What's the Deal?

 On a warm August day, we headed to Deal to be near the sea, absorb some history,  not too far from London and enjoy the last few days of summer. 

We first headed to Walmer Castle and Gardens.  Free for English Heritage members, this is a nice little castle built by Henry VIII vital in the military phase of the country, a 20mins walk along the sea from Deal town centre. It is also where the Duke of Wellington lived and died with the actual bedroom where he died with the original furniture and books. The castle had beautiful gardens to stroll in. The playground wasn't much but plenty of space for kids to run or play hide-and-seek.

We ten walked back towards Deal to Deal Castle which overlooks the beach. This is free for English Heritage members. It may look like it doesn't offer much but oh boy, did it offer so much fun and things to do for kids! The kids at the beginning didn't want to explore so they sat on a bench while I went to look around. I first headed to the underground tunnels which was dark but so cool to walk around and a bit creepy. I then headed to the rest of the castle to see the history. I enjoyed it so much that I came back to my kids and encouraged to explore the castle. It was such a good idea because they loved it especially the underground tunnels!

We then spend some time on Deal beach. This was a pebble beach and with the sewage debate, didn't swim in it but it was nice to sit, have an ice cream and chill. The beach also had lots of quirky boats which made for some nice photo opportunities.  We also walked on the pier and see some fishing happening in front of us.

This rounded up our Deal trip. It was such a nice and chilled day which costs us less than £20 including travel and food!

Chasing waterfalls in Wales

 As you know, if you 've been following my blog long enough, that we love waterfalls. It's free to do and good for your health. As our summer plans got cancelled, I was lost as everything was so expensive even within England. Then, through the waterfall group I follow on Facebook, one place came coming back again and again, the 4 waterfalls walk in  Brecon Beacons. So, I looked around the area to see what else is there to do, and this town kept popping up which offered us so much that caters to our interests. Neath in South Wales! This was a small town but a central point to get us everywhere we needed.

The things to do are:

- Longford Waterfall - this is set off a residential area. It is closest to the town centre. It was a small but nice waterfall but it has derelicts buildings around it so it has this eerie feeling.

-Neath Abbey -free to enter and down the road from Longford Waterfall. It is the ruins of the abbey and very nice.

- Neath Castle - free and not  much to look at. There's only 1 facade left of the castle

- There's a few gardens and park in and around the town centre such as Victoria Gardens and Gnoll Estate Park

- National Showcaves- the only thing that costs us through the whole entire trip but well worth it. It has 3 caves and the Cathedral cave was my favourite with 2 stunning waterfalls. It also has beautiful views of Brecon Beacons. The places also has a little animal park, 2 indoor play areas and crazy golfs. A day went by easily. The only down thin is that you will need to book your time slot and if you are late, you won't be able to enter.

- Henryd Waterfalls - this was such an easy hike for everyone. As we went during the summer, the waterfall was quite dry but when it is full, it is beautiful. This is the tallest waterfall in Wales and this location was used in one of the Batman movies.

-Waterfall country - set in Brecon Beacons, Waterfall country is home to the famous 4 Waterfall walk however it has multiple trails  leading to multiple waterfalls and is divided into level of difficulty. There's the Gunpowder trail which is the easiest. We picked the Elidir trail which is moderate and covered 4 waterfalls. The hike can be daunting at times so be careful but the reward is stunning. Pack lots of water and snacks for your hike including swimming suits (if you are into wild swimming), towels and definitely a change of clothes! I cannot express how stunning and calm it is! On the way to Waterfall Country from Neath, you 'll go by Melincourt Falls too so don't miss it!

Overall, if you want to recharge and get your nature kick, head to Neath! A cheap holiday but good for the soul!

A day in Arundel

 Who knew Frozen's Arundel complete with castle in right here in Sussex????? It 's this charming little town on the border of South Downs National Park but with quite a lot to do! I think you can easily make a weekend out of it!

We first headed down to  Swanbourne Lake. The walk to it is beautiful with the castle on the left and the national park on the other side. It is a 20minutes walk from the town centre but the lake has got a lot of  parking. The lake is a boating lake during the summer with a tea room. The lake has also got walking trails so half a day can be spent here.  We didn't want to do much walking so we just did half the lake trail and then headed to the castle. 

The castle was hosting their History Weekend so it has lots of people in medieval clothing, selling handmade things, the ambience was great with lots of free events such as axe throwing, strongbow shooting, medieval warrior training, etc... The castle was very nice and compact. The grounds were not big but big enough for the kids to let loose and explore. The gardens were stunning and I spent more time in there then in the actual garden. The rose garden was small but nice too. As I mentioned, there was plenty of activities to do during the day which took us around the castle. This took us most of the day!

We then went to explore the little town with the river Arun running through it and its many antique shops.

Other things to do that we didn't do (because the kids didn't want to) were:

- WWT Arundel

- Arundel Lido

-  South Downs National Park

- Arundel Cathedral

- Arundel Museum

It is such a charming town and will highly recommend it¬

A day out in Cambridge

 I didn't want to travel far or spend too much this summer so we ended up in Cambridge! It was a beautiful day to spend there too. I did what the kids will enjoy so didn't visit any colleges or do most of the museums. Some museums were closed on a Saturday so do check times before adding them on your itinerary.

First up, we did some punting! It was a great experience and we were so comfortable. The guide was very good explaining the history of the city. The punting tour took us through the main colleges which were beautiful!  We loved the experience and a must do in such a historic city!

Next, we took the long way across the city to visit Whipple Museum to quench the thirst of my paleontologist! On our way there, we sae the Corpus Christi clock which is a must-see attraction in the city.  We also came across multiple gardens but most importantly bookshops! Back to the museum...This was a small museum but it had lots of activities and had a lot to offer for everyone! The collection was huge! I will highly recommend it.

Our last stop was the Botanical Gardens. This was quite disappointing. I thought it'll be full of flowers but mostly ponds. But it had activities for kids which kept them busy.

Overall, we really enjoyed our day out and will  definetely come back when the kids want to explore the colleges!

