BLAKESLEY HALL

I've not blogged in a long time; work and school are mainly to blame, but I refuse to dwell on how little I've blogged over the last year.

Today is Good Friday so no school and no work for any of us and an ideal opportunity for A&D, who went to Blakesley Hall on a school trip, to play tour guide to Daddy on his first visit there.  It was also the perfect opportunity for me to dust my camera off and take some photos for a quick blog post.

As a bit of background Blakesley Hall is one of Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery's heritage sites.  It is a Tudor House with lovely grounds and a gem of a place.  Lucky for us it is only a ten minute drive away from home.  There are often activities for kids going on in the school holidays for next to no money and it's a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. 

Our visit today was very impromptu, but A&D had renewed enthusiasm for it since they had been on a school trip a month or so ago and they had so much fun retelling all of the things they had learned from their guide on that trip that I wish we had planned it better and gone earlier.

Here are a few snap shots of our lovely afternoon adventure.

On the Gilbertstone

Learning about Tom, Frank & May

WW1 Dress Up

WW1 Dress Up

Writing a letter, quill in hand

The Entrance

Watching the film about Tom, Frank & May

17/52 MORE EASTER HOLIDAY FUN

Milking the Cow
 

Farmer D
 

Egg Decorating
 

More Egg Decorating
 

Growing Cress
 

Cuddling Chicks
(Photo courtesy of Becketts Farm)

Dance Rosette Day

Dinosaur D

16/52 EASTER HOLIDAYS 2014

This week I have really enjoyed having you at home with me during the day and we have been so lucky to have spent lots of time in the sunshine with friends.  We went to Shirley Park, enjoyed African dancers and other fun activities at The Bridge with the Parfitts, saw the animals at Sheldon Country Park with the Edwards and took your scooters to Brueton Park and Malvern Park with Daddy.  I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as I did.

 

Making Music

Anything you can do I can do better!

Tunnel Vision

Face Painting

Easter crafting with friends

Sheldon Country Park

Scaling new heights

Stuck up a tree

Riding your trike.

Sun, sand, but no sea.

Rope Climbing

I love you!

THE CUTE FACTOR

Teeny - 92/365

I know I am biased, but to me the level of cute in this photograph is ridiculous!

 

Your daddy - cute

You - cute

Your daddy wearing you - super cute

The baby chick - cute

You daddy holding the baby chick - cute

 

Cute! Cute! Cute!  Love! Love! Love!

BIG WHEEL!

D - 92/365

Not only did we see the animals today, but also the combine harvester with wheels so big you could sit inside them.  I think this may have been your favourite thing today.

MORE CHICKENS

A - 92/365

I blogged about the chickens at school a little while ago and now we have more chickens to blog about.  Today we all went to Becketts Farm to see the chickens and the other spring animals with some of our lovely friends.  This is the second year we have done this and it is a lovely way to kill an hour in the school holidays.  Both times we have visited everybody got to hold the chickens and you and D also got to feed the lambs.  The best bit about all this though is that it is FREE!  Although you did somehow manage to persuade Daddy to buy us brunch while we there, not that he took much persuading.  I'm already looking forward to next year's visit.

EASTER TREAT (3)

Teeny - 90/365

You don't eat chocolate yet so for your first Easter you had a cuddly lamb, a rubber duck and a book for in the bath.  Most of all though you had lots of fun "helping" (read disrupting) your brother and sister with their egg hunt in the garden.

EASTER TREAT (2)

D - 90/365

Here you are, very impressed to find your Easter chocolate which had been left in your bed by the Easter Bunny as your prize for finishing the egg hunt in the garden.

EASTER TREAT (1)

A - 90/36

I wonder how many people read this post about you having a DVD as your Easter treat and secretly (or not so secretly) thought I was really tight.  Well we're not particularly religious and I can't stand how commercial and competitive all of these holidays have become so I am just not one of those parents who will ever go out and buy you ridiculous numbers of chocolate eggs.  Sorry baby, best that you know this now.

 

I had already bought you a Thorntons chocolate animal each though when I asked you to choose between a DVD and Easter chocolates on Friday, but I thought it was a good lesson for you to learn about not getting everything you want and also I wanted to use the 99p Easter Egg Hunt kit that I bought from The Works months ago as a way for you to each get your chocolate animal.  Seriously it was the best 99p I ever spent; it had masks, crayons, cardboard eggs, direction signs and cardboard baskets and thankfully you really enjoyed the activity as much as getting the actual prize at the end.

HAPPY EASTER

EASTER BONNET PARADE (2)

D - 84/365

EASTER BONNET PARADE (1)

A - 84/365

CHICK CHICK CHICK CHICK CHICKEN

A - 74/365

Here is my little chicken with the chickens that they have hatched at nursery using resources provided by Living Eggs.  All of the children (not to mention the parents and teachers) at nursery have absolutely loved this experience.