Candyfloss & Dreams

Author: Kat Candyfloss

A Taste of Bruges, Belgium – November 2015

A stunning view from the Canal Boat, you can just see the Belfry in the distance, Bruges

You may have recently read that I went on a fantastic mini-cruise with my partner of three years to celebrate our time together. During our two nights and one day in port onboard the Oceana P&O Cruise Ship we spent some of our time in the city of Bruges. Bruges is located in West Flanders, Belgium and is a beautiful city close to the seaport of Zeebruges which I believe translates into Sea Bruges. Prior to embarking, we hadn’t booked any trips or excursions and had just planned to free flow for the time we were docked in port. However, my partner decided that if we could get a last minute trip we should or we would end up coming back far too early and not really seeing any of the city. So after an early breakfast we headed to the Shore Excursions desk located on Deck 5 in the main Atrium and asked if there was any availability and ended up with the last two places on the A Taste of Bruges trip at £46 each. Excursions are notoriously expensive but I really think this was worth the money as it meant the Euro’s we had could be spent on shopping and souvenirs rather than getting a train into Bruges and waiting for shuttle buses. There were a great choice of trips including ones to Flanders Fields which would have been lovely as it was Remembrance Sunday, a trip to Ghent and also a scenic village and chocolate factory tour. All of these have made us think about booking a long weekend away in Belgium to see a bit more about what it has to offer – basically sample more chocolate and more beer!

Multi Archeticture Square in Bruges

A Taste of Bruges offers you a two-hour walking tour, a 30-minute canal boat tour and around one hour of free time. If you feel this isn’t enough and you just want to do things your own way, other excursions were basically coach transfers to and from Bruges or you could make use of the free shuttle bus which was every 20 minutes or so to the railway station where trains to Bruges were every hour and took around ten minutes. Because we got an excursion I am not sure how much the train fare would be and I feel one train every hour is not very frequent. Plus having to find your way from the rail station to the city centre might have been difficult. However, there may have been the option to rent a bicycle to ride around the city which is a very popular method of transportation. In the centre of Bruges you also have the option of having a horse and carriage ride around the city which looked beautiful. Carriages were big enough for families and would have made my daughter very happy. Bruges is mostly cobblestones so easy for little feet to slip – I did a few times – or get caught in the cracks. Pushchairs and wheelchair users might have found this difficult too, with uneven roads and pathways as well as lots of bridges with little steps.

There is quite a few references to Greek Mythology throughout Bruges, this is Pegasus

Getting into Bruges did not take long at all by coach, only around 20 minutes in fact and we had a helpful guide onboard pointing out various points of interest on the way into the city whose name I can’t remember but the coach driver was Theo and I remember that because above his seat was a ‘Theosaurous’ picture of a coloured in dinosaur which made me smile. As we walked onto the coach we were given a small box of Belgium chocolates which was a very nice thought as well as a receiver to use when on the walking tour to hear all the information clearly and a map of Bruges to use as a guide too as we were walking along. I couldn’t even begin to remember everything we were told on both the walking and canal boat tours but Bruges is a very old city with a lot of history and we were handed a lot of information that day so I would definitely recommend having a guided tour around this city if you would like to find out more information. I remember seeing a sign for the canal boat tours with the price of 8 Euros for an Adult and 4 Euros for a Child which I thought was quite reasonable for 30 minutes with a guide who was quite funny as well as informative.

The most breathtaking thing about Bruges is the stunning architecture. There are many views, sightseeing spots and a huge variety of

Some Bruges Architecture

different styles from gothic to post-modernism and you can find all these types of buildings in one square which was just so interesting to look at. There is also a church going under renovation at the moment which houses a famous statue by Michelangelo and is one of the three statues that were ever sold by him out of Italy. Another point of interest is the Church of the Holy Blood which is found in the main square with a variety of administration buildings and the old halls of justice with the most beautiful gold plated statues. We also headed over to the Markt Square which is where the Belfry is located, another beautiful piece of architecture and we arrived just as the clock struck eleven so we were able to hear all of the four tunes it plays as well as the bell chimes. The walking tour was great and the guide was full of useful, helpful and interesting information about the city.

