With a "Quack Quack" here and a "Baa Baa" there...

Waiting to feed the impatient birds

We love Coombe Mill as a family and taking Baby Boy there for the first time last week was a delight. He loves animals so we were pretty sure he'd love staying on a family farm where the feed run is a daily activity and there is also plenty of outdoor play space for our boisterous boys to wear themselves out in. This was our 3rd visit and we've stayed in a different type of accommodation each time. This visit we stayed in Honeysuckle, a three bedroom stone cottage with a lovely small garden out back and right next to the miniature railway, pirate ship and trampoline. I even managed to have a few bounces on the trampoline which made Big Boy very happy and we sneaked off for a go whenever we had a chance.

"Chickens !"

Of course the whole point of going to stay in Cornwall is that we love to spend time outdoors and the boys really did take to the whole farm routine. Me and Hubbie take it in turns to do the feed run with the boys so one of us gets a morning off to relax or go to the gym. As soon as we arrived we picked out some gear for the boys to wear. As return visitors we know that the reception room has plenty of waterproofs in all sizes that we can use during our stay. We also took advantage of the range of puzzles, story books and dressing up costumes which kept everyone busy.

My little tractor driver

The boys really enjoyed helping Farmer Nick and Farmer Amber to feed all the animals. As an old hand Big Boy also knew that he could volunteer to drive the tractor so he was first in line most days. It's a great incentive to behave if he thinks he won't get a turn to drive. Baby Boy was not keen to drive at all - hopefully on our next visit he might pluck up the courage to help with the tractor. Both boys really love to feed the animals and this visit Big Boy fed Sprout the baby goat with a bottle of milk. It's a responsible job and he was also very good at sharing the duty with other children.

Feeding Sprout

Baby boy has learned a lot of new animal sounds and keeps making loud 'quack' noises when he sees bath ducks which is amusing if a little ear splitting in the morning when I'm barely awake yet. There are a lot of birds including chickens, ducks and geese and some peacocks and a peahen - who was sitting on eggs while we were there - hopefully they will hatch before long. Last year they were stolen by an invader, possibly a badger.

"Quack quack"

One of other activities that really captured Big Boy's imagination was searching for and collecting eggs. He was so upset the first day he brought one back when it rolled onto the floor just outside the door and broke. He even asked Hubbie to replace it with one from the fridge so I wouldn't find out what had happened. To make up for it he found a duck egg the next day and was very proud of his special find.

Sunny feed run 

Of course being on holiday isn't just about working and we did take the boys to the beach on a lovely sunny afternoon. It was Baby Boy's first time walking on sand and in the beginning he found it a bit strange. He wasn't too keen on the wet sand and absolutely didn't want to go in the water, but he did like the feeling of sand and throwing it around. Until they both got carried away and it became a bit of a mission to get it out of his eyes that is - oops ! 

Beach boys

I hope that they boys have lovely memories of our family holidays in Cornwall - I know I do. 

This post is being shared with the #countrykids linky hosted by the lovely Fiona of Coombe Mill

   

Christmas at Coombe Mill: Part Two

Oh Christmas Tree

Before we got to Coombe Mill Fiona asked if we wanted a real or fake tree - when we arrive it was here complete with lights and a box filled with tinsel, baubles and a stuffed santa for us to decorate. It's the biggest tree I've ever had and it was just such a lovely touch that really made our stay feel very Christmassy indeed. That and the log burner - which we never really got the hang of lighting, but it was so warm it didn't really matter.

My little tractor driver with Fiona

Of course some things are the same as when we stayed in the Summer like the feed run which takes place every morning - except Saturday which is changeover day and is slightly later on Christmas Day, but more about that soon. My boy loves many things about being here, but the main ones are driving the tractor and the train ride every afternoon. As he is an old hand he was not shy about putting himself forward to drive and he was lucky to do all the driving on our first day as we were amongst the first guests to arrive so there wasn't too much competition for the job.

