Every year Peterborough hosts STEM FEST, a free event to encourage children and educate the public around the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Held at Kingsgate Centre and sponsored by Anglian Water, One…
View PostIf you are looking for a spooktacular pumpkin patch to visit this year then I can recommend Hill Farm. I have been quite a few times before over the summer to pick our strawberries and blackberries but have never been to pick my own pumpkin before.
Hill Farm is open for Pumpkin picking from September 28th 10am to 5pm and is free to enter.
Don’t forget your wellies as it can be very muddy.
I love how much effort they have put into decorating the farm, I especially love the witches lair. There are Halloween decorations placed everywhere for the kids to enjoy and really get them in the mood.
Depending on the size of pumpkin/s you want to pick there are wheelbarrows available for you to use close by.
you don’t realise just how many different shapes, colour and sizes there are until you see them all together in a field. Leo had so much fun squelching through the mud trying to find the perfect pumpkin for him and I was really surprised that he had picked himself a smallish one to take home.
Of course, I made him pose for a picture holding a giant pumpkin too.
When you have finished, just take your pumpkin back to the shop and they will sit it on top of a sizing table and that will tell you how much it will be.
Then you can buy yourself a cuppa from the cafe, sit down for five minutes whilst the kids play in the playground before you head home.
I am so excited to tell you all about the Nixplay Digital photo frame. I was sent the Seed version in the 10inch widescreen model to review and now that I have had it a few weeks I am in a position to tell you about it and give my honest opinion on this product.
Not everyone has the space on the wall for every gorgeous photo they want to show and people living in rented accommodation are not always allowed to put photo’s up due to making holes in the wall. My mum’s flat is very small and her mobility isn’t great, so she struggles to put up lots of photos. She would really appreciate something like this where she can showcase a wide selection of photo’s while only taking up a small amount of space, plus she would save money on photo frames.
The photo of the frame on the box is the actual size of the product so you can see its true size straight away, which is great as there is nothing worse then guestimating and being disappointed once you have opened the box.
On the back of the box, there are six key features of the product describing it’s unique selling points;
–Instant Sharing Share moments from anywhere in the world using the Nixplay mobile app or email.
–Nixplay Friends Invite family and friends to send photos directly to your frame.
–High-Resolution Display Clear and vivid colour reproduction.
–Simple Set-Up Connect to a WIFI network and display your favourite photos within minutes.
–Cloud Account Access all your photos from different devices and platforms in one place.
–Hu-Motion Sensor Frame turns on automatically when you enter the room.
In the box, you have your photo frame, remote control, a quick set up guide booklet and your power cable which is a USB cable and a supplied powered adapter; the USB cable must only be used with the adapter. I like that Nixplay has supplied adapter attachments so this can be used in Europe and America, as well as here in the UK. The power cable is also rigid and bendable so you can use it as a stand. You wouldn’t be able to mount the frame on the wall as the back of it is wide and would stick out so Ideally this is better on units, sideboards, etc.
You can stand your frame in either portrait or landscape orientation and the frame will automatically adjust.
One thing I really like with the Nixplay is the motion detectors on the bottom left corner. The thought of having to keep switching it on and off every day would annoy me and it probably more than likely wouldn’t have got used. This, however, turns itself off if no motion is detected after ten minutes (you can change the time in the settings) and then back on again automatically once motion is detected, which means you are not wasting unnecessary power and reducing your carbon footprint by not having it switched on all of the time.
The remote control gives you complete control of the photo frame allowing you to adjust the settings, flick through photo’s faster, swap playlists, pause/ resume and switch the power off.
I found setting up really simple and easy to do. As soon as you have plugged your device in it will ask you to enter your WIFI password which can be done using your little remote control. Then you will be asked to either create an account or log in, again very straight forward to do. You can either do it on your desktop or download the Nixplay app and do it through there, which is what I did.
Now I had set it up I was ready to start uploading my photos straight to my photo frame. I found the App really easy to navigate around and the whole process is very straight forward. You can create various playlists and invite family and friends to contribute to the album from their devices too, which is pretty cool as I plan on giving this to my Mum.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5gTXOSWsGQ[/embedyt]
The Nixplay Seed is available to buy online here
** I received this product in return for an honest review **
One of the main reasons for me wanting to visit Cornwall was to visit their picturesque beaches. They always looked so beautiful in photos like something you would see abroad and I wanted to see them with my own eyes.
Whilst on holiday during the summer holidays, one of the first things I did was google beaches near Looe in Cornwall and Talland bay beach kept popping up. It was 1.7miles (6minutes) away from where we were staying at Trelawne Manor.
All the reviews were really good and near enough all of them warned you about the scary single lane road which you have to go down in order to get to this hidden gem. Well, they weren’t lying, and I am so glad that we were following another car down so we didn’t have to manoeuvre to let anyone past as there was nowhere to really move and I felt very claustrophobic.
Heres why.
We had read online that there was a small car park behind the Beach Cafe and to get there early as it can fill up very quickly. We found where we needed to go really easily by using google maps. You will see a sign for Talland Bay beach and Cafe which you will need to follow, past the public toilets and round to the car park.
Parking is Pay and Display and for three hours I think we paid around £3.60. There are longer and shorter stay options available but we decided three hours would be enough for us. There are no disabled bays, however, because it is a small car park and there isn’t far to walk to the beach anyway.
I was so excited about visiting this little Cornish café and it did not disappoint with their three beach huts and plenty of picnic bench seating to sit back, relax, and have a cuppa whilst you take in the breath-taking views around you. We couldn’t go all the way to Cornwall and not have a Scone on the beach – it would have been rude not to. The kids also enjoyed tucking into their Cornish ice creams. We also take our Hydro flasks everywhere we go as they are great for keeping our drinks nice and cold for long periods of time, they are great for keeping the kids hydrated wherever we go.