Our first stop on the walking tour was to view the Begijnhof across the canal. It is a small community of houses that have been a home to women since 1245. The Beguines were unmarried or widowed women that wanted to live a simple life without attaching themselves to a covenant. They took two of the three vows a nun would take except the vow of poverty which meant that they still held onto their wealth and if they wanted to leave the community they were free to do so. In the 1900’s it became a Benedictine Covenant. Other posts and reviews of this little place inform that it’s a lovely place to visit in the spring when Daffodils are in bloom.

Walking through the smaller streets of shops was lovely and as it’s approaching Christmas there were some really beautiful window displays. One thing Belgium is famous for is handmade lace which women used to make to earn a living. Many shops sell lace but it’s important to find the right one if you’re looking for authentic hand-made lace – usually it comes with a higher price tag but is much better quality and with many beautiful, intricate designs. We stopped by to purchase some lace keyrings and a decoration for our Christmas tree this year as I always like to get something a little different each year. There are many small, narrow walkways through the city of Bruges and, one in particular, was an entrance into what used to be the local bathhouses which has a cheeky little picture of some of the women that used to ‘assist’ the men when there.

The walking tour took us around all the major landmarks in the city and it has definitely made me wish to go back there to actually go inside the churches and Belfry and see more of that fantastic architecture. The canal boat tour was really enjoyable too because we got to see a bit more of the city and a few other statues and landmarks that would be difficult to see by walking or that you might not notice. One thing we did see on the canal boat tour was a very cute, sleepy golden labrador who was in the film In Bruges and just so is Bruges most famous citizen. It was lovely to see him and snap up a quick picture. After our dash around the canals we had an hour to shop. We found an artisan chocolate shop for gifts and looked in a few of the Christmas shops before sitting down with a beer in the Half Moon Brewery. Two half pints of blonde Belgium beer at this Brewery was just under 7 Euros and it was lovely to just sit down and enjoy the surroundings for a few moments. My partner then went in for three other bottles of the beer to bring home and enjoy

Enjoying a beer!

and is hoping to be able to get some for Christmas too.

Everyone was really polite and the city was very clean. One thing to take into consideration when visiting, something I didn’t even think about, is you will need small change in Euros to be able to use the toilets, at least a few 50 cents or so and there we were carrying notes! Luckily we found a public loo that didn’t require payment, but then the coach station did and the prices range all over the city. We weren’t warned of any crime except to be aware of pickpockets, but this is something I am sure you would be vigilant about in any city at home or abroad. We found the shops were all reasonably priced and spent all of our 60 Euros which was more than enough for a drink, some gifts and something for ourselves too. I particularly enjoyed our little selection box of chocolates!

Bruges really is a beautiful city and I really haven’t done it justice for what is there to see. A good few hours is needed to walk around the city and that’s exactly what we had. I thought the price of the excursion was on the pricey side, however, it was worth it for all the information that was provided to us and the fact that we had two guided tours in one session was brilliant – although a lot of information and dates to take in!

Bruges Most Famous Citizen

November 11, 2015
Oceana Mini Cruise to Bruges, Belgium
Oceana in at port in Zeebruge, Belgium

There are many fantastic ways to travel and this weekend for my third anniversary with my partner we decided to take a mini-break and our chosen method of transportation was a cruise on board P&O’s Oceana. Oceana is described as a family-friendly, mid-sized ship and has a great choice of cabins to choose from. The price we paid included two nights full board on the ship with £60 onboard credit and a balcony cabin. Whilst I was trying to research the Oceana as well as get an overview of the trip and what to expect I didn’t find a review that answered all of my questions so I am going to go into as much information as I possibly can from booking through to disembarkation, therefore, this may be a little on the long side, forgive me for that!

