Abergavenny Castle - A Toddler Explores

We love Abergavenny, a small market town nestling in the Eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons. We like to visit on a Wednesday when they have their Flea Market. It's a great place to rummage. We thought we would visit and include a visit to the castle.

Finding Our EPIC

This week we were finding our EPIC. Both literally and figuratively. Visit Wales are promoting all the amazing things you can do in Wales with a four metre high mirrored EPIC sign and the hashtag #findyourepic. We are lucky enough to live in Wales so have the amazing mountains, waterfalls, beaches and castles on our doorstep.

#MySundayPhoto Number 35

#MySundayPhoto Number 35 is of Bear on the EPIC sign at Tintern Abbey. Honest, he is there!

Visit Wales is taking the four metre high, mirrored sign around Wales promoting all the fabulous places and things to do in Wales. They are encouraging people to have photo's taken with it and share on social media using the hashtag #FindYourEpic.

We just had to join in!

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Graveyards, Gravestones and Memorial Inscriptions in Family History Research

We have already looked at the census and parish records as resources for family historians but graveyards, gravestones and memorial inscriptions sometimes give us a little gem of information not available elsewhere.

How To Change The Background of Photos Using PicMonkey

There is a very good video on the PicMonkey site showing how to change backgrounds using PicMonkey's background eraser tool but what if you want to use one of your own photographs as the background, how is that done? How To Change The Background of Photos Using PicMonkey is an easy guide with pictures and screenshots to guide you through the process. Using the same features it will also show you how to add an image to your photos.

Sunshine And Summer

Sunshine and summer. Honestly it happened. It may be difficult to remember now but only last week the weather forecast was for a heat wave. Temperatures predicted to be into the 30's so we had our plans all worked out, paddling pool in the garden as the beaches would be packed.

#MySundayPhoto Number 34

#MySundayPhoto Number 34

We have lots of fabulous street art in Cardiff and we are never very far from a dragon, fire breathing but friendly. Bear likes dragons but always asks;

"bite?"

"No" we say "dragons don't bite"

I love this photo. Bear on his bike under the words Capital for sport.

This was taken at Pontcanna Fields Cardiff.  I have since found out that this is by Bryce Davies who works under the name Peaceful Progress

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Toddler Bedroom Wish List

Bear naps every day in his own room in our house, he has occasional sleepovers too. He's 22 months now and it won't be long before his cot is transformed into a toddler bed. Unlike a bedroom at home that may be multi-purpose this is to be a place he can wind down and just sleep. It also means I have the fun of buying new bedding, curtains and a few bits and pieces to make his room all cosy. So when Yorkshire Linen* asked if I would like to write a post including some of their products I thought it would be great to compile a Toddler Bedroom Wish List.

I have two themes in mind a pastel Farmyard or a brighter Robot. He loves farm animals and has just started to love robots too. They wouldn't worry him and stop him sleeping as they don't "bite" like Dragons and Dinosaurs may do. I have chosen a lovely soft duvet too that would be wonderful to snuggle under in the cold winter months. So here are some of my favourite things.

Birth, Marriage and Death Certificates In Family History Research

In 1837 civil registration began. All births, marriages and deaths had to be registered and a certificate was issued. This is a wealth of information for the family historian. Each certificate gives us a little information to lead us back another generation. Instructions on how to find the correct entry and order a certificate can be found in my Guide For Absolute Beginners.

Tredegar House Part II - A Toddler Explores

When we first visited Tredegar House we just didn't get time to explore the house. We had so much fun in the gardens that we just ran out of time so we came back to see the house.

The Beach, The Bay and Blowing Bubbles

The Beach,The Bay and Blowing Bubbles

Well we've had a really busy week we went back to the beach at Ogmore and I got soaked in the waves, it was so much fun and Bear just loved the foam on the sea and the rock pools. He found a ball too.

#MySundayPhoto Number 33

#MySundayPhoto Number 33 is of Bear at Techniquest in Cardiff. We had so much fun. Lots more on our review Techniquest, Cardiff - A Toddler Explores.

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Techniquest, Cardiff - A Toddler Explores

Tom Hanks was never this cute.

What can I say? It is just amazing. Techniquest* is a science and technology museum designed for children in Cardiff Bay. We had so much fun. We were so lucky to be invited to visit as part of our A Toddler Explores series and we were not disappointed.

How To Find And Use Parish Records In Your Family History Research

Civil registration and census records are a wonderful resource but will only take your family tree back to 1837, to go back further you will need to find and use Parish Records.

I will guide you through the process of researching your family tree using Parish Records, but first some background.

Ogmore-By-Sea - A Toddler Explores

It's summer so that means the beach! Where to go? Ogmore-By-Sea is about 24 miles from Cardiff and easily reached via the M4 so the perfect place for a toddler to explore.

Happy Birthday To My Blog

Well it's just flown past! I can't believe I've been blogging for a year. Happy Birthday to my blog! I've learnt so much in the last year and here are some of the best bits

8 Ways To Entertain A Toddler In A Typical British Summer

It's summer here in Cardiff so that means rain, wind and a bored toddler. After about half an hour indoors he was bored so I thought instead of my usual round up I'd share our week with 8 Ways To Entertain A Toddler In A Typical British Summer.

1. Get a Bucket

 

#MySundayPhoto Number 32

#MySundayPhoto Number 32 is of Bear pushing stones into the sand and watching them disappear. The weather was windy but slowly it was warming up and the sun shone. We had such a great morning dodging the waves. We can't wait to go back.

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Understanding The Census for Family History Beginners

One of the most useful records available for family historians are the census. These can take you from 1911 to 1841, following your family into the past. This guide is designed to help you get the most out of this wonderful resource and guide you through the most common pitfalls

Lets Go Fly A Kite!

We are pretty fed up with the rain but when the weather forecast was windy with gales on the coast, there was only one thing we could do!

Places To Visit In South Wales With A Toddler

Here is a list of places we have visited with Bear, our very own discerning toddler. All are within an hours drive of Cardiff so not too long in the car. We go out every week, rain or shine and we always manage to find somewhere for Bear to explore. Sometimes it's the local park and sometimes a Stately Home.
Grandad and I bought National Trust and CADW membership to make our days out more affordable so we visit lots of Castles. We would love to visit more National Trust places but there are so few close to Cardiff.

I've called this Places To Visit In South Wales With A Toddler  but it does include some places in England and bigger kids can enjoy them too. Each heading is a clickable link to our review with more information and lots of pictures. As we visit more places I will add them here.

40 Reasons Why My Stat's Don't Matter To Me

Tot's 100 has just updated with their new algorithm but nobody really cares. I honestly don't know why they bother because nobody thinks it's important. I mean, we all blog because we love it. Hold on a sec while I just have a peep, I don't actually care, I'm just interested.


Oh sh*t!! Down more than 500 places. It must be wrong, log out, try again. Damn.

Nope, I really don't care....

I'll have a look at twitter that will cheer me up, not that I actually care of course.

Oh up a million places to top 100 and only started blogging last week  #tots100 

*smiles nicely and tweets nice things whilst banging head on wall*

Honestly, it's just numbers. I usually don't look, but, well maybe just another peep. Oh no! Nearly 700 places.

Congratulations, you were ranked #1165 in the July 2016 charts! Loser! 

A Dalek, A Pokemon and a Pier

Bear at Tredegar House

On Monday we visited Tredegar House. It has huge parklands and formal gardens. We loved it, we didn't get time to explore the actual house though. The parklands include a lake and childs playground and are free to visit, just £2 parking all day. The House and formal gardens cost to enter.