Weleda Gardens Open Day

Earlier this month we visited the fabulous Weleda gardens on their open day, if you haven't heard of Weleda before they are a world leader in holistic natural cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

With gardens all over the world it feels like such a privilege to have one so close to us, I have visited the gardens before for one of Weleda's insight days but wanted to take the children so they could experience the gardens and see the wonderful flowers and plants.

First off my daughter and I made flower crowns, I had never made them before but it was super easy and so much fun. We chose our flowers from the selection they had and then carefully wound each flower onto the wire.

After we'd made our flower crowns we walked around the gardens, the plants were all labelled so you could tell what they were, some more deadly than others.

It was such a wonderful day and I enjoyed watching my children walk through the flowers, looking at the wildlife. We spotted some ant hills in the polytunnels and saw the bees that live in the gardens, we couldn't help but stop to spot the many butterflies and moths in the wildflower meadow too.

I use Weleda on a daily basis, my favourite products being their foot balm, arnica shower gel and skin food they smell great and work so well.

If you haven't heard of them before and are looking for more natural products to use as part of your beautify routine then do check them out.

A Relaxing Mid Week Break at Darwin Forest - Review

It is no secret that we love to be in the countrside, that we love to be at one with nature and out enjoying the fresh air.

So when we were invited for a mid week break at Darwin Forest in one of their Classic Vogue lodges I am not sure who was more excited, me or the children.

Sat in the beautiful Peak District between two of my favourite towns, Bakewell and Matlock, it is a wonderful location and with plenty to see and do in the area it is the ideal base to explore this wonderful part of the country.

Since you can't get into the lodge until 4pm we first headed to Bakewell, it is a stunning town full of wonderful independent shops, cafes and of course Bakewell Puddings. We spent the day there, eating chips by the river, looking in the shops and playing on the park.

The children were rather impatient to get to our home for the week, perhaps my biggest mistake was showing them everything that was on offer at Darwin Forest.

On arrival we were greeted by a friendly receptionist who gave us our key and explained where our lodge was, we drove around looking for our lodge and it was just so quiet and peaceful, the trees all beautiful with their changing leaves and colours.

We eventually found our lodge and it sat there looking all inviting in the cold and wet, with just a single light making the lounge glow a warm orange, it was super toasty and warm when we got inside and just what we needed on what wasn't the best autumn day.

With a modern kitchen/diner, lounge, bedrooms and its own veranda, it was such a lovely place to call home for the week.

I bought all of our luggage in and set about making tea, the kitchen was well equipped and had everything we needed for our stay, including dish clothes, tea towels, dishwasher tablets and washing liquid. So you don't need to worry about bringing anything really other than your food and maybe some tinfoil and cling film.

We had a picnic tea and sat in the toasty warm lodge looking out through the warmly lit trees, it was wonderful and with the log effect fire it felt so snug.

Our beds were comfy and warm and we all slept soundly, even though the rain fell through the night and into Tuesday, but not to fear, the rain did not stop play.

With a swimming pool on site we headed there first thing, as did a lot of other people, however it wasn't too busy and we had a good swim about. We drove that morning not really knowing how far it was to walk in the rain, but to be honest everything is within easy walking distance and wasn't too much effort being relatively flat.

Photo courtesy of Darwin Forest

After lunch we headed to the soft play centre, fortunately the children are still both of an age where they enjoy soft play and they made friends and had a great time. As a single parent this sort of thing is great, it means I can grab a hot cup of coffee and sit and read for a short time whilst they enjoy themselves.

It is a big soft play area and so the children didn't get board at any point, they also offer a good selection of food, perfect for hungry tummies. There is a charge of £3.50 per child, but for a few hours of fun this isn't too expensive and is about what we'd normally pay.

Wednesday saw the sun shine bright, sending down a gorgeous golden glow from the leaves above. So we headed out into the woods on the woodland walk and to find the trim track. We spotted a few rabbits, plenty of birds and an absolute abundance of fungi along the woodland floor. The golden leaves carpeting the floor made this a wonderful time of the year to be visiting, wrapping up warm in layers of jumpers.

After our walk we headed to the mini golf course for a quick game, it only cost a £5 and was a great way to spend an hour and for the first time ever I got a hole in one, a complete fluke I'm sure. Afterwards we popped to the park, whilst it was dry we made the most of it.

