Lost!
A small soft toy in shape of a rabbit wearing a blue jacket. Answers to the name of Peter and much loved by Katy.
Last seen in the vicinity of Brook Cottage, Burry Green, Wales.
Reward offered......
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Lost!
Lost!
A small soft toy in shape of a rabbit wearing a blue jacket. Answers to the name of Peter and much loved by Katy.
Last seen in the vicinity of Brook Cottage, Burry Green, Wales.
Reward offered......
Friday, June 28, 2013
Whiteford Burrows and Rhossili
Today's orienteering event was a 2 x 2 relay at Whiteford Burrows, a National Nature Reserve near the small village of Llanmadoc. A rather long 1km walk from the parking to the assembly area involved trying to convince the girls to stay out of the puddles for as long as possible. We did successfully make it to the assembly area dry but it wasn't long before they'd put on their wellington boots and were splashing in the muddy puddles!
The event attracted a small crowd and as such organising was kept to a minimum. The map (or relay baton) contained all the controls and listed which ones you had to get for each course. Each leg was age handicapped so Andy and I had different courses around 3 - 4km in length. It was a fun little area mostly smallish sand dunes with a few wooded patches here and there.
The girls met Christine and Dave's children Emma (6) and Duncan (3.5) as well as a few other children. While we took turns running, the girls slowly became friends and soon they were all playing kinda together. Luckily the rain stayed away until we had nearly reached the cars.
The afternoon plans involved meeting up again with Christine and Dave at Rhossili Bay, whose credentials included UK's number one beach, 3rd best in Europe and 10th in the World for 2013. I must admit although it was another grey day, the wide expanse of beach against the steep green hills of Rhossili Downs and the cliffs leading towards Worm's Head were quite impressive. Worm's Head named by Viking invaders, refers to the promontory shaped like a giant sea-serpent and marks the most westerly tip of Gower.
Although there is a well worn walking trail out to Worm's Head we decided the children would have more fun on the beach. After negotiating the steep path down to the beach and sheltering beneath the cliffs, we spent a considerable amount of time building a dry castle and decorating it with shells.
It wasn't long before the inevitable - the girls wanted to go down to the waters edge! Duncan obviously the only sensible one was adamant that he wasn't interested in getting wet and cold so he continued working on the castle. We stripped the girls down to their undies and t-shirts, knowing that despite our warnings they would eventually get wet and then very cold. At least we would have a few bits of dry clothing to put on afterwards!
The day didn't finish there. Back to the cottage for a quick shower and change before driving to the local pub, the Britannia Inn for dinner. The outdoor facilities - a plastic treehouse with slide and rope swing and a rabbit hutch (with 3 rabbits inside and one outside!) were a winner with the children, who didn't seem to notice that dinner was significantly later than normal. A great way to finish a busy day!
The event attracted a small crowd and as such organising was kept to a minimum. The map (or relay baton) contained all the controls and listed which ones you had to get for each course. Each leg was age handicapped so Andy and I had different courses around 3 - 4km in length. It was a fun little area mostly smallish sand dunes with a few wooded patches here and there.
The girls met Christine and Dave's children Emma (6) and Duncan (3.5) as well as a few other children. While we took turns running, the girls slowly became friends and soon they were all playing kinda together. Luckily the rain stayed away until we had nearly reached the cars.
The afternoon plans involved meeting up again with Christine and Dave at Rhossili Bay, whose credentials included UK's number one beach, 3rd best in Europe and 10th in the World for 2013. I must admit although it was another grey day, the wide expanse of beach against the steep green hills of Rhossili Downs and the cliffs leading towards Worm's Head were quite impressive. Worm's Head named by Viking invaders, refers to the promontory shaped like a giant sea-serpent and marks the most westerly tip of Gower.
Although there is a well worn walking trail out to Worm's Head we decided the children would have more fun on the beach. After negotiating the steep path down to the beach and sheltering beneath the cliffs, we spent a considerable amount of time building a dry castle and decorating it with shells.
