Out and About Round-up for June

Just a few more weeks, and the school will be over. I cannot wait, though knowing my guys I imagine they'll be up at some ungodly hour rather than having a long lie-in the morning. But at least there won't be any hectic school routine in the morning. We haven't done much of outdoorsy stuff in June, though there were of course school activities like fayres and sports days.
What have our blogging friends being up to recently?

Mel from The Diary of a Jewellery Lover went on a trip to the American "deep South". Nashville was their last stop. Nashville is the capital of Tennessee and primarily known for its country music. Having spent 48 hours in Nashville, Mel fell in love with the country music.

Image credits: The Diary of a Jewellery Lover

Anca from Anca's Lifestyle went caravanning for the first time. It was a trial holiday for Anca, her husband and dog, and it went very well, even better than expected. I've never been inside a caravan, so was curious to see just how big the bed is. They have visited a few places on their trip including this one, which name is a real mouthful.

Image credits: Anca's Lifestyle

Anca has also explored the Holy Island, Anglesey, and was lucky to see puffins and guillemots during their breeding season. Just look at those hard steep rocks, how on earth do these birds manage to raise their chicks there? What a wonderful experience to observe the nature so closely.

Image credits: Anca's Lifestyle

Alison from Dragons and Fairy Dust was also exploring the wildlife - in particular, looking for ospreys at Kielder Water and Forest Park. She and her men were invited to go on an osprey motorboat cruise around Kielder Water. The views were spectacular, a pity the day happened to be quite cold.

Image credits: Dragons and Fairy Dust

It's always a wonderful event when you're meeting the like-minded people. These days we have lots of friends on social media whom you might have never met in real life, but still it feels like you know them well, especially if you follow someone's blog. Recently Alison was lucky to meet a few of her Twitter friends and enjoy a meal at Viva Brazil in Newcastle. Alison says that Viva Brazil is all about meat. The passador brings the meat to your table and slices it while you watch.

Image credits: Dragons and Fairy Dust

Travelling back in time, Alison visited Blyth in Northumberland. To celebrate the 100th birthday of Blyth battery Blyth went to war. There were soldiers from WWI and WWII as well as displays of weapons and military equipment. Among many other things, they've seen a replica of the 1940s home front living room complete with the portrait of Churchill and a radio.

Image credits: Dragons and Fairy Dust

Have you been out and about recently?

The out and about linky is a linky for places of interest you have visited, restaurants you have eaten out at, days out with the kids or without or holidays. Anywhere that gets you out and about. The linky is co-hosted with Dragons and Fairy Dust and stays open until the end of the month. If you have been anywhere recently why not link up? We love to find out about your adventures.

Rules of the linky

• You can add up to three posts per month to the linky below. Please make sure they are no older than three months old and feature somewhere you have visited.
• Tweet your link using #outandabout, if you include @ali991 and @maximka25 we will retweet for you.
• We would appreciate if you visit other participating blogs and comment on some posts, after all, this is what the linky should be about. 
• We would also appreciate it if you could add the #outandabout badge to your post so that other bloggers can find us.
  Your posts will be tweeted at least two times during the month and added to the out and about pinterest board.

An InLinkz Link-up

A day and a half in Brighton

At Sealife, Brighton

Earlier this month our Sash went on a residential trip to Bristol with his class. Days before his trip I have suffered with a bad sleep and anxiety of the kind which keeps your stomach tied up in knots.
We decided rather than staying at home and me getting more agitated and anxious, to have a mini-break in Brighton, especially that the child psychiatrists' team who work with Sasha's special needs school, thought it might be a good idea to give Eddie our full uninterrupted attention.
We asked Eddie whether he would prefer to go to London or Brighton, and he picked Brighton because of the sea. We looked up a few hotels by the seaside online, and have chosen to stay in Jurys Inn Waterfront. We wanted to be as close to the sea as possible, and Federico has stayed there before. Outside it is a bit on the ugly side, a modern building that you might see anywhere in the world, i.e. practical but not beautiful.

Jurys Inn Waterfront (in the middle)

But you can't beat the location - the Brighton Pier is just minutes away, and it is at a walking distance from the railway station.

As it was Eddie's first stay in a hotel, he was super excited. He loved everything about it, and couldn't contain his excitement, jumping around in the foyer. He was beaming so happily when we were registering, that they kindly offered him an activity pack as a gift. The fact that they had bowls of rock sweets for guests and visitors has totally conquered his heart.
It was already pretty late when we went out for dinner.
And again, it was Eddie's decision. He liked the sound of Donatello's, thinking it is named after his favourite ninja turtle.

Perhaps because it was a Tuesday night, Donatello's wasn't packed full, if anything, half of the tables were unoccupied. I sipped a glass of Bellini, my tipple of choice whenever I happen to go out.

At Donatello's

While my Italian men opted for a pizza, I've set my mind on a seafood risotto dish. It was not bad, but nothing exceptional, and it gave me a terrible heartburn later in the night. The guys enjoyed their pizza though.