Places to visit in Sussex

 1) Hertsmonceux Castle

2) Hastings -  https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2021/08/hastings.html

3) Groombridge Place - https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2017/05/groombridge-place.html

4) Brighton - https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2020/11/brighton.html

5) Chichester - https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2022/06/chichester.html

6) Arundel - https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4124083420943040106/4989573413229005469

Open Air Museum

 An open air museum is a distinct type of museum that exhibits its collections outside. There's so much to explore and see and in some museums, people are dressed and act like they have lived in whatever time period the museum is covering. It is a great way to learn about how people lived in different eras. Here are some that we've been to:

Chiltern Open Air Museum, Chalfont and Latimer - a good museum which we only visit when there are events as they do events really well with lots of activities.

Blists Hill Victorian Town, Telford- This is our most favourite living museum as we were pretending to be living in the Victorian times handling real-life money! More info here: https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/search?q=birmingham

Black Country Living Museum, Dudley - Another great living museum just outside Birmingham. The highlight was going around the museum in heritage vehicles and pretending to be a Peaky Blinder. More of our day can be found here: https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2022/06/tiptondudley.html

Download and Weald Living Museum, Chichester - This is another living museum but wasn't as interactive as the others. There's a lot to explore in terms of different cottages and houses over the year and children's activities during school holidays.

Crich Tramway Village, Matlock - In a tiny village in Derbyshire, lies a village full of trams! Great for anyone who loves trams. You get to ride different trams from different time periods. There's also a tiny museum, walking trails and an adventure playground!

Celtic Harmony, Bourne Wood - This was a a prehistoric open air village which takes you back to the basics. You get to experience how humans used to lived in prehistoric times and learn some essential skills. Please check their website as it's not always open to public.

Tipton/Dudley

 Who knew that this town just outside Birmingham, will offer so much for families!

We first headed to the Dudley Canal Tours and Caverns. It had timed tours which cannot be pre-booked and I didn't want to take the risk of it getting booked up. While waiting for our tour to start, there was a little museum which was very information about the canal history around the area. For a little museum, it had plenty to offer for kids too. When our canal boat arrived, we donned hard hats and got ready for the tours. Our boatman was great! He was so funny and gave us great tidbits about the canal history. He took us through 2 tunnels before we came to the caverns. The boat has light so you won't be in the dark. We came across limestone mines and mine shafts. We also stopped in the way a few times to watch the history of the mine and listen to a mini music concert. Yes, you read that right! A music concert which was grand in the environment we were in. 2 people will also be able to try an old job of moving the boat along the tunnels using your legs! So be ready! The tour took 45mins overall.

Then we headed to the Black Country Living Museum which was literally right next to the canal tours. The museum is great for big and small. It is also where most of Peaky Blinders was filmed.  When we went there, the Jubilee celebrations were on so there were parades with Queen Victoria and parades. As we are in the Black Country, it was quite industrialised and some of these machinery are still working which was fascinating. There are also historic characters walking around. The reconstructed shops are so good and you can also buy from some them like the confectionery, bakery, chip shop. You can also take a tour of the museum by hopping on an heritage vehicle which is free. We also took a lesson in an old classroom equipped with blackboard and a teacher with a stick. Beware naughty children! There's also demonstrations of a few skills such as chain-making. Do check the timetable at the entrance. There's also a park for kids to let loose.

Overall, it was a great family day out which didn't break the bank!

Chichester

 Over the half-term, we didn't want to go too far to get some history in us. So after a bit of research, we thought we'll pop into Chichester. It is a very family-friendly city and with lots of Roman history. We got lucky as the day we picked was during the Roman Week where they had celebrations going. Do visit https://www.thenovium.org/romanweek to find out more about events.

On our way to the first stop, we walked through the historic town and the beautiful Chichester Cathedral. We didn't go inside the Cathedral but it's a majestic building. We headed to the Novium Museum which is free to visit. Thy had a Lego exhibition happening which had an extra fee. The exhibition was small but had Lego constructions of famous buildings around the world including a life-size model of the coral reef! They also had a Lego play area where we spent some time building. We then visited the rest of the museum. The museum was over 2 floors with lots to explore and do for kids. The second view has some artefacts with lovely views of the cathedral. The first floor had the history of Chichester with roman games and a book corner. The ground floor has remnants of ruins and mosaics. There were activities such as object handling and reproducing a statues head. The museum has a cute little gift shop too.

If you have time, you can also visit bigger roman ruins at Fishbourne Roman Palace. We didn't have time as we were heading to the Weald and Download Living Museum. A living museum is an open air museum that recreates the past with reconstruction of old houses/building with demonstrations and people walking around in historic attire. This museum is set in such a cute little village too with funny names for pubs and roads. You can spend a nice day out there with lovely spots for picnics but they also have a nice cafe. The museum shows us how people lived over the year with no specific period. We entered and explored everything the museum had to offer. It has some lovely cottages. Unfortunately, it did't have as many demonstrations as other living museum we visited. We saw a weaving demonstration with flax seeds. There were kids activities dotted around the place which kept the kids busy. There is a woodland walk which takes you around the museum if everyone has the energy. There's also a nice lake with a working watermill. There's also live animals such as chickens, ducks, cockerel walking around so take them into consideration. Overall a nice afternoon spent at the museum but not what we were expecting in comparison to what we experienced in other living museum.

Close to the living museum is the West Dean Gardens, a botanical garden. If you are making a weekend in Chichester then this could be worth a visit too. The kids were tired and this mummy was tired too after another day of successful exploration.

North Cornwall

I've been living in this country for over 20years and Cornwall is a place that I booked so many times and always had to cancel it due to circumstances. So when I was actually on the train to Cornwall, I couldn't believe that it was actually happening!

I couldn't fit in the whole of Cornwall due to money so I thought I'll split my trip  over north and south Cornwall. This year, we did North Cornwall which could we easily fit during the May half -term but also had one of the most beautiful waterfalls I wanted to visit (if you read my blog enough, you'll know how we love waterfalls). So off we stayed in Bodmin for 3 days to allow us easy travel across the different towns that was on my list. A warning, you must have excellent driving skills to rive around Cornwall! The roads are so narrow for 2 way-traffic so don't tell me I didn't warn you!

