Swan Rescue

Another of our Yorkshire holiday trips was a visit to Lightwater Valley Theme Park, once again courtesy of Tesco Clubcard vouchers.

Two things made an impression on our arrival at the park – the lovely countryside setting and the amazing animatronic dinosaurs at the entrance.

On entering the park properly, the first area that we came to was filled with fairground rides, although we soon realised our favourite of these (the dodgems) was missing. What did grab our attention was the birds of prey centre, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Containing many species of owls and other birds, and even a small snake section, this made for interesting viewing and a change from the rides.

A wide selection of rides are on offer at the park, a good number that are suitable for younger children, as well as some more daring thrill rides. The park setting is great for picnics and the little train that runs round the park is a good way to view what’s on offer.

The Lightwater swan rescue begins!

One of the more traditional attractions available is the pedalo ride, little boats in the shape of swans. We fancied a relaxing trip across the lake, so we climbed aboard. The boats hold four people and are operated by a steering wheel as opposed to a tiller. This should have been straightforward, but unfortunately we were assigned a boat that malfunctioned.

A short way into our ride the steering would no longer allow for a right turn. “Never mind”, we thought, “We’ll just do a circuit bearing left.”

But no! It then refused to go in even a straight line (having jammed) and would only send us round in small circles. As we started to drift into the bank, we waved at the attendants on shore – who promptly ignored us!

For some time we debated how best to remedy our situation, until finally another family came along and offered to tow us in. This was not as easy as it sounds, as both boats kept drifting, but after a concerted effort, we made it back to dock – some 40 minutes after setting out!

The young girls managing the ride were still oblivious to our plight, and looked blankly when we tried to explain. However, we eventually managed to persuade them to contact maintenance and left it in their hands.

Looking back we found the situation slightly comical, but at the time it was extremely annoying!

Our saviours!

Apart from this blip, we quite enjoyed our day; Lightwater Valley is a bit different from other theme parks that we have visited.

A Tale of Two Abbeys

On our recent holiday to North Yorkshire, we visited two sites of Abbey ruins, both managed by English Heritage. Clutching our new membership cards, acquired with Tesco Clubcard points, we were eager to make use of the benefits.

The majesty of Byland Abbey

Having visited the well-known Whitby Abbey on a previous occasion, we had planned to visit Rievaulx Abbey, having seen it on the BBC programme Secret Britain. However, before we got round to making that visit, we stumbled across a sign for Byland Abbey, which we had not heard or read about, but decided to explore.

The route took us along windy country lanes and we half expected to find a minor ruin at the end of it – a heap of stones or partial wall – but how wrong we were! As we rounded the final corner a stunning sight met our eyes!

The ruins are actually quite substantial, certainly ample enough to give you the feel of what the original abbey would have been like. There is also a small museum on site, housing a model of how the abbey would have looked in its heyday. The setting was quite something too, surrounded by peaceful countryside and overlooked by neighbouring hills, making it a very tranquil spot. Following this visit we knew that Rievaulx would have to go some to beat it.

The day arrived of our planned Rievaulx visit, so we packed up our picnic and followed the signs from Helmsley to the more publicised ruin (it’s given twice the space of Byland in the English Heritage handbook and has a large gift shop and café, whereas Byland just has a small kiosk). Our initial reaction was slight disappointment at the location – the abbey appeared to be shoehorned into quite a small area, whereas Byland enjoys more space. It’s true that a larger part of the original structure is intact, yet it somehow didn’t seem as impressive as we felt it should.

 

This also has a museum/exhibition that’s slightly larger than the one at Byland, but there was no model of the original abbey as we’d expected. We do know that the museum was about to close for refurbishment (strange at peak visitor time) so maybe it will undergo an improvement.

We still enjoyed our visit to Rievaulx, but felt it was a bit of an anti-climax after what we’d been lead to expect, whereas Byland was a surprising little gem.

Exploring Rievaulx

July’s Jaunts

Have been a bit quiet on the blog front of late, life has a habit of taking over, and I’ve recently returned from a holiday in Yorkshire. We stayed at the Tollerton Caravan Park, some 10 miles north of York, which proved to be a very peaceful place – well, except for the train line on its border!

Anyway, there will be lots to report on with regard to that trip, including visits to Lightwater Valley Theme Park (watch for the interesting tale of the swan pedalo rescue), Rievaulx and Byland Abbeys and The National Railway Museum (a bit of a sting in the ‘tale’ with this one, or more specifically a burn on the belly).

So that’s a taste of future posts, but in the meantime, before I leave the Yorkshire theme, a word of warning if you’re visiting Thirsk. The short stay car park in front of the Wetherspoon’s in the town square, states that parking is free for up to 60 minutes. However, what is not immediately apparent is that you still have to press for a ticket to record your time of arrival. We missed this bit and were almost presented with a parking ticket, but fortunately our mistake was pointed out to us by a friendly parking attendant (yes, they do exist) so that we could remedy the situation in the nick of time!

As with any holiday, we returned with bags full of washing, only for the washing machine to go into meltdown. There’s no doubt that appliances do tend to pick their moments to break down! However, following my favourable experience of buying a new fridge/freezer from Co-op Electrical online, I headed straight to the website in search of a new machine. I was thrilled to find a sleek silver Beko number, at an astounding £110 off, which boasted rave reviews, so I wasted no time in placing my order. This was on the Monday – by 9.00 am Wednesday morning the machine was here and raring to go! I’m extremely pleased with it, and will be looking at reviewing it in more detail in a future post.

Earlier in the month we returned to a favourite visitor attraction of ours – Dover Castle. Having rejoined English Heritage this year (courtesy of Tesco Clubcard vouchers) we were eager to make the, now free, trip. However, this meant journeying across Kent, a manoeuvre greatly hampered by the existence of Operation Stack, which is still in place as I write. The journey was a nightmare, with many other roads on route log-jammed as a result. We finally arrived at the castle over an hour later than we should have done, but fortunately went on to have a lovely visit.

For those of us living in Kent, Operation Stack is a nightmare, which needs to be remedied by creating decent lorry parks just off the motorway. Of course, the source of the problem is far more complex, with its origins in Calais, which also need to be addressed.

So with July coming to a close it’s been a busy, but interesting month, now I’m just waiting for the return of summer, which I hope is just round the corner!

Pontin’s – My Bargain Break

A few weeks back, I found myself packing my bag and heading off to Pontin’s at Camber Sands. Not something I thought I would find myself doing, as I’d heard some none too favourable reviews in the past, but my daughter had booked a cheap break, and I’d agreed to accompany her and my toddler grandson on the trip.

My expectations had not been particularly high, partly due to what I’d heard, but also because I knew that my daughter had only paid in the region of £60 for a Monday to Friday stay. The paperwork had stated that our accommodation would be available from 4pm, but as we were relying on a lift there, ended up arriving before midday.

My plan on arrival was to ask if there was somewhere comfortable that we could wait with our luggage, but when I approached reception I was met with a cheery, “Hold on, I’ll see if your accommodation is ready,” – and it was! So by noon we were in our holiday apartment settling in, which gave us, in effect, a bonus afternoon.

Our ground floor ‘apartment’ (requested to make it easier with a pushchair) was basic, but adequate for a short stay. There was one bedroom with a double bed and a sofa bed in the main area, a small kitchen area with new-looking fridge and tired-looking cooker, which actually worked very well. The bathroom consisted of toilet, washbasin and shower that were OK, but we discovered the shower cubicle was broken. However, when we reported this to reception a maintenance man was despatched and a repair made within about half hour, so that was good service

Our main gripe was the bedding. Having paid for the privilege of having bedding provided, it was thin and ‘shiny’ and tended to slip off the beds every night, leaving us a bit chilly. I’m unsure as to whether this was the regular bedding however, as towards the end of our stay, we saw ‘proper sheets’ being placed in the neighbouring empty apartments.

Site facilities are good. There are a number of outdoor play areas for children of varying ages, a pirate crazy golf and a swimming pool, featuring a main pool with slide and a lovely warm toddler pool with assorted floats. Of course, there was also the inevitable arcade and a children’s club, large clubroom, pub and restaurant. Being off-season, evening entertainment took place in the pub as opposed to the larger club, as there didn’t appear to be that many of us staying there. Despite that, every evening there was a quiz (which I actually won one night and was presented with a bottle of wine) a children’s dance session and other entertainment.

My grandson loved the dressed-up characters that appeared at 10 each morning and again at the evening session and made use of the soft play area and toys in the children’s club.

As were we fortunate to have such lovely weather during our stay, we were also able to visit the beach, which just involved crossing the road outside and walking down a short lane.

We went for the self-catering option and, although there was a Nisa at the site entrance, found the shop opposite and the post office/village store further down the road cheaper options for shopping. Although, in its favour, the Nisa did have a £1 section selling useful things such as children’s arm bands.

There is actually a half-board option available, whereby breakfast and evening meal are provided at the Sands restaurant, but even if you do not select this deal, you can buy a three-course evening meal for £8.95, which is worth remembering.

Overall I enjoyed our Pontin’s stay, some of the accommodation is a little tired, but a little sprucing up could make all the difference. The facilities were good, but with over 700 apartments on site, could get a bit packed during high season. We were fortunate that as much of the accommodation was empty during our stay, we had easy access to everything that we wanted to do.