Booking

You can book your cruise very simply on the P&O website or find a travel agent. We have booked a future cruise with Thomas Cook next August so I understand they offer a booking process with P&O. Booking online is incredibly simple process and very easy to follow. When booking a cruise with P&O you have a few options to think about, the first being which cabin you would like. You can have an inside, outside, balcony or various types of suites on most cruises and each come with a different price tag. As this was a fairly last minute booking we had the choice of a balcony or suite so we went with the former and were very happy with the price paid. The next option to look into is the flexible or select price, both come with unique options however I believe the select price is better value for money as it enables you to choose a perk from onboard spending money, car parking or coach transfer. In many cases you can also choose your cabin location which again can have incur a change in price. You then simply enter in all of your details and choose your preferred method of payment.

Cruise Personaliser

One little gem to really help personalise your holiday is the cruise personaliser which is available around 24-48 hours after booking. This system is easy to use and log on to and gives you the chance to view and book excursions, dinner reservations, little treats and luxuries such as flowers, chocolates and champagne in your room as well as view the full itinerary. It is here that you can input your passport and insurance information as well as print off e-tickets and luggage labels. We also received an information pack in the post around a week before we travelled which included more luggage labels.

Black Tie night – dressing for dinner

What to Pack & Luggage Allowance

You will need black tie formal dress as well as smart casual clothes for every evening and comfortable layers during the day. I would advise keeping suits in a suit bag to prevent creasing although there is an onboard laundrette we didn’t find the iron particularly brilliant as it didn’t seem to get hot and leaked a lot of water. Having to have a lot of extra clothes can really impact on the 20kg per case allowance, especially if you are travelling for a longer period of time. However, you can take as many cases on board as you like as they are not stored anywhere, just taken to your room for you. Small cases can pass as hand luggage and can also be taken on board. I think it’s very handy to not have huge restrictions on luggage as you really do need to have a wardrobe of choices.

Check In and Embarking

We had to check in at Dock 10, Mayflower Terminal for 2pm as presented on our e-tickets. Once we arrived we gave our luggage to the baggage handlers and headed inside the terminal which has a bar for hot and alcoholic drinks as well as clean toilets and plenty of seating space. You are handed a card with a letter which when called allows you to join the line for check in. At check in you will have your photograph taken and boarding pass handed to you which you will need every time you want to place an order for drink, extra food or other purchases onboard as well as when you enter or leave the ship at any port. I found this to be a really smooth process and we were checked in and through security and onto the ship within around 40 minutes of arriving at the terminal.

The beautiful Atrium on Oceana, view from Deck 7

First Impressions

You enter Oceana at Deck 5 where the Atrium is located. It is an absolutely stunning place to enter and provides you with many ‘oh’ and ‘ahh’ moments. Photographers were on hand for embarkation portraits as well as information being handed out from the Oasis Spa team. I thought walking into the Atrium was breathtaking with a stunning water feature, palm trees and arrangements of Lillies around the stairways and base of the two glass elevators that went up to Deck 8. We went ahead to find our cabin which was very smooth going and easy to find. We were impressed by the amount of storage and cleanliness of the cabin and enjoyed a little sit down on our balcony looking out at Southampton before unpacking and heading off to explore the rest of the ship.

Ship Facilities
- Floodlights Theatre
  Theatre onboard Oceana Ship
- Spotlights Stage
- Sports Pub
- Nightclub
- Champagne Bar
- Costa Coffee
- Gallery
- Spa
- Gym
- Laundrette
- Shops
- Buffet
- Pool Bar
- Swimming Pool
- Jacuzzis
- Sun Deck
- Golf
The Cabin

