I've never been one for vintage buys, but since moving down here I've become a bit of a treasure hunter. Which is rather fortunate, because I have an amazing emporium of antiquities and preloved items just up the road.
So what is this amazing place I hear you ask? Well, it goes by the name of Molly's Den and it's tucked away just off the Mountbatten Arms roundabout. It's a huge two-storey warehouse with individual units selling all sorts of vintage/retro/shabby chic items, from furniture to books to records to china to toys to clothes to jewellery. You could easily spend a few hours in there (don't worry, it has toilets and a cafe so you can take a breather from digging around!).
I've been fortunate to find some really pretty pieces at some fantastic prices – and I've had to refrain from buying some beautiful things simply because I didn't need them (yet…). But the good thing about somewhere like Molly's Den is that the stock changes on such a regular basis, you see different things every time. So if you do go there and fall in love with an item, you need to buy it on the spot because it might not be there next time!
Obviously there are some things that you simply can't imagine ever being sold (and not everyone's prices are reasonable). And inevitably there are some objects that aren't really retro or vintage, but we can gloss over them.
If you don't live in Dorset, don't worry – you can still enjoy a bit of Molly's Den action elsewhere (on the South Coast at least!). There are warehouses in Winchester and New Milton, with one to open in Bridport shortly too. I'm certainly planning to venture a bit further afield to see what they have to offer.
If you want to know more, head on over to http://www.mollys-den.co.uk
Wednesday 24 September 2014
Tuesday 16 September 2014
Gettin' Jiggy Wit It
Na na na na na na… Na na na na na na
Nope, I haven't been dancing the night away to Will Smith (those days are looooonnngggg gone!), but I have sampled the delights of my first music class with D2. And what fun it was!
Along with a friend (who assured me it would be fun), I went to Jiggy Wrigglers, a musical/activity group that runs weekly classes around Bournemouth and Poole. And do you know what? My friend was right.
The class had everything young babies and children love - a puppet, music, singing, dancing, bubbles, toys and in the break time - biscuits! The songs are all uber-catchy (even on a first lesson I found myself singing along) and get the kids using all parts of their body to dance, wriggle, jiggle. My baby's almost 11 months and while she's not quite ready to get down and boogie on the floor, she absolutely loved bouncing around on my knee and having her hands and feet wriggled around.
The class teacher, Ami, was great with all the children, making sure all of them got to interact with the puppet, had bubbles to pop and all went home with a sticker. She was full of energy too – I wish I could be the same!
The jiggy element lasts for 30 minutes and after that mums get a chance to have a free tea or coffee and a biscuit while the kids can have a water or squash and a play with toys and each other.
The class is normally £4 for an hour, but as I was a first-timer and going with a regular 'jiggler', I was free and I've also been given a loyalty card for future sessions. It's definitely a class I'll be going back to on a regular basis, not just because I get to see my friend every week, but also because of the quality time I get to spend with D2. It's so easy to focus on other things and on my eldest when I'm at home, but that hour of fun with her is something that money can't buy.
To find out more about classes in your area, check out the Jiggy Wrigglers website at http://www.jiggywrigglers.com.
Nope, I haven't been dancing the night away to Will Smith (those days are looooonnngggg gone!), but I have sampled the delights of my first music class with D2. And what fun it was!
Along with a friend (who assured me it would be fun), I went to Jiggy Wrigglers, a musical/activity group that runs weekly classes around Bournemouth and Poole. And do you know what? My friend was right.
The class had everything young babies and children love - a puppet, music, singing, dancing, bubbles, toys and in the break time - biscuits! The songs are all uber-catchy (even on a first lesson I found myself singing along) and get the kids using all parts of their body to dance, wriggle, jiggle. My baby's almost 11 months and while she's not quite ready to get down and boogie on the floor, she absolutely loved bouncing around on my knee and having her hands and feet wriggled around.
The class teacher, Ami, was great with all the children, making sure all of them got to interact with the puppet, had bubbles to pop and all went home with a sticker. She was full of energy too – I wish I could be the same!
The jiggy element lasts for 30 minutes and after that mums get a chance to have a free tea or coffee and a biscuit while the kids can have a water or squash and a play with toys and each other.
The class is normally £4 for an hour, but as I was a first-timer and going with a regular 'jiggler', I was free and I've also been given a loyalty card for future sessions. It's definitely a class I'll be going back to on a regular basis, not just because I get to see my friend every week, but also because of the quality time I get to spend with D2. It's so easy to focus on other things and on my eldest when I'm at home, but that hour of fun with her is something that money can't buy.
To find out more about classes in your area, check out the Jiggy Wrigglers website at http://www.jiggywrigglers.com.
Thursday 11 September 2014
School dazed
It's been a big week in my world as my eldest started school - and it's all been a bit of a whirlwind!
It seems like the whole summer holidays - in fact, probably this whole year - has been spent gearing up to this day, this week. And yet I still didn't feel ready.
There's something so final about a child starting school. From the moment they slip on their uniform, pick up their book bag and step outside for the obligatory shot of themselves outside the front door, they are starting on this wonderful journey that we, as parents, cannot stop. From then on, somebody else has a say in what our child learns, studies, writes, reads… Even what they eat, thanks to the new hot meals initiative (which is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong. I am certainly enjoying not having to make up a lunchbox!)