We explored the little town that is Bodmin. It's nice with quite a lot to do. You can easily spend 2 days in Bodmin. We went to Bodmin Jail which was a great attraction and went beyond my expectations! There's also the Army Museum, Bodmin Steam railway, exploring Bodmin Moors and a nice walk to Lanhydrock estate. We didn't do any of that as the kids didn't want to do any of them.

Another obsession of ours are caves. So off we went to Liskeard to visit the Carnglaze Caverns which is on the border of the Bodmin Moors but more importantly, the lovely Golitha Falls (it is not a waterfalls but the river flowing through woodland). Cornwall was big in slate mining and so these caverns were one the slate mines. There is an entrance fee and they are very strict on timing so be there on time. The caves don't take that long but it is not pushchair or wheelchair friendly. The highlights are the pools! I wish were were allowed to swim because the water was so clear! The caves had lots of information as to what exactly happened so great for everyone. We then took a walk around the woodland and gardens surrounding the caves which was lush with greenery! It only took 30mins to walk around. The caves also hold events and has a small gift shop with ample parking.

We spent a whole day in Tintagel. Now, Tintagel is a cute village with stunning views of the beautiful coasts. When we first entered Tintagel, a sweet caramel smell took us to a candy shop where you can see candy being made! A small shop but so many sweets and fudges! There are some old historic buildings such as the Old Post Office and King Arthur Halls. We didn't visit them as we weren't interested so we headed straight to Tintagel Castle! What remains are the walls but it is still so beautiful especially with the coast views! We spent the whole morning walking around and saying "Wow".  Unfortunately, the beach and Merlin's cave was closed due to storm damage so couldn't visit it. We then headed off to St Nectan's Glen Waterfall in Rocky Valley and decided it to hike it there. The map shows 45mins but it was more than 1 hour. I would highly recommend the hike if you can. When I asked the kids what their favourite part of the holiday was once we came back, they both said the hike. Yes, there was a bit of complaining but it was well worth it. Do invest in some good walking boots as some paths are tricky. We walked along the coasts and the views, oh the views, I can't describe them. We were blessed with great weather and so no filters were not needed on any of our photos! When we finally reached St Nectan's Glen, in the middle of what I would call a jungle, it was stunning. You have to pay a little entrance fee but it is well worth it. The water is freezing so beware. The place is used for spiritual retreats so you will see related stuff around the waterfall. Once you get in, you can spend as much time as possible. We were lucky that it wasn't busy. Once you are done, they are woodland walks you can do too. It was a great day! Around the area, there's 

On another day, we went to visit Padstow, a cute little  fishing village. We visited the National Lobster Hatchery where we learned about the lobster life cycle and how the hatchery cared for lobsters from their maternity unit to release of in the wildlife. It is small but very interactive for kids! We then walked around the beach and looking for shells, minerals and exploring caves.

This was our family's expedition to North Cornwall and it didn't disappoint us. It was as people describe Cornwall to be! I can't wait to explore the rest of Cornwall!

Stonehenge

Well, I say Stonehenge in the title but it was more than that. We packed both Salisbury and Stonehenge in the same day. It was just over 1 hour away from London. So here's how our day went.

We walked through the town of Salisbury alongside the Riverside Walk path to follow the River Avon through the town and was quite relaxing and beautiful to walk along it. Where are we headed you ask? Salisbury Cathedral. The Cathedral that not only has the tallest Spire in Europe but also holds one of the original copies of the Magna Carta!!!  The Cathedral is majestic! They You have to pay a small entrance free but you can return within a year for free. They also provided us with an activity trail for the kids which kept them busy. It hosted some beautiful chapels too. In a separate room, the Magna Carta was held. It was such an awe-inspiring moment seeing the documents that inspired laws around the world! 

We then headed to Stonehenge We got on the tour bus which was quite unexpectedly expensive but my son really enjoyed the commentaries and learning the history of Salisbury all the way to Stonehenge.

Stonehenge was as expected albeit a bit smaller than what I thought it will be. From the visitors centre, you can either walk a good 15 to 20mins through the scenic or get the shuttle bus. We enjoyed the walk as we got quite close to  free-roaming cows. I wold recommend that if you go with young kids, to go during school holidays so there is extra activities for them to do. We had a huge gnome-like puppet telling us how to look after Mother Earth. My youngest was a bit creeped out by the appearance but the kids really enjoyed it! You can't touch the stones but can walk around it. We will definetely return during one of the solstices where if you book ahead, you can get closer!

On our way back on the tour bus, we stopped off at Old Sarum which was an old fort. This was quite a quick stop for us. The views from it were beautiful.

We got back on the tour bus and headed back to Salisbury to get home!

A day full of history it was!

PS: except Salisbury Cathedral, everything else was free for us due to our English Heritage membership! Just over £4 every month but the best investment I've made. More information can be found here:https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/join/

Running around Knaresborough

 When I came across pictures of Knaresborough, I needed to visit it. I wanted to witness the views in person. 

The station itself was so cute! We walked through the town to the castle and see the views of the River Nidd and the viaduct. The views were amazing! It's hard to describe but there were stunning. You can't go inside the castle, it was more ruins but great nonethless.

Our next stop was England's oldest attraction, Mother Shipton's cave. It is set in a woodland and so a great place to have a stroll and enjoy the views of the river. The cave is not really a cave and was underwhelming but the Petrifying Well was creepy but still beautiful! We loved reading all about the place and this history of Mother Shipton. I will recommend going to Mother Shipton's when they are events as they will be more to do. As we went during Easter, we did the Easter trail and they were cute little touches around the park. We wanted to visit the Chapel of our Lady of the Crag but it was unfortunately closed so we did a nice walk along the river.