Our Balcony Cabin

As I mentioned above we had a balcony cabin to enjoy which was lovely, spacious and had plenty of storage. The only thing I didn’t like, and this is just personal due to sensitive skin, is I really don’t like the feeling of ‘crisp linen’ which I know a lot of people love. It was clean, comfortable but my skin, particularly elbows and knees can’t cope with linen so I had to wear long pj’s which got quite hot at night. Luckily the air-con was fully functional so I was able to keep cool. In the room was a desk and stool, TV and cabinet, a side table and on the balcony was two chairs and a small table. Included in the cabin was a kettle, hair dryer, TV, various tea and coffee and a clean shower room with shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and soap. Everything you would expect in a hotel room and a bowl of mints too. Also included in the cabin was a phone which can be used to call friends and family as well as other cabins on the shop and all other contacts from booking dinner reservations to room service. Each day you are given the Horizon which is the ship newspaper. This includes a day timetable of all activities, information about music, shows and films that may be on throughout the day as well as the shops, bars and restaurant opening hours. Room service was available 24 hours a day and usually with you within 30 minutes although the menu was very limited and our food wasn’t particularly hot when received however it didn’t really have that much of a negative impact on our trip. I was impressed by the cabin as it was bright, clean and despite the linen the beds were really comfortable with each bed having two pillows which seems to be rare or something to ask for in most hotels. The bathroom amenities were really lovely too, although, I have to say we didn’t get much use out of the included shower cap. Speaking of showers, it was relatively powerful and the temperature was easy to adjust to something comfortable. I wasn’t too impressed with the hairdryer but it did it’s job so I can’t complain too much. The Horizon newsletter was incredibly helpful as it included information on the dress code that evening and a little bit of info on the shows that were available that evening. On the last night before disembarkation, you are

Our Wake Me Up Room Service Breakfast

provided with information on where you need to go and what to do with luggage.

In the cabin information pack you will find a ‘wake me up with’ leaflet which I thought was a really nice touch. You could simply select a time and the foods you wanted which included fruit juices, fresh fruit, continental meats and pastries. We decided on a small selection to wake us up with including fresh coffee, orange juice and some fresh figs which came around 7am and made us get up ready for the day in port. It was nicely presented and tasted lovely.

The Staff

The staff in the Ligurian restaurant were fantastic, polite, welcoming and attentive and when in the bars or lounges waiter service was efficient but no one was very personal which was a shame however perhaps this is down to the short length of the cruise there wasn’t really time to get to know the people who are there to assist you and, therefore, didn’t really make me feel the tip we decided to keep on the account was worth paying. Tipping is automatically added at the end of the cruise at £5 per person per day and this is the rule for all P&O ships. This can be altered by speaking to reception or removed altogether and tips offered to individuals if you prefer.

The Food

Trio of Fish starter from the Gala Menu in the Freedom dining restuarant

The food was fantastic especially on our first night which just so happened to be the black tie evening. Black tie evenings include a six-course Gala dinner menu. Depending on whether you have club or freedom dining you simply head to the restaurant at your time and give your details to be seated. The chairs were pulled out for me, napkins were placed and a waiter was quickly over with water and a choice of white or brown bread rolls. On the table there is butter and houmous available to use for your bread which made for a nice choice. We then placed our drink orders from the wine list which featured a great range of reds, rose and whites and all priced by the glass in pounds. You find this all over the ship actually so it makes keeping up with your account really easy rather than converting money over from dollars or euros. The drinks are very fairly priced in my opinion, and often similar to what you would expect to pay in a restaurant, bar or pub here. We both had a small glass of red wine each and with the provided water it was more than enough for the entire meal. You could also mix and match between the set menu and the choices menu which was fantastic as it gave you a chance to try something new. I started my meal with a mushroom and shallot risotto with red wine sauce which was really tasty and seasoned beautifully whilst Adam went for a trio of fish which was very well presented. We both followed with Asparagus soup, champagne sorbet and a medium-rare beef wellington which was so tender and mouthwateringly good. The only disappointment was the knives weren’t particularly sharp which made it a bit difficult to cut food. We asked for steak knives which were a little better but still it is hard to look delicate when you are literally trying

Main Course of Beef Wellington cooked Medium Rare

to saw through a piece of cauliflower. I am surprised I didn’t come out with sauce all over me. However, this didn’t impact on the presentation or the taste of food, it was just fantastic.

