We built the pond from an inexpensive ‘tub trug’ and placed loads of rocks in it and around it so the small creatures could get in [...]]]> Last month my daughter and I decided to create a mini pond in our rented garden with the hope of finding some frogspawn to come and live in it.

We built the pond from an inexpensive ‘tub trug’ and placed loads of rocks in it and around it so the small creatures could get in and out of it without drowning (according to our bee keeping friend Janet – even bumble bees need a rock to stand on when they drink or they’d fall in and drown). We used rain water collected from the rain butt to fill it and the final touch were a couple of pond plants bought at the Malvern Gardening Show (a miniture pink water lily and a water iris).

We never did find any frogspawn as everyone we asked claimed that the local herons eat all the tadpoles but instead we have enjoyed watching loads of birds discover the drinking facility. It also brings a small bit of height and interest to our newly created triangular herb/cut flower border and the two of us girls really enjoyed creating something together.

Making the mini pond:

The mini pond in June:

Later in the week when we found our newly flowering aquilegas were covered in aphids I suggested we go on a ladybird hunt as they are good at eating all the aphids.

We were both a little surprised to find one who [...]]]> Edie and I watched some ladybirds ‘cuddling’ last week and photographed them.

Later in the week when we found our newly flowering aquilegas were covered in aphids I suggested we go on a ladybird hunt as they are good at eating all the aphids.

We were both a little surprised to find one who did in fact start gobbling the aphids as predicted when we placed it on one of the affected plants.

Yesterday we watched yet another ladybird lay some eggs next to the back door and both kids have been looking at the cluster through a big magnifying glass to see if any of them have hatched yet.

I pointed out a few ladybird larvae wandering the pine needles of last years Christmas tree (growing happily in a pot) to Edie but I wasn’t convinced that I had my facts right as they look so unlikeadult ladybirds.

Having just read this ladybird factsheet I now know that young ladybirds are just as good at getting rid of unwanted greenfly and whitefly and so should be treated as welcome visitors in the garden.

Usually a mother ladybird would lay her eggs near to a plentiful food supply (ie. on a plant with loads of aphids on) rather than a scorching, barren, south facing brick wall.

The female we watched lay two batches and then as the last egg emerged she ate it! The children were a bit perplexed by this and kept asking me why she did it and I really didn’t have a good answer other than ‘Maybe she was very hungry and she knew it wasn’t a good egg to hatch..’

After about 1 second of thought I realised I didn’t want cut flowers or to be wheeled out to a restaurant with the rest of the nation’s matriachs. Instead I’ve suggested that if the weather’s fine [...]]]> Blessed Bealers wondered if I had anything in particular I wanted to do to mark this Sunday’s Mothers’ Day.

After about 1 second of thought I realised I didn’t want cut flowers or to be wheeled out to a restaurant with the rest of the nation’s matriachs. Instead I’ve suggested that if the weather’s fine we all do some gardening together. The kids are going to make me a bin-lid pond and Bealers is going to remove one corner of the lawn so I can turn it into somewhere to plant flowers (mainly Dahlias as it happens). We’ll all continue to dig and weed the vegetable patch getting it ready to plant seedlings in a few weeks when the ground has warmed up (& when we’ve sowed some seeds).

This will bring me huge amounts of joy – having all four of us busy in the garden is one of my favourite things and improving what we have here will make the summer months even more lovely.

We did have a wonderful time but it was tremendously expensive and if the weather had been poor we would have been hard pressed to [...]]]> This time last year we were using some of my City bonus to book a Beale family holiday for some urgent winter-sun in Lanzarote, one of the Spanish Canary Islands.

We did have a wonderful time but it was tremendously expensive and if the weather had been poor we would have been hard pressed to find interesting things to do with the 3 year olds as the bulk of our time was (fortunately) spent by the pool or at the beach.

Like many families in the UK the beginning of the year involves some planning of time out and happily due to my husband’s hard work with his internet software business, Siftware, and general year-long thriftiness we are again in the lucky position to be able to take a little time out with the children and have a one week family holiday before summer.