We then headed to Fountains Abbey in Ripon  which was further out. We went through Harrogate which is famous for its spas. There are many things to do in Ripon such as museums but we visited similar museums in other places so the kids didn't want to do the museum. When we visited the Fountains Abbey, we didn't expect to spend so much time in there. A whole day can be easily spent in there with so much to see. It is a National Trust site so free if you are a member. I'm in love with the ruins. It is stunning. With a river running through it, it was easy to spend an hour just looking though the ruins. We also visited the water gardens which wasn't all that but if you want to get your steps in then do visit them.

Yes, it was a quick stop but well worth it! Do visit this beautiful place in North Yorkshire!

A day trip to Cheddar

 Cheddar was on my radar for a couple of years now but never got round to it for some reason. So this half-term, I took the leap and planned our day. The journey there was so scenic and green everywhere. The main reason I always wanted to go is because I love cheese so naturally, our first stop was the cheese factory, 'The Cheese Company &Co', the only place where cheddar is made in Cheddar. This was actually so good. We spent more time in the factory than anywhere else. The entry fee was £2.50 for adults and free for kids. It was great to see the processes in cheese making and the workers in there for so friendly and showing us how to do certain things! We then went to the shop and did a bit of cheese-tasting before investing in some differently flavoured cheddar. A must-do when you are there.

The next stop was walking up to Gough's Caves. With a river flowing through the village and walking through the gorge was beautiful.  Tickets for caves and other attractions were booked online. In the price of the ticket, you can visit 5 attractions. The Gough's Caves were magnificient. It was short but it was so stunning to walk through and look around.

The next stop was the Prehistoric Museum which was a short and sweet museum. It was a museum to understand how and who lived in Cheddar in the prehistory times. The outdoor setup outside the museum was cute too.

Our lost stop was walking on the Mendip Hills. This was a circular route and takes about 2-3 hours but the views were gorgeous (shame it doesn't translate on photos). Some of the paths were filled with pebbles which could get slippery. We also came across wild goats. When we walked to the most highest point, we could see all of Cheddar including Cheddar Reservoir. It was well worth the walk-up and the many near-falls we encountered! If you don't want to the walk but want the views, you can always go up the Watch Tower and see the scenic views.

Overall, we loved Cheddar and we will definetely go back!

Dinosaur Mania

 Is your child an aspiring paleontologist or has an unhealthy obsession with dinosaurs. Look no further! Here's a list of some of the places around UK to quench that dino thirst! If you want a more detailed review, they will be found inside the brackets next to the places specified.

London

Crystal Palace

National History Museum

Bristol

Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

Isle of Wight (https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2020/03/isle-of-wight.html)

Dinosaur Isle, Sandown- https://www.dinosaurisle.com/

Blackgang Chine, Blackgang- https://blackgangchine.com/

Dinosaur Expedition CIC, Brightstone - http://www.dinosaurexpeditions.co.uk/

Devon

Dinosaur World, Torquay - https://www.torquaysdinosaurworld.co.uk/

Somerset 

Wookey Hole - https://www.wookey.co.uk/ (https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2020/02/wookey-hole-somerset.html)

Hertfordshire 

Paradise Wild Park, Broxbourne - https://www.pwpark.com/ (https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2020/02/paradise-wildlife-park.html)

Knebworth House, Stevenage - In the garden, behind the house there's a big dinosaur trail with life-sized dinosaurs dotted around. 

Buckinghamshire

Gulliver's Land Resort, Milton Keynes - https://www.gulliversfun.co.uk/

Dorset

Dinosaur World, Dorchester - https://www.thedinosaurmuseum.com/ (https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-jurassic-coast-uk.html)

Norfolk

ROARR Dinosaur Park - https://www.roarrdinosauradventure.co.uk/ (https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2020/01/in-and-around-norwich.html)

There's always shows and most of your local museums will also have a dinosaur section so don't forget to check for these too.

Theatre Reviews

We were introduced to theatre by one of my best friends more than a decade ago and it is a gift that we will cherish forever. We love musicals! We can't get enough of the live performances, stage design, costumes, etc... So much talent in one little space. Yes it is expensive. To help with the costs, this is what I do:

    1) Pick seats towards the back or in upper circle

    2) Use London Theatre Week discount which runs for 2 weeks from end of Feb

    3) Kidsweek in June also provides great discount with workshops too! A perfect outing during the                   summer holiday     

Here's what we've seen so far in the Weest End:

1) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, West End - we love seeing one of our favourite books come to live on stage. We love seeing the lift and other great trickeries

2) Legally Blonde, West End - I think this was the first ever musical I have ever watched and it was so good. It was entertaining and was a great confidence booster

3) Billy Elliot, West End - a beautiful moving musical about a boy and his passion for dancing! It made me tear up

4) Wicked, West End- we watched this twice. It is my kids favourite. The story of the Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz. When I first watched it, I didn't understand it but then I saw why the kids loved it when we watched it the second time

5) Lion King, West End - what an amazing experience! It is beautifully staged and you have animals walking amongst you. It is visually stunning

6) Jungle Book, Norwich Theatre - This was a great local production.

7) The Addams Family, Wimbledon Theatre - This production was true to the movie!

8) Icarus, Unicorn Theatre - another local production which is suited for older kids as the story seemed to be a bit too complicated for my under 10s.

9) Avenue Q - definetely not for young kids. It is a puppet show but hilarious!

10) The Phantom of the Opera, - This was majestic to say the least! It has great songs and the storyline was so romantic.

11) The Twits, Richmond Theatre - We loved to see of our favourite Roald Dahl's stories coming to life. There were as yucky as the story!

12) Hamilton, West End - 

More reviews will be added on as we see more!

Parks in London

 1) Alexandra Palace - the palace comes with some great grounds. We love it when it's Bonfire night because there's a funfair, fireworks. The Palace holds lots of events and also has an ice rink. Behind the palace, there's a boating lake which is great for kids.

2) Regent's Park - this is the home of ZSL zoo but it also has an outdoor theatre which is great for summer days. It has lovely gardens and lake.

3) St Jame's Park - A little park in front Buckingham Palace. It is beautiful during Daffodils season or when flowers are in full bloom

3) Hyde Park - what a big park. Known for it's festivals during summer or known for Winter Wonderland. There's a boating lake, wild swimming in the Lake. It also has a discovery centre with great activities for kids too. It also holds Kensington Palace and Gardens.

