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.

Our Trip to Naturescape Wildflower Farm

With the sun shining and the summer holidays still in full swing I decided it would be the perfect time to take the children to Naturescape, a wildflower farm over in Langar, Nottinghamshire .

It had been on my 'places to visit' list for some time and it just seemed like the perfect day to take a picnic and spend some time with the children and no distractions.

The place itself is easy to find if a little odd driving through an industrial estate, however, once there you are welcomed by a wooded car park which leads out into the wildflower fields and meadows.

We first headed to the small and slightly weathered park, but that is only my opinion and for the children they couldn't care less how weathered things are, they played happily on the slide, swings and small ride on toys.

After this we headed back to the car to get our picnic and find somewhere to sit, we found the dragonfly pond and decided that this would be a good place to eat our lunches.

Afterwards we headed to the shop and cafe, there are an array of seeds from all of the wildflowers that you can purchase. My aim is to get some of the garden ready for this next year, it would be lovely to attract more butterflies and bees into the garden.

We sat and ate an ice-cream before heading back out for a look around the different meadows, we saw so many butterflies of all different colours and sizes, it was a treat, especially for my daughter who loves them.

We stopped in a meadow and watched the wildlife as it went about it's day, we blew blades of grass to make them whistle, not an easy task for the tiny fingers of a five and eight year old, but practice makes perfect, so we shall keep at it.

With so many different and wonderful flowers it was hard for my daughter not to pick them all, she did manage to pick one, it was her favourite colour so obviously caught her eye just a little too much.

Although a lot of the flowers were now drying out we still had a fabulous time and we will most definitely be back.

The meadows are also next to Langar airfield which meant we got to watch dozens of sky divers floating down from the sky, equally as fun, although on a sunny day we had to be careful not to blind ourselves.

The Walled Garden at Clumber Park

A few weekends ago we went camping at Clumber Park, it is a great place to escape to and not far from where we live.  Included in the camping fee is entry in to the walled garden, we have been in there once before and it is a beautiful place to explore, full of colours which change through the seasons.

This visit did not disappoint, with Dahlias as big as your head, lots of fruit, veg and plenty of insects and wildlife to see too, it was a colourful delight

The greenhouses are the first stop, they tell the history of the gardens and how they were used, from back in the 1800s, up to the present day, it is an interesting look back into how some things have changed but it also shows that really a lot remains the same.

One of my favourite spots is the potting shed, with rows and rows of pots, I loved to imagine how many hands they have passed through, how many seedlings they have grown and how many of the plants there today they have been home to.

There is currently a trail about fruit and vegetables from around the world and where they originate from, it was interesting to see where things came form and sometimes places you don't really think of. The kids always love a quiz and it got them running round like Challenge Anneka, trying to find all of the blow up globes with the answers on, dotted around the gardens.

With so many other plants and flowers to spot and try and guess what they were it was a lovely way to spend an hour.

If you are visiting Clumber any time, then I can highly recommend stopping by for a look round, the walled garden is a wonderful place to sit and reflect.

Beautiful Nature

Sometimes I look at what we have become as humans, destroying life, land and our seas. It can be hard to see past it all, but then, in a single moment of utter beauty, I am reminded of what nature has created and still creates now.

With each season comes a different flower, we have just had daffodils, tulips and blossom and then, the beautiful peonies have started to unfurl their spectacular petals.

I bought a couple of reduced bunches from Marks & Spencer on Sunday and wasn't expecting much. But, when we got home with these unloved beauties and put them into some water, they exploded like sprinters, racing to see who could open the fastest.

One of them beat the others hands down and there were many oohs and aahhs, it was like a peacock shaking out its tail feathers, truly beautiful. So, I did what anyone who likes to take pictures would do and got my camera out.

Like a lot of photographers, I still have a lot to learn about how to take pictures, heck, I only took my camera off automatic last year. That aside, it is hard not to take a beautiful picture when the subject itself is so divine. Since I took these pictures, the flowers have changed colour and shape even more which only goes to show how wonderful nature truly is.

