car, it was hard to believe the sky was as blue as it was. Just beautiful.

Linking up with Country Kids at Coombe Mill , Brilliant Blog Posts at Honest Mum and What’s The Story? here on PODcast.

What’s The Story? | 24th March 2014

Hello everyone, welcome to What’s The Story? for w/c 24th March. Thank you for sharing so many wonderful stories last week.

It’s always difficult choosing the faves but 20 years, Pinewood Derby, Sunrise & sunset, Family Matters, Blowing bubbles, A race against time on the farm, Happy to be home, Lost dog, a green belt and a riding hat, Yorkshire sculpture park, definitely have to be in there.

Thank you so much to everyone that nominated PODcast in the MAD Blog Awards. I’m absolutely thrilled to be a finalist in the photography category, over the moon in fact. If you enjoy my photographs, I would love it if you could vote for me http://www.the-mads.com/awards/

If you’re new to What’s The Story? it’s a photography based Linky which enables you to share the stories behind your photographs. It’s open from 6.30am every Monday through to the following Sunday.

To join in all you have to do is share a photograph and the story behind it. You can write as little or much as you like and your photo/s can be from any time – old or new. You can link up a old post too if it’s relevant.

Feel free to use the What’s The Story? badge or link back here – 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. It’s always worthwhile checking back later in the week so you don’t miss any gems!

Have a great week #whatsthestory

Bunny Loves to Play

What’s great about being a Parragon Book Buddy is we get to read stories we’d not always choose ourselves. POD adored Everybody Loves Butterflies last month – a wonderful story about the life cycle of a butterfly.

This month we’re reviewing Bunny Loves to Play, a finger puppet book similar to the Five Little Monkeys and Old MacDonald books we reviewed last year.

Bunny Loves to Play is a storyboard book with a soft finger puppet toy built into the story. Wiggling the puppet encourages interactive play, which usually involves POD trying to grab my fingers, and hand-eye co-ordination.

The book focuses on what Bunny likes to do, whether it be dressing up to the castle,

playing hide-and-seek or splashing in the stream.

Bunny also loves to play in the park as well as playing follow-the-leader.

Bunny Loves to Play is perfect for POD’s bedtime when she needs to quieten down a bit after her bath. She’s also memorised the words of the story so she can share it with her dollies. She’s only three but she takes this role very seriously! It does mean we may read the book several times over in one sitting but the length makes that very easy.

The Bunny Loves to Play Finger Puppet Book is a great size for POD and for carrying round in your handbag. It’s available from Amazon priced £3.99 (RRP).

Disclaimer: As Parragon Book Buddies we received a copy of Bunny Loves to Play for the purposes of this review. Opinions are our own.

Silent Sunday

Project 365: Week #12

It was great to replace the layers with Summer clothing last weekend. POD was over the moon she got to wear a dress – she looked like a little fairy running through the woods. There was also a bit of leaf throwing fun to be had this week and we’ve continued our quest to walk to nursery every morning.

Welcome to Project 365: Week #12.

Day 75

This photograph was taken at Sheepleas which is in the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Managed by the Surrey Wildlife Trust, it’s a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest as it supports a range of wildlife. The POD Father used to go there as a child with his grandparents. If he hadn’t, it’s unlikely we’d know about this mosiac of woodland and grassland.

Day 76

We made a fleeting visit to Claremont on day 76. Owned by the National Trust, this beautiful 18th Century landscaped garden used to be a Duke’s retreat and the playground of Princesses. The Ha-Ha (hidden ditch) is always great fun – even more so when leaf throwing is involved! Claremont is also home to a turf amphitheatre, serpentine lake, grotto, Camellia Terrace and the Belvedere Tower.

Day 77

Hilarity on the way to nursery with Mummy’s sunglasses. Not the best of shots but brilliant to capture POD with the giggles!

Day 78

We pass several brown leaved hedges en route to nursery, the leaves look so delicate on their own.

Day 79

Managed to capture another dewy web today but not as good as the last one. Still a joy to photograph though.

Day 80

Remember the bud that looked like a sprout? That bush is now blooming with these enormous pink flowers.

Day 81

POD needed new shoes so we walked into Guildford town centre today. En route she stood staring at a Porsche garage – this was her expression when she turned round. It’s almost as if she’s thinking “how can I get one of those?”.

A garden update

After discovering the Alpines at RHS Wisley last week, it seemed a good time to share photographs from the Dove garden.

Although it’s in desperate need of some attention at the moment there are signs of Spring everywhere. The unkempt beds have seen flowers start to bloom and the bushes in need of a pruning are sprouting with life.

We’ve seen a few crocuses this year and this was the last man standing. Beautiful flowers, such a joy to photograph with all their purple veins.

To date there has only been one daffodil in the garden but there are buds everywhere. I hope over the next week or so we’ll start to see that yellow carpet appear.

We’ve seen a huge rise in insects over the past week or so – butterflies and ladybirds especially have all come out from hiding.

The wonderful Magnolia tree seems to have completely flowered in the space of two weeks. It looks glorious against a bright blue sky.

The inside of each flower almost looks like it’s made from strips of streaky bacon!

When the opportunity arises it’s been great to capture dewy webs. Although the photograph I took last week was better, this one came out well. I just love how the water droplets look like miniature crystals. It just shows how clever spiders are too.

There is a huge bush of these yellow flowers, they look great – especially when you’re looking skyward.

Finally whilst taking a photograph of our flowering lavender, I spotted two metallic looking beetles. On doing some research, it seems they’re Rosemary Beetles which originate from Southern Europe. They devour rosemary, lavender, thyme and sage leaves so they’ll be removed from our herb garden at the first available opportunity!

Linking up with #HDYGG with Mammasaurus.