Breakfast on Sunday was spent in the buffet restaurant which was nice and had a great choice of both hot and cold foods. The only thing I would have liked to see is identification on what some of the pastries were so I could decide what to have rather than guessing as I picked up something I didn’t particularly enjoy at the table. There were plenty of juices, coffee and around nine different flavours of tea to choose from. After our excursion, we had lunch in Cafe Jardin which is situated at the very top of the Atrium and in the evening becomes one of the select dining venues which require a cover charge. However, lunch is free and includes a small light bites menu and salad and dessert buffet. There were plenty of sandwiches available as well as some interesting lunch alternatives. I had the goats cheese and hazelnut tart with a side of salad and Creme Fraiche salsa whilst Adam had a sirloin steak baguette. We also took advantage of the buffet salads although didn’t get to try a dessert as we fancied afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea was probably the biggest disappointment. It’s only 45 minutes and very rushed

Afternoon Tea is from 4pm until 4.45pm

because it’s quite close to dinner time and they need to get the tables ready for dinner. There was a selection of cakes of which I tried a lemon drizzle cake however they were taken away very quickly so we didn’t really get a chance to look at any others let alone try one. Tea was poured as soon as we sat down which was nice but we didn’t get to choose which type of tea to drink, which I thought was the whole point. We were offered a choice of three sandwiches which were chicken, cheese and pickle or houmous and then a scone, crumpet or tea cake. Despite having many afternoon tea’s before I wasn’t trying to compare but this was rushed in a bad way and made uncomfortable like we were inconveniencing the staff. Because of this I don’t really understand why it was offered and thought perhaps it would be easier if it were a little earlier to stop such a rush between tea and dinner. Either way it was something to experience and hopefully we will get to experience it in a more pleasant environment onboard Azura in August next year. You can read more about my favourite afternoon tea and some very nice tea rooms I visited recently. The room service menu was also a little disappointing and limited as sometimes the food arrived cold. Some of the nicer options were unavailable on the ship as well which seemed a shame but then room service is only supposed to provide snacks.

Enjoying a Kir Royale

On our last morning, we decided to have breakfast in the Ligurian which had a small continental and hot breakfast menu. Each day hosted a special and on Monday it was eggs benedict which was really tasty. I had this with a nice, hot cup fo English breakfast tea and the smoothie of the day which was delicious. Breakfast was served hot and promptly with polite service.

Going Ashore

Once in port you can then go ahead to your excursion meeting point at the given time. We went with A Taste of Bruges which was fantastic and we managed to get the last two spots. You may need your passport when going ashore and this will be detailed in the Horizon newsletter. You will also need your cruise card to be scanned when leaving and coming back. When you do come back onboard all your bags will be scanned through security to make sure you haven’t purchased anything illegal.

Leaving the Ship

Following the instructions on the newsletter in the evening, we decided to take all our luggage down the gangway rather than placing it in the hold which meant we left the terminal very quickly. Waiting around took a while but leaving the ship was very easy. For those that had luggage taken off the ship it was available in the baggage reclaim area and sorted by deck so relatively easy to find everything.

Final Thoughts

Overall we had an amazing anniversay weekend on board the Oceana and had a fantastic day in Bruges. The ship was beautiful, clean and had a lot going on. I wish we had caught up with the entertainment rather than going to bed so early but we still had a great time and I would reccomend a mini cruise to anyone. I am glad we got to try lots of different things and sample what a cruise would be like and it has made me even more excited for our longer trip to Norway next year.

Cheers!
November 10, 2015
Glamping at Warwick Castle

Glamping at Warwick Castle was so much fun! We decided to go for my daughters 5th birthday and we find days out a always a big hit. It was our first experience of glamping and we had a really great time! After our night of fun we headed home for a little bit of a birthday party with friends and family.