It wasn't long before the inevitable - the girls wanted to go down to the waters edge! Duncan obviously the only sensible one was adamant that he wasn't interested in getting wet and cold so he continued working on the castle. We stripped the girls down to their undies and t-shirts, knowing that despite our warnings they would eventually get wet and then very cold. At least we would have a few bits of dry clothing to put on afterwards!
The day didn't finish there. Back to the cottage for a quick shower and change before driving to the local pub, the Britannia Inn for dinner. The outdoor facilities - a plastic treehouse with slide and rope swing and a rabbit hutch (with 3 rabbits inside and one outside!) were a winner with the children, who didn't seem to notice that dinner was significantly later than normal. A great way to finish a busy day!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Midsummer on the Gower
When our UK orienteering friends Christine and Dave suggested we joined them for Midsummer on the Gower, a weekend of sand dune orienteering in southern Wales we just couldn't resist. I mean it'd be great - sparkling water with rippling waves, golden sands, blue skies and warm weather....well except we are in the UK!
Christine and Dave decided to camp, however without any of our camping gear we took the soft opted and rented a cottage for the Friday and Saturday nights. Much of the self catering accommodation situated closer to the beach was already booked out so we ended up choosing Brook Cottage on the outskirts of Burry Green.
We left Oxford around 1pm hoping to arrive at the cottage in time for some exploring. According to our trusty friend google maps, the 160 miles should take 3 hours. However with a 30 min break and the weekend traffic slowly building, we arrived at the little cottage by 5.30pm.
The final section was s small one car width lane lined with pink geraniums and just as we were wondering if we'd taken a wrong turn, two cream buildings appeared - one being our cottage and the other Fairy Lodge, from which a small brown yapping dog (Trin) emerged shortly followed by it's owner Stella.
Stella showed us through Brook Cottage. With it's low ceilings, quirky shaped rooms, wood fireplace and large lush garden, we fell in love instantly with this beautiful cottage. There was even a bottle of their own pressed apple juice on the kitchen table!
Our spaghetti bolognese tasted better than normal as we enjoyed our dinner overlooking the back garden.
Christine and Dave decided to camp, however without any of our camping gear we took the soft opted and rented a cottage for the Friday and Saturday nights. Much of the self catering accommodation situated closer to the beach was already booked out so we ended up choosing Brook Cottage on the outskirts of Burry Green.
We left Oxford around 1pm hoping to arrive at the cottage in time for some exploring. According to our trusty friend google maps, the 160 miles should take 3 hours. However with a 30 min break and the weekend traffic slowly building, we arrived at the little cottage by 5.30pm.The final section was s small one car width lane lined with pink geraniums and just as we were wondering if we'd taken a wrong turn, two cream buildings appeared - one being our cottage and the other Fairy Lodge, from which a small brown yapping dog (Trin) emerged shortly followed by it's owner Stella.
Stella showed us through Brook Cottage. With it's low ceilings, quirky shaped rooms, wood fireplace and large lush garden, we fell in love instantly with this beautiful cottage. There was even a bottle of their own pressed apple juice on the kitchen table!Our spaghetti bolognese tasted better than normal as we enjoyed our dinner overlooking the back garden.
Cutteslowe Park
Well it's only taken us 9 weeks to get to Cutteslowe Park but with a warm, (still) cloudy day we couldn't put it off any longer! After school on Thursday we headed over the bridge crossing the dual carriageway Oxford ring road, stopping first for some strawberries and cherries before tackling the playground.
As far as playgrounds go, this park is well stocked. There is a treehouse with bridge and big slide, a zip line (UK lingo for flying fox!) and large sand pit. Separate to this area is a fenced off section containing numerous climbing, swinging, moving play equipment.