At Donatello's

Someone was too excited to go to bed that night, doing the somersaults on our bed. There were two double beds in the family room, plenty of space, and they were pretty comfy too.

Our first morning in Brighton was cheerful and sunny. The sea was calling. We had a room with a view after all, and Eddie loved it.

We arranged to meet with a friend who came along with his younger daughter, and we had breakfast together at Cafe Coho in Ship St. Their pastries and cakes' selection was pretty impressive.

Just in case you missed those gorgeous cakes in the back, here is the close-up. We actually didn't have any cakes for brekkie. I fancied a bagel with smoked salmon, Eddie had a babyccino with marshmallows.

We wanted to do all the simple touristy things, and after breakfast walked to the Royal Pavilion. It is colourful and exotic, but extremely kitsch as well. We didn't do a guided tour, and whizzed through maybe in twenty minutes. It is a true icon of Brighton, which gives an interesting glimpse of the extravagant and debauched life of playboy Prince George.
The pleasure costs over £30 for three of us, which I think is overpriced. I loved the Great Kitchen the best, but alas, you are not allowed to take photos inside.

Eddie was eager to go to the sea, so off we went.

We had a long walk on the Brighton Pier, and of course, he wanted to pose in all the photo frames. I'm not a spoil-sport, and joined him, so we had a giggle together.

Lunch was the classic fish and chips. You must have fish and chips on the Pier, right?! I was all for eating them straight from the paper, but my "aristocrat" of a husband took us to the cafe Palm Court on the pier.
It was sunny but fresh, we found a shady corner, and placed an order.

Fishcakes, fish and chips in Palm Court, Brighton Pier

Children's meal included an ice cream, and someone tucked in with such enthusiasm, that the ice cream ended on his nose.

Though it was a sunny afternoon, it was still pretty fresh. Eddie braved the waves barefoot and had great fun, running and jumping on the beach.
The Sealife Brigthon is much smaller than the London Aquarium. I used a voucher found on the cereal bars for a free entry for a grown-up. We walked slowly, admiring the colourful fish and sea creatures.

Spending an arm and a leg on all the eating out and attractions, I convinced my guys to get some sandwiches and sushi in the supermarket for dinner. We did wander around the centre, looking at all the little shops.

The next morning we came across the Edgar's Water van, and Eddie happily posed next to it.

We couldn't decide where to have breakfast, as Eddie wanted pancakes. We came across The Pancake Place, but the prices for a pancake started at £9, and sorry, but that's just a daytime robbery. How much does it really cost to cook pancakes? Having checked the menu at Bella Italia, we were pleased to find out they do children's Happy Face pancake at a much more reasonable price.

In Bella Italia

Having packed our bags, we left them with a friendly porter at the hotel who gave a ride to Eddie on a luggage trolley. And off we went to say Good bye to the sea.

We were lucky with the weather on our mini-break. It was all about Eddie and giving him our full undivided attention, and he basked in it.

Out and About April Round-up

It's nearly May, and what a funny end of April we have. For the last several days it's been feeling almost like winter. One moment it's blue skies and sunshine, the next the big dark clouds hide the sun and it starts to snow. When we walked home after school with Eddie the other day, the snow was falling faster and faster. Eddie loved it and kept exclaiming "Mummy, happy Christmas!" At least some of us enjoyed it.
Easter seems already quite a faraway memory. What have our lovely bloggers being up to in the last month or so?

Eileen from ET Speaks from Home managed to catch a good weather for her family's outing to National Forest Adventure Farm. There were so many activities like Easter treasure hunt, Easter Eggspress, lamb feeding and plenty of indoor soft play areas for all ages. The animals looked very cute. And the JCB bouncing castle was absolutely splendid. I'd like to have a go on it myself.

JCB bouncing castle (photo credits: ET Speaks from Home)

Our weekends are not very adventurous, Sasha loves going to Costa every Saturday, it is his weekly treat. And Eddie and I often tag along our Big Guys aka Sasha and Papa.

Anca from Anca's Lifestyle has revisited a place called Croxteth Hall and found some fascinating specimens of flora in the greenhouse there. This beautiful plant is called Green Jade Vine for its colour. There are only a few flowers like this in the UK, at Kew, Eden Project and two botanical gardens in Scotland. This rare flower grows wild in the Philippines. I can just see this photo as a photo print on fabric to wear as a silk scarf. That would be a beautiful fabric.

Image credits: Anca's Lifestyle

Another memorable event that happened in Anca's life last month was her trip to the Crufts. I believe everyone knows about the Crufts, even if you don't have a dog. You can't escape the news. But this year it was even more special, as it was the 125th anniversary of Crufts. Anca took a lot of lovely photos. Just look at this - is it a dog? is it a fluffy rug?