Why Warwick Castle

We like to try and do something different each year for my daughters birthday and we booked Warwick Castle in June to visit this September when she turned 5. We thought it would be good for her age and a nice way to celebrate her birthday before she starts school. I like that Tussauds are bringing in more hotel or overnight options to their attractions as I think you get more out of visiting for two days and arrival and departure times can be a little more relaxed. We took a good look at what was on so we had an idea of what we wanted to see and do before our trip.

Warwick Castle is situated in Warwick, Warwickshire and really is a beautiful place to visit. There is plenty of parking which comes at a cost however we came by train. The train station is about fifteen minutes walk from the castle itself and it’s a relatively easy walk through the town centre and quite clearly signposted.

Arrival & Activity

When we got there I displayed my email confirmation at the ticket office and we were allowed straight through to enjoy the day. Check in for the glamping village wasn’t until 4pm so we went straight into the main grounds where a fire alarm had just gone off so we needed to wait a bit before going into the actual castle courtyard. We arrived at around 12noon so first headed off to the Horrible Histories live stage show which is situated at the Riverside Arena. There isn’t any seating so we had to sit on the grass on a hill, we were quite close to the top and had a good enough view.

After this we watched the Birds of Prey show at 1.30pm and 3.30pm, having lunch in between and then checking in. We walked through the Peacock garden to get to the glamping village which was very pretty. The second day we spent at Princess Tower, Bear Tower, watched the Bowman Show, had a bit of fun in the medieval village and had a walk along the ramparts. We didn’t take part in the dungeons tour as my daughter was a bit too young and missed out on Time Tower but that’s just another excuse to go again. There is also the Rose Garden which looked beautiful and a playground for children.

Shows & Towers
The first show we saw was the Horrible Histories show which was brilliant. It was a really fun way of educating guests old and young about the history of Warwick Castle incorporating many daytime TV celebrities. The actors were very funny and got the crowd involved nicely. It kept my daughter occupied for the duration of the show as well even though she didn’t know who was being impersonated, I think she laughed because we were laughing but she was mesmerised by the music and activity on stage.

The Birds of Prey show was really fantastic. We watched both because each has different birds flying and it was great to learn a little bit about them and watch them in flight. There were vultures, stellar sea eagles, bald eagles, and owls. Each show displayed about five birds and showed them flying quite incredibly in and out of the arena.

We caught the Bowman show the next morning which was brilliant and the whole crowd got involved with shouting commands. The resident Bowman is an excellent shot shooting at a target across the river. He gave a nice little history lesson on Longbows too which was really interesting.

The Princess Tower is just perfect for children and my daughter loved it. It is on a one child to one adult ratio and you go in small groups. The tower is beautifully decorated and tells you the story of Guy of Warwick. You need to solve the mystery with the princess and my daughter loved this especially. It was a nice birthday treat for her to be called Princess for twenty minutes. They had a beautiful photo album available for £15 which I would have loved to get and will have to get it again next time.

The Bear Tower is really interesting and a small piece of history too with a little surprise waiting for you underneath.

My partner and daughter walked up along the ramparts and up and down the tower which was amazing as it was over 500 steep steps and they both came out sweating. This isn’t really suitable for wheelchairs and prams and guests need to be able to walk unaided. There are plenty of warnings for this and it is a one-way road so once you’re up you can only keep going forward. I was amazed my daughter did the whole walk to be honest as it’s quite a big ask for a five-year-old but she enjoyed the views from the top.

On the first day we had lunch at the Coach House Resturant in the Stables Courtyard at the entrance which was really good value and had things like burgers, sandwiches, jacket potatoes and other light bites on offer. For the four of us it was less than £30 which was ideal for lunch. Some of the food carts were quite expensive when it came to drinks so it made the Quencher really good value at only £5. I believe there is also an All Day Dining option which allows you to eat wherever you want throughout the day.

Need to Know

We visited Warwick Castle 02.09.2015-03.09.2015 staying in the glamping village.

