Lockdown fun - Painting Rocks

My first go at painting rocks

Lockdown is putting pressure on us all to find ways to entertain the kids while we work or cook or just have a few minutes to ourselves.

Painting rocks isn't just for children, adults can have fun too. This isn't a How To post more a Why Don't You Try This? If you do an internet search you will see so many gorgeous rocks, these are not easy to replicate, but it doesn't matter. Find a rock, give it a wash and dry, cover it in paint or nail varnish or stick things to it, then place them around your local area for others to find.

Boxwild Children's Big Bird Gift Box - Review

Boxwild Children's Big Bird Gift Box - Review 

We love feeding the birds in the garden and every year we participate in the RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch so we were delighted to be given a Boxwild Children's Big Bird Gift Box to review*. 

The parcel arrived and Bear couldn't wait to open it, it was packed beautifully and was full to the brim. We had a wooden bird box, four tiny pots of paint and a paintbrush. There was also a bird feeder, a scoop and two packets of wild bird food. The bird food is a special mix for either blue tits or Boxwilds blend for other songbirds, such as dunnock, robins and blackbirds. The packets are illustrated with the birds that would usually feed from the mixture. The contents are clearly marked on the packets and along with a mixture of seeds, both contain peanuts and wheat.

Bear chose the bluetit mix, he couldn't wait to try the scoop. We struggled a little to scoop the seeds directly from the bag but once poured into a bowl it was easy. 

I loved the quality of the items. Everything looked well made, the bird box was joined well and no rough parts or splinters. The bird feeder was of similar quality and quickly replaced my old, rusty one. 

The food mix was a good mix of seeds and pellets with no dust. I usually buy the premium brands and this looked equal if not better than those.

Bear loved filling the bird feeder with the metal scoop

Once we had the bird feeder in place we started on the bird box. I didn't give any instructions to Bear,  I just told him to paint it however he liked.

The gift set comes with four small pots of paint. Red, blue, yellow and green. The pots are really small, I doubt if there is enough to fully cover the exterior but this didn't stop Bear. I was very impressed with how carefully he painted the roof. He chose green, a good choice I think. Then he chose red, and painted around the entrance hole. I must admit it did look like something from a Tarantino movie but I bit my tongue and let him continue. A little bit of yellow and blue and we had a rainbow house.

Bear concentrating hard and trying to be careful.

The red around the entrance may not be to everyones taste haha!
Bear thought the birds would love it because it is so colourful

As Bear was adding more colours he declared;

the birds are going to love this! It's so colourful

Yes! 

I think he's right, it is colourful and quite delightful.

The finished box - perfect for a family of blue tits

Bear loved this gift set. I wouldn't hesitate in recomending it as a gift or just as a craft for your child to enjoy. We spent ages talking about birds, what they ate, where they slept and so on. It was so much more than just a bird box to paint.

Boxwild do all sorts of gift boxes, suitable for adults and children. Pop over to the Boxwild website and I am sure you'll find something you love. Our box cost £28.

* Disclosure - We were given the gift box for the purpose of this review. All opinions are honest and our own.

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How to Grow Potatoes with Children

How to Grow Potatoes with Children

Children love gardening - they love the digging, watering and the harvesting. Many plants can be grown without a garden, just a big pot and somewhere to put it.

Sadly many children think fruit and vegetables come from the supermarket. They do not know that potatoes grow in the ground, tomatoes on bushes, apples on trees. It is easy to show them by growing your own fruit or vegetables. It doesn't need to be much, you can grow fruit or vegetables in pots. Start with potatoes but also try strawberries and tomatoes.

Bear has helped in the garden since he was old enough to walk. When I said we were planting potatoes today he asked "and tomatoes Nanny?" "I have to check they are red before I pick them" Yes, he remembered from last summer and he's only three.

Growing potatoes is easy, here's a quick guide. Even if you have never grown anything before, try this.

Easy To Grow Paper White Daffodils for Christmas

Easy To Grow Paper White Daffodils for Christmas

We all love fresh flowers and especially love having them in the house at Christmas, Paper Whites are easy to grow, look wonderful and have a scent that reminds me of honey. To be precise they are Narcissi, but are commonly called daffodils.

#MySundayPhoto Number 11

#MySundayPhoto Number 11

It was sunny and warm here on Thursday and we spent the morning in the garden. The camellia is looking lovely and the raindrops left from an earlier shower just glistened in the sunshine.

I hope we have a few more sunny days as we love being outside.

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A Cardiff Garden in September

Well we didn't get much of a summer in Cardiff this year and now it's officially over. The autumn brings with it warm days and cold nights. Lots of plants are still flowering and many are just starting to turn glorious colours. September is a time of fruits and produce, but not in this garden this year! A cold wet spring and summer have not given us the bountiful fruits of last year. 

Gladioli

#MySundayPhoto Number 29

#MySundayPhoto Number 29 is of Bear in the garden. He thought the rose petals on the lawn looked messy but was more than happy to add to the mess.

