Halloweek and Halloweden in Cornwall

We've already had one week of half term and spent it in Cornwall. I love taking the children there and we have a few days out that we do every time we go.

The first is Lappa Valley which is the most wonderful day out for a family with train obsessed children. The steam engine takes you from the starting station into the valley itself and we rode on Ellie to get there, passing the boating lake and taking in the scenery as we enjoyed surprisingly good weather for October half term. We've been to Lappa many times before so the boys know pretty much which things they like to do and where to go first. We changed things up a bit this time though with a trip on the diesel engine which runs along a track that goes through forest land with some animal figures hidden in trees and on branches on the route. The day we went the train was held up a few times by 'leaves on the line,' but our driver was very patient and good natured about it and soon got us moving at speed again. Straight afterward we went on the intercity train that does two loops of the park and we spotted a shark in the pond !! Blue Bear did point out to me that I shouldn't be scared as it wasn't real.

As well as the trains there is a massive play area at Lappa Valley with practically a life size pirate ship and the best castle and pipe slide I think I've ever seen. The boys love it there and even on poor weather days they are happy to run around and play on this for ages. It's a great place to run off a lot of excess energy and with a cafe serving cornish cream teas and ice cream you can quite easily let them do their thing while enjoying the break. Well until the inevitable, "Muuuuuum, he pushed me," shatters the momentary peace that is.

For half term Lappa are celebrating Halloweek with spooky trains and plenty of themed events to celebrate Alongside all of the regular great attractions will two Spooks trails, one for Little Monsters (3-5 years) and for Big Beasts (6 years plus), children’s Halloween quiz, spooky colouring and a prize for everyone who comes in fancy dress! All of our activities are very family friendly and suitable for young children.  Best of all, all additional activities are included in the standard ticket price and it's such good value for what is always a great day out for us.

Lappa valley opens at 10am and Halloweek runs until 29th October.

I've been visiting the Eden Project since 2000 when it first opened and love it so much. In the years since my first visit I've seen the site grow and change and now I have children I also enjoy sharing it with them. Last week we booked a rainforest trek and Brown Bear and I walked for 45 minutes with our knowledgable guide Adam. We learned so many interesting facts about the rainforest and Brown Bear was fascinated and asked lots of questions. This is the longest he's spent in the rainforest biome as he's always found it too hot before, but the added interest of learning about the plants and ecosystem kept his mind off the heat.

Every time we go to Eden we have a few traditions. Hubbie goes to the Pukka tea tasting (and often has a pasty too), I get to have a cup of tea and a slab of delicious cake and the boys have delicious Cornish ice cream. One of our favourite things is storytime as the storytellers are amazing and really capture the magic and intensity of the spoken word. That's why I am so excited that Eden are hosting the first ever Halloweden event to celebrate half term. The Roald Dahl themed week of activities includes some of the best loved stories brought vividly to life in this brilliant setting. You can find a giant sleeping in the grounds, learn how to spot a witch and of course there is the Little Monsters Halloweden ball and disco on Saturday 28th October to celebrate the end of half term.

The ice rink is now open for the winter season and we have been a few times. There is an additional charge for ice skating and it's a good idea to pre-book as it can get busy. On the day we went the toddler session was about to begin and it's a non skating session for under 5s to encourage them to play safely on the ice. We asked Blue Bear if he fancied it, but he was adamant he didn't want to go. Maybe next time.

The Eden Project is open from 9.30-6pm and Halloweden is running until 29th October.

Disclosure: The lovely folks at the Eden Project offered us a family ticket to visit. 

Full steam ahead on the Watercress line

The beautiful steam train

You may have noticed that I've been blogging less frequently since the summer holidays began. I've mostly been spending time with the boys and taking them out on trips and to the park. I don't feel guilty about it because Baby Boy has really grown in confidence and Big Boy is really growing into the role of big brother. 

My boys on the railway bridge

We rode on Cheltenham

We've wanted to take the boys on the Watercress Line for a while now and a few months back I ordered some Tesco Days Out vouchers which can be used to pay for the tickets. We finally got round to going today and it was an early start for all of us. Not least as I got up to pack a picnic lunch for everyone. My boys are always hungry so I can't risk leaving home without plenty to eat. 