Price Paid: £218.80 for 3 adults and 1 child (5 years old)

Price Included: One night stay in a glamping tent (beds, linen, fluffy blankets, storage chest, entertainment, all you can eat buffet dinner and breakfast, two days entry in the castle, parking – although we went by train)

Opening Times: 10am-5pm

Extra’s – Dungeons tour, similar to the London/Blackpool/Edinburgh Dungeons – £9 per ticket holder. Not suitable for under 10’s.

Glamping – Bird of Prey experience £5 each.
Archery, Knight School – up to £5 per ticket holder, free at Glamping Village if staying overnight.

Facilities – Plenty of toilets, some with ramp access, fairly clean.

Food & Drink – Can get a Quencher for £5 for unlimited soft drink refills throughout the day. Restaurants and food carts all around, some better value for money than others.

Shopping – One large gift shop at the entrance and a few tents in the courtyard and on the way to the Riverside Arena.

Glamping
I’ve never been glamping before and I haven’t been in a tent for a very long time so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. What we found was the tents sleep four people very comfortably with space for a travel cot and air bed on the floor too. We had a storage chest, mirror, table and two stalls to use as well as a bin. We were situated at the farthest point in the glamping village but still close enough to toilets and the banquet tent. If you want to see more photos and another review on Glamping at Warwick Castle see what Zena’s Suitcase had to say.

Check In
Checking in is very simple you just need your name and they give you your tent number. A member of staff walks you to the tent and unzips it for you, pointing out where everything is on the way. There are toilets, showers and a designated smoking area. The staff were really friendly and helpful as we booked our Bird of Prey experience for the evening and confirmed our sitting for dinner that night.

The Tent
We were really happy with the size of the tent and found the beds very comfortable. An extra fluffy blanket was provided too for added warmth although it was very, very cold. It rained, which didn’t help keep the cold out but the tents are completely waterproof so nothing got wet. If we had travelled by car I probably would have brought slippers, extra blankets and dressing gowns too to keep warm at night.

Entertainment
The entertainment was really fantastic. The only thing we paid for was to hold an owl which was amazing. His name was Alan and he was 14 weeks old. I loved this and thought it was well worth the £5 each as he flew straight on my arm and we had plenty of pictures taken.

We also had a go at Archery. Evie hit all four of her arrows on the target with a little help from the staff and I had a go on the Crossbow which is for over 16’s. I had two bolts to use and was the first one to explode the apple that night prompting my boyfriend to become a little fearful of me…should a crossbow ever be in reach! He had a go with the Longbow and had four arrows to shoot. Knight School and Jester School was also available and looked like a lot of fun.

Food
The banquet tent has a huge range of food. A nice soup and plenty of choices for children and adults. I had some roast pork with apple sauce, piri piri chicken, chips, bread rolls and some soup too. All really delicious. There was soft drinks, water, juice and tea and coffee available 24 hours as well which was great when you needed to warm up in the tent or a midnight sip of water.

We had a fantastic time at Warwick Castle and I loved how attentive the staff were. Evangeline had happy birthday sung to her at dinner, where a pudding pile was brought out to her without any prompting, at breakfast on her birthday, in the medieval village by the Cook, Jester and Maud (who took a liking to Evie’s toy dog and Princess Sword) and was wished a happy birthday by the Princess in the tower which she loved. Everyone made her feel very special which was just fantastic and the experience of seeing her so happy was incredible. Well worth every penny spent.

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September 5, 2015
How To Make Fairy Dough

Kids are pretty hard to entertain all the time and so I find I am always looking for something for us to do at home. I wanted to learn how to make a quick and easy play dough for my daughter now that we have more time together and I’m working at home.

A scroll through Facebook brought me to this wonderful blog Laughing Kids Learn with this page in particular…a recipe for fairy dough using only three ingredients. Brilliant, because I am pretty rubbish at doing the home making/baking kinda stuff so this sounded fab and I couldn’t wait to try it out with Mini Kat.