4) Holland Park - this is a beautiful park with lots of different flower display It also has a small Japan garden and a great big children's playground.

5) Victoria Embankment Gardens -  small park with a nice water feature and a cafe overlooking River Thames

6) Richmond Park - Known for its deers and it's beautiful azaleas display in the famous Isabella's Plantation, this is park which no one should miss. It is a big park so you can spend a whole day there. There are children'd playgrounds too.

7) Battersea Park - another great park south of the river, with a zoo and go ape places. It also has a nice sculptures and Asian temple building.

8) Crystal Palace Park - this was a small park but it's famous for it's Dinosaurs.

9) Hampstead Heath/ Golders Hill Park - You can easily spend a whole day in there. Yu have the beautiful Pergola but if you walk north, you come across Golders Hill Park which holds a mini zoo and a buttlerfly house as well as a playground.

10) Gunnersbury Park - A beautiful park which with a temple and a gothic tower. It also holds 2 ponds and has a museum. It's quite a big park and just walking around it can take 1hr. It also has 1 playground and a leisure centre in it.

11) Bushy Park - another Royal Park with free roaming park. It's not as big as Richmond Park but still huge. You can spend a whole day just walking around the woods and gardens. Maybe not great for small kids but great for older kids who love walking or cycling around. The walled gardens was beautiful with lots of streams running across the gardens. It was idyllic. On the other end of the park, towards Hampton Hill, you can see a nice cascade. A great park to walk around.

12) Chiswick Park - a beautiful park with a beautiful house, a lake and luscious green. Great for a walk with a small play area for younger children.

13) Langley Park - This is a very big park so didn't explore the full extent of it but there's an abortorium and a beautiful garden that is in full bloom in late April and May with rhododendrons, It has something for everyone.

Places to visit in Buckinghamshire

 1) Roald Dahl Museum, Great Missenden - Lucky was at one point obsessed with Roald Dahl and so this was a great little museum to visit. The museum had a lot of activities going on and so do check their website for holiday activities (https://www.roalddahl.com/museum). Lucky loved sitting in his massive chair and read one of his books. It's a little museum so it can be done in about 2 hours.

2) Hellfire Caves, High Wycombe - These chalk caves hold great holiday-time activities. We went there for Halloween which was excellent. We were able to cover the whole cave system and loved the character interactions. The mood was very creepy too. If Halloween isn't your holiday, they do activities for Christmas but please check their website (https://www.hellfirecaves.co.uk/) . The visit took no more than 90minsutes. They had a nice cafe onsite. There's also a nice park nearby so you can make a nice day out!

3) Chiltern Open Air Museum, Chalfont St Giles - One of our favourite open air museums. Another place which holds many events. We went there for a Unicorn and Dragon day. Despite the rain, we had a great time with some great workshops which took us around the whole museum. We met unicorns, we saw a whole dragon sleeping in a house. They was storytelling in a yurt and other multiple activities. It took us a whole afternoon to enjoy ourselves!

4) Gulliver's Resort, Milton Keynes - A great theme park for a family with young children. It had a dinosaur park and a water centre too. We spent a whole day there and had time to do repeat rides too. 

5) Black Park Country Park, Slough - This was such a  big park. We went there for Go Ape but there are many other activities going on. It is well shaded with cafes dotted around. 

6) Windsor Park, Windsor -  This is a Royal Park and to be fair I had lots of expectations when I was reading about Saville Garden and Virginia Water but it was disappointment. But we got our steps in!

7) Bletchley Park - The home of the code-breakers, it is a great museum with plenty of activities to learn everything that this place and its people did and how they helped in WW2. It has many buildings designated  to different parts of code-breaking including a great display about Alan Turing. There's plenty of activities for kids. It also has a nice lake where you can picnic around. Once you buy the tickets, you can revisit within a year

8) Legoland, Windsor - this is a theme park which we always go back to. Having a Lego fan in my home, is a great plus because I feel like the best mummy ever taking hi there. It has a huge splash park and plenty of rides for little and big ones! A great day out guaranteed

Peppa Pig's World and Paulton's Park

 Yes it's mainly known as Peppa's Pig World but it's also a theme park so it's a place for young and old alike. We did an overnight stay with another family at nearby New Forest with trips to the beach to make the most out of our weekend.

We hit the park first think in the morning as we had 4 kids under 7 who were Peppa Pig crazy and so wanted to make the most of it. There were no problems getting the kids up early on this occasion. Despite all the preparations, it seemed that all the parents had the same plan and so it was very busy as the gates opened! The weather was a bit chilly but that didn't stop the fun. There were so many rides and lots of character interactions at multiple times! Despite the queue, we did all the rides. In between, there was a zoo so we had time to look around it and had a nice picnic surrounded by animals and ducks!

There was a little splash park which the kids loved. The cold weather didn't bother them at all.

Once the kids were happy to leave the park, the adults had some fun in the theme park. Most of the water rides were kid-friendly and so it was fun for the whole family. There were a few rollercoasters and the queue were non-existent.

We had plenty of time to do repeat rides in the whole park.

Overall, we had a great day at Peppa Pig World with all of us being so tired which means a successful day!

Soft plays and trampoline parks in and around London

 With the unpredictability of the British weather, as a parent, you need to have a plan B to entertain the kids. My plan B is usually arts and crafts to do at home but during the holidays, I need them out of the house so we usually end up in soft plays and trampoline parks. So here's our tried and tested list (when I say we, I also include myself) so far, which I'll keep updating as w go to more. I'm not including soft play areas in other venues such as museums. This post only refers to stand alone pay centres and trampoline parks.

Gambado, many site across London - we loved this one so much as this was were our took my eldest to her first ever soft play for her 2nd birthday (I wasn't aware these things existed for toddlers). It has both a toddler area and a big kids are. The slides are good and there's plenty of space to chase each other. Some have carousels and some have mini-kart race tracks. They also do great events!

Rumble Tumble, Harrow - this is quite limited as to what the kids can go. It is small and can get stuffy.

