Standalone Farm

Auntie Lorraine has flown back from New Zealand to visit all the family and is spending a few days with us at the moment. Along with Teresa, we took Coby to the farm today before it closes for winter. Coby charged around and enjoyed playing with the miniature tractors. He was a little wary of the animals but knew what they were and made the correct noises. His favourite phrase "Ee I Ee I O" was put to very good use.

Prepare to meet Sadieotis Tot & Chipstead Jim...

Jim

Tot

A curious goat

Hungry goats

Old McDonald had a farm

Lorraine Bo Beep looks for her sheep

Ahhhh very cute!

Coby meets Winnie the Pooh

Every Sunday is Daddy Day whilst Mummy goes to 'bring home some rashers'.

This Sunday I took my wee man to meet Winnie the Pooh and friends at the fabulous 100 Aker Wood situated in Aldenham Country Park in Hertfordshire.

Let's take a look at what Coby got up to:

Always check out the map first of course

Eeyore!!! Where are you Eeyore???

Pooh? Are you in there Pooh?

I'll just check round the back. Hellooo?

What about Piglet? I bet he's home...

Surely Owl will be at home? Hello?

Where is everyone? Of course...they must be on holiday...oh well, will come back another day.

Wales - Day 5

Thursday was a gloriously hot and sunny day which fitted perfectly with our plans to drive down the west coast of Cardigan Bay to New Quay. Dylan Thomas lived in New Quay in 1944 and in his book Under Milk Wood, it is believed he refers to New Quay as the 'cliff-perched town at the far end of Wales'. It used to be a ship building centre and has lovely beaches and a pretty harbour. We couldn't have anything other than fish and chips for lunch, so after our big feast, we picked a spot on the beach and spent the entire afternoon relaxing. There were loads of fish and crabs swimming close to the beach and many people were able to wade out quite far up to their waists among the fishing boats - it was lovely.

The beach at New Quay

Coby pretending to sleep with Al - complete with fake snoring noises!

Coby made some little friends

Snack time

Al tempts Coby into the water, but he wasn't convinced this time

He much preferred to play ball

Wales - Day 4

Maddy, Justin & Louis headed home today and soon it was just the three of us again. After waving them off, we decided to have a browse around the town of Machynlleth. It's a historic market town located at the head of the Dyfi esturary where Powys meets Gwynnedd and Ceredigion. The main attraction here is the quirky clock tower built in 1874. The town consists of two main streets - Heol PentreHedyn and Heol Maengwyn, the main street where you can find the historical Grade 1 listed Parliament House. The town is famous for the rebellious figure Owain Glyndwr.

We stopped for some lunch and then drove along the beautiful winding roads to Corris Craft Centre and King Arthur's Labyrinth. The centre contains all sorts of crafts from the heart of Wales - Tawny Owl Toys & Gifts, Quarry Pottery, Bumble Bee Quilting, The Candle Studio and Sylvantutch - custom made furniture inspired by nature.

The highlight though was the boat ride under the mountains to hear the tales of King Arthur. We suspected Coby would be scared, both Al and I found it to be pitch black in parts and a little claustrophobic, but he stunned us all by being completely patient and well behaved. He actually appeared curious and amazed by the sound and light effects. A funny moment occured as our guide led us back through the caverns, with only the sound of feet on gravel and the faint dripping of water, the peace and quiet was interrupted by Coby's voice echoing around...

"Eee I Eee I Oh"

Back in the bright sunshine, we enjoyed some Welsh cakes and a cup of coffee in the cafe while Coby tucked into a gingerbread man!

Preparing to enter the Labyrinth!

Always prepared is mummy!

Coby figures out his head gear

Of course - it was a struggle to keep it on

(image courtesy of website)

(image courtesy of website)

Coby's treat for being so well behaved

Happy to be back in daylight

Wales - Day 3 (continued)

After a good three hours at CAT, we decided to head back to Borth and relax on the beach. Louis and Coby built sandcastles and played with their football. It was sheer joy to watch them enjoying themselves together and very relaxing to be in the warm sunshine with the sea lapping at our feet - bliss!

Ice-cream - always a treat

Coby loved running up the beach, turning around....

...and heading straight back to the sea

This sums up our holiday for me - beautiful!

Coby's footprints in the sand

Sticky Mitts

A new term, a new class! Coby started Sticky Mitts today and really enjoyed himself. His favourite bit was icing the cakes - most of them went into Coby's mouth! The theme this week was A Day Out in London and I helped Coby paint a red bus and the Houses of Parliament. It was a great class and the kids had free reign to go wherever they wanted, which I thought was pretty cool. At the end of the class, the kids get water, biscuits and apple and the parents get tea and coffee all topped off with a story. Lovely!

Modelling with play dough

Sponge painting

Brush painting

And eating

Wales - Day 3

The Centre for Alternative Technology is an eco-centre in the hills of South Snowdonia accessed by a cliff cable car powered entirely by water. Coby and Louis absolutely loved running around and exploring. We saw how renewable energy is generated, composting and waste management and lots of organic gardening and environmentally responsible buildings. There was a structure made entirely of glass bottles that looked amazing in the sunshine. There are many interactive displays and a fantastic restaurant that sells organic produce. It was a great day out...

Wales - Day 2

On Monday we drove to Harlech in Snowdonia National Park. It overlooks Tremadog Bay and the Lleyn Peninsula. The main landmark here is the medieval castle with Snowdonia majestically present in the distance. The beach here was fabulous, obscured by sand dunes and nestled peacefully beneath the backdrop of Harlech Castle. Coby had such fun on the beach and he and Louis wore out their dads by running up and down the dunes.

Wales - Day 1

We had an amazing holiday in Wales this week. We stayed in Borth in Cardigan Bay and started our holiday with Louis, Maddy & Justin. We had so much fun and will be bringing you loads of pictures over the next few days. Its best to start at the beginning:

Day 1

We had a hearty breakfast to start the day, bacon, eggs and all the trimmings, while Coby & Louis had chocolate Wheetos. We drove along windy roads to Aberystwyth to board the Vale of Rheidol Railway. This took us to Devil's Bridge where there are amazing waterfalls and nature trails. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the station, it started to rain and we only had an hour until the train returned to Aberystwyth, so we had some lunch but missed out on seeing the waterfalls and bridges. Never mind! We actually returned later in the week to ensure we got to see the spectacular sights.

Waiting for the whistle to blow

Coby & Louis kept shouting "choo choo"

Being playful!

Glorious Girls

Congratulations Annabel & Martin on the birth of your daughter, Zoe. She was born on Tuesday 4th September weighing 9lbs and 4oz

And congratulations also to Tara and Daren on the birth of your daughter, Azalea, born today at 12.45 weighing 7lbs 14oz.

With lots of love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx