Dartington Hall - April 2018

 

This morning I wanted to just go for a wander, nothing strenuous just a gentle stroll and I was thinking of heading to one of our local walks such as Decoy or Stover. However I always come back grumpy due to the amount of dogs and other people. Can you tell I woke up grumpy??? Lol

So when Ali suggested heading over to Dartington Hall, it was perfect!! 

We arrived and the first car park was fairly empty although the onsite cafe looked busy. 

We paid to park (£1 for four hours) which in my eyes was a bargain and we headed off under the arch. 

Thankfully I had remembered the stones from the Devon Ricks and Stones Facebook page so the boys could hide them along the way. 

Once under the arch and past the Barn Theatre you are greeted with the sight of The Great Hall and what a beautiful site it is. The courtyard is lined either side with the most quaint cottages which are dwarfed by the impressive Great Hall building. Unfortunately the Hall was closed for. Private function but I’m sure it is as good inside as it is out.

 

As you head past the Great Hall, you then get a wonderful smell of Sunday lunch from the onsite pub and head to the cherry blossom trees. The boys had great fun thinking it was raining or snowing whilst the petals were gently falling to the ground.

 

 

You can then choose your own path, we decided to head don to Jacobs Pillow. The pillow is a large ball sculpture which is very tactile and the boys loved chasing a round it.



From the sculpture we headed further down into the gardens. The garden are steep slopes which when dry, the boys absolutely love running or rolling down the slopes but unfortunately due to the wet weather they were today out of bounds.

What I was amazed at was the amount of flowers that were in bloom. Some of the flowers I hadn't ever seen before. There are also the old trees which have gnarled with age. Ali remembers playing on the same trees when he was a child.

Whilst strolling around Sam was extremely chuffed to find a small hut, which heard water rushing through. He decided a troll  must live down there and its padlocked to keep him locked away. He thought they would unlock it at night so he could stretch his legs and find some food!! Love a child's imagination. Oliver just loved the padlock and refused to move away!! lol

We then headed down to the stream where Sam found some stepping stones to cross whilst Oliver and I took the long route around. We then found some trees to climb and sit in. Whilst sitting on a bench we came across a friendly robin. He was so cheeky trying to be brave and closer and closer to us until I put my finger in the air whilst talking and he flew straight across the top of it. The boys loved it.

Whilst Oliver sat on the bench Ali and Sam went off to discover The Old Playhouse. A beautiful house with a tree climbing around it. What a wonderful childhood someone would have had to have this particular building to play in.

After the playhouse we headed back to the Great Hall and then slowly back to the car park. Unfortunately we didn't have time to head to the park today but we vowed to return with a picnic and make a day of it.

Overall, a couple of hours spent wandering in a truly beautiful setting which quite frankly I had forgotten about and missed.

 

My opinion is that Dartington Hall has something for everyone of all ages, it really is worth a visit.

 

Buffet Food

I seriously need some help. In the next couple of months I am going to be catering for two different parties and although my Mum is helping me, I really have no idea what to serve!!

When I go to a buffet all I can see is pastry, pastry and more pastry and as I cant eat pastry it fills me with dread :(

The first is Oliver's joint birthday and Christening party. I will be serving different generations. People will be stood up and using paper plates so not really being able to use cutlery. So what the heck do you serve?

Time is also limited as I don’t want to spend the day cooking and miss him turning two, but I want it to be impressive and ensure no one goes home hungry as there is nothing worse!!

The second birthday is a fifth birthday party for Sam!! About 35 hungry children who just want to feed on sugar and squash. Do I just bite the bullet and buy everything or will hoards of children appreciate the time and effort of cooking everything from scratch??

Do people still want sausage rolls and egg sandwiches or do they want nibbles and fancy little quiches? How do you know how much to feed people? Are they going to have eaten before they attend or are they wanting lunch?

It seems to be a complete minefield!!

Since writing, We have given in and ordered sandwiches and wraps to take a bit of pressure off us 👍

Internet Safety

One of the things you may not know about me is that I am passionate but learning how to keep children safe on the internet, however this is not an easy task. Technology moves on so fast that sometimes we struggle to keep up with it.

