| Bakes, Books And My Boys

A Harry Potter Christmas Day out!

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Wahoo Christmas my favourite time of year and include into that one of my favourite places and you have a match made in heaven!

Christmas Time at the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour! From the 18^th November through to 28^th January you can indulge in that glorious world of JK Rowling’s again and experience Christmas time at Hogwarts. Now is the time to discover how the film-makers created fire, ice and snow which never melts. You’ll have the chance to see the most Iconic of the film sets decorated for the festive scenes. The Great Hall, Gryffindor common room and the majestic Hogwarts castle model will all be transformed!

The Great Hall will for the first time ever transformed into the beautiful Yule Ball from the Goblet of Fire! Sculptures, Christmas Trees and an orchestra of magical instruments will be a small glimpse of what’s on display.

Personally, this is my favourite of year to visit the Studio Tours as just everything is touched and decorated with the magic of Christmas! Having been at different time of the year I would say whether it’s your first time visiting or a repeat visit this is a must see! Every visit there is something new to take in – the forest is just amazing, the magic of the great hall, Dumbledore’s office, well you name it! There’s a reason it has such a high TripAdvisor rating!

My Top Tips for going:

Booking in advance is a must!

Book for either first thing or last tour. While entrance is regulated time spent on the tour is not so the crowds are at the most in the main part of the day.

Do a film marathon beforehand! It adds so much more to the visit!

Spend time examining the small things, don’t feel rushed! I just adored flicking through Harrys Advanced Potion Making book! There aren’t words to describe the detail of magic!

Talk to the staff! They are incredible and just as much huge fans of the films as all of us!

Highlights include walking through the Great Hall where so many famous scenes were shot, seeing the treasures stored in Dumbledore’s office and strolling down Diagon Alley. Tickets must be pre-booked at http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk and cannot be bought at the attraction.

lifestyle

Tiles For A Scandinavian Bathroom

Tuesday, October 03, 2017

If you’ve got a redecorating project on your hands you will have undoubtedly sifted though countless websites and interior design magazine looking for your perfect look. From this, you may have noticed one trend that stand out from all of the rest. The Scandinavian design. Focusing on simplicity, minimalism and neutral tones, the Scandinavian look is suitable for any room in any property.

The scandi look stems from an industrial chic aesthetic that incorporates softer curves and colours for a more homely feel. The key way to achieving the scandi look in your bathroom or kitchen if with the use of tiles. The tiles are the centre point of your design and allow you to build and work around their incredible look. With a few clever and simple design tricks, you too can get this great look.

White Square Tiles

Simple and sweet, a white square tile can give you the start to that gorgeous finish in your bathroom or kitchen. The square tile gives the classic and timeless look that will ultimately give you an advantage when it comes to selling on in the future. The white colour gives you that monochromatic look that the scandi look requires but also gives you a clean cut and modern feel too. White square tiles tend to be manufactured in either porcelain or ceramic making them a cheaper alternative too - ideal if you’re on a budget, and who isn’t really!

White Metro Tiles

Undoubtedly, the metro tile will instantly transform your bathroom or kitchen in to a retro wonderland. The metro tile has a rich history thanks to its heavy use on the London Underground in the early 1900s. Since then, they earned themselves the vintage status that makes them great for any kind of industrial look. For an authentic metro tile look you ideally want to look for a metro with a gloss finish. The gloss gives you a beautiful shine that can help smaller rooms appear larger and also makes cleaning that bit easier. Top tip, couple a white metro tile with a darker or black floor for a strong contrasting look that will make your floor space look larger and your walls seem taller. Great for smaller bathrooms or kitchens in particular.

Hexagon Tiles

An unexpected frontrunner lately is the hexagon tile. Favoured for its geometric shape, the hexagon tile gives your wall or floor a beautiful sense of fluidity and pattern. If you’re looking for something a little unusual and eye-catching, the hexagon tile is perfect. Paired with a contrasting grout colour to make the unique shape really pop, the hexagon tile is great for scandi homes.

Wood Effect Tiles

Finally, if you’re wanting something a little more Germanic in appearance, opt for a wood effect tile. These tiles give you that stunning wood effect in appearance, but offer all of the practical benefits of a tile. This really is the best of both worlds tile and is ideal for getting the Scandinavian look. It’s warmth and rustic feel can immediately improve the overall aesthetic of your bathroom or kitchen for a more sophisticated design.

Pair any of these tiles with natural coloured accessories such as towels or place mats to round off the look with a slightly softer feel. Think exposed metals, potted plants and natural colours for a winning combination. The Scandinavian look is popular for one key reason, it’s simplicity. You don’t need to splash the cash to get this look which is what makes it so appealing. So there you have it, a few simple ways of transforming your home with some cheap tiles that won’t break the bank!

lifestyle

Southampton Boat Show

Sunday, October 01, 2017

Every year we love visiting the Southampton Boat show. I have dreams of owning a little sailing boat or an open Canadian canoe to potter up and down our local river. These dreams increase dramatically when September comes up and the boat show comes into full force. We’ve been going regularly for the last 10 years and love it!