This year however, since massively increasing our environmental awareness and our family’s impact on the earth’s environment, neither Bealers or myself were keen on flying anywhere.

We both love the UK and figured that we could probably save money and not be responsible for air fuel burning by having a UK based holiday instead. The only slight drawback with holidays in this country is that you have to enjoy being cold unless you are ok with taking your holidays exclusively in July/August or September.

As Bealers needed a very well earned break sooner rather than later we investigated Center Parcs holiday centres which looked very inviting for families with small children like us with their 400 or so acres of car-free woodland with self-contained, self-catering, log-cabin style accomodation all centered around a central ‘sub-tropical swimming zone + village area’.

There seem to be hundreds of child friendly activities to get involved in if we want to (additional costs though) such as horse riding, owl watching, pizza making, belly dancing, football as well as outdoor water-based pursuits for Daddy (windsurfing, sailing). We’re presuming that the on-site restaurants will be poor as I’ve read a few reviews on Mumsnet and will bring some supplies with us rather than relying on the shop. Bealers will most probably enjoy having the time to cook and as he’s a far better cook than me I’m defintely looking forward to a break from dinner duty.

Everyone we know who has visited Center Parcs seems to have come away with positive things to say about their experience so we have booked a 1 week stay in the Lake District Center Parc, 2 bedroom house and are looking forward to a 7 days of car-free cycling, swimming and yes, the occasional 3 hours where the kids are both enjoying some kiddie club action (messy play, dressing up as super heros, that kind thing), and potentially some super-indulgent spa/treatment time for me. Gosh I now realise that we’re going to come home very rosy-cheeked indeed with all that exercise!

According to The Obsever’s ethical columnist Lucy Siegle who recently appeared on the BBC Radio 2 Chris Evan’s show with her tips for green holidaying: “Centre Parcs are very ecologically and ethically sound, and they do great and affordable family holidays, for short and longer breaks. They encourage constructive physical activities and no one drives on site – everyone cycles or walks. It’s relaxed and enjoyable.”

I’m really hoping that spring will have started to have sprung in Cumbria when we go as forest life with daffodils out, birds tweeting and buds emerging will almost certainly make us feel just as great if not even better than our week in the Canary Islands and like a great wintery weight has been lifted.

Yesterday we visited deserted [...]]]> Despite the fact that I truely hate being cold, the kids and I have discovered this winter that we really like visiting beaches when it’s super cold (but sunny) as they are always deserted and it feels so wonderful to have so much open space & light all around us.

Yesterday we visited deserted Weston-super-Mare beach while Bealers was doing some business in the town centre. We had such a great time chasing the waves, swinging seaweed around and generally shouting as loud as we could, drawing in the sand and playing underneath the pier (admitedly had to keep a beadie eye out for naughty piles of doggy dirt though).

Luckily I’d packed a huge bag of spare clothes for each child but actually wished I’d packed more as poor Edie’s wellies were full of seawater by the time we left and so she was in stocking’d feet for the rest of the day I also hadn’t anticipated them getting so wet that even their underwear needed changing on such a bitterly cold day. Next time I will take 3 sets of dry clothes for the kids and an extra pair for me too. I was also glad for the sugary cereal bars & fruit juices I’d brought with us as an energy boost was definitely needed after the adrenalin had dried up and the chills set in.

A few weeks ago we found ourselves on Swansea/Mumbles beach – again with very few people to share it with. Both kids are now lobbying hard for us to move to either Weston or Swansea so we can have some daily beach action! They think of both places as paradise on Earth.

The kiddies and their Daddy wolfed down some steamy porrdige and Horlicks before making an enormous snow [...]]]> We listened to the local radio station to hear the long list Worcestershire schools who were unable to open due to to overnight snow & the kids were thrilled when they finally heard the name of their pre-school.

The kiddies and their Daddy wolfed down some steamy porrdige and Horlicks before making an enormous snow woman with leeky pigtails. Bealers then left for his very picturesque walk to work.