We had a great few hours there. Even managed to fit in an ice cream while waiting for Andy to arrive after running from work. When he did turn up, the poor thing was covered in hives and had watery eyes due to the long grass encountered while running along the river. From that reaction I imagine he'll be very careful choosing routes to avoid such areas in the future.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Sports Day
Sports Day for the Junior primary was last week after being rescheduled due to rain. The house colours all named after famous Oxford landmarks are Pitt Rivers (Red), Oxford University (Blue), Blenheim Palace (Green) and Magdalen Bridge (Yellow). Ella was allocated Oxford University.
hurdles
running rugby ball relay
bean bag balancing
obstacle relay
soccer ball dribble relay
Katy's friend from nursery, Rebecca was there watching her big brother. Together they shared snacks in between running up and down the little hills on the edge of the oval. At least they kept each other entertained for the 2 hours!
Held on the school 'oval', the Sports Day involved the children rotating through 12 stations including 4 rests. Divided into small house colour groups, the children earnt points for their team through participation and cheering.
Some of the activities were....
hurdles
running rugby ball relay
bean bag balancing
obstacle relay 
soccer ball dribble relay
Oxford University came 3rd with Pitt Rivers announced as the winning house.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Orienteering at Burbage Common
Still over a week behind with posts....anyhow off to a small orienteering event run by Leicestershire Orienteering Club. Located on the outskirts of a little village called Burbage which was an easy hours drive north east of Oxford. This was definitely a social event as we were there to meet up with ex-Canberran Fish aka Stewart Fishwick. 
The area was a mix of grassy meadows with an adjacent forested area full of many tracks and thick brambles. The girls happily completed a 1.5km white course which meandered along the grassy meadows then headed through the shady green forest before emerging onto the meadow again to finish. Meanwhile Andy and Fish had their friendly tussle on the brown course with Fish coming up triumphs. I trundled around the short green course so we could have lunch at a reasonable time.
After one failed attempt for a pub lunch (we'd forgotten it was Father's Day here), we opted for a cafe near Lutterworth. Turned out to be a quirky, quiet cafe which served great food and coffee as well as a perfect spot to catch up with Fish.
Friday, June 21, 2013
Another London Day Trip
Learning from past experiences, we hailed a taxi to take us to the train station on Saturday morning. The £3 difference compared to bus fares was worth every penny for time efficiency, conservation of energy and parental sanity! Our plans for the day firstly revolved around a song on one of our random kids cd's - the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace followed by a visit to the Natural History Museum.
It was while we were on the train, that I decided to check the time that the guards changed only to discover it occurred at 11.30am on most days...yep MOST days which didn't happen to include today!!! Bugger. Well we thought as least we found out now and not after taking the underground and traipsing across Green Park. So it was off to the Natural History Museum.
The Natural History Museum started in 1753 when the British Government acquired Sir Hans Sloane's extensive collection. Designed by Albert Waterhouse and opened in 1883, the rounded arches of the front entrance were inspired by the basalt columns of Fingal's Cave in western Scotland and together with the high spired towers make a majestic sight.
We stepped inside to be awed by the central hall with it's high cathedral-like structures, intricate mural paintings on the ceilings (known as frescoes) and with Dippy, a 26m long skeleton of the plant-eating diplodocus taking centre stage. In the distance a grand staircase, with a marble statue of Charles Darwin, leads the the upper floors including a section of a trunk from a 1,300 year old giant sequoia tree.
Back on the ground floor, we wandered through the rest of the dinosaur gallery, drawing a maissaura hatching, we read about the the physical characteristics of the different dinosaurs, what they ate as well as how they died. A half buried Edmontosaurus skeleton was our introduction into a large display that showed the process of finding, excavating, processing and classifying fossils. Our dinosaur experience concluded by making a scrapbook with dino facts, games and quizzes which we could access later online.
Time for a lunch break so we headed outside to rest and restore our energy levels. The girls subsequently rested by running around the amphitheatre steps!! We continued in the Blue Zone exploring the Mammals gallery. Down the long corridor encountering the old looking mammal specimens which served to highlighted characteristics of mammal. The highlight in this area was a large gallery with numerous life size mammal models including a blue whale complimented by its skeleton suspended from the ceiling. Andy tried to engage Ella in the displays with varying success. Meanwhile Katy was trying to push and swipe any lowish display of which very few were actually interactive! I think she expects everything to work just like the iPad!! An interesting insight into our children's environment.