Although we didn’t meet huge numbers of fellow guests, we did see quite a few rabbits (lovely) and a huge number of seagulls, with regards to which I must issue a warning. On our first morning there, we heard a rap on the door. When I opened it there was no one to be seen, however when I glanced down towards the ground I was greeted by the sight of a cheeky gull. It was funny the first time, but wore thin as the week progressed, with this happening several times a day. At no point did we feed the gulls, indeed the site requests that you don’t, but did return one afternoon to find our ‘neighbour’ feeding them – not good!

I’m not sure that I would have wanted to spend a long holiday at Pontin’s Camber Sands, but would certainly consider another short break in the future.

Fancy a trip to Pontin’s at Camber Sands?

Visit pontins.com/holiday-parks/camber-sands  

Thoughts On Half Term

February Half Term holiday is always a bit of a funny one. The weather’s not always great, so outdoor activities may not be top of the agenda, but strangely many indoor attractions don’t open their doors until at least March, and in many cases April.

Searching for places to visit this week I was surprised to see so many museums were closed, stately homes too, although the latter I can understand a bit more, as muddy boots and plush carpets don’t mix very well. Although I have visited venues where disposable overshoes are provided to slip over your outdoor ones – a kind of compromise. But many museums keep their doors firmly shut at this time of year – a bad move as far as I’m concerned. Once the sun is shining I want to visit outdoor attractions, not closet myself indoors!

Fortunately, a couple of our local museums were open to the public this week so I popped in for a browse with my son. At the first we had a lovely, tranquil visit, but sadly our trip to the second was chaos!

I couldn’t believe the number of parents that were just letting their children run riot! Whilst some were engaging their children with interesting chats about what they were seeing or helping them to complete the quiz sheets provided, others were just standing by while their offspring rolled around on the floor (and I’m not talking toddlers), ran headlong into other visitors and whooped at full volume.

Now I don’t believe that children should be seen and not heard, or that they should tag along meekly without a bit of self-expression, but I do think that basic manners should be observed. A troop of youngsters, old enough to understand how to treat others, should not really be barging into other visitors without a polite, “excuse me” or “sorry”.

Sadly, it became apparent how some of their behaviour had been acquired. We were walking along a narrow aisle of the museum, when we found our way blocked by a group of mothers engaging in intense conversation. My first “excuse me please” was ignored, my second request yielded a tiny step to the side by one individual, which still did not allow me to pass due to her enormous umbrella sticking out at a dangerous angle. We eventually managed to pass amidst tuts and filthy looks, as if we were in the wrong!

I think it’s great that places such as museums often provide interesting workshops and activities for kids during the school holidays, but if you take your child along to such a place, I urge you to encourage consideration for others – and lead by example!

Head For The Hills

Amongst the most recent round of trips to visitor attractions that I made this summer, was a great day spent at Pleasurewood Hills, a family theme park in East Anglia.

Those of you who have been regularly reading my blog will know that I’m not a big fan of thrill-seeking rides, but I was largely drawn to this attraction by the shows that it provides.

Fans of Britain’s Got Talent may remember Sean Alexander, a past contestant on the programme and a very entertaining illusionist. His twice-daily shows performed at the park’s Castle Theatre are definitely worth a mention. My son and I were spellbound by the series of surprising illusions performed by Sean and his ‘Angels’ and highly recommend his show.

We were also greatly entertained by the park’s sea lion duo, performing a string of antics both in and out of the pool. The pair obviously enjoyed the limelight, ‘smiling’, ‘clapping’ and executing a number of clever tricks. I was particularly amused by the sea lions’ impression of a seal!

Not to be outdone, the Pleasurewood Hills parrots put on a fun show too. From counting to skating, they certainly had mastered a fair few tricks to perform.

Shows aside, there are plenty of rides to choose from – there’s certainly something available for all ages and levels of daring. Traditional dodgems, roundabouts and a carousel sit alongside thrilling rides such as the 120ft tall ‘Wipeout’ and 600m long ‘Enigma’. There are even a few more unusual attractions such as chair lifts and pedalos.

Although Pleasurewood Hills is smaller than many of its counterparts such as Chessington and Thorpe Park, it still provides a good day’s entertainment at very reasonable prices. Tickets cost £19 on the day for adults and £16 for children, with youngsters under 1m high going free. There is a reduction of £1 per ticket if you book online, with group tickets also available if you choose to buy them in this way. Or you could do as we did, and use Tesco Clubcard Days Out Vouchers to pay for admission.

Pleasurewood Hills is currently open at weekends only, with a full week of opening at October Half Term holiday.

For a fun family day out, then be sure to ‘head for the Hills’!

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This August Why Not …?

