We bought annual membership of the Hillier Gardens a couple of weeks ago and went back this afternoon for a very pleasant walk around and tea and cake in the tea shop. The rhododendrons were still looking stunning, although different varieties from those flowering a fortnight ago. Dave’s photos are much better than mine but my attempt gives an idea of how many flowers there were.
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There’s something about Mamas and Papas that has intimidated me and put me off going into their shop. I think it’s the emphasis on colour coordination in their catalogue and on their website (which I should say is one of the hardest to navigate I’ve found in a while). However, we braved the shop this morning and were very pleasantly surprised by the friendly and practical service.
We’ve been fortunate enough to be given lots of baby stuff second hand, including a Mamas and Papas pram and wanted to know (a) whether baby could sleep in it overnight and (b) what we needed to buy for it to get it ready for the new arrival. So, feeling like frauds, we pushed our pram over to the store in Southampton and asked for their advice. They were happy to help and simply suggested buying a new mattress and washing the lining. The baby should be happy to sleep in it over night for the first few months, which means there’s no need for us to buy a Moses basket or a travel cot, let alone a brand new 6 in 1 travel system, which was almost becoming an option last night!
So, just a new car seat and a few little bits and bobs to buy now and then we’ll at least have all the equipment we need, even if we don’t have a clue how to use any of it!
As soon as I heard the JK was going to be in the Forest of Dean this Easter, I rushed to book some appartments at Whitemead, the CSMA’s resort in the Forest of Dean, on the edge of Parkend. As ever, it lived up to expectations and JOK seemed to enjoy the unusual luxury of our accommodation.
The best bit for me was the swimming pool as, being nearly 8 months pregnant, swimming is about the sportiest thing I can do at the moment. I took advantage of the adults-only sessions between 8 and 9am, which meant I felt I’d done something energetic before going out to spectate at the JK.
I’d like to go back again this year or next year and try out one of the log cabins. I’ve stayed in appartments the three times I’ve been, which are very nice, but the log cabins look a bit cuter, for want of a better word! I might be allowed to use the sauna, steam room and jacuzzi then as well, three very attractive things that pregnant women are banned from partaking in.
Finally, a plug for the local pub, The Woodman, who catered for 25 hungry JOKers on the Sunday night and cooked some very tasty food, rounded off with excellent, friendly service. I had Gloucestershire trout and then shared some sticky toffee pudding with Dave, both of which went down a treat.
Continuing with the domestic theme, I planted some courgette seeds a couple of weeks ago and have been amazed by how big they’ve grown and how quickly they’ve done it. I planted some flower seeds out of a shredded wheat packet at the same time and they’re barely noticeable as they’re so small. Let’s hope we get a good crop out of them over the summer!
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