A coffee and muffin break was essential before we delveged in the Green Zone, more specifically the Minerals gallery. Here we zig zag through the gallery peering into the neatly organised oak cabinets that are full of raw, cut and polished gemstones. The cabinets were almost the same height as Katy, so she entertained herself by reading the cabinet number at the end of each row! Ella pulled out her camera and began clicking away. Soon Katy followed suit with our camera. The result - two girls happily walking through the gallery and around 140 mostly blurry photos (small selection seen below) between them!!!
At the end of the Mineral gallery is The Vault. Here we saw the 2011 martian meteorite, the Medusa (an unusual emerald), the Aurora Pyramid of Hope (a display of 295 naturally coloured diamonds), the Latrobe nugget, Devonshire Emerald to name just a few... Back to the central hall, up more stairs to marvel at the very large and old giant sequoia cross section before calling it a day.
We emerged from the museum ready for some outdoor play. Unfortunately the weather wasn't kind for our 2km walk to Kensington Gardens and across to Diana Memorial Playground. We had to shelter from the heavy rain under the trees several times and were thinking that perhaps not much playing would actually occur! In the midst of the gloomy grey wet conditions, some bright lights twinkled and as we inched closer the girls were instantly cheered up by the sight of a merry-go-round! We waited for the latest downpour to pass before climbing aboard. Katy chose the carriage with Andy, while Ella found her own named horse right behind them.
As quickly as the rain arrived, it also left allowing us to explore the Diana Memorial Playground. Opened in 2000, in memory of Princess Diana who lived an apartment in nearby Kensington Palace. The playground inspired by Peter Pan due to the many links between Kensington Garden and J.M Barrie's classic story. The pirate ship (Captain Hook's Jolly Roger) is the central focus and is moored aground on white sand with a mermaid fountain and rocky outcrop adjacent (shores of Neverland). There is a teepee camp (Tiger Lily and her redskins home) plus a treehouse section with bridges, ladders and slides (Neverland). Hidden amongst lush green shrubbery is a sound garden (sounds of Tinekerbell) where we created our own lovely(?) tunes. Needless to say the girls had loads of fun exploring and could have played for hours except it was time for us to catch the train back to Oxford.....
Once the girls were asleep, Andy and I recovered on the couch in front of the 10pm news. The lead story much to our amazement was Trooping the Colours - an official ceremony celebrating the Queen's birthday! At the Horse Guard Parade in St Jame's Park the Queen inspecting her Household Division of troops followed by the colour (or battalion flag) is trooped (carried) down the ranks of soldiers. The Queen then leads her troops down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. No wonder the Changing of the Guard wasn't on.....
It was while we were on the train, that I decided to check the time that the guards changed only to discover it occurred at 11.30am on most days...yep MOST days which didn't happen to include today!!! Bugger. Well we thought as least we found out now and not after taking the underground and traipsing across Green Park. So it was off to the Natural History Museum.
The Natural History Museum started in 1753 when the British Government acquired Sir Hans Sloane's extensive collection. Designed by Albert Waterhouse and opened in 1883, the rounded arches of the front entrance were inspired by the basalt columns of Fingal's Cave in western Scotland and together with the high spired towers make a majestic sight.
We stepped inside to be awed by the central hall with it's high cathedral-like structures, intricate mural paintings on the ceilings (known as frescoes) and with Dippy, a 26m long skeleton of the plant-eating diplodocus taking centre stage. In the distance a grand staircase, with a marble statue of Charles Darwin, leads the the upper floors including a section of a trunk from a 1,300 year old giant sequoia tree.