They have a little shop where you can purchase nets, buckets, spades, wet suits, beach shoes, bodyboards and much more.
The beach wasn’t your usual sandy beach. It was a mix between seaweed, pebbles, and minimal sandy patches but surprisingly the kids didn’t seem too bothered by the lack of sand. Lydia couldn’t wait to run into the sea and jump over the little waves with her daddy – she’s my little mermaid. Emily and Leo preferred to stay on solid ground with me and run in every now and then. The water was clear like it is in the photo’s I had seen, but cold, very cold, although it wasn’t a particularly hot day, so I was expecting it.
After playing in the sea for a little while, it was time for a quick sandwich and then the kids wanted to go rock pooling with their new nets we had brought from the shop.
As we made our way over to the rock pools we came across this which I thought was really good and I just needed to share.
When the tide goes out, you are left with a really lovely section of rocks that housed lots and lots of little pools. The kids, especially Leo (who is now a keen fisherman), really enjoyed wandering around the rocks in search of sea creatures left behind in the pools and almost started competing to see who could find the biggest creature – or the most. Leo was pretty much straight in there, moving his nets through the pools capturing some little fish and little crustaceans.
Lydia and Emily mostly went with daddy as they searched but had not been able to capture much until nearer the end of our little rockpool adventure. Lydia was finally able to catch a larger little fish and just before we were about to leave she was able to catch a little starfish – she was very pleased with herself about this. We hunted for crabs and although we did manage to see a couple, we were unable to catch them.
Once we had finished, we returned the creatures back into the pools and said goodbye to this lovely little bay before heading home. The kids had a fantastic time, it was just a pity the weather wasn’t warm enough to have enjoyed it for longer. For anyone who is interested in going, the water is cold so a wetsuit, if you have one, will help with the water. ‘Wetsuit shoes’ – for want of a better description – will also help as there are fish that will sting you if you walk barefoot. They will also help with the rocks when you go pooling.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my review on this lovely little gem and have found is useful. We had a really lovely day. You can read the rest of our holiday review here.
Disclosure- I won our John Fowler holiday in a competition.
Cornwall is a five to six-hour drive from where we live and we had promised our youngest that we would take her to Peppa Pig World in Southampton for her birthday treat. We decided to leave a few days earlier and pay Paulton Park a visit, as it was almost on our way, subject to a slight detour – at least that was our logic. Emily, Leo and Lydia had a brilliant day and the smiles on their faces were priceless. After Peppa pig World, we drove two more hours in the direction of Cornwall and spent a night in a hotel to break the journey up.
We stopped off in Taunton for the night before carrying on our journey the next day, which would only take an additional two hours from where we currently was.
We stayed at John Fowler Trelawne Manor in Looe in an adapted platinum caravan as it had a washroom which made it easier for Leo to use. The kids were all very excited and had been impatiently counting down the days to our holiday.
Check-in wasn’t until 2pm and we had arrived at 11.30am so we took some time and explored the grounds for a short while but in true British fashion, it poured it down so we stopped to eat in their on-site café. The food was reasonably priced, freshly cooked and very delicious.
In the short time we were there waiting to check-in, we discovered an over 18’s only section with slot machines and a few vending machines and on the opposite end, there was a small arcade for the children to play in.
The entertainment door was closed at that time so we didn’t get to see inside, but there was a board outside with a timetable of what was on each night of the week. We also discovered a snooker room, which we didn’t get to try out whilst we were there due to not having enough time.
The reception area also doubles up as a bar with plenty of seats to have a drink whilst you wait. We received our keys and the lady on the desk explained on the map where our caravan would be and gave us a welcome pack as well as a copy of the entertainment timetable so we knew what was on, where and when.
The Caravan was lovely and they had placed us next to the Manor and directly opposite their on-site ‘Mace’ shop, which sell all of your essentials and more. I found the shop to be reasonably priced especially for a convenience shop.
Here is a tour around our caravan.
We unpacked quickly and then googled the closest Aldi which, from the caravan site to the supermarket, was about a twenty-minute drive. That evening we decided we would stay in the caravan and play board games, watch a movie and eat some popcorn as we were all very tired.
The next day, we took the opportunity to visit a hidden gem called Talland Bay beach. You can read all about our day out here, I would definitely recommend you checking it out.
That evening, we decided we would check out the evening’s entertainment. The kids loved the kid’s show which starts at 6pm and is run by the ‘Stripeys’. Daddy even got pulled up to dance to baby shark and chichi wa, which I found hilarious to watch.
I had a go on Bingo, which is also on every night at 7.30pm, and you can win up to £200. We played both Saturday and Sunday night and the girls even had a go at the Kids bingo on the Sunday, which had pretty cool prizes if you got a full house. Leo was more than happy to spend his time in the arcades winning tickets so he can swap them for prizes in the hall.
On Sunday we stayed on the site and explored the John Fowler facilities. The kids wanted to go swimming, although the weather wasn’t great, they didn’t care. I was a bit gutted that the indoor pool was closed between certain times for lessons so we used the outdoor pool. The pool temperature was ok and the area was a decent size with a slide. There is also a play park which the kids loved playing on.
In true Knight Tribe style we had to check out the crazy golf and have a go at tennis. For a £5 deposit, we played crazy golf and when we had finished we returned the golf clubs and balls and swapped them for tennis rackets and tennis balls, which is the same with snooker cues, and when you are done you get your deposit back once you have returned the borrowed equipment.
If you are looking for a relaxing, fun and exciting break for the family then I urge you to check out John Fowler Holidays in Cornwall. There is plenty to do on-site to keep the kids entertained day and night. We had a really lovely time away together and have made lots of new memories together.
**I won this holiday**
