Queen of the castle!

It was such a beautiful day yesterday, so we decided it was the perfect time to visit Corfe Castle. We've driven past its stunning ruins on numerous occasions so it was nice to get up close to this ancient building. And once we'd walked the half mile or so to it, we were rewarded not just with the castle, but the amazing views its position offered.


I'm not a history buff, but Corfe Castle has a rich and varied background that we all found fascinating. From siblings fighting over the throne to imprisonment to being a favourite of the rich and powerful, its seen it all.


And the view was spectacular. We could see Poole, Bournemouth, the Purbecks. I love Dorset for its coast, but the country element of our stunning county shouldn't be overlooked either.


There was enough to amuse D1, who happily followed the shield trail, did brass rubbings, clambered over stones/hills/stairs and exhausted herself (hurrah!) And she was pretty chuffed with the medal she received for her hard work too!




 

Do you wanna build a snowman? Er, no…

It seems that since Christmas most places around the country had experienced snowfall of some kind. I was hoping that we'd avoid it being so far South, so you can imagine the look on my face when my hubby told me we'd had snow this morning… 

Let me make one thing clear. I don't like snow. Actually, I don't like cold. I am NOT a winter person. I like hot weather, hot holidays, summer clothes and the feel of the sun on my face. I do not like not being able to feel my toes, wrapping up in 20 layers and not being able to get out in my garden. I think I've made my point.

So the fact that we'd had a couple of inches of snow overnight was not met with joy by me this morning. Unlike some, I was praying that the school would be open and the sun would come out and melt the snow away. (I got both my wishes, hurrah!) Sadly D1 hasn't inherited my hatred of the wet stuff and gleefully pelted me with snowballs ALL THE WAY TO SCHOOL. 

I then attempted to go somewhere 10 minutes away in the car. It took me 30 minutes. 

I'd diligently cleared ALL the snow off my vehicle, unlike some muppets who could barely see through their snow-covered windscreens. 

On the way home, my car slid across some ice. 

Then the sun came out and melted it all away.

YAY!

So much to do, so little time

Obviously I had all good intentions of blogging regularly and brilliantly when the year kicked off, and like many resolutions, it's obviously slightly waned… There just never seem to be enough hours in the day. I don't think my time management is especially poor, but I do have a little lady who likes to power nap, so unlike some mums, I don't get to enjoy a two-hour stint to get things done. If I get over 30 minutes, I count myself lucky! But what I end up doing while she's snoozing is madly trying to squeeze what I can into that time and being reluctant to start any job that's too big, because I may end up leaving it unfinished.

Somehow I managed to work four days a week, keep a household fairly in check and still find time to go out and have fun. These days I'm working sporadically in the evenings, my house looks like a bomb's hit it most of the time and I spend my evenings thinking I'll get lots achieved then find myself dozing off in front of the TV far too early.

Am I the only time-poor mum out there? And what are your tips for keeping on top of things, other than bribing the grandparents to give you some time off from time to time?! Please share! 

So that was Christmas!

The tree at Mottisfont

Wowsers, how fast did that time go? 
I hope everyone enjoyed the break. We certainly took advantage of the whole family having the time off to do a bit more exploring, not just of our beautiful county, but some neighbouring ones too.

Rather than write a HUGE post about all the things we did and places we went, I thought I'd write a series of smaller ones – easier for you all to digest!

And what better way to start than with a couple of gems in Britain's heritage crown…

Kingston Lacy/Mottisfont
We had a couple of days visiting some of the national treasures owned by the National Trust. And if anyone's got the traditional Christmas celebrations sussed, it's the NT. 

So our trip to Kingston Lacy, just outside of Wimborne, saw us meeting Santa in a shepherd's hut. I'd really fretted about where to meet the big man, but this was such a simple, stylish setting. Santa was wonderful, the girls got a small token gift and we all came away happy. But the fun didn't end there. We got to add links to what was intended to be the world's longest paper chain, play with traditional toys, stud a clementine with cloves for scenting our home, sample biscuits and wines and do some Christmas crafting. On top of all this, we then followed a 12 Days Of Christmas-themed trail around the grounds (which was lit up from dusk although we left before that time). It was cold and wintry, but that just added to the festive feeling.

Paper theatre

A trip to Mottisfont, near Romsey in Hampshire, was just as Christmassy. We'd gone to enjoy the Nutcracker Christmas exhibition, thinking it would be great for D1. And we were right. Like Kingston Lacy, Mottisfont is a beautiful estate, but this time we were able to explore both inside and outside the house. There was the most stunning Christmas tree, paper theatres, automata (that's mechanical toys to you and I) and more crafting. Festive fun aside, we also got to have fun by the river and check out the second-hand bookshop (where I got some great bargains for when I finally finish my reading list!). 

Snow geese

Sweets!

Both places felt wonderfully quaint, traditionally British and were highly enjoyable. We're looking forward to returning for some more fun in the spring/summer and seeing the gardens in all their glory!

