Wizard of Oz trail Part One Stanley Park

Last Sunday we when on a Wizard of Oz trail through some woodland that had been arranged as part of Love your Park week. It was a last minute thing that i had seen advertised that morning, so we made a quick picnic and headed off. The leaflet said it was on Stanley Park in Blackpool and run by Friends of Stanley Park Group. We arrived and headed to the start point

After years of neglect the park is being transformed and to be honest we haven't been for a few years, but its definitely on our list to go back to and its only 20mins away in the car.

Every Sunday in the summer they have different bands and types of music in the band stand next to the lake.

They have a lovely art deco cafe that's been restored a few years ago

Inside the cafe is amazing

This confused me at first

But its the menu from 1972!

So after walking round the park(as nice as it was on a Sunday Morning) it turns out its not being held in the park, but over the road in some woodland!

Monday to Friday

Monday to Friday had been manic, with barely a moment to spare, in my quest to keep the kids entertained, before the holidays i searched every information booklet that comes through the door along with checking out the library and Children center for free activity's in the local area. I see the summer holidays almost like a holiday for me as well, as it releases us from the time frame we have during the week and i get to spend loads of time with them. It can be an expensive time of year and we live near Blackpool so load of expensive tourist attractions to go to. Most of those place we visit throughout the year when they have special offers on to keep the cost down and its also quieter out of season. But the area has an abundance of parks and places to go combined with all the free activitys and some with a small fee, there is plenty to do and our new bike trailer has also saved on the cost of bus fares and the kids love having an added bonus of a bike ride.

Monday was really bad weather so we stayed in and did all the household chore that badly needed doing with spending so much time out and about.

Our new train fanatic can use just about anything as a train track, even the handle of the dyson!

Tuesday was at Stanah Wyre country Park for an activity day

It was a drizzly day, but we took a hot picnic and put on our wellies and rain coats. I know i write about here a lot, but we go a lot! This place is just ideal for everyone and we really could live here. It takes 20 mins to cycle here if its just me and Ewan, with Molly its longer as she hasn't been riding long.

Wednesday it was off to an activity day at Fleetwood Beach. We took the bus this time as it was a bit to far for Molly to cycle.

Walking along the prom you have Sand dunes on one side and plants and wooden paths on the other, its a really pleasant walk to where we were going

After the activitys we went into a cafe that is really old and it has never changed. But i had to laugh whe a couple came in and thought it had been decorated like a typical vintage seaside cafe!!! No its just been this way so long its come back into fashion!

Thursday was back to Stanah for Forest school for Molly, so another couple of hours of running free for the other. Alex is getting a bit used to pram freedom!

These bike rides are taking it out of them!

Friday was a Family Fun Day run by the Childrens Centre at a school in Fleetwood.

Everything was free, bouncy castles and slides, BBQ, Crafts, hands on animals, tattoos and face painting, a fire engine, Mickey mouse , a turtle, Anna & Elsa were there, it was fab, we spent hours there

Love this shot!

Ewan was the victor in all the pole jousting games

And after Paul had finished work we had a little outing for a couple of hours along with the tastiest pizza we have had in years! 

We even saw some cows that had escaped from a local farm and were grazing on the playing field!

A busy bur satisfiying week with the kids. What are we doing today?  nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bye for now xxx

Pool Party

Yesterday evening we had our overdue pool party. The idea sprung a few weeks ago when the kids wanted to go in the hot tub and have a BBQ, but we were not in the mood that day, so agreed we would have a "Pool Party" soon. So with the weather not to bad and Paul off work for the weekend we turned the music up, lit the BBQ and uncovered the hot tub!!

The kids love the Burgers and Sausage and typical BBQ fair, but with being on a diet and feeling like doing something a bit different, so i made these, aubergine pizzas which are slices of Aubergine with salsa, ham and cheese on top and stuffed garlic mushrooms, which i used to make years ago when i worked a a pizza place as a second job as a teen. I also put some corn cobs and sliced courgette on as well, then made the usual salads and rice salads and og course, burgers, sausages, chicken kebabs etc.. I had also bought pork steaks and beef steaks, but as it was just us decided i had gone a bit overboard and put them in the fridge for later in the week

I will be making the pizzas again they were delicious. I love experimenting with food, but really with a big family, its just not something i have time for these days, so little bits here and there are all i get time for

Just notice in the picture that i had a line full of my crochet blankets ( should have taken them in really, oops!)

The table is an old one we didn't need, so we have been using it as an outside craft table and its covered in paint and glue and grout, we need a garden table really, but this is ideal as the moment and it doesn't matter what happens to it, all it needed was a table cloth.

After the food, we put the little ones to bed and the four of us had an hour or more in the hot tub.

Followed by Daddys special hot chocolate mmmmm

Another perfect day, in our world xxx