Beautiful Flowers from The Flower Studio

I love flowers, they are something I have in the home all of the time and aren’t just for special occasions, but that doesn’t stop them being special on occasions like Mother's Day, birthdays etc.

Flowers brighten up spaces, add colour and bring elements of the outside in to your home, this bouquet of flowers from The Flower Studio not only contains flowers but has rosemary in too. The rosemary adds a wonderful scent and it's own beautiful flowers whilst the shape stands out amongst the rest of the bouquet.

The flowers arrive in the normal post and should be left in a safe place or with a neighbour, unfortunately my postie either didn’t read the note or wasn’t able to leave at our house so took them back to the depot .

They do have a special wrap around the stems though and this was still wet enough that they were absolutely fine, opening the box was a great surprise and as I looked around the bouquet I saw the attention to detail with the flowers that had been chosen to be part of the display. As the week has gone on more, have opened that were hiding before, meaning that as one flower dies another appears in its place.

Over a week on, these flowers are mostly still going strong with the exception of some of the roses, but roses are notoriously bad at staying alive for much longer than a week.

The Flower Studio have some wonderful bouquets and flower arrangements, starting from under £20, so there is something for all budgets, the feeling of receiving flowers never seems to change, it is always magical to be given a bunch of flowers wether they are something simple or more extravagant!

Only problem is finding somewhere to display them, if I could carry them around into each room with me I would! These flowers are the perfect way to treat that special person in your life no matter what the occasion.

The Flower Studio have some wonderful flowers on offer as well as gifts for the home and garden, I have my eye on this antique style wooden stand and scissor set, just gorgeous!

With flowers being delivered throughout the week, you can be sure to get something delivered when you want. The delivery charges are very reasonable and if you order before 1pm tomorrow you can still have flowers delivered in time for Mother's Day.

Here are a few more of my favourite bouquets and flower displays.

Follow The Mummy Diary's board Beautiful Flowers from The Flower Studio on Pinterest.

NB: I was sent these flowers to form this review, all words and pictures are my own.

My Favourite Instagram Acounts

I love Instagram, it's such a friendly place with inspiring pictures and people.  It is always the first place I turn if things aren't going great that day.

Full of wonderful snippets of life, whether staged or not, they are tiny squares of prettiness, sadness, glory, hope and everything in between. So I wanted to share with you some of my favourite Instagram accounts, people who have inspired me and made me smile and always bring a little square of joy into my life.

First up, I love Capture By Lucy, Lucy's photography, her styling and kind heart always shows through on her pictures and I love the little snippets into her life (even if I am slightly envious of them). She gets to play with such wonderful flowers and I adore her honesty and love that shows in every picture she takes.

Next is My Little Wildings, this gorgeous mama Zoe has the most adorable children and the most wonderful of jobs, her feed is just full of life and her beautiful work, each picture makes me smile and a lot of the time the pictures of the cutest tiniest babies make me feel broody!

I first saw Katy from Apartment Apocathary at BritMums Live this year and have been swooning over her feed ever since. Her beautiful styling and home are something I aspire too and her pictures are truly stunning.

For a colourful feed full of handmade gorgeousness, then look no further than Hollie at Flora Fairwather, she has the most beautiful handmade blankets, her feed is wonderful, bright and is sure to brighten up any dark day. I adore her feed and she is a lovely lady to boot.

And finally, this account offers the most fabulous foodie delights and after stalking her for the Springtime Surprise Project earlier this year, I can honestly say her feed makes my mouth water and my taste buds tingle. Claire at Foodie Quine has an amazing food blog and her feed is full of foodie inspiration.

Who inspires you on Instagram? Do you love it or loath it? And finally if you are on there then do pop over to my feed and say hello, I can usually be found posting pictures of stuff I make, love or my jelly shoes.

Exploring Clumber Park

At the weekend, we were invited to Clumber Park, to explore the grounds by bike and enjoy some of the facilities on offer.