But it's not just the above that that has had me fretting. It's the HUGE impact having a school child has on my life. From now on, my day revolves around the school run and, for the most part, when I go on holiday – and to some extent, where – is dictated to me. And that is incredibly frustrating. And annoying.
Yes, yes, I know that sounds selfish but when you've been used to doing your own thing for rather a long time, it's quite difficult to get back into that sort of routine. It's not that I don't want my daughter to have an education - that is definitely not what I am saying – but I would like some elements to be on my terms.
Incidentally, she's obviously loving school and there's been no tears or tantrums at drop-off time. From either of us!
It seems like the whole summer holidays - in fact, probably this whole year - has been spent gearing up to this day, this week. And yet I still didn't feel ready.
There's something so final about a child starting school. From the moment they slip on their uniform, pick up their book bag and step outside for the obligatory shot of themselves outside the front door, they are starting on this wonderful journey that we, as parents, cannot stop. From then on, somebody else has a say in what our child learns, studies, writes, reads… Even what they eat, thanks to the new hot meals initiative (which is a wonderful thing, don't get me wrong. I am certainly enjoying not having to make up a lunchbox!)
But it's not just the above that that has had me fretting. It's the HUGE impact having a school child has on my life. From now on, my day revolves around the school run and, for the most part, when I go on holiday – and to some extent, where – is dictated to me. And that is incredibly frustrating. And annoying.
Yes, yes, I know that sounds selfish but when you've been used to doing your own thing for rather a long time, it's quite difficult to get back into that sort of routine. It's not that I don't want my daughter to have an education - that is definitely not what I am saying – but I would like some elements to be on my terms.
Incidentally, she's obviously loving school and there's been no tears or tantrums at drop-off time. From either of us!
Wednesday 3 September 2014
My first Air Festival
So last weekend was a very exciting one for me as I finally got to experience my first Bournemouth Air Festival - and what an event it was!
I'd been looking forward to it for months - mainly because The Red Arrows were flying every single day - and I wasn't disappointed.
I'm no aviation expert (I don't even really like flying that much), but the Festival is such a big event in Bournemouth (an estimated 1.2million visited the town over the 4 days this year) that I felt I had to go. So on Sunday we packed up the children, a picnic, a rug and headed for the beach. Luckily, it was a beautiful sunny day on the Dorset coast - perfect for flying and observing.
I'll be honest and admit that we didn't see many of the stalls because the walkways were fairly congested. And for me, the day was all about the Arrows (I've become a bit obsessed!). My favourite flying squad opened the day with a display that gave me goosebumps and bought a tear to my eye. Twists, turns, hearts, fly pasts - they drew gasps of surprise and delight from the watching crowd. And, of course, the display with peppered with flashes of the famous red, white and blue smoke. There's just something amazing about the Arrows - they are so quintessentially British, so entwined with our country's history, that it doesn't matter how many times you've seen them - they still delight.
But the Arrows weren't the only treat Sunday had in store. We also saw displays by the Vulcan, Spitfire, Lancaster, Miss Demeanour, Chinooks, Black Cats, Typhoon. The sheer beauty of some of the planes - and the history behind them - was just incredible. How some of them managed to get in the air was beyond me – they looked way too heavy to take off. Not to mention the noise some of those bad boys made - wowee!
We inevitably stayed longer than we intended to, but thankfully we managed to avoid any traffic chaos, returning home sunburnt, sandswept, slightly sweaty and shattered. But it was worth it.
And to top it all off, the event is entirely FREE. Yes, that's right. FREE! I'll definitely be back next year – and I hope to see you there!
I'd been looking forward to it for months - mainly because The Red Arrows were flying every single day - and I wasn't disappointed.
I'm no aviation expert (I don't even really like flying that much), but the Festival is such a big event in Bournemouth (an estimated 1.2million visited the town over the 4 days this year) that I felt I had to go. So on Sunday we packed up the children, a picnic, a rug and headed for the beach. Luckily, it was a beautiful sunny day on the Dorset coast - perfect for flying and observing.
I'll be honest and admit that we didn't see many of the stalls because the walkways were fairly congested. And for me, the day was all about the Arrows (I've become a bit obsessed!). My favourite flying squad opened the day with a display that gave me goosebumps and bought a tear to my eye. Twists, turns, hearts, fly pasts - they drew gasps of surprise and delight from the watching crowd. And, of course, the display with peppered with flashes of the famous red, white and blue smoke. There's just something amazing about the Arrows - they are so quintessentially British, so entwined with our country's history, that it doesn't matter how many times you've seen them - they still delight.
But the Arrows weren't the only treat Sunday had in store. We also saw displays by the Vulcan, Spitfire, Lancaster, Miss Demeanour, Chinooks, Black Cats, Typhoon. The sheer beauty of some of the planes - and the history behind them - was just incredible. How some of them managed to get in the air was beyond me – they looked way too heavy to take off. Not to mention the noise some of those bad boys made - wowee!
We inevitably stayed longer than we intended to, but thankfully we managed to avoid any traffic chaos, returning home sunburnt, sandswept, slightly sweaty and shattered. But it was worth it.
And to top it all off, the event is entirely FREE. Yes, that's right. FREE! I'll definitely be back next year – and I hope to see you there!
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