Jungle Monkeys, Eastcote - The structure is tall but narrow so not much to explore.

HarroWall, Harrow - this isn't really soft play but a great little place for kids to get lost in a castle.

Flip Out, Brent Cross - great place to test your trampolining skills but also your strength as it has 2 obstacle courses. 

Oxygen Freejumping, Park Royal - I personally didn't go to this but kids attended for parties and told me it was good!

Kidspace, Romford - This place offered so much to do from the usual soft play with lots of slides, mini go-karting, 2 climbing walls and a Go-Ape type  course! I really really enjoyed it!

Our day out in Nottingham

 Knowing the English weather during winter times, we wanted to explore a new city, outside London, where most of the attractions are indoors. After much googling and budgeting, I zeroed on Nottingham! Everything was in the city centre so all was walking distance. It had a bit of everything of what we liked. And what more it is the land of Robin Hood and since there is lot of injustice going around right now in this country, I thought it will go well with our mood. So here what we did:

1) City of Caves - did you Nottingham has about 500 caves??? Who knew!  So we visited this attraction which depicted the life in Nottingham. From the role of these caves in the tannery business to their role in WW2, we learnt so much! It took us about 30mins but with the audio guide could take you longer. It isn't suitable for prams or wheelchairs!

2) The National Justice Museum - 2mins from the City of Caves, was the National Justice Museum. If you buy combo tickets with City of Caves, you get a slightly reduced price. This was such a great museum with so much information about the different departments needed to carry out justice. It has some great exhibitions about young people and protest which Lucky had to visit not once but twice! It also had a real courtroom where we took part in a pretend trial (I got to be a witness). The museum also had actual prison cells which was quite spooky but again so educational! One of the best museums we ever visited!

3) Nottingham Castle - this castle had a bit of everything. It is a beautiful place with great views of Nottingham.  An excellent playground (it said suitable for 5-12 but age is just a number), an art gallery, exhibitions and lots of history. It also had a Robin Hood Adventure place where you get to be Robin Hood and try out all his skills! The castle also had caves but it was closed on this occasion.

Nottingham is a great place for everyone and not too far from London either! Do visit it!

Places to visit in Yorkshire

 We love exploring the country and on our quest, here's where we visited in Yorkshire!

York - This was a day trip from London and we packed in so much. Lucky was learning all about Romans and Anglo-Saxons at the time so this was perfect to go to. We visited the Viking Centre, the Chocolate Story, went on a Ghost boat ride on the river, York Castle Museum, DIG: The archeological adventure. We also walked around the town centre and visited the famous streets and shops! One of the most kid-friendly town!

Whitby - We did a weekend there! It is such a charming town right by the sea. Obviously, we went there because of Dracula and it didn't disappoint with its history! We visited all the must from Whitby Abbey, Dracula:the experience, steam train ride, the Captain Cook replica boat, 199 steps and visiting Humpty Dumpty grave, Captain Cook Memorial Museum, the Jet museum. We also did the beach but it was raining. We went on a ghost tour too and ate at a lot of fish and chips restaurants!

UK Waterfalls

 I've always been a water baby. I love any water bodies, features, etc... and waterfalls are no different to me. I love the adrenaline to the scenery to get there but also the calm and soothing feeling when you feel that water spray. I'm always in awe of them no matter how being or small!

Here are some of what we visited!

Lumsdale Falls, Peak District -  about a 45mins walk from Matlock Bath, this was a waterfall tucked away on the edge of the Peak District. The highlight is the ruins surrounding it! 

Virginia Falls, Windsor Park - a man-made waterfall. We made a trip from London to visit it but it was so underwhelming and we couldn't even go close to it!

Mallyan Spout Waterfall, North Yorks Moor - situated in Goathland, where the station was featured in one of the Harry Potter movies, the walk to it is a bit strenuous but beautiful! You have to climb big rocks in order to get close to it! There's also other waterfalls nearby but we didn't have time!

Becky Falls, Dartmoor National Park - this was so fun to do! Not really one of those majestic waterfalls but more water coming down rocks and it felt like a game of stepping stones to get close! It was another beautiful setting!

St Nectan's Glen, Tintagel - a beautiful waterfall set in something that I will call a tropical jungle. Kids can splash around. A small entrance fee to pay.

Wales - https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4124083420943040106/2673917214633585558

Castles and Palaces in UK

 UK is in no shortage of castles and places thanks to tall the Royal Families! There are such majestic places to visit full of history. Who doesn't want to pretend there are kings or queens for the day!  Here is a list of some that we have been to!

Buckingham Palace - The Mother of all Castles and Palaces! It comes with a hefty entrance fee so is it worthy? The actual place is a bit underwhelming because everyone hypes it so much! But the atmosphere, the fact that you are walking in the footsteps of the Queen, that's unbeatable. Towards the end of the tour, there's a room for kids to dress up and play like a royal!

Kensington Palace - The home of Princess Diana! My favourite part is the sunken garden. It is a small palace but it's beautiful. There's lot of events and exhibitions happening there and if you combine it with a visit to Hyde Park, that's a whole day out!

Tower of London - It is a very dark place including it's very own torture chamber and bloods spots of murdered young princes! It is also where the stolen Crown Jewels which we refused to see! During school holidays, there's always special events going on! 

Hever Castle - Anne Boleyn's childhood home, this picturesque castle and grounds has so much to offer! From multiple gardens, to a water play area and play areas with a replica castle in it, this is a guaranteed fun day out, especially during the summer!

Warwick Castle - We love the castle and the town! We went there during Halloween and it was so apt with the dungeon, scary maze and all the other events going on! Another great kid-friendly castle! More of our day out can be found here: https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2020/01/warwick-castle.html

Hertsmonceux Castle - We went there during the Medieval Festival which is such a great experience. With live battle reenactment and jousting battles to people in costumes living like their used to during medieval times. Please go and experience it! Here's our experience https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2017/09/englands-medieval-festival.html

Dartmouth Castle - This is one the most beautifully located castles I have ever been to right on the Dart Estuary. Even the walk from the town centre to the castle was stunning! It is a small castle but with amazing views!