Since the children had enjoyed it so much the day before, we headed for another few hours at the soft play, it gave them time to blow off steam and me a few hours just to relax, since I was on holiday too.

Afterwards we walked back through the woods to get changed so we could head back out for some tea. I thought it would be nice not to have to cook for one of the evenings so I booked us in at The Foresters restaurant on site, it has a good varied menu including some classics like chilli, pie and pizza. They even have a take away menu, perfect if you don't fancy cooking but would like to eat back in your lodge.

After we'd finished eating there was time to pop into the games room which is just next door, it has pool tables, air hockey and some other arcade games. I got to teach the kids the pleasure that is pool, although not particularly easy with a little 5 year old and an ' I don't need you to show me how' 8 year old, but we had fun and afterwards we wandered back through the woods, listening to the owls hoot.

Once back in the warm cabin we watched The Great British Bake Off, it has been a bit of a guilty pleasure for the children the past few weeks and we haven't watched the last one yet, although we know who won.

On Thursday we had a slow morning doing some Halloween crafts and the children played outside, later that day we headed out so my son could have an archery lesson. We'd had a look at the list of activities before we arrived and my son really liked the idea of archery, so I booked him in for a session when we arrived.

I was a little worried about how he'd get on but I needn't of, he was a pro and Dan the instructor was really patient. It looked like everyone was having so much fun and almost instantly I regretted not booking myself on the course too. The session cost £12 and I feel this was worth it, my son had so much fun and it was definitely the highlight of his week.

With everything from bikes to hire, archery, a swimming pool, gym, tennis, woodland walks and the soft play, there really is something to do in all weathers. This makes Darwin Forest the perfect all year round location. I didn't use the car all week and it felt like I had actually had a break, I loved being able to walk everywhere, it made everything so much more relaxed. The lodges are all well equipped and some even come with hot tubs, this would definitely be the icing on the cake and I am already planning our return visit.

After a wonderful week we finished it off with a trip to Matlock and Matlock Bath, both great towns in different ways. Whether you love vintage and antiques or arcades and a walk down the river with some chips, they are both wonderful little towns.

*We received a midweek break at Darwin Forest to form this review, all words and pictures unless otherwise stated are my own.

A Day Out at Midland Railway

Last weekend we visited the Midland Railway in Derbyshire, the journey started at Butterley station and we travelled down the line through Swanwick junction and on to Riddings, there the train waits for the engine to turn around, then goes back up the line to Butterley Reservoir and back again.

It isn't a long line but to be honest, since you can travel up and down as many times as you like with your day ticket, it didn't matter too much.

We paid an extra pound each to sit in first class which was well worth it for the Harry Potter style compartment we got to sit in. You forget the smell and sounds of steam trains, but they are still as enigmatic when you are 33 as they were when you were 5.

From Butterley we went all the way down the line and then back to Swanwick junction, there we got off to go and look around the old trains and carriages in the museum, as well as a beautiful old church which was bought from the railway village of Westhouses. The inside was as beautiful as the outside and it reminded me more of ones you see in America.

Next to this is a little park, the perfect place for the children to run about for five minutes whilst you enjoy the views and sights of the railway housings and sheds. 

The old trains, carriages and railway memorabilia were great to look around and we spent ages walking up and down the old carriages, reading about how they were once used, from beautiful royal carriages, to ones which had carried the wounded home from the front line in WW1. It is such a wonderful way to get up close and personal with these magnificent pieces of engineering and also a great way to explain to the children some of the science behind how they work.

There was also a wonderful little miniature railway in the old Swanwick junction gatehouse, the kids loved seeing this and probably could have watched them all day.

After we'd had a look round and a cup of hot chocolate and cake we headed to the platform for the train back, once we got back to Butterley the train goes a little bit further than the station to the beautiful Butterley reservoir, then we headed back to Butterley. The great thing about this, is that the train turns round and comes back, so you get to see the engine drive straight past your window, the steam is truly something to behold.

Back at Butterley station, we stopped to look at the engine that had bought us up and down the line, the steam, fire and coal were just simply wonderful and I for one could have spent all day soaking up the history. It is places like Butterley that keep the memories alive for all to see, to make sure that we don't forget how we got where we are today and that these engines were once part of our land. 

At Butterley station there is also another cafe, model railway and shop so if you have to wait for the train there it is a wonderful station and the wait is certainly worth it for the ride in the steam train.

