Makings from the Madhouse: Summer Holidays Part 2

The second part of the hols went just as quick as the first and with just as much to do.

Blackberry picking is a favorite for us and being opposite a field there is an abundant supply in the hedgerows around it.

We made blackberry muffins

Mini blackberry pies

and a plum and ginger cake as we had loads of plums too!

We had a family day out to Blackpool Tower, unfortunately it was a really windy day so we couldn't go up the tower which is a shame as despite living near it since he was 5, Paul has never been up it! It always surprises me the amount of people who have lived near attractions all there lives but have never been to them. I am very lucky i visited lots of places as a child and i must have gone to the tower at least once a year and when i was teenager i was in the tower circus and the tower ballet so got to spent weeks at a time in there. The kids loves the circus even Fred & Alex sat still and awake all the way through!

Alex's first taste of the ball pool in jungle jims

Another day out with the Childrens Centre was to Rossall Point which is a peaceful strip of beach in Fleetwood. They build a few years ago an observation tower which houses the coast guard on the middle floor, an observation deck on the top floor and a information center on the ground floor. Ewan enjoyed controlling the cameras outside via a screen and control point indoors. It enables you to zoom in on whatever you wish.

Fred of course enjoyed the activity's provided and mostly loved digging in the sand

On the way home we walked past the old boating lakes. They are still used today, one for model boats and one for windsurfing and a few people fishing. I go past these all the time but o have never really stopped to look. But this day i did and it made me feel slightly sad as you can see the bridge and some of the buildings which were once, way before my time, quite grand. I have seen the photographs of a time gone by with men in suits and lady's in long dresses walking round on a Sunday afternoon, when these places seemed a hive of activity and fun. It feels quite abandoned now with only a minimum of effort put in to its keep, no well kept flowerbeds and the businesses that now occupy the buildings are just cheap tacky ice cream and sovenier shops. Its a shame but thats the way a lot of places are now.