When we have visited previously, we walked around the pleasure grounds near the chapel and played on the woodland play park, so the cycling was a first for us, not just here but I don't think I had even sat on a bike since I was about 12 or 13!

After parking the car, we headed first to the cycle hire centre, where the staff kitted us out with bikes, helmets, a lock and a map of the cycle routes, as well as offering advice on which route to start off with and where not to ride. 

As the children do not ride, my husband had my son on a tagalong bike and I had my daughter on a seat on the back of mine. It was a bit wobbly at first, but got easier as we went along. Traveling by bike meant that we got to see parts of the park that we had not seen before. Past the village of Hardwick, on the other side of the lake, there are fields, full of butterflies, insects and birds of prey, it was wonderful to be able to stop and look at these.

The view from the other side of the lake is amazing and I am quite sad we haven't seen it before, it is definitely a walk or ride we will be taking again. The cycle paths are flat and steep in equal measures, though if you don't mind dismounting, then you can follow the flat path along the edge of the lake.

With the kit Clumber Park gave us, we had binoculars and bug spotting kits so the children enjoyed being able to spot the wildlife across the lake and beyond.

After we'd been round once we stopped for lunch, there was a short wait for lunch from the restaurant itself so we opted for the BBQ outside. 

My daughter chose the child's lunch box which contained a freshly made sandwich, mini cheddars, cheese and crackers, yoghurt, biscuits and a drink, not bad for £4.50. I had the pork cob, hubby had the burger and my son had the sausage cob, with two portions of chips and a couple of beers it came to £31, it certainly filled us up for the rest of the day.

Afterwards we payed a visit to the second hand bookshop and the discovery centre, this is a great little spot to chill out with lots of space to explore, sit and read, learn and play.

After another cycle round the lake, we headed up to the walled garden, you have to pay to get into this area unless you are a National Trust member, it isn't much though, it's free for children and then £3.65 per adult without Gift Aid.

You could spend a good hour and a half  to two hours in the garden and they run talks and tours too, as it heads towards the summer holidays they also have lots of activities for children with the new Sunflower Alley opening this week.

There are so many beautiful flowers and areas to explore in the gardens, from the fruit and herb gardens to their many varieties of rhubarb. It was great to be able to get up close and personal with so many different plants, many of which we hadn't seen before. There was a bug house kit in the bag of goodies we were given so we took a look at the ones in the garden, which made the children excited about making this.

We really had an amazing time at Clumber Park, getting to see so much on the bikes was great and although my legs ached for days afterwards, it was by far the best way to see and explore. As a final treat before we left we headed over to the cricket pitch where there was a match on, we had an ice cream and then took it in turns to fly the pocket kite from the gift shop.

These things are normally something we might overlook in the shop, but actually they made our day out that little bit more special.

Clumber Park is a great place to visit this summer with so much to offer, see and do whether it is just to kick a ball around, go exploring in the woods or go biking round the lake.

NB: We were given free entry to the park, cycle hire and meal voucher to form this review. All opinions are my own.

Mother's Day Treats

Looking for something to treat that special mama in your life on Mother's Day? Well, I have a few tried and tested goodies for you.

First up, is this fabulous flower delivery service, Wild Flowers Company deliver gorgeous flowers to your door, weekly or monthly. A great idea that keeps on giving, the flowers are all sourced from British suppliers and the stunning bouquets are a delight to receive - From £28, pop back to my original post for 20% off!

Next up, if you have a mama in your life that likes baths and all things natural then this Weleda Wild Rose Bath Cream is for them, this luscious bath cream is beautifully silky and leaves your skin feeling wonderful and moisturised, the bottle is also super pretty - £12.95.

With spring on it's way the fabulous Sun Jellies have a great new range of bags and their shoes and jewellery is always a hit, you can find my review of the shoes and bag for more information. Prices starting from £10.