A Creative & Crafty Blog Meet at Breadsall Priory

On Sunday, I was invited to a Creative and Craft event at Breadsall Priory in Derbyshire. It was a great chance to meet up with some other like minded bloggers for a chat and to find out about some great products and businesses in a truly beautiful setting.

On the day, I decided to go with a vintage look, with some vintage Ralph Lauren and Marks & Spencer glammed up with a joules top and accessorised with a Sun Jellies bag, shoes and necklace.

On arrival to Breadsall Priory we were shown to a beautiful garden room for a selection of drinks, before being shown to our table for afternoon tea. The afternoon tea was stunning, with beautiful cakes, sandwiches, and scones with plenty of clotted cream and jam.

Even me, with the sweetest of teeth couldn't manage all of the the cakes, thankfully though the lovely staff bought them to our room so we could finish them in the afternoon.

After tea and cake we made our way to the Morley room, a beautiful and bright airy room which I can imagine would make a gorgeous backdrop for a wedding ceremony, especially looking out into the stunning gardens.

First up, we had a talk by Annette from Weleda, a brand I already adore and have lots of time for. We got to try some of their bath milks, hand creams as well as learn about how they work. I bought some foot balm to help prepare my summer feet.

Then we got on to making and crafting, with some hoops supplied by Korbond and lots of scraps of fabric, we set about designing a picture on fabric. I am a real novice when it comes to something like this, I am normally found crafting with paper, glue and children in tow. So it was great to find something new to try.

We also had  talk from Jen from Lunar 21 and Alice from Bless Your Arts Boutique and Phil did a great talk on Polyvine, they do some great products so I will be looking a bit more into this.

It was a lovely few hours and I only wish it could of been longer, there was so much more to learn and craft and talk about so I look forward to the next one.

Thank you to Samantha and Kat for organising and Breadsall Priory for hosting us, and their wonderful little goody bags I am looking forward to popping back to use the leisure facilities.

The day raised £100 for the Mollie Makes Crafternoon For Comic Relief  too, so as well as being fun it was helping a worthwhile cause.

Blog Roll from Sunday

Kat
www.akraftykat.co.uk

Emma

www.lilyallsorts.com

Charlotte
www.englishgirlathome.com

Hannah
www.daintyandivory.blogspot.com/

Phil

www.fireflyphil.wordpress.com

Samantha

www.crafternoonteahostess.co.uk

Claire

www.ninjakillercat.co.uk

Alice 

Bless You Arts Boutique

Jenn
www.lunar21derby.org.uk

Castle Fun in the Mud

Today we visited Elvaston Castle for some fresh air, to feed the ducks and to have a walk with family.

It was the perfect excuse to don some wellies and head out for a splash about.

The trees are gorgeous at the moment, such beautiful reds, oranges and yellows.

 Running in the leaves

Looking at the ducks over the bridge.

 Looking at the wooden sculptures, we particularly liked this bear and owl one.

Cup of tea anyone?

Shortly before my daughter went face first in to the mud!

Spotting lots of mushrooms and looking for fairies!

Running through the trees is lots of fun.

Love the windows on this old building.

This week I am linking up to Country Kids on Coombe Mill

Sticky Fingers in Ashbourne

Me and my husband popped to Ashbourne last year for our anniversary and loved it, lots of independent shops, cafes and restaurants.

So when trying to think of something to do near Derby before a family party we took the children back to have a look around and a cup of coffee.

Whilst there we found a little ceramic painting shop which also housed a cafe and design led gift shop and what a wonderful find it was.

Obviously I opted for the hot chocolate which was divine and both me and hubby had a slice of millionaires shortbread, my children had a slice of rocky road and an iced shortbread biscuit all of which tasted amazing and got eaten too quickly for me to take a picture!

They also offer a range of light lunches including sandwiches, paninis, soup or a salad, made from local ingredients where possible.

The design led gift shop offers a delightful range of gifts, a lot locally sourced too which is always a bonus.

And finally the ceramic painting available looked fantastic, with a huge range of pots and paints and a gorgeous warm environment to paint in. I am sure would make the perfect addition to a day out with children or even a party, one day we will go back and give it a go for sure.

If you are live in Derbyshire or are there on a holiday I can highly recommend Ashbourne and if you are looking for coffee and a cake I can definitely recommend Sticky Fingers.