You can imagine how the conversation went when my husband aka ‘The POD Father’ said he’d signed up for a half marathon. It was a few months back now but I remember wondering why he’d decided to run 13.1 miles when it had never taken his fancy before. Aside from which, the friends running in the half marathon with him did them all the time – one completed the London Marathon two years ago in under 3 hours!
It’s been a little while since we’ve written about school. But applying for POD’s junior school place is already filling me with dread and that’s without the months of waiting. You may remember POD didn’t get offered a place at the local school when she was four (in 2015). She ended up starting reception at another school, which was a faff to get to, and she didn’t know anyone. That said, after a bumpy start, POD ended up making lots of friends and finished her reception year with a glowing report. We decided to stay on the waiting list for the local school “just in case” although we did question whether we’d move her if she was offered a place.
Loseley Park is one of those places that just makes you take a deep intake of breath. The house has been a family home for some five hundred years and four generations of the More-Molyneux family live there today. Built in the reign of Elizabeth I, Loseley Park is situated in the North Downs in Surrey and surrounded by ancient parkland.
We absolutely loved our first time on the Isle of Wight and we’ve been itching to return ever since. It’s taken a little longer than we anticipated but we ventured back recently. We were kicking ourselves when we did as the Isle of Wight is SO easy to get to on the Red Funnel ferry from Southampton. It literally took an hour and we had seating on the ferry despite it being peak season. Our trip, albeit unintentionally, coincided with Cowes so it was awesome to see an abundance of boats as we approached East Cowes.
We always have a great time at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo which is located near Dunstable in Buckinghamshire. Little did we know what an amazing experience we’d have when we made an impromptu visit earlier this week. POD had two inset days before the autumn term began and while we did consider going further afield, we’d only returned home from Asturias a couple of days earlier.
Wowsers! There were SO many photos shared on the #UKexplore hashtag in August. We’ve now exceeded the 20,000 mark which is quite incredible. We really love seeing all your photographs and it’s such a great community.
The summer holidays seem to have flown by this year. The combination of our kitchen renovation (we re-located our kitchen to our dining space) and a holiday in Asturias has certainly helped with that. Either way we’re fast approaching September and the start of a new term. Hard to believe POD will be in Year 2, it really doesn’t seem five minutes since she began reception.
We recently spent the weekend at Crealy Adventure Park and Resort near Exeter. Nestled in 100 acres of countryside, and with 60 rides and attractions on offer, it’s often referred to as Devon’s Biggest Day Out. We were glamping at Crealy Meadows so we got an initial taste of the park on the Friday evening. Looking round out of hours pleased six year old POD no end, you can just imagine how excited she was. We grabbed a bite to eat, checked out the evening entertainment and visited a few of the park’s animals as the sun set too.
It’s hard to believe POD starts Year 2 in September. In some ways I wonder where the time has gone as it doesn’t seem five minutes since she joined reception. But so much has happened in that time. She’s grown ALOT for starters, not just in height but in character too.
POD loved Petits Filous the moment she tried them and they’ve been a firm favourite ever since. Whether it’s tucking into one of the Little Pots or pairing it with fresh fruit. Her preferred choices are apple, banana, strawberries or raspberries depending on what flavour Petits Filous she’s picked. Now she’s older she enjoys Petits Filous Big Pots too whether after a meal or as part of a packed lunch. Typically this is on a Saturday when she has Stagecoach Performing Arts plus of course whenever we take a picnic out. Petits Filous pots and pouches can survive out of the fridge for up to five hours so they’re an ideal snack for our little adventurer.
Multi-award nominated blogger & photographer with 20 years experience in the marketing industry. Founder of PODcast & family travel blog POD Travels.