And finally, the fabulous Yumbox, this is a great lunchbox for busy mums, whether they are out for a picnic, at work or just want something that you can pack in the morning and take with you to ensure you get a balanced lunch. They even have a mothers day offer of free P&P so check them out, it's a box that can be used day in day out and looks great too, for more check out my previous reviews of the Yumbox and Panino. £24.95

Now, I wonder if this is a big enough hint of what I might like, a girl can never have enough bags, shoes, flowers, bath stuff and lunch boxes right.

Wild Flowers Company Review inc Discount Code

I was recently sent some beautiful flowers in the post by a wonderful little company called Wild Flowers Company.  Wild Flowers Company was set up to offer seasonal, British, farm and love-grown flower arrangements. They are based in Kentish Town in North London, have just launched in the new year, only sell online and solely offer to send on a regular basis flower arrangements (and one-offs arrangements by way of exception). 

Flowers are sourced from UK growers, from Cornwall to Scotland. A sustainable business from which the farmers, the environment and the customers all benefit. The company is also part of The British Flower Collective, a group of passionate British flower growers and arrangers who are working together to put seasonality, local, home grown (and British) back into the flower industry.

The box arrived and was beautifully simple with just a touch of glitz, with the gold stickers sealing the box. I love flowers and somehow receiving them in the post just added to the excitement, who doesn't love receiving things in the post?

Inside the box, the flowers were wrapped in brown paper, tied with simple raffia and attached was a handwritten tag with the names of the flowers, I love this touch, which made it so personal.

Simple and beautiful packaging just makes for a more exciting time opening the flowers.

On opening the paper you are presented with the flowers and attached around the bottom of the flowers is a water pack that has kept the flowers from getting too thirsty. Some of them were a little bit limp, but after being in water for a few hours they perked up.

The flowers had faired well during their journey, they were all still perfectly intact, none were broken or bruised. 

The flowers themselves were beautiful, not something I would have chosen myself but they they all worked so well with each other, it was this fact that made them so special. Not bright and gaudy like supermarket flowers, they were earthy and natural and perfect for this time of the year.

The great thing about these flowers are you don't need to be a florist to arrange them, once I had undone them I placed into a large Kilner jar and they just looked stunning. They fit in with the fireplace and just bring the outside inside.

I adored this display, I really did, once the Narcissus had died the Anemones came out and once they had died the Magnolia buds started to come out so the whole display has lasted over three weeks and is still going strong.

Here is a little bit more about the available subscriptions:

A three posies a week package costs £24 p/w
A weekly package costs £28 p/w
A monthly package costs £32 p/m
A seasonal package costs £128 p/a and delivers four seasonal bunches a year
A pregnancy packages costs £168 p/a and delivers 6 seasonal arrangements over 6 months.
Subscriptions can be one-off, for a specific period (usually for gifts purposes) or on open-ended basis (when buying flowers for oneself).

One-off arrangements can be arranged but only shipped on Thursdays

Why order with Wild Flowers Company?

• Because the flowers will look nothing like the ones you usually see at the supermarket or online, or even at your local florist.
• Because our flowers have not travelled for days but instead are cut the day before we ship, because they have not been frozen nor heated to control their flowering, they arrive fresh and last long.
• Because the flowers are curated every week using what's in season, it creates surprise and anticipation.
• Because a gift says a lot about you, and this one will show consideration and thoughtfulness as opposed to cheap and easy.
• Because this is a gesture towards the environment, as there is no air mile attached to it, and it is beneficial to vegetation and pollination.
• Because one minds the provenance and the conditions in which his purchase have been put together.
• Because the recurrence/regular delivery shows one cares beyond past the past the tinsel and Christmas cheer.
• Because one choose quality and sustainability.

If you like what you see and would like to order a beautiful display for yourself or a loved one, perhaps for Valentines Day or Mothers Day or just because then you can 20% off with code MUMD20 until the 31/03/15.

I cannot express enough how much I love these flowers and how impressed I am with them.

NB: I was sent the flowers for the purpose of the review, all opinions and photos are my own.