Dover Castle - This was such a huge castle including WW2 tunnels. You can see the whole of Dover from where the castle stands. 

Canterbury Castle - It's not a castle anymore just about 10mins from the town centre. You can't visit the ruins anymore because it's dangerous. But even looking from the outside, you can feel how gorgeous it was.

Oxford Castle - Comes with its own prison, this castle was the first castle we visited so it always holds a special place in our heart!

Hastings Castle -  It is absolutely stunning with beautiful sceneries and kids will learn about the Battle of Hastings at school so a great place to see what they learned in the actual place

Norwich Castle - Right in the middle of the centre, this castle is compact but holds lots of activities during school holidays!

Tintagel Castle - You can easily spend a whole day in this stunning village in Cornwall. And the highlight is the Castle overlooking the beach. It comes with its own cave too! We spent the whole morning there discovering all the corners of the castle. When I say castle, its the walls that remains but still with beautiful views surrounding it, you have plenty to look around!

What about you? Do share the best castles you visited.

Weekend in Oxford

 This was a couple of years ago while Mahi was still in a stroller so I hope I remember it right!

We went over the October half-term and I think that's the best time to visit such a historic town. We stayed with a friend close to the town centre so accessing all the attractions wasn't a problem.

As it was Halloween Season, Oxford Castle did their Haunted Castle event. This is the first ever Haunted Castle the kids ever attended so the kids always look back at it fondly. We had a few jumpy moments in the dark. It was great!

The next day, we obviously did the colleges. I mean just being there was an inspiration. It was the weekend, and the library was full! The chapels, dining  halls, gardens, it's just this amazing feeling!

We then we went around the town centre doing some shopping and trying to find black macarons (Lucky was literally throwing a tantrum to eat Black macarons!!!!!). Alas, no such luck! We settled on normal macaroons. I loved going around Oxford. It's still like old times in most places.

We ended our trip by visiting the Ashmoleum museum! I remember the Roman and Egyptian sections of the museum which was so comprehensive!

A great weekend!

Indoor fun with kids in London

    The British weather can be so unpredictable and we are mostly cold even during summer so here's a list of indoor places to visit with kids.

Free

• National History Museum, South Kensington - one of my favourite museum becuaue of the dinosaurs
• The Chocolate Museum, Brixton - a tiny museum dedicated to all things chocolate. With workshops happening throughout the the year, its a great place to entertain the kids. (https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/search?q=chocolate+museum)
• Science Museum, South Kensington - such a great interactive museum to learn so much about science
• V&A, South Kensington - I love this museum since it's all about learning about different cultures and eras
• National Gallery, Trafalgar Square - maybe for older kids who love art
• National Portrait Gallery - Leicester Square - a cute little museum but again maybe for older kids
• Tate Modern -  some great exhibitions and installations which would cultivate your kids' imaginations
• Somerset House, Waterloo - Usually have great exhibitions for kids and a stunning ice rink during Winter
• Saatchi Gallery - Some great kid-friendly workshops held on Sundays
• Southbank Centre, Waterloo- we usually attend the Imagine Festival every February but it has some great events throughout the year
• Museum of London, London Docklands and Barbican - everything to learn about London's history. We especially loved the Great Fire of London walk hosted by Museum of London to complement what the kids learn in year 2.
• British Museum - I don't like to visit this much due to all the stolen goods but it's such a stunning place to learn all about different eras
• The Petrie Museum - perfect for anyone in love with Egypt's history
• Royal Observatory, Greenwich - man interactive things to do to learn about space. Includes a planetarium (shows needs to be paid for) https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2018/04/royal-observatory-greenwich.html
• National Maritime Museum, Greenwich - all about the seas. The play areas are our favourite! They also great hosts family workshops!
• Cutty Sark - For all your little sailors!
• Horniman Museum, Forest Hill - a great museum with aquarium, gardens and butterfly house
• Imperial War Museum, Lambeth - a great place to learn about WW2
•  Heath Robinson, Pinner - a small museum dedicated to a local Harrow artist and illustrator
• Headstone Manor Museum, North Harrow - a museum to explore Harrow
• Feminist Library, Lambeth - a great library with a range of literature from female authors
• Royal Army Museum, Chelsea - a great museum about the army's role in the different wars
• National Archieves - close to Kew Gardens and every 1st sunday hold family workshops. A great treat for a little historian

Paid attractions

• Kidzania, Westfield
• Harrow Arts Centre, Hatch End - multiple shows, workshops and classes
• ArtsDepot, North Finchley - another great space for shows, workshops and classes
•  London - 4hrous of unlimited fun for kids where they try their hands at different job
• Transport Museum, Covent Garden and Acton - the ticket you buy is valid for a year so you can return however many times within a year. Everything to learn about Tfl for any transport crazy kids!
• Golden Hinde , London Bridge- a replica of  the first English ship that went around the world. A great day out to experience history. Some of the areas are outdoors. https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/search?q=southwark
• The Clink Museum, London Bridge - a small but a bit scary museum. Maybe for Halloween?
• Shakespeare's Globe, London Bridge - if your child is learninf about Shakespeare then this is the perfect place to take them! Plays, workshops and festivals, they have it all!
• Tower of London, Tower Hill - another great historic place and who doesn't want to see the Crown Jewels
• Discover Children's Centre, Stratford - Perfect for primary school children to see their favourite books coming alive. https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2018/06/discover-children-centre.html
• Buckingham Palace, Green Park - who doesn't want to see where the Queen live
• Kensington Palace - Diana lived here. Do we need to say anymore?
• Various English Heritage Sites - free if you are a member
• Various National Trust sites - free if you are a member
• Shrek, Westminster - let's visit our favourite orgre with special appearances from the Madagascar team
• SeaLife, Westminster - sharks and all other underwater creatures. Combo tickets with Shrek and other nearby attractions available
• The Old Operating Theatre, London Bridge - a hidden museum with an interactive session about operating back in the days
• The London Bridge Experience, London Bridge - perfect for Halloween with scary people chasing you!
• The London Canal Museum, King's Cross - a great museum to learn about the canal ways in London which also offer canal rides on the narrowboats! https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2017/11/halloween-treat-3-london-canal-museum.html
• London Dungeon, London Bridge - Another spooky experience! https://mummylife0912.blogspot.com/2017/11/halloween-treat-london-dungeon.html
• The Florence Nightingale Museum, London Bridge - a little museum all about Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole
• BFI - we love Sunday Family Days where they do movie previews with great workshops to go with it!
• Madame Tussauds, Baker Street - see your favourite celebs up close
• Cartoon Museum, Oxford Circus - A great museum all for cartoons. They also do great half-term workshops for kids
• Bentley Priory Museum, Stanmore - An important place in the history of the Battle of Britain, this is a stunning place to learn all about its history and the pivotal role it played during WW2!
• Musicals and Theatres
• Crazy Golf
• Trampoline parks
• Charles Dickens Museum - hold lots of events suitable for families and a great little museum to walk through where Dickens lived!
• Madame Tussauds - quite an expensive day out but really worth it if your family love the entertainment world. Some sections are 

