The Gibberd Garden

Occasionally I come across something that I have mixed feelings about sharing and, The Gibberd Garden is one of those beautiful places that I want to keep close to my chest - but that just wouldn’t be fair...

Situated on the outskirts of Harlow in Essex is The Gibberd Garden, it is peaceful and beautiful on so many levels. Created by Sir Frederick Gibberd, an avid gardener who also happened to be the planner of Harlow new town, it occupies around seven acres. Sir Frederick never had a master plan for the garden but had lots of mini ideas, if they worked all well and good, if they didn’t he would try something else. In his own words 'Garden design is an art of space, like architecture and town design. The space, to be a recognisable design, must be contained and the plants and walls containing it then become parts of adjacent spaces. The garden has thus become a series of rooms, each with its own character, from small intimate spaces to large enclosed prospects.' If you visit the garden you will clearly understand this philosophy.

Sir Frederick began filling the garden and grounds in 1972 till his death in 1984: it is now home to some eighty sculptures, ceramic pots and architectural salvage. Each ‘room’ of the garden offers something different: from the avenue of lime trees and lawns just made for rolling down, to the castle and draw bridge!

Parents of adventurous toddlers should note that it has a few concrete paths and steps dotted around that are old and uneven. The castle is made of large concrete steps and the water brook is quiet well hidden so you can come across water without too much warning but it is a wonderful place to explore, so please don’t let that put you off!

Freddie absolutely loved every minute of our visit: he really enjoyed exploring what was around the next corner. We went with friends and the boys played knights in the Castle, rolled down the wonderful lawns and searched for treasure (sculptures and salvage). The old tree swing located on the top of a hill was my favourite, it is placed perfectly giving you the illusion that you are about to take off over the fields; it took me right back to my childhood.

It was a chilly day when we visited and we finished with a hot chocolate and cake in the small tea rooms. Can’t wait to see how the garden looks in the summer!!!

The Gibberd Garden has very limited opening times check their website for up to date timings. Usually open Wednesday afternoons, Saturdays and Sundays - but seasonal. There are odd events throughout the year too.

http://www.thegibberdgarden.co.uk

Our trip to Lancashire

A few weeks ago we stayed in Lancashire for a few days. Having never been before I really didn't know what to expect. While we were there we found a lot of places we didn't enjoy but actually after returning and looking back on the pics we did have a wonderful time – Here is our time in pictures and a few words to make sense of it all...

On our way we stayed in Chester with my Nan. Chester is a fab place to visit, the bridges, city wall, Grosvenor Park with miniature railway, Roman ruins, River Dee trips and Amphitheatre (Britains largest and most elaborate!) are all within walking distance of each other and there are lots more things to do further afield (Freddie loved the Amphitheatre and playing Snakes and Ladders with his Great Nan!).

After two nights we ventured north and stopped off at Formby Beach in Southport home to the rare Red Squirrel.... Super beach and we did spot a Red Squirrel in the woods!

This is not a Red Squirrel!

We stayed in a holiday park called Ribby Hall Village, absolutely the perfect base to explore this part of the country. With Blackpool and St Annes just a few miles away and lots of activities on site I would definitely stay again if I were to visit the area. They have all different styles of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets their website is Ribby Hall Villagehttp://www.ribbyhall.co.uk/short-breaks-holidays. You can read a full review of how child-friendly our holiday was on my other travel blog.

Blackpool was a bit disappointing (sorry Blackpoolians) we really didn’t enjoy it, the Sea Life Aquarium was small, and not very inspiring, it looked tired and in need of an overhaul, although the little green chap here did raise a few eyebrows.

Actually it is probably a little unfair to paint a bad picture of Blackpool as, even though it was half term, the Pleasure Beach was closed and the Shark walk in the SeaLife aquarium closed due to maintenance but everything apart from the seafront looked tired and in need of some TLC, maybe in the summer months it will be a brighter place.

Now St Annes beach was glorious, we walked a long way out when the tide was low and had lots of fun in the small arcade on the pier finishing off with a yummy ice cream. Flip braved the cold sand and offered to be buried...

A terrific place to grab a bit of Fish and Chips is The Cottage. It is not in a location you would expect but worth a trip - it's located in a residential street a few miles from Blackpool beach and has had plenty of famous visitors over the years such as Freddie Fiyntoff, Dawn French and John Mayor. The Cottage is also featured in Rick Steins 'Seafood Lovers Guide' as the best fish and chips in Blackpool.

Inland a great place to visit is Old Holly Farm in Garstang. Freddie really enjoyed this little farm where he met calves, lambs, watched cows being milked, played on mini tractors and finished again with an ice cream! Heaven!

There are lots of things to do in Lancashire, a good place to plan your visit is the Lancashire website Visit Lancashire

The Royal Museums Greenwich – Space Safari show in the Royal Observatory

Today we visited the Royal Museums Greenwich with our nearly 4 year old, so he keeps reminding us, little boy. The main reason for the visit was to watch Space Safari in the Royal Observatory: a journey through space, with teddy, searching for the Great Big Bear in the sky.

 The show was perfectly pitched for under 7s. We began our journey in the bedroom flying through the window and up to the stars. I did think Freddie might be a little scared once the lights went out (and there are plenty of provisions in place if that happens) but he held our hands and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. It’s a great introduction to our solar system for any budding astronomer or just a visual delight for all the family from babies through to parents. Visiting the planets was great fun, with lots of audience participation through songs and exploration - Freddie especially enjoyed Teddy sinking when he landed on planet Neptune.