One of the things I love so much about the shows (head up to London in January!) is how much there is to see and do! Aside from the large beautiful yachts for the millionaire there is the chance to try out all kinds of different sailing activities, including the increasingly popular paddle boarding! And of course, you can try out a mini cruise experience on the Ocean Scene. There are food stalls all the way round and of course champagne!

The boys favourite is to head to the restored wooden ships and explore these. I think they both adore the tall ships too and love the idea of going on a holiday tour on these when they are older. It’s such an amazing day out with the kids as they get to explore and try out new experiences. Its lovely to see the boys chatting to the charity boats and finding out more about the world then they see in our little part of Sussex. Obviously, it’s very nice as well to head on board the sunseekers and figure out exactly which one you’d go for when your lottery numbers appear!

This year was no different and the weather was superb as well! The trade stands are amazing to wonder through and I would leave a good hour or two for this alone! From the folding bikes by Bickerton – which are great for camping not just boats to the gorgeous Marine Super Store whose clothes are perfect for the outdoors all year round. They very kindly gave us tickets to visit this years show and I’ll be popping up to say to them in London this year as they are so friendly and knowledgeably it’s a delight to stop and chat!

So why not head to London after the rush and excitement of Christmas has passed this year and attempt a new sailing sport and see which boat tugs at your heart strings?

drusillas

Halloween at Drusillas!

Saturday, September 30, 2017

Just down the road from us is one of the best parks we’ve ever been to – Drusillas! A cross between a zoo for children a play park it’s a complete day out guaranteed to thrill and exhaust your children. We visit fairly often during the year and our favourite times are when they run their events.

We have visited with the boys from when they were aged 3 up to my 10yr old now and have taken grown up cousins and friends who have adored it and sent the day there as well. There’s really something for everyone. So aside from the fabulous animal Olympic you can part take in, the amazing playground to go crazy in, the soft play to burn off even more energy if it’s wet or cold Drusillas are hosting this half term Shriek Week.

Drusillas Halloween events are always worth a visit. My eldest still talks about our visit from three years ago. He was in the maze – Edens Eyes and there was an ancient mummy on the loose and quite frankly I think it was one of the best 10 minutes he’s ever had! It’s up at school on his board as one of this top ten experiences.

Throughout the whole of the park are different Halloween events going on. In among the animals you have the discovery centre where you can meet some amazing monsters – I avoided it I have to admit as the boys with their daddy zoomed in on what in my mind were very scary spiders and insects. I personally headed to the parlour with the youngest who indulged in some spooky face painting and a gingerbread black cat! Beats creepy crawlies any day of the week.

If you need EVEN more than all of that then I suggest you head down on Wednesday 25^th October! Scooby Doo the best crime solving dog around will be coming to meet all you budding detectives!

Top Tips:

Arrive early. Drusillas is lovely and large but you don’t want to queue and quite frankly you might as well spend the whole day! Theres plenty to see!

Get your kids their own free Olympic animals booklet. They love seeing what animal they weigh the same as and also how loud they can shriek!

Book in advance: They have a fabulous online price squeezer to get you the cheapest available entry to the zoo on your day of choice. You can save up to £14 booking in advance.

Take note of the animal feeding times and plan your days activities around them.

HAVE FUN! It’s a great place to visit!

lifestyle

Morning Rush Breakfasts

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Like many family’s with school children around the UK mornings are manic. Do matter how prepared we are the night before hand the following day we are on the run. This makes me quite cross in winter and autumn when the mornings damp and cold and the kids need something a little more in their tummy before they start school.

Now you might like me remember when we were children there was a tv advert which sent children off to school with a glow in their tummy? It was of course the fabulous Ready Brek! We try no matter everyone’s schedule to have breakfast together and I do prefer to give them something warm and filling. It’s a long hard slog till lunch otherwise with one heading off on a long commute and the boys having a full morning of school. This is where my 30+ long years of love with Ready Brek comes into force! It is so unbelievable versatile and there is a different option for every one of us. With me and youngest as well suffering from not being able to have gluten most cereal brands and morning breakfasts aren’t an option and those that are left are heaving in sugars! Ready Brek is a rare cereal which aside from having NO added salt or sugar it also is provided with Vitamin Bs & D and calcium!

36 years of warming me!

So how do we have ours? Well a firm favourite here of course is to have it the traditional quick way of just 30g of Ready Brek, topped up with 150ml milk (water for us milk for the boys) and in less than 90 seconds you have a steaming hot bowl ready for you! Being smooth the boys never quibble about it and we go the extra and top it with grapes and honey! One of their five a day and they don’t even notice it!

At the weekends when we have a little more time we have been known to yank out the maple syrup a dear friend bought back from Canada and make up Ready Brek pancakes! They are incredibly simple. Again just 30g Ready Brek, 2 eggs, 1/2tsp honey & 50ml of milk! Whisk and cook up and serve with warmed maple syrup and raspberries for a truly scrumptious weekend treat!

So how do you take yours? In a smoothie? Bread? Protein Balls or traditional? Take a look at the Ready Brek site for more ideas & recipes or share yours below!