 

 

 

Today our local police force sent out a poster raising awareness of apps that have hidden features or are being advertised to children but are not suitable.

 

 

 

It was quite scary to see how many apps were on the list and it certainly wasn’t an exhaustive list either as I have been informed about apps that include characters such as Blaze, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol where adults are using them to talk to children or show them images which again are not suitable.

 

Facebook states that you must be over 13 years old to join, however children themselves and sometimes parents agree to their child having a Facebook account at a younger age but they forget they have lied and the adverts are shown according to age so children under the age of 18 years are seeing restricted adverts.

 

People also think that Snapchat is safe as any pictures disappear, however they don't realise that once something is online it doesn't ever really disappear, its on a server somewhere or someone has taken a screen shot. Young people especially get caught out, they send out a sexy picture (a sext) and they think its gone but unfortunately not :(

 

Ali and I gave in at Christmas and bought Sam an Amazon Kindle. We had been asked by the School to download an app for Sam to do his maths homework. Now after much thought we have downloaded a couple of apps for him too but it wasn’t without investigation first. We chose the CBeebies app and a Thomas The Tank Engine app. 

 

I still don’t stray to far from him when he is on the Kindle and the parental controls are well and truly switched on, so much so, we couldn't remember how to switch them off recently when Ali wanted to download an app!!! Lol

 

This Easter Sam’s homework has been to look at technology and see how and why we use it, so Sam has been looking at everything asking if it’s technology!! However one of the questions on the sheet asks about what apps they have access too and it makes me wonder if children do access apps without their parents or without the parents investigating them first. 

 

What’s the protocol in your house? Do you look at the apps first before allowing your children to use them? Does your child have their own device?

 

#keepthemsafeonline #keepuptodateonline #internetsafety #themummymonster #knowtherules #agelimitsforareason #blog

#HaySpring

Looking for something to do this Friday with your bored children?

How about checking out the event at Exeter’s Princesshay?

On Friday 6^th April from 11am – 3pm the family event with the hashtag #HaySpring which will take place in the Princesshay Shopping Centre.

Activities include:

1.       Street Entertainment for the whole family

Get creative and colour-in a new art installation - The Pentagon. Designed exclusively for Princesshay, this unique street-art has hand drawn cartoons and felt tips galore, all ready for colouring.

While you colour, you can enjoy the spectacle of Rainbow Stilt Dancers roaming throughout Princesshay. 

2.       Style and beauty advice

Need some spring fashion inspiration? Beauty and fashion blogger Chantelle Znideric will be on hand with the latest wardrobe trends for spring. Take a break from shopping and enjoy free makeovers and advice, samples and mini treatments in the beauty area.

3.       Vintage carousel

Enjoy some nostalgic entertainment with the vintage carousel in Princesshay square. Rides cost £2 a go with 50p from each ride going to Princesshay’s charity of the year, FORCE cancer charity.

4.       Live music throughout the day

Some of Exeter’s best artists will be performing in Princesshay square – take a moment to stop and listen to some of the city’s local talent.

5.       Freebies and games 

Try the spin to win gift card game in the centre outside New Look and be in with the chance to win on-the-spot prizes.

6.       Kookybooths FREE photo booth

Grab your friends and family for a snap in the spring-inspired photo booth, with a free print for every visitor.

7.       Colourful Umbrellas

Princesshay has teamed up with In Exeter to bring the colourful umbrella installation to the city. Local shoppers and tourists can admire the bright spring coloured umbrellas in Princesshay and on Exeter High Street. Keep an eye on Princesshay’s social media for the colourful umbrella photo competition.

8.       Win a £500 gift card

Princesshay has teamed up with Heart to run a competition for two weeks from the 23rd March – 6th April.

Find the winning window in Princesshay for your chance to win, once you have found the window, you will be a step closer to winning that £500 gift card.

#Hayspring #Event #themummymonster #nomoreboredchildren