After our galactic treat we had tea and a picnic outside the observatory where we were visited by a few hungry natives, squirrel, robin and pigeons. We then ventured across the park to the Maritime Museum.

Stopping off for a quick view of London and The Queens House.

We were a little short for time as we were limited with our car park but the large ships, boats, lighthouses and pirates were awe-inspiring and we will definitely be back to see more.

Mummy especially liked the lanterns!

The Royal Museums offer a variety of events throughout the year for families with babies and young children. There are four in total, including the Cutty Sark. For more details visit their website directly.

http://www.rmg.co.uk/national-maritime-museum/

Space Safari is running this Easter and at various times throughout the year, it is definitely worth a visit and ideal whatever the weather! Website for Space Safari

Red Nose Day Dog...

Today is Red Nose Day. Our nursery, like many up and down the country have entered into the spirit of this years Red Nose Day appeal and asked the children to come in dressed as something funny...

Freddie (who is 3) decided he wanted to be a dog... Not any dog, a dog with long black ears and a bone around his neck, and a black tail...

So I set about making a dog costume. I would have liked to have gone with the full body covering but Freddie is a very particular young chap and although I cut and sewed the ears, and tail for him he had a very strong vision of what he wanted... No body covering just head, ears, tail and bone!

So here is Freddie's Dog - Not sure if it really ticks the funny box or will win any design awards but he loves it -  hope you like it too...

We’re going on a Bear Hunt at Heals – want to come too?

Calling all Heals shoppers and fans of We're going on a Bear Hunt...

February 2013 sees a very exciting collaboration with Walker Books and Heal’s very own bear hunt in the Tottenham Court Road flagship store.
Heal’s are holding a special Bear Hunt to coincide with their new sleep studio and ‘Beds with Personality Range’ showcasing three different sized beds similar to Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

The very famous We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxcenbury, was first published in 1989 and gave Heal’s the inspiration for a bear hunt in their Tottenham Court Road store. Bears will be hidden all around the store for 20 children to rummage and find on two separate days. (17^th and 24^th February)

Each child will have a badge and given an activity sheet to fill in throughout the hunt.

The hunt will kick off at  11.45 am and once completed all children will receive a printed tote bag full of goodies, and a reading of the book will follow at 12.30pm in the front windows of the store (with bear shaped biscuits supplied by the new Heal’s Quarter restaurant.)

Tickets are free and on a first come first served basis – so what are you waiting for? Contact events2@heals.co.uk or call 0207 896 7554 for tickets – but be quick – I don’t think they will be around very long!!!

Puky bikes for toddlers and pre-schoolers

For his first Christmas, Freddie received a Puky tricycle (model?). We wanted something that we could use on a daily basis, to and from the shops, to the park and for our walks through the woods, so it had to be a bike that was robust and with a handle. After much research the Puky Tricyle caught my eye and proved a fantastic buy. The Puky Tricycle is fitted with straps so he was enjoying the ride at a very young age! Through the year he grew with the bike and it handled the rough terrain of the woods brilliantly...

For his second Christmas (so when he was about 20 months old) we bought him a Puky Balance bike, (LR1 Br Learner Bike)  I remember his excitement on Christmas day as he mastered it over the park, from then on there was no stopping him and his little friend Finlay (who also had a Puky balance bike). This bike is very well made and looks great too, the one we bought has a brake and stand and is extremely robust.

Now we are Puky lovers!! However they are not cheap, check out eBay as there are always some listed and not many people have heard of them.

we removed the stabilisers

Freddie was now ready for a pedal bike but as we had fallen in love with the Puky brand we were a little loathed to go for any other make. The bike we wanted is just under £150 (Z2 Model)– which is just a bit too much for our wallets to take, however uncharacteristically I was patient and kept an eye out on the internet for a second-hand one. Luckily within a few weeks I found one on a cycling website for £50 – and it looks brand spanking new! It is very similar to the Puky Balance Bike and so the transition was almost seamless. Again it is well made, has two brakes, one handle brake and one on the pedals when you pedal backwards, and comes in a variety of colours.

Freddie is now hooked on cycling and an outing is a must every day! We have a BMX area in our park that he has started eyeing up, he’s only 3!
Now there is no stopping him...

If you want more details on the Puky bikes visit their website here: http://www.pukybikes.co.uk

If you need any help choosing feel free to get in touch.

Balance Bikes for Toddlers – a new invention? Most definitely not!

When my 3 year old cycles around the park on his pedal bike we get stopped by a lot of people commenting how young he is to be riding a two wheeler, and how fantastic his balance is. Well it is all thanks to the ‘balance bike’...

We used to get stopped when he was on his balance bike too, people would watch him glide around the park and fly down hills and be amazed at his skill and balance, but most had never seen one before. I was asked if they were a new invention and so I decided to do a little research and actually they originate from the 18oo’s: the first balance bike was the Dandy Horse which was a pre-pedal bike.

If you are weighing up a balance bike vs pedal bike with stabilisers my vote defiantly falls in favour of the balance bike. It allows more freedom for off-roading, we walk in the woods a lot and there is no way Freddie would have been able to ride over the rough terrain we encounter with stabilisers. The obvious advantage is that it has taught him to balance and - as soon as he had mastered that he got straight on a pedal bike.

In our experience if you get a balance bike make sure that your toddlers feet are flat on the floor when he sits on the seat and if you can muster up the cash get one with a break, it means the transition to pedal bike is a little easier as he will have learnt how to break with his hands as well as his feet.

We used a Puky balance bike and have moved on to the Puky pedal bike

You can read our review of Puky bikes here with videos (coming soon)