Seasonal train shed 

My little signal man 

The train is driven by Guy who is one of Fiona's sons and he's really great with the small children. He helps them onto the train and assists them with important jobs like running the signals and flags. When we went to the Christingle Service on Christmas Eve our boy was so excited to see his hero Guy doing a reading in church. At Christmas the train undergoes a seasonal transformation with twinkly lights and also a visit from a special guest on Christmas Eve.  

Beautiful sunny Christmas eve in Cornwall

One of the things that some people asked was, what will the weather be like in Cornwall at Christmas ? I guess they were expecting it to be cold or wet, but actually it looked like this on Christmas Eve. Gorgeous and sunny and nice enough for the kids to play outdoors until quite late. 

Feeding a sheep 

Petting the donkeys

On Christmas Day the feed run is an hour later starting at ten so the animals are more vocal that usual and I can imagine they are saying, "what time do you call this ?" Also, Farmer Nick wears a seasonal costume for the Christmas feed run which does jolly things along as all the children come along in brand new jumpers, boots and - in our son's case - Spiderman hat complete with eyeholes.

Spidey and Santa: a super combination

Our boy loves this sword that is embedded in a stone on the farm. I suspect he was hoping his Spidey powers would help, but alas the sword would not budge.  He took a photo of Mummy having a go too and I was just as unsuccessful as he was. 

Grr, using Spidey powers to pull out the sword

Mummy trying too

We've now stayed at Coombe Mill in the Summer and the Winter and it's been wonderful both times. I can highly recommend it to families with small children who are active and inquisitive whether they love animals or not. There is plenty to do and lots of space to play and our boy makes new friends every time he stays. Nick, Fiona and the children make such an effort to make you feel welcome it's not like you're a 'guest,' but more like you're amongst friends. I really hope we get to stay again.

This post is shared with the #countrykids linky hosted by the lovely Fiona of Coombe Mill - we are biased, but we love it there :) 

  

Hang onto your wellies - we're getting into practice for Christmas at Coombe Mill

As you will already know my boy loves a farm and when one of his friends invited him to a party at a local farm we all jumped at the invitation. The weather wasn't looking too great when we left home for his Kung Fu lesson so we packed welly boots for everyone and hoped for the best.

We have been meaning to go to Godstone Farm for a while as so many of our friends love going there and it is a working farm that hosts children's parties and offers membership including after school visiting and you can book to spend 'a day being a farmer.' Of course we've been farm helpers at Coombe Mill so our boy is comfortable with the environment and was very excited.

Admiring the fish pond

Just before he fell in the mud !

When we arrived at the Farm the weather was clearing up a bit and as the first part of the party was in the soft play barn it gave the children a chance to run off some steam before the party antics and lunch. After they had been fed and sung happy birthday to Harry we all went to explore the farm and meet the animals.

Hey Mr Turkey 

Rosie the pig 

The Billy Goats Gruff waiting to be fed

Armed with small pots of animal food - and clear instructions not to feed the pigs or ponies we sought out signs imploring us to feed the animals. The feeding chutes were great and the children loved popping food pellets into the boxes and watching them fall down - mostly onto the head of a hungry animal !

Meeting the baby pigs 

Feeding through the chute

As well as roaming around meeting a lot of different animals there was also time to pet small animals which my boy really enjoyed. He was very gentle with this dwarf rabbit and kept telling me, "you have to stroke it gently Mummy." As well as taking great care to wash his hands thoroughly after feeding and handling the animals.

Animal handling 

Rabbit food

Godstone Farm is a welcoming place for families with so many opportunities for children to learn about the animals and to play and have fun. Our boy enjoyed it all the more as all his classmates from nursery were there too.

Checking out the chickens

We're going back to Coombe Mill for Christmas and can't wait to spend the festive period with lovely Fiona, Farmer Nick their fab family. Visiting Godstone Farm was a lovely reminder of how much fun it is to visit a working farm that is child friendly.

Getting in some practice

Oh and of course our boy is looking forward to helping drive Farmer Nick's tractor again.

I just love these tyres :) 

This post is being shared as part of the lovely #countrykids linky hosted by the fabulous Fiona of Coombe Mill