The girls decided they wanted to be dinosaurs detectives, so armed with their detective card and pencils, we went straight into the Dinosaur gallery. We entered the darkened, warm and busy gallery to first meet Triceratops with its large horns and sharp beak before ascending the stairs to the walkway which allowed us to come eye to eye with various dinosaur skeletons as well as overlooking the displays below. At the end of the walkway we marvelled at the 1.5m long skull cast with 15cm long teeth of the Tyrannosaurus. We could hear the roars of the 12m long animatronic T Rex before we could see it lurking in the swampy pit. Andy lingered with Ella who was trying to get a photo of T Rex, while I walked quickly through this exhibit with Katy in my arms who tearfully exclaimed 'I don't like this one!'
Back on the ground floor, we wandered through the rest of the dinosaur gallery, drawing a maissaura hatching, we read about the the physical characteristics of the different dinosaurs, what they ate as well as how they died. A half buried Edmontosaurus skeleton was our introduction into a large display that showed the process of finding, excavating, processing and classifying fossils. Our dinosaur experience concluded by making a scrapbook with dino facts, games and quizzes which we could access later online.
Time for a lunch break so we headed outside to rest and restore our energy levels. The girls subsequently rested by running around the amphitheatre steps!! We continued in the Blue Zone exploring the Mammals gallery. Down the long corridor encountering the old looking mammal specimens which served to highlighted characteristics of mammal. The highlight in this area was a large gallery with numerous life size mammal models including a blue whale complimented by its skeleton suspended from the ceiling. Andy tried to engage Ella in the displays with varying success. Meanwhile Katy was trying to push and swipe any lowish display of which very few were actually interactive! I think she expects everything to work just like the iPad!! An interesting insight into our children's environment.
A coffee and muffin break was essential before we delveged in the Green Zone, more specifically the Minerals gallery. Here we zig zag through the gallery peering into the neatly organised oak cabinets that are full of raw, cut and polished gemstones. The cabinets were almost the same height as Katy, so she entertained herself by reading the cabinet number at the end of each row! Ella pulled out her camera and began clicking away. Soon Katy followed suit with our camera. The result - two girls happily walking through the gallery and around 140 mostly blurry photos (small selection seen below) between them!!!
At the end of the Mineral gallery is The Vault. Here we saw the 2011 martian meteorite, the Medusa (an unusual emerald), the Aurora Pyramid of Hope (a display of 295 naturally coloured diamonds), the Latrobe nugget, Devonshire Emerald to name just a few... Back to the central hall, up more stairs to marvel at the very large and old giant sequoia cross section before calling it a day.
We emerged from the museum ready for some outdoor play. Unfortunately the weather wasn't kind for our 2km walk to Kensington Gardens and across to Diana Memorial Playground. We had to shelter from the heavy rain under the trees several times and were thinking that perhaps not much playing would actually occur! In the midst of the gloomy grey wet conditions, some bright lights twinkled and as we inched closer the girls were instantly cheered up by the sight of a merry-go-round! We waited for the latest downpour to pass before climbing aboard. Katy chose the carriage with Andy, while Ella found her own named horse right behind them. 
As quickly as the rain arrived, it also left allowing us to explore the Diana Memorial Playground. Opened in 2000, in memory of Princess Diana who lived an apartment in nearby Kensington Palace. The playground inspired by Peter Pan due to the many links between Kensington Garden and J.M Barrie's classic story. The pirate ship (Captain Hook's Jolly Roger) is the central focus and is moored aground on white sand with a mermaid fountain and rocky outcrop adjacent (shores of Neverland). There is a teepee camp (Tiger Lily and her redskins home) plus a treehouse section with bridges, ladders and slides (Neverland). Hidden amongst lush green shrubbery is a sound garden (sounds of Tinekerbell) where we created our own lovely(?) tunes. Needless to say the girls had loads of fun exploring and could have played for hours except it was time for us to catch the train back to Oxford.....
Once the girls were asleep, Andy and I recovered on the couch in front of the 10pm news. The lead story much to our amazement was Trooping the Colours - an official ceremony celebrating the Queen's birthday! At the Horse Guard Parade in St Jame's Park the Queen inspecting her Household Division of troops followed by the colour (or battalion flag) is trooped (carried) down the ranks of soldiers. The Queen then leads her troops down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. No wonder the Changing of the Guard wasn't on.....
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