On Cardiff’s Best Kept Secret – Cefn Onn

Cardiff Stuff, Countrykids, Family, Wales, , ,

Today was the first day this half term that I’ve not been in work, so I was really looking forward to spending some time with the kids. And as the folk at Lazy Jacks  have recently sent the kids some lovely warm tops to review, it seemed a good plan to get out and about and put the tops through their paces!

We decided to head to Cefn Onn, a Cardiff park I had never heard of until recently – and I’ve been here 14 years! The kids were really excited to be discovering a new place and couldn’t wait to go exploring.

First stop – pooh sticks!

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The colours were absolutely amazing – this picture does not do them justice by any means:

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But then I was distracted from looking at the colours by the sound of disaster up ahead – my littlest boy was being thrown into the stream!

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Then the big ones found an abandoned Summerhouse –  the littlest was absolutely not going to be left out of this discovery as you can see!

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There followed Gruffalo hunting…

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Stream un-damming (to make waterfalls, Mum!)

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Stream jumping…

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Chestnut hunting…

 

And acorn counting!

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It was through a Coombe Mill #countrykids post from The Boy and Me a couple of weeks ago that I heard of Cefn Onn, so it seems only fitting that I’m linking this post up too…if you’ve not discovered #countrykids yet, go and have a browse through, it’s a great reminder that the best playgound is the great outdoors (a fact I find too easy to forget, sometimes!)

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

 

 

Things to do in Canton when you’re dead…..bored

Cardiff Stuff, , , , , ,

**This article first appeared in Pontcanna & Canton Matters**

Oh, those words that bring joy to every parent’s heart….Mam, I’m Booooorrrreeed! I’m going to pretend, for the purposes of this article, that I never, EVER, respond with the words ‘well, go and play with one of the thousands of toys that appear to be cluttering up every inch of floor space’.  So what exactly DO I do with the little sweethearts?

One hour: Thompsons Park is our fallback. There’s no play equipment, but the climbing tree, Death Valley, duck feeding and manic scooting can easily take up 60 minutes, with the added bonus that there are always other bored and freezing grownups to moan to. AND you can pick up freshly cooked pakora from Mandy and Bharat’s shop on the way, which goes some way towards making up for the the being bored and freezing bit.

Two hours: Victoria Park will probably keep the kids entertained for a bit longer due to the play equipment and the extra potential for fleecing parents at the snack bar. In the Summer the paddling pool is a lot of fun, though since we’ve had, like, seven years worth of sunshine this year, it’ll probably be about 2020 before it gets warm enough to enjoy it again. Alternatively, there’s Bambeans on Cowbridge Road East, but be warned – though billed as suitable for kids up to 10, I think much above 5 is pushing it. However they do a decent coffee and also meals for kids which don’t cost the earth.

Three hours: Chapter Arts Centre have kids’ films at 11am and 3pm on a Saturday, and with pre-and-post film wee stops and a coffee afterwards, you’ve almost killed A QUARTER OF THEIR WAKING DAY! It’s worth checking what’s on as sometimes the film will be a 12 or PG; they also sell out very quickly in the winter or on rainy weekends, so be warned!

Four hours plus: Not a great deal to do in Canton itself, but with this sort of window you could walk along the Ely Trail to the Bay. Or,  pick up the clipper from the Castle (departs on the hour) and get off at the barrage, then walk across with a stop at the sandy Pirate park. Once in the Bay there’s ice cream for them, coffee for you, and a direct bus (no 1) back to Canton.

Or the little darlings could JUST play with the THOUSANDS of toys…oh, sorry, done that already.

This article was brought to you by Michelle Davis – say hi @michelledavis or read more pearls of parenting wisdom* at learnermother.co.uk

*not a true and accurate representation 

On being Liebstered

LearnerBlogger,

27fad-liebster

 

You know those times when you have like 54 unfinished blog posts clogging up your drafts, yet you can’t finish any of them because a)some other dastardly blogger just wrote a post on that exact same topic, and wrote it much better than you ever could, b) you have forgotten what  on earth possessed you to start writing about THAT, or c) they just aren’t going quite right somehow? Welcome to my world, right now!

But – hurrah – help is here in the form of a Triple Whammy Liebster! I’ve been tagged by Anita, the sparkly lady behind Trawlergirl, a lovely blog full of ideas for all sorts of celebrations – which even comes with the completely free ‘Inspiration Board’ service for any event you might be planning! And then the icing on the cake was being tagged by the frankly amazing @mrboosmum , who writes one of my must-read blogs, Premmeditations – a brilliantly written and always engaging record of her life as a Mum to Sissyboo and Boo. Finally the candle on the icing on the cake was a tag from Nicola at Doubtful Mum, who in her own words is ‘ranting, laughing, raving and crying as I go’ – probably explains why I enjoy her blog so much! Thank you all, you lovely ladies!

So – Liebstering for the uninitiated…it’s a great way of shouting about and sharing your favourite blogs. Basically you answer some questions set by the lovely person who tagged you, then you tag some others, who then answer some questions which you dream up. The number of questions varies – I was tagged once before and the magic number was eleven, which is what Trawlergirl has gone for, though Nicola’s done ten and Mr Boo’s Mum has gone for three. I’m going to compromise at nine, because, well, I can only blog with beer and I reckon I can get nine questions answered and another nine made up before I get to the end of my current (last) bottle. Soooo, without further ado, let’s get going!