Making Fairy Dough is so simple and great to do together. The measurements are in ‘cups’ and we have a measurement that allows us to do cups but the recipe is pretty flexible in that you can add more if it needs more.
You will need one cup of conditioner, 2.5 cups of cornflour and a little food colouring. You can even add a little glitter if you want to make it really sparkly, like we did. I didn’t get many great pics of the progress but do head over to the blog I found the activity on so you can see fantastic images of what the dough is supposed to look like! Our experience is below.

Mini Kat absolutely loved getting hands on with this one. We used the Alberto Balsam pomegranate shampoo because it was pink in colour and smelled really nice and fruity.

Mini Kat got really involved which is just great as she was ale to feel the texture changing from wet to crumbly as she added the cornflour to the conditioner and gave it a good mix.

You need to give the dough a really good knead here and make sure the ingredients are fully combined. Then if you need to make it a little more wet and stick together better, add a touch more conditioner, if you want to dry it out, use more cornflour.

Mini Kat absolutely loved this activity and we need to do it again, perhaps with some different colours and different smells. It probably hasn’t turned out perfect, but it was our first attempt at doing something special together and I am looking forward to the summer months being full of fun activities for us to do both inside and out. I will be going back to Laughing Kids Learn to check out more activities for us to do together.

May 5, 2015
Thai Style Coconut Soup

One of my favourite places to eat in my hometown of Andover is Siam Orchid which is a tiny hidden gem of a Thai Resturant. The food they make is fresh, tasty, vibrant and delicious. The staff are friendly and it’s pretty reasonably priced to be honest. We haven’t been for a while but when we do go we opt for the all you can eat menu which is four amazing courses for about £20 per person and you can have as much as you like per course. The courses include starters, shredded duck, soup and then a main course. My favourite on the menu is the Coconut Soup which comes with either chicken, prawns or vegetables. It is delicious. I have been back several times trying a few new things but always enjoying the soup.

Just after Christmas I went around clearing my kitchen cupboards and moving things around and found a recipe book for soups and amongst these recipes was a Thai-style coconut chicken noodle soup. Yesterday I decided to take it upon myself to try this recipe out and see if it tasted the same. None of the ingredients seemed like they would be very expensive and some of them are key ingredients in other Asian flavours. I am looking forward to trying new foods this year as part of project 52. I did have to adapt the recipe a little as couldn’t find Spring Onions, Coriander, Lemongrass or Lime Leaves and I substituted the chicken for turkey, just because it’s cheaper and used the grind of a lime and a lemon, plus the juice. I also used dry noodles rather than the straight to wok kind and didn’t make my own stock but even with those few shortcuts it was still pretty much made fresh and was very, very tasty.

Elli O.

To make you need:
2tbsps sunflower oil,
3 shallots finely chopped,
4 green chillies seeded and chopped,
2 tsp grated fresh root ginger (I used ‘sushi ginger’),
2 garlic cloves crushed,
2 lemongrass stalks chopped,
4 kaffir lime leaves shredded,
400ml coconut milk,
800 ml chicken stock,
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces or your choice of protein – I used turkey
85g baby corn quartered lengthways,
200g fine wheat noodles,
1-2tbsp Thai fish sauce (smells a bit like feet – but doesn’t taste bad, I promise!)
Juice of 1 lime,
bunch of spring onions sliced
and a handful of fresh coriander.

Method
I added the oil to a saucepan and then added the chopped garlic and shallots with the turkey whilst cooking the noodles in the stock – I used a stock cube to make this with boiling water. I then added the chillies, ginger and vegetables to the chicken or turkey, juice and rind of the lemon and lime and once the noodles were fully cooked I added the stock and noodles to the turkey.

I then added the fish sauce and coconut milk and gave it a good stir keeping it simmering the whole time. All together it probably took about 45 minutes to prepare and cook and I was incredibly pleased with the result.

It tasted very nice and I went on to have seconds, and then thirds later that night. Ours was enough for about four servings however the recipe can be very easily adapted to serve more people. I’m going to experiment a bit more and then come up with a perfect Thai menu to share with some family and friends.

January 5, 2014