Plymouth tot named Butlins (High)Chairman

Three year old Sophia Jade Carr of Plymouth has been chosen from over 600 applicants to sit on the Butlins Board of Directors as she is named the official Butlins (High)Chairman.

Miss Carr has been recruited by Butlins to road test their Just for Tots holidays range. Butlins are keen to ensure the long-term success of the breaks, with 70% of guests already booked on to the 4-night term time breaks who have never been to any of the three Butlins resorts before.

Launching in April, Just for Tots are the little breaks with big adventures, where everything from the accommodation and food right through to the entertainment and activities have been designed solely with younger children in mind.

Miss Carr will be accountable for working up a number of recommendations for the breaks based on her experience, which will be implemented across all breaks moving forward to ensure Just for Tots breaks are curated by tots for tots.

The (High)Chairman will hit the ground running in her role, set to put star acts such as Thomas & Friends™ and Angelina Ballerina™ through their paces, whilst trying out Annabel Karmel’s new range of tot-friendly dishes.

Miss Carr will also be closely monitoring a number of key operations and putting them through a vigorous testing process that includes bounciness of the beds, cuddliness of the characters, splashiness of the water and slipperiness of the slides.

Chosen due to her leadership skills amongst her peers, often being described as ‘demanding’ and ‘strong-willed’ by co-workers (parents), Miss Carr’s résumé showcased her impressive capability to be both professional and fun. Miss Carr has the ability to laugh every minute and giggle endlessly, which will stand her in good stead when reviewing Butlins star acts.

Further evidence that Miss Carr is the perfect candidate is her extensive experience within the hospitality industry, having first-hand knowledge of the UK’s top attractions.

Of the new vacancy, Butlins MD Dermot King said: “We can’t wait for Sophia to join the team and shape the future of our Just for Tots breaks. Miss Carr has a skill set that will enable her to review and shape the future of our breaks with her ability to multi-task. We are sure that Miss Carr will add a different dimension to the board of directors and have a key role in creating our Just for Tots breaks.”

For more information on the Butlins ‘Just for Tots’ breaks please visit their website.

Disclaimer: This post is in association with our role as official ambassador to Butlins.

A taste of adventure

The POD Father and I were both well traveled before we met. I spent two years living and working in Australia in my twenties whilst my husband went back-packing around SE Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji around the same time. He also went on holiday to Lebanon and Syria in 2002 – sadly not a trip you could repeat today.

Our holidays together were very much a combination of adventure and activity. We enjoyed some fantastic trips close to home and as far afield as New Zealand.

South America had been on our list of must visit places for a while when we took a holiday to Venezuela. The purpose of the trip was to see Angel Falls, the highest waterfall in the world and only accessible by boat and then a hike through the jungle.

Whilst in Canaima National Park, we also walked behind the waterfall (top right) thought to be the one featured in Last of the Mohicans.

When we visited New Zealand for a friend’s wedding we took the opportunity to experience one of the World’s top day walks – The Tongariro Crossing. It did practically finish us off though.

After three days of wedding celebrations we weren’t particularly well prepared for the 19km walk through three active volcanoes! The Devil’s Staircase broke me although the Emerald Lakes were breathtaking.

Nowadays our adventures are much closer to home. As a family we have the best time exploring new places and re-discovering the old. It’s not to say there aren’t adventures to be had further afield at some point in the future!

Linking up with The Gallery at Sticky Fingers. The prompt this week is adventure.

Capturing the scene

Now POD’s three she’ll often tell you what she’s doing and what she’s about to do. Unless you ask her what she did at nursery and her response will always be “nothing”.

POD loves to be outdoors and this woodland walk should have been no different. But it was. Perhaps it was that renewed sense of freedom.

Gone was the coat, the hat and the wellies, replaced with a dress that blew behind her as she ran. Her beloved muddy puddles had gone but there were sticks aplenty. For a time it was just us, wandering along the grass lined paths with the blue sky above and the sun beaming down.

When we reached a wide open space POD stopped on a bench surrounded by knobbly trees. She said she had a stone in her shoe.

Once back together, POD ran to another bench shouting “come on”, waving her arm as she went. She was convinced she was too far away to be photographed. But she wasn’t and a thoughtful looking POD was captured in the process.

She probably wasn’t thinking much but she looks like she’s pondering something. Unless she was just taking in her surroundings and enjoying the glorious sunshine.

It wasn’t long before she was off again, running round in circles, only stopping to watch the occasional butterfly. When she climbed onto another bench for an impromptu lie down, she didn’t notice I was there with my camera.

What a truly wonderful scene to capture.

Linking up with #LivingArrows at I Heart Snapping, #MagicMoments at The Oliver’s Madhouse and #AllTheSmallThings at Mummy Never Sleeps.

Fakenham Racecourse

This photograph always makes me laugh. Taken at Fakenham Racecourse in 2010, it’s a superb example of why you shouldn’t pull a face when there’s a camera on you. Lovely smiles from my mother and father-in-law with me acting the giddy goat!

We were at this racecourse for the Point-to-Point event which is amateur horseracing over fences with thoroughbred horses. It promised to be a great day out.

It really was too. We had the odd flutter and jumped for joy when the horse we’d placed a bet on crossed the line first. Luck was on my side that day as I scored a hat-trick!

Like many others, we enjoyed lunch in the Fakenham Racecourse car park. With the car acting as a wind shield, we enjoyed a wonderful picnic. Today wasn’t the day the cold was going to dampen our spirits!

What makes this photograph special, and may explain the facial expression, is that we were pregnant. We’d found out just over a week before it was taken. No-one else knew.

POD arrived exactly nine months after our visit to Fakenham Racecourse, on 25th December 2010.