For more about both properties, see nationaltrust.org.uk.

Hansel & Gretel

Hansel & Gretel

I love going to the theatre, it's one of the things I miss most about London, but thankfully Poole has a really amazing one with some great shows on the bill. And just like visiting Christmas lights and seeing Father Christmas is a tradition, so too is a trip to the theatre at this time of year.

Last year we watched – and loved – Lighthouse's Christmas show, The Night Before Christmas, so this year we eagerly booked tickets for Hansel and Gretel in the Studio, which is aimed at 3-8 year olds. And I'm so glad we did because it was fabulous!

We all know the story of the siblings who get abandoned in the woods and tempted by an evil witch and her gingerbread house, so I don't need to recap on that here. But what I will say is that the whole production was very cleverly done and aimed perfectly at its audience. 

Before the performance began, Hansel and Gretel (otherwise known as Sean Mulkerrin and Lauren Scott-Berry) ventured out into the audience, introducing themselves to the children and playing "I-Spy", which the kids absolutely loved. This helped to create a relaxed, friendly atmosphere that lasted throughout the show as the children happily shouted directions, comments and interacted with the performers (the snowball fight at the end was particularly well received, except perhaps by poor Lauren, who got hit in the face by one!). There were elements of panto ("Oh yes there were!"), songs and audience participation (we were all pretty good at being trees, birds and squelching through bogs).

"So Hansel, do you wanna build a snowman?"

My four-year-old was mesmerised and managed to sit still for almost the whole 50-minute performance (that's another good sign, when you can hold a child's concentration for a decent stint of time). Full credit goes to Sean and Lauren for putting an audience primarily of little people at ease and for their performances – I was particularly impressed by how believable their movements were when pretending to be caught in a storm. 

The show's only on until Christmas Eve, so if you fancy going, you'll need to be quick, but Forest Forge, the company behind it (www.forestforge.co.uk), will be back at Lighthouse next year – and I'll definitely be checking out another one of its shows then.

(Pictures courtesy of Lighthouse, Poole)

Let there be lights!

It's become traditional for us to go and see a spectacular street full of lights in the run-up to Christmas, mainly because we lived near an amazing one in London (Lower Morden Lane if you ever want to visit, it's awesome!). So when we moved to Dorset, we had to find somewhere similar - and luckily for us, we live not too far from the famous Runton Road, a cul-de-sac in Poole where most of the residents light up the nights leading up to Christmas for charity.

Ho Ho Ho!

We visited last year and loved it, so decided to take our annual trip last week. And it was still just as magical. We walked around with huge smiles on our faces, taking in all the spectacular sights. Even D2, who's only one, was impressed, pointing at all of them and saying "Wow!". It was a fantastic way to start the final week before Christmas and a lovely thing to do as a family. And full credit to the residents, who didn't bat an eyelid as people traipsed up and down their driveways - even while they were eating their dinner!

Runton Road residents have been lighting up Christmas for the past 23 YEARS. Wowsers! There are almost 50 houses lit up - some with simply stunning, subtle white displays, while others have gone for the Full Monty and are covered in brilliant bright colourful characters. The houses have collection tins outside for charity donations - and last year the street raised a whopping £3,720. Amazing! Not sure how much it cost the residents in electricity, but what a fantastic way to give a little something to others at this time of year.

The generosity of one homeowner was further demonstrated by his coming to the door with two boxes of candy canes and telling a group of children to make sure that every child in his garden got one to enjoy. Such a simple, kind-hearted act, but fully appreciated by all.

So I'd like to say a big thank you to Runton Road for spreading some Christmas cheer – not just to myself, my family and the other visitors, but to those who benefit through their kind and charitable act. Merry Christmas to you all!

To find out more about the Runton Road lights, see https://www.facebook.com/RuntonRoadChristmasLights

Life's a beach!

It might be winter, but that's not going to stop me from going to the beach, no way! There's no better place to be on a cold, crisp, clear day and when you live in a county that is home to some of the best beaches in the country, it seems stupid not to take advantage of what's on my doorstep.

Don't believe me? Just look at this…

I love it! That picture was taken just last week, and the beach was just as beautiful today. The sun was glinting off the sea, there was hardly anyone around, I could enjoy the stunning views of Old Harry Rocks and the Isle of Wight. On days like today, there's nothing better than wrapping up warm and taking a stroll by the seaside.

And it's so easily accessible, even with a buggy. If I wanted to, I could walk from Poole to Bournemouth to Boscombe. I'm not likely to do that, I've only got little legs, but it's nice to have the option if I want to. And even better, there are plenty of places to stop on the way, whether it's a pub or a cafe you're after. 

There's also something incredibly therapeutic about being by the sea. It calms me, it puts a spring in my step and a smile on my face. As well as putting colour in my cheeks and giving me a some exercise, of course. 

So when people ask me what I love best about Dorset, I'll always say the beach.