Pretty platform flowers

4 footed friends welcome

We decided to pick up the train at Alton and just about made it for the first train at 10.50. They were running a steam and a diesel service today so we decided the earlier we started the more journey we would get to make. A ticket gives you unlimited travel all day and we really did make the most of it as we rode the steam train twice and then the diesel too with a break for lunch at Alresford in the middle. There is a lovely cafe at most of the stops and old posters for products like Capstan cigarettes and Rinso soap. 

Watching the fireman

Checking out the fire buckets

The staff are very knowledgable and answer all the passengers' questions very patiently. It was amazing to ride through the countryside in an old style carriage - which Big Boy remarked looked like the one from Harry Potter and we were told they used one from this line for filming. All of the boys loved riding the trains - yes even Hubbie - and it was worth going to. I'd recommend a day out on the Watercress Line and I'm hoping we can book to go on a dining car next time. 

Toot toot

Tired Daddy

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

  

Hear Hear - the search for the perfect earphones

This blog post started out as a conversation on Twitter with my fellow Croydon Radio presenter Janet. She was bemoaning the poor workmanship of Apple earphones and the tinny sound leakage that haunts all users of public transport. If you've been on a tram, bus or train you will have heard the familiar and annoying "tsch tsch tsch" of someone else's music. I know this because I am pathalogical in my wish to avoid inflicting my music on anyone else.

When I was a teenager with my first Sony Walkman I used to sit in the back of my parents' car listening to Tracey Chapman using headphones - you remember those ones with foam pads the size of a coaster ? - and they never knew I couldn't hear them talking to me as there was no tell tale sound coming from the back of the car.

Now we have competing sounds from one end of the tram to the other and it's not all teens with noisy tunes in some cases it's grown ups too !

For my own part I use earphones to listen to downloaded programmes rather than music these days. However, I have an issue with the earphones. I don't use the ones that Apple make as they are so incredibly uncomfortable and keep falling out of my ears. Hubbie has bought me some 'Marshmallow' ones that are a fetching shade of purple, but they are also very painful to wear so I can't use them for too long. I've long since stopped listening to music while running as the only earphones that would stay in place are ones with a bit that goes all round the ear and they look awful and don't really work all that well either. I want some with good sound quality, comfortable fit and that allow for some movement. If they fall out of my ears as soon as I stand up they're no good to me. If they look cool as well, well that's a bonus :o)

Then yesterday my friend Neil posed a question on Facebook asking if it's just him who gets through earphones like other people get through toothbrushes (my words not his). In fact built-in obsolescence is a pet peeve of mine and shoddy earphones or dodgy wires have been an issue in the past when I used to have to replace my headphones regularly because I listened to music on the move every day. It's the sheer usage that requires we use better hearing apparatus isn't it ? I've seen men (it's always men in my experience) wearing massive headphones plugged into an ipad or iphone so that we all know just how seriously they take their movies / music. Having said that I am considering asking for a pair for Christmas.

Of course what we're all doing when we put our earphones in and switch the music / movies on is tuning out the world around us. A few weeks ago I was taking the train home as usual. An elderly man had moved aside to let me sit by the window and I was about to plug myself into my ipad to watch a sitcom. Then the man started to talk to me. He told me he was travelling back from up North where he'd been visiting the mining town where his grandfather had lived and worked. He was delayed so wasn't going to get home to Worthing until well after 9 o'clock now. I discreetly put my earphones away in my handbag and turned to listen to him and I noticed that a few passengers were giving me and him funny looks. One young woman was half smiling in a pitying way as if feeling sorry for me. Then as our journey progressed I noticed that a few people stopped listening to the sound in their ears and instead they were looking at Peter and listening to him as intently as I was. By the time we got to my stop most of the carriage was captivated by him and when he said sorry for being slow to stand up I reassured him no one minded and there was nothing to rush for as we were all more than happy for him to get up in his own time. I thanked Peter for talking to me and waved bye to him before I made my way to the tram stop with a huge smile on my face. Just this once we all chose to unplug and listen to a real person and not close off into our own private world.

For the times when I do want to plug in and zone out this is an appeal for some recommendations for good headphones.

If you have tried and loved any headphones / earphones do tell me all about them and hopefully I can find the perfect fit for my funny ears :o)