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St Fagans Castle and Gardens - A Toddler Explores

Not far from Cardiff is St Fagans National History Museum. It is loved for its historic buildings. cottages, toll houses, school, shops and more. What people often miss is St Fagans Castle and Gardens. The Castle is an Elizabethan Manor House dating back to the 16th century.

Piglet, Tigger and Pooh

Our week has been influenced by A.A. Milne. I didn't plan it that way but Winnie the Pooh quotes just seemed very appropriate for my Instagram feed and Bear is a bear isn't he? So this week we met two piglets, Bear bounced like Tigger and did we did "nothing" like Pooh.

Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though.That's the problem. ― 

A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

#MySundayPhoto number 23

#MySundayPhoto Number 23 just has to be of Bear in a field of buttercups. We spent the morning at Dyffryn Gardens and just outside the Manor House was this huge field full of buttercups. He just loved sitting, running and jumping in them.

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Dyffryn Gardens In Spring - A Toddler Explores

We visited Dyffryn Gardens, in the Vale of Glamorgan, back in March and the gardens were quite bare. Bear absolutely loved it there and we called our visit Dyffryn Gardens - A National Trust Toddler Paradise. Now the weather has warmed up and our garden is looking so green and full of flowers we decided to visit again. Is it worth visiting in Spring? Oh yes! I think it has the most beautiful gardens, a huge arboretum and if you visit after 12 mid day you can tour the house.

A Cardiff Garden In May

Zantedeschia - Arum Lily

A Cardiff Garden In May is an exciting time. Everything has suddenly become green and the flowers are all coming into bud. We have Clematis and Wisteria and Roses to name but a few. I think Summer is finally on it's way. We have had a major loss though. We have two bay trees in pots that we grew from very small plants and they are now 25+ years old. One has died. We can only think that it drowned during the Spring. It's so sad because it was beautiful and moved from our old house with us. I have protected it from frost, gone out in snow storms to stop it getting too top heavy and snapping. Never mind we still have one in the porch.

So here are a few pictures of what is in my garden this month.

Gardens and Grottoes

This week has been mostly gardens and grottoes, with lots of fun and fairies. The weather forecast was awful for the whole week so we didn't make any plans just decided to wing it. Monday we went to the garden centre to get some plants for our front garden and stopped on the way home for a quick play in the park. We were lucky that we had a few hours of sunshine.

Bouncy turtle..

Fairies and Grottoes at Dewstow - A Toddler Explores

The weather forecast had been awful all week. We had made no plans to go out anywhere. I even checked again before I went to bed on Wednesday night and rain was forecast all day.

Seaside, Lambs and Bubbles

The weather changed this week and the sun shone so we got outside. Bear is still teething but his cold has gone so he's a lot happier. Our week was all about the seaside, lambs and bubbles.

We started the week at Tintern. We'd heard that you could see baby lambs at Tintern Vineyard so went there first and then to the Abbey.
Don't forget to click on the links to see more photo's and read more about our days out.

Bear looking for the baby lambs

7 Easy Ways To Amuse A Toddler in The Garden - #kidsinthegarden

Looking for something to entertain your toddler? Here's 7 easy ways to amuse a toddler in the garden. They can be done even when the weather isn't perfect.

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing."
                                                          Old Saying

Toddlers love to be outdoors and when it's sunny and warm it's a doddle but what can you do regardless of the weather? Here's a few tips that will enthral your toddler and may even give you a few minutes break.

A Cardiff Garden In April

Welcome to my Cardiff garden in April. It is full of colour and fresh growth. Surprisingly the early Spring didn't continue and a lot of plants are further behind than last year. This time last year the cherry was covered in blossom, it is about two weeks behind this year. Hopefully I will get some cherries and the blossoms won't all fall off before they are ripe.

We also get to welcome back our favourites and smile because they survived another Winter. The maples, beech hedges, Pieris and the herbaceous plants too.

Please enjoy my garden as we look forward to the summer.

Gorgeous Red Tulips

A Cardiff Garden In March

Welcome to a Cardiff garden in March. They say that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb and I would normally agree but this year March started settled and warm, then last week it was freezing and today it is glorious sunshine with a weather forecast of wind and rain. I suppose it's because it's Easter and most people have a long weekend.

In the garden this month birds are building their nests, seeds are sprouting and the weeds are trying to take over. We've managed to get out and prune the Hydrangeas and Fuchsias. Lets hope the weather allows us to get out and weed the garden.

Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts and lets hope April doesn't bring too many showers.

Crows Nesting in the Oak

Messy Fun With The Smoby Water and Sand Table

Bear just loves playing with water and quite often "washes his hands" at the kitchen sink and we both get a bit wet. I had some Amazon vouchers* saved and had been thinking of using them to buy him something for the garden that would hold water and sand and then he could make a complete mess without worrying. There are a lot of tables available that are much cheaper than the Smoby Water and Sand Table (£47.99)  but this got the best reviews.

Bear having fun in the sunshine

How to Sow Seeds for Absolute Beginners

We were in the garden, as usual, when I remembered I had some seeds that I needed to sow. Bear loves helping so we did it together. If I can do it with a 17 month old helping it can't be that difficult!