Image credits: Anca's Lifestyle

Anca's surely been busy these few weeks. She was also lucky to attend a Hobby Crafts and Cake International Show. Now that's an event I would dearly love to visit one day. I urge you to read Anca's posts, some of the cakes she's seen at the show are absolutely amazing. There are some bizarre ones as well like corpse's torn hands or Amy Winehouse. Mind boggles.

Image credits: Anca's Lifestyle

Fiona aka Northeast Nerd went on a mission down Quayside way to sample milkshales at The Great British cupcakery. Those big milkshakes look absolutely stunning, but according to Fiona, they were a tad disappointing taste-wise. I think Fiona needs to go there again and sample the other varieties, just for the purposes of research.

Image credits: Northeast Nerd

If you have never flown 1st class but always wanted to know what's it like, have a look at The diary of a jewellery lover's blog post on Why you must fly Virgin First Class. The food looks appetising, and the service was top class too. And it must be really lovely to be able to stretch one's legs.

Image credits: Diary of a Jewellery Lover

Having had a great time on the airplane, lucky girl Melissa went on a tour of Graceland which is a place of pilgrimage for all Elvis fans. Graceland is now Memphis' most visited attraction and is a shrine to the King of Rock 'N Roll. The tour of the house is the main attraction. As you walk around with an ipad, you listen to the music, interviews and learn about his life.

Image credits: Diary of a Jewellery Lover

Whenever there is a chance to go to the Burford Garden Centre, my boys couldn't be happier. There is a lot to see and do, including a toy shop, a cafe and a big playground. We always stop by to admire this Dr Who box.

Image credits: Chez Maximka

Alison from Dragons and Fairy Dust enjoys travelling with her dog Eddie. He's the cutest dog ever, and he definitely deserves the best accommodation. This time Alison and Eddie stayed in Parkdean, Wemyss Bay, Scotland. Looks like they all had a great time. And here is the adorable Eddie.

Have you been out and about recently?

The out and about linky is a linky for places of interest you have visited, restaurants you have eaten out at, days out with the kids or without or holidays. Anywhere that gets you out and about. The linky is co-hosted with Dragons and Fairy Dust and stays open until the end of the month. If you have been anywhere recently why not link up? We love to find out about your adventures.

Rules of the linky

• You can add up to three posts per month to the linky below. Please make sure they are no older than three months old and feature somewhere you have visited.
• Tweet your link using #outandabout, if you include @ali991 and @maximka25 we will retweet for you.
• We would appreciate if you visit other participating blogs and comment on some posts, after all, this is what the linky should be about. 
• We would also appreciate it if you could add the #outandabout badge to your post so that other bloggers can find us.
  Your posts will be tweeted at least two times during the month and added to the out and about pinterest board.

An InLinkz Link-up

Burford garden centre

As always, after holidays I need a "holiday" just to recover afterwards. Our Italian journey was so stressful that my brain has not been functioning properly. I swear I thought the school was supposed to start last Monday, and I was stunned to discover that we had another week of holidays. On one hand, yay, brilliant, we don't need to get up early. On the other hand, how do I keep my guys happy and busy?
On Monday, as happens at every school break, our friend Jen took my guys and me by car to the Burford Garden centre.
There is a lot to see and explore there, and we usually start, visiting the toy shop which has a marvellous phone booth from Dr Who.

Sash loves browsing in the book corner... (all the photos in this post are a mix of our two visits, in February and April, that's why the clothes are different.)

 ...while Eddie runs from one toy to another, trying to convince me we must buy them. I pointedly refuse. The prices in that toy shop are eye-watering. And so are the prices of food in the cafe. £2.75 for a cupcake?! It must be baked with a golden dust.

Coffees for adults, soft drinks and cakes/biccies for the boys. We like to sit by the window.

After a mini-repast we go outside, and look at the plants. There are all kinds of shrubs and flowers, changing from season to season.

I absolutely adore looking at the china sections indoors, both modern, like Emma Bridgewater, and vintage.
The boys find it really boring, so I rarely have a chance to browse to my heart's content.

Back in February I was admiring this lamb pitcher, and didn't realise that Sasha was taking my photo exactly when I was taking a photo of the pitcher. I later found it on my iphone, which he was playing with. He loves taking photos (takes after his Mum, I guess).

This time I wanted to buy some tomato plants but the choice was very limited, and none of the varieties they had appealed to me. We like growing yellow or red cherry tomatoes, which Eddie loves eating in summer straight off the vine.

My guys love the playground outside the car park, and if it's not raining, they enjoy climbing on the wooden frames, tractor or just having fun on the swings. Sash always beams happily, when he's on the swings.

Eddie was proudly showing me his going-down-the-pole technique.

I first visited the Burford garden centre with my friend Trudy and her husband, long before the kids-era. The centre has changed a lot since those days, having expanded a lot. My darling Trudy is no more with us, but I think of her, looking at the beautiful flowers at the garden centre.

Adding this post to #Out&About linky which Alison from Dragons and Fairy Dust and I run together.

And also to the Friday Fabulous linky created by Leta aka Attachment Mummy.