Playing as an adult

Do you go to the park and swing on the swings or slide down the slide? Well, I do! There are time when I don't feel like it but often, I'll be the adult who will happily queue amongst kids half my size to use the swings! It's not embarassing! I love connecting to my inner child. I'm ignoring my daughter comments about how immature I am. Life is hard as it is. You need to forget the world and become a child sometimes to still be able to love life!

Playing as an adult is a must! How else would you relieve your stress? I love playing with my kids most of the time. It makes me forget about adult life for a little while. When you spend time with kids, you see life through their eyes and it's so beautiful (although don't spend too much time with a teenager... it's so dark and depressing, if you are anything like my daughter!) Mahi is full of POKEMON, video games problems! I feel so accomplished when I solve one of those problems with him! I wish I had problems like that for real too!

Playing is also keeping us young and rejuvenates us. Have you been on a zipwire. I love that thrill and it always makes me laugh when I go on it! You need these experiences in your life even as an adult.

So play! Who cares if people look at you? It's your life. Stay young!

Being Tamil

 January has been recognised as Tamil heritage Month in the UK following in the footsteps of the Candian Government who established i back in 2014. There are approximately over 450,000 in the UK alone. Tamils are from both the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the North and East of Sri Lanka. 

My parents are both from the North of Sri Lanka (although my mother's side is a bit more complicated). Shortly after they got married, my dad emigrated to France amidst the civil war and my mum followed a year later and the rest is history.

I believe that my identity as a Tamil is defined by the civil war. In order to elaborate this more, I need to explain the civil war and Sri Lanka. In the North-East part is heavily populated by the 'minority', Tamils. The rest is the 'majority', Sinhalese. When the British gave Sri Lanka independence on 4/2/1948, they do what they always done and messed it up by giving the power to the Sinhalese. As with any country, there was always racial tension between the Sinhalese and Tamil but this newly found power gave Sinhalese the green signal to do whatever they wanted to do. And what was their aim? To make the whole of Sri Lanka Sinhalese. And how did they do that? First, they did the casual discrimination by  touching our education. Tamils needed to have high marks to enter university whereas Sinhalese can go through with average marks. And other sectors followed suit such as the job market. As with any injustice, we protested for our rights. The government obviously didn't like that. So step 2: violence.  Progoms started  at regular intervals where Tamil businesses, homes and religious establishments were vandalised and burned down not mentioned the copious amount of people who were murdered! W had enough. We wanted our rights, our own land and our livehoods back. So naturally, step 3: rebel groups formed to fight for our own land. The most successful group amongst these were  the LTTE aka Tamil Tigers led by Prabakaran Velupillai. The government didn't back down. The North was became more and more restless all culminating in civil war which started in 1983. For 25 years, the LTTE found to have our own land (Eelam). For 25 years, we fought for our rights. For 25 year, we found for our Tamil language. May 2009, it all came crashing down. A mass genocide happened while the world was watching. Tamils were bombed in no-firezone. Schools in the north were targeted. 1000 and 1000s have 'disappeared'. May 2009, the Sri Lankan government won! 

So to me being Tamil means saving my heritage. The Sinhalese government tried to erase us but they can't. I got my language, my Tamil. It is one of the most complicated but beautiful languages. Growing up in a suburb just outside Paris where you were the only brown one was hard in terms of  cultivating our culture. Therefore our language was very important to us. We always talked in Tamil at home. Movies were our way to learn about culture and improve our language skills. My parents seeked other tamils and soon parties, events, etc... followed where you could mingle with people that looked like us and understood us! The Tamil french community was very small at the 90s so I don't remember going to temples in my early age, as I don't there were any at that time but I could be wrong. I also started to attend Tamil school when I was 10 in order to learn how to write and read Tamil. Through reading Tamil, my dad introduced me to poems and stories. My love for my language increased even more. Now, my kids are slowly learning Tamil. I wished I started when they were babies. But, with both of them attending nurseries from a very young age, we encouraged them to speak in english at home so they don't have an issue with communicating.  Laksha is able to do all 3 but needs a bit more confidence in talking. It took us about 6 years to get her here. Mahish is a very work-in-progress. However, he is the one that loves watching Tamil movies  more. He is slowly starting to pick up from these movies and through Tamil class. We celebrate all Tamil festivals at home and learn the importance of each festival. I'm an atheist so I don't go to temples or church but I make sure that my kids know the story of all the Gods that I use to believe in. We have a prayer room with all the Gods photos in them so if they wish to pray, they have that space. 

Another way for me to fight for my identity as a Tamil,  is in all forms where they ask for ethnicity, I fill it as Eelam Tamil. Hopefully, this will be picked up from the Census done in 2021, as I know lots of fellow Tamils did the same thing.  In all my jobs or through volunteering, I proudly present my history. Colleagues from my last 3 jobs didn't know there was a civil war in Sri Lanka and therefore I educate them. Not long ago, I heard one of my white colleagues educating a new staff member about our fight for independence! This is why it's important to educate the ones around us because they will become our allies in our fight for our Eelam and Eelam Tamils!