Caerphilly Castle

Our week in pictures #13

 Wow, what a week! I’m so tired I feel like I could sleep for a month. 

On Friday last week the health visitor came and then Trev went to pick up the big two. Then on Saturday we were up early and off to Bristol, where we spent the afternoon in Bristol Aquarium. More about the aquarium here. Afterwards we had dinner in ZaZaBazaar to celebrate my mum’s birthday, which was extra lovely because my best friends came along with their two little ones. We were supposed to pick up Iris’s bag from another friend in Bristol (we left it behind at her house last week!) but we only remembered this when we were half way home! Oops! Being forgetful is just another symptom of never getting enough sleep. 

Sunday was quiet. We stayed at home, took the dog for a walk and played on the swings, and ate a roast dinner. I was tired and feeling frazzled and grumpy, so Trevor took the big two back to their mum on his own while I looked after the little two. 

On Monday I attempted to get the house in order by writing a to-do list and actually got most of it done! Even though both of the girls wanted cuddling all day, I still managed to be pretty productive. I left some big jobs (like putting things in the loft) for Trevor, who did them on Tuesday while me and the girls went to playgroup and had lunch in the cafe. We were joined by two of my friends and their kids, which was really nice. It’s so much easier when Iris has somebody to play with. 

We skipped crochet club on Wednesday as I was shattered after a rough night with Astrid. Also, Iris has been sleeping in her cot for most of the night, but wakes much earlier than when she’s in our bed. I’ve been downstairs at 5am with a toddler demanding toast way too many times this week! 

On Wednesday evening, my mum and my sister arrived with my niece and nephew for a sleepover! Trevor was working away, and they wanted to keep me company. The little ones were all still up and running around at 11pm! It was very tiring but a lot of fun! 

We took the two buses from home to Caerphilly on Thursday, and went for a walk around the castle. I’d heard there were ducks, and have been meaning to take the duck-obsessed Iris there for a while. Had I realised it was so close and such an easy bus journey, we would have been many times before! Although there were a handful of ducks, there were hundreds of huge geese and lots of swans! My mum and sister are both frightened of birds, so it was a nightmare for them. For Iris, who adores all kinds of birds, it was the best thing ever! She’s never had the chance to feed ducks before and had the best time giving them a load of stale bread. I’ll definitely be taking her back there lots in the Spring. After a late lunch in a supermarket cafe, we were back on the bus. Two of the three toddlers slept, and it was a peaceful journey home. Then they all set off back to Bristol and it was just us three again. We headed up to bed early, after a quick dinner of beans on toast, to get some sleep and wait for Trev’s late return. 

Today we’re waiting in for a health visitor, yet again, and rebuilding after having three toddlers work together to get out every single toy we own! We don’t have the big kids this weekend and don’t have much planned. Maybe we’ll have our first quiet weekend since Astrid came along! I could do with the rest. 

Have a good one! 

  
   

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

   

    
  

   

  

            
  

Halloween at Mountain View Ranch @centreadventure

Yes, I know. It was a whole month ago. But it’s been quite a month, and I just haven’t got round to it.

My sister, her fella and my very sweet little niece and nephew drove over the bridge to spend Halloween here in Wales with us. We spent much of the morning at the new outdoor playgroup in the local park, then headed up to Mountain View Ranch in Caerphilly. Again. It’s been a little while since we’ve visited, but it’s one of our favourite local days out. The prices are very reasonable and it’s very outdoorsy. Which is right up our street.

First stop was the cafe, where we scoffed some seriously delicious chilli dogs. The veggie falafel chilli dog was seriously amazing. The kids take so long to eat, and we wanted to get moving to make the most of the gorgeous sunshine. The perfect solution was to borrow one of the carts available and drag the kids around while they munched on their chips.

They had a witch reading ‘Room on the Broom’ which we missed because we were eating, but we arrived at the goat and chicken enclosure just in time for the little ones to go in and meet the animals. Iris adores chickens. She almost didn’t even notice the much bigger goats because she was following a chicken around. My heart breaks for her sometimes when she’s chasing birds. I wish I could explain why they don’t want to play with her. She looks so hurt when they flap and try to get away!

 Next up was the Gruffalo trail. My niece in particular enjoyed the hunt to find all of the characters from the story, getting excited every time she spotted one from a distance. Iris mostly liked the snake, and spent some time hissing at it before we were allowed to move on.

 The fairy forest is one of my favourite bits, and not just because of the big swing! The tiny fairy doors in the tree trunks and the little fairies perched in the branches are just too sweet!

 As usual we spent a long time at the end of the day in the wild west themed play area, which is always a hit with the kids. Most of it is too big and complex for Iris still, but she doesn’t care because the whole area is essentially a giant sand pit!