46th Wedding Anniversary- Things we didn't do to celebrate

Today is our 46th Wedding Anniversary. The sun is shining and we've stayed at home. We were going to celebrate with something special but a pandemic got in the way - anyway here's a list of things we would liked to have done, but along with my birthday celebrations, they will have to wait for another time.

Monster Jam Principality Stadium, Cardiff - Review

Monster Jam Principality Stadium, Cardiff - 18th May 2019- Review*

We were given tickets to review Monster Jam at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Bear absolutely loves Monster Trucks and is always talking about how big they are and the stunts they perform. He was so excited to be seeing them live and to get really close to all the trucks and the drivers at the pre show Pit Party.

The Principality Stadium in Cardiff is an amazing venue. It has a closing roof to keep us all dry. It rains a lot in Cardiff, and is situated in the middle of the city centre. Great for places to eat, shop and links for public transport.


We had not been to Monster Jam before so had no idea what it would be like. We knew it would be noisy and went armed with ear defenders for Bear and ear plugs for us adults.

A Walk on Brean Down

A Walk on Brean Down

Difficulty - Moderate ascent, easy once up
Parking - £3.50 all day, free for NT members

On a clear day we can see Brean Down from Cardiff. The headland sticks out into the sea which as the crow flies is only 13 miles away. Unfortunately we have to use the roads so it's 63 miles and a toll bridge (return journey only. Tolls are being scrapped from Dec 2018), so is it worth the bother? Absolutely!

A Toddler explores Dan Yr Ogof - The National Show caves of Wales

A Toddler explores Dan Yr Ogof - The National Show Caves of Wales

Last Wednesday, Bee was having his jabs and was with his mummy, so we wanted to take Bear to somewhere special. I wanted to use the opportunity of just the three of us and take Bear somewhere that we wouldn't go with Bee. We chose Dan Yr Ogof - The National Showcaves of Wales.

A Toddler Explores Fforest Fawr Sculpture Trail - Revisited

A Toddler Explores Fforest Fawr Sculpture Trail - Revisited

Since I wrote about our visit to Fforest Fawr a couple of years ago they have added new sculptures. I thought it was time to revisit and find the Three Bears Cave that we failed to find the first time. It should be noted that Bear is not a toddler anymore, but soon Bee will be; so I have kept the series A Toddler explores.

A Day Out at Portmeirion Wales

A Day Out at Portmeirion Wales

Recently we spent a long weekend in Porthmadog, a small town in North Wales. We had been having the warmest summer since 1976 and Porthmadog had hit the headlines as the warmest place in the UK. It reminded us we had a few places near there we wanted to visit - Portmeirion was top of our list.

27 ways to entertain grandchildren during the summer

27 ways to entertain grandchildren during the summer

I look after Bear, who is three and Bee who is nearly one, for four days a week. During school term Bear goes to pre-school for a few hours each morning. Now it's the summer holidays we have to entertain them both, without breaking the bank.

Sadly many places put up their entrance fees during the holidays so days out cost more. It's also harder when one child is not walking, many places are out of bounds at the moment, mostly because I do not want to carry Bee and he doesn't want to be carried.

We are lucky in Wales as museums are free and once you hit sixty then all residents are entitled to a free bus pass. So what do we do to entertain the little ones?

Our Weekly Journal - Our First week With Bee

Our Weekly Journal - Our First week With Bee

We survived our first week with Bee, and he survived too! Mummy went back to work on Monday and we were not sure how the week would go. Bee is a breast fed baby, he is fed on demand which is usually  every two to three hours. He is also allergic to dairy and soya so weaning is a little bit tricky.

The Wenallt, Cardiff - Not Just Bluebells

The Wenallt, Cardiff - Not Just Bluebells (although they are gorgeous)

If you read any guide on where is best to see bluebells in Cardiff (or in fact in South Wales) the Wenallt will always be in the top ten, probably number one or two. 

At the beginning of May the woods are transformed and a carpet of mauve appears. If the weather is kind and the sun shines the bluebells will glow. 

It is a popular place for dog walkers and photographers alike, but what else is there?

Forest Farm Nature Reserve- A Toddler Explores

Forest Farm Nature Reserve- A Toddler Explores

We are very lucky to live in Cardiff, there is so much to visit. We love the castles, museums and parks  but it can be months between each visit. We hadn't been to Forest Farm since last Autumn when we took Bear on his bike and he rode off with me running like an idiot behind shouting for him to stop. He did eventually!

"Too fast Nanny!" he explained "bike wouldn't stop".

It was a very cold day a few weeks ago when we decided to go back, this time without his bike!

Our Weekly Journal - Catch up, Spa and Colds

Our Weekly Journal - Catch up, Spa and Colds

It’s been a few weeks since my last journal, a combination of both Bear and Bee being poorly (nasty, nasty virus), time whizzing by and inertia, in the guise of Minecraft. If you have never played Minecraft Do.Not.Start! It sucks all your time and energy. If you have played, you know exactly what I mean.

Our Weekly Journal - Days Out and Minecraft

Our Weekly Journal - Days Out and Minecraft

I may have to change this series to Our Monthly Journal! It is ages since I last posted, for many reasons.
I have had a few coughs and colds, my SAD makes me lethargic but we have been busy and I will catch up in a minute.

I have a confession - Minecraft. I'm not a spotty teenager sat in my room, I'm a Granny! And I'm hooked. If I'm not out and about with Bear I am playing Minecraft. It may not be everyone's cup of tea but there you go, I'm hooked!

LEGO Safari Animals at Cardiff Bay - A Toddler Explores

LEGO Safari Animals at Cardiff Bay - A Toddler Explores

It was a freezing cold day in Cardiff on Tuesday, but the sun was shining so we headed down to Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay to see the LEGO Great Brick Safari. It's a free display of wild animals made entirely from LEGO bricks. Some have half a million or more bricks  (yep some have 600,000+), and took hours to build. The display is there throughout half term until Sunday 25th February and definitely worth a visit.

Our Weekly Journal - Soft Play and Colds

Our Weekly Journal - Soft Play and Colds

Another short and late post as we have all had colds (flu?) here. Bad chests, nausea, achy limbs, sore throats - in fact so much I won't bore you with the details. Needless to say I have spent most of it on the sofa or in bed.

Bear was quite poorly last week too but seems to be getting through it now. He is still loving Welsh school so that is good news.

On Tuesday we popped around Bears house while he was at school and Grandad took Mummy to look at a new pram for Bee. I stayed in and had lots of baby cuddles with Bee.

Our weekly Review - Cefn Mably Farm Park and a Horse Ride

Our Weekly Review - Cefn Mably Farm Park and a Horse Ride

It's been so busy again this week. Bear started Welsh school on Monday and loved it. He then started coughing badly in the night so Mummy took him to the doctors on Tuesday. He has croup, but just needs a close eye so went back to school. We collected him at 11.30 and brought him home. We didn't want to make his cough worse by letting him out in the cold or running around. He seemed lots better on Wednesday so after school we went to Cefn Mably Farm Park.

Our Weekly Journal - 18th December -Naughty and Nice

We didn't have snow but our neighbours still have a snowman. look at that face! What a little poppet.

Our Weekly Journal - Naughty and Nice

We try not to label Bears behaviour as naughty or not but sometimes it can't be helped. We started the week on Tuesday with a child that is certainly on Father Christmas's nice list. He was wonderful from the minute he arrived until he left. It is lovely to see him well and happy.

48 Hours in London; An Itinerary for a Quick Visit

48 Hours in London; An Itinerary for a Quick Visit

*Collaborative guest post

With so much to do in London, it can be challenging to plan a two-day itinerary visit that will allow you to see all the good stuff before it's time to leave. Fortunately, with the right route, a solid schedule, and a bit of transportation-related research, you should be able to take in the best of the English capital within the course of a single weekend.

However, if you're not familiar with the area, you could waste a lot of time planning a huge list of destinations only to be disappointed by time constraints. One way to streamline the process of obtaining tickets to each attraction is to use a London Pass Mobile Ticket.

In addition, to help you stay on track and on time, we've devised a quick 48-hour schedule that can you can use as a template to design your own personalised two-day London itinerary:

Our Weekly Journal - A Quick Catch Up

Our Weekly Journal - A Quick Catch Up

I haven't written a weekly journal for ages, in fact the last one was 2nd October! Wow that was a long time ago, until I checked I didn't realise how long it was. It isn't that we haven't done anything, in fact we have been very busy, it is my SAD. I just can't be bothered. Nothing has any point to it so I carried on with posts I had committed to, and left all the chatty stuff.
I mean who reads it anyway? What is the point? I didn't even get the lap top out for over a week at the beginning of November.
Then last week I received a Christmas card from my sister, she told me how much she loved reading my blog, the journals and the Junk Food one (it brought back memories for her too) and I realised that I actually enjoyed writing about our days and there are people who enjoy reading it. So I decided to do a catch up, there's a fair bit to include so grab a cup of tea and read on...

A Walk in Waterfall Country - Sgwd Clun Gwyn and Sgwd Yr Eira

A Walk in Waterfall Country - Sgwd Clun Gwyn and Sgwd Yr Eira

Difficulty - Strenuous
Parking - £4 all day

We decided to attempt the Four Falls walk in waterfall country, near Ystradfellte, Wales. We have done it before, many years ago when the children were small, and my over riding memories were that it was a long hard slog there and back, with hundreds of steps down to the waterfalls. We thought we wouldn't overdo it by doing it all at once so did two walks a few days apart, each taking in one waterfall.

Both walks are not for the faint hearted and require decent walking boots although we did see a supervised group of children doing it in wellies. It is perfectly possible to do the route in one visit, we just couldn't do all the steps down and back up in one go.

There are information boards in the car parks and at each waterfall. They describe the walks as strenuous and warn about the steep drops and uneven paths along the way. Although this is true the group of children (probably aged about 8 or 9) managed it. Even if they did complain all the way up from Sgwd Yr Eira!

What's in My Car Boot? - #Blogtober17 Day 3

What's in My Car Boot? - #Blogtober17 Day 3

It's day three of #Blogtober17 and the theme is Car. Firstly the image above is not my car, in fact I do not drive, but all the other images are mine. We were getting ready to go out. There were three of us. Grandad, Bear and me. We were going to Garwnant, about a thirty minute drive, and had planned to stay a few hours. Garwnant has a visitor centre and cafe, it is not in the back of beyond but as I was filling the car with essentials it made me think if I am the only person who takes so much? Please tell me you fill your boot too!