1. How do you keep your head while all around are losing theirs?

Ha! I’m usually the one losing mine while everyone keeps theirs and looks at me curiously! But my keeping-my-head mechanism is basically to focus on what I can do, right now, and don’t think about what comes after. For example, I am planning a huge house reconstruction project next year. It involves moving out for six months, finding a ridiculous amount of cash, project managing the actual build, and probably (definitely) endless disagreements with the Husband about the aesthetics (I’m very much a slap-on-the-magnolia person myself. Sorry.) All that is to come, and if I thought about it too much, I would run screaming into the distance, absolutely terrified with the enormity of it all. So I’m not allowing myself to think about it. I’m just dealing with the bit I CAN deal with right now, which is working with the architect to get a design we are happy with, and getting that to planning.  Once that’s done, I’ll worry about the next bit. And THEN run screaming into the distance.

2. What do you wish you could know about your future?

I wish, I WISH I knew whether I had done a good enough job with my kids. Good enough so that they are happy, and resilient, and comfortable in their skins, are able to stand up for what they believe is right, and happy, and happy.

3. What do you wish you could tell yourself of 10 years ago?

I wish I could tell myself that I would have three wonderful children, and to stop worrying about when they would decide to come along.

4.If you could only take 3 of your belongings with you to a desert island, which ones would you choose?

Do kids count as belongings? Because I’d take them, for sure. The biggest could hunt and gather, the middlest could entertain me with her stories and games, and the littlest could keep me warm at night with his (fast disappearing) toddler squidginess. If kids aren’t allowed…hmmm. Does the island have wifi? In which case my kindle, my MacBook Air and a radio. No wifi or radio signal? Bugger that for a game of soldiers, I’m staying put!

5. What was or would be your first dance at your wedding?

It was Pulp – Something Changed. It was going to be the Wannadies – You and Me, Always And Forever but the Husband can’t dance, I can’t dance, so we bottled it and went for a slow sort of slooping around sort of one that we couldn’t mess up too badly.

6. Champagne or tea?

Tea. Always. Except if the champagne was beer. Though I’d still need tea, periodically.

7. Why do you blog?

I started to create a record of our family life, but now I’d say I do it because I enjoy it. I find writing weirdly relaxing, and often it helps me work through something in my head. Also I quite enjoy the idea of learning to write properly, so that one day I might write stuff for publication – having the blog gives me the opportunity to practise on you kind folk!

8. What is your worst habit?

Ooooh so many to choose from. There’s the not being able to fart quietly any more (thank the forceps and a large baby for that – I always USED to be able to manage it). There’s the hiding the chocolate in the salad drawer habit, because none of the little sweethearts think to look in there when they’re raiding the fridge. There’s the swearing whilst driving (not at other people I hasten to add, but at myself and my general driving muppetry). But my worst habit? Worse than all the other worst ones? Hmmmm….probably the fact that I overthink everything, ever, to a ridiculous extent. And if I’ve had a couple of beers, I make anyone who’s around me listen to my overthinking out loud, ad infinitum. Never go for a beer with me. It’s soul destroying.

9. Which one word describes you best?

MUPPET!

 

Yay, nine questions and I’m not at the bottom of my beer yet….so it’s time for nine bloggers who I would like to nominate for the highly prestigious Liebster award!

Bad Mummy Diary – this lady tells it like it is. She’s been a bit quiet lately, probably traumatised by Tarquin’s Mum and her frickin’ annoying friends. But I for one am looking forward to her reappearance!

The Secret Divorcee – The lovely lady behind this anonymous blog nearly closed it down when she got outed but thankfully she thought better of it, and simply reopened for business elsewhere. Reflections on motherhood, post divorce relationships and, er, sex in campervans. It was the last bit wot sold it, your honour.

Put Up With Rain – Sometimes heartbreaking, often hilarious and always straight from the heart, I love Put Up With Rain. But please don’t, whatever you so, go to her blog and search for Michael Gove.

Katdesigner – a very new blog from my friend Kat, who has given herself 92 days to become a full time designer and is blogging as she goes. She’s on Day 25 and doing pretty well so far!

Free Falling into 40 –  I free-fell into 40 quite a little while ago, sadly. But it’s always good to know that one is not free falling alone, and that is why I enjoy this blog so much. Also full of top tips on how to nip out and shop for the new season whilst one is supposedly ‘in a meeting’ and other such shopping related skives that would be useful, if I didn’t work in, er, Splott.

Mutteringmummy – I think I’d have fun with mutteringmummy if we ever met. Covering everything from the dark side of twitter to the Dummy Fairy, oh and coming out to her other half (as a BLOGGER, of course) this blog always puts a smile on my face.

Complicated Gorgeousness – A lovely blog by Gabe’s Mum, which has recently featured the truest post in the word, ever – The Forgotten Art of Going Out. Read it, nodding and yessing as you go!

She said this, he said that – I love the concept of this blog, created by @adadcalledspen and @mamapolitico. The latter now has a swish new job, so her pen is being wielded by @pols80 – either way, it’s a win. Head over to read some ‘he said, she said’ adventures by three talented bloggers.

Kate on thin ice – Kate is ‘on a middle aged quest to rediscover her va-va-voom’. Which she has started by getting her kit off on her ‘About Me’ page! Yes REALLY! I’m very much enjoying Kate’s journey from kit-off to sparkly frock, and I think you might like it too…

And finally, my nine questions for the nine Liebstered Ladies! (plus Spencer of course…)

1. What tipped you over the edge from thinking ‘I’d like to blog’ to actually writing your first post?

2. You could be anywhere, right now. Where? And why?

3. Twitter. Love it or hate it?

4. What’s your favourite joke?

5. Are you a shouty stormer-outerer, or a silent sulker?

6. What’s your absolute worst fear?

7. How often you do you cry?

8. Are you superstitious and if so in what way?

9. Which blog post are you most proud of?

 

So, lovely liebsters, I shall look forward to reading your creations one day soon!