Join in the fun of a carnival. I love a good carnival and as a child looked forward to the yearly event in my home town. The marching bands, stilt walkers, colourful floats and general party atmosphere all appealed to me – and still do! Sadly this event has fallen by the wayside, but throughout August there are many carnivals taking place around the country. Of course the biggie is Notting Hill Carnival on 26^th August, but there are plenty of fun smaller events to attend. In recent years I’ve been to the Hastings Carnival (East Sussex), which is full of typical carnival floats and fun, with the procession this year taking place on Saturday 10^th August at 5pm – so if you’re in the area give it a go! Go online to find out about carnivals in your area.

Be safe in the sun. Fortunately it would appear we are all becoming much more conscious of the damage that the sun can cause to our skin, and are covering up more with high factor sun lotions and light clothing. My current favourite sun care product is Boots Soltan Moisturising Suncare Spray Factor 30, which gives 5 star UVA protection. This is simple to apply, easily absorbed, water-resistant and also contains an insect repellent. Another good rule with the sun is to avoid direct exposure between 11am and 3pm. When we go to the beach on a hot day, we tend to go early, have breakfast there and leave by lunchtime, this way we avoid the crowds as well as the sun at its hottest. We also love evening strolls along the beach.

Enjoy some summer fireworks. During the summer, some seaside resorts put on firework displays. At Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, every Wednesday evening, for the six weeks of the summer holiday, there is a free firework display, with musical entertainment commencing at 8pm and the fireworks starting at 10pm. I can highly recommend this one – it’s great to be by the sea in the evening when it’s a little cooler and the atmosphere is great. Other seaside towns putting on firework displays this summer include Bournemouth (Fridays) and Poole (Thursdays). Look out for a display near you!

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Summer Holidays

Well, here they are, the summer holidays have officially arrived, with many schools having now broken up for the next six weeks or so (my son finished last Friday).

You may now be looking for ways to pass the time and entertain the kids, unless you've signed up for one of the many holiday play schemes around the country. Perhaps you’re going away for at least some of the time, be it near or far, or looking to spend some recreation time nearer to home, in between juggling work and all the other commitments that you may have.

I’m fortunate in that I write to earn a crust and can pick up pen (yes, I do still draft some work in longhand) and head for my happy place (for those of you who aren’t familiar with this, my static caravan on the east coast).

In addition to writing my blog (purely for pleasure), I write for a few businesses, composing copy for their websites, brochures, company blogs and press releases, and inventing slogans. Fortunately, there is no conflict of interest with my own blog writing as the businesses that I write for include an engineering firm, construction company and some double-glazing suppliers, as opposed to High Street retailers or visitor attractions.

I’m also putting the finishing touches to a couple of short stories, and have drafted the synopsis of a book, which I may or may not actually get round to writing.

So this summer I will be combining time at my caravan with trips back home, so that I can keep an eye on my elderly mother (she suffers from dementia) and see my daughters and baby grandson. I may even get to throw in a brief camping trip if I’m lucky.

With a busy schedule ahead, I’ve decided to reduce my blog posts to around three a week (you may already have noticed that they’ve fallen from five to four), to allow time for other projects and to enjoy summer pursuits with my family, especially my son during his school holidays.

Whatever you’re doing this summer, I hope you have a fantastic time, and do continue to look in on my blog when you get the chance.

Follow me on Twitter @shoppersjoy

Mobile Madness

Mobile phones, love them or hate them they’re very much part of our daily lives.

They can be really handy, especially when you think of something that you want to tell someone straight away before you forget, but know that they won’t be able to answer a call. Just send a text and the recipient will read it when they can.

I regularly converse with my family and several of my friends by text. It’s been particularly good to keep in touch with my daughter when she’s on holidays overseas (I can be a bit of a worrier as she has mild learning difficulties). However, if I want a long chat with someone, I tend to use the landline from the comfort of my own home.

Where the ‘hate’ part of mobile phones comes in is when I have to listen to other people’s conversations. It’s so annoying sitting on a bus with someone shouting into their phone at full volume, divulging their most intimate affairs, especially when peppered with a colourful selection of expletives. I’m sure this wasn’t the imagined scenario when mobiles finally became a reality.

Although I may occasionally use my phone for calls whilst out, these tend to be of the more urgent (well, vaguely important} variety. When asked for my phone number by companies for any reason I tend to quote the number of my landline. This is often met with a shocked, and maybe slightly pitying, “Don’t you have a mobile phone?” To which I usually answer, “No”, which stuns them into silence. Quite honestly, I’d rather someone left me a message on my answer phone at home, then try to contact me on my mobile in the middle of Tesco/bus journeys/dental treatment etc.

When I was a child (violin time again), we didn’t even have a landline! Keeping in touch with friends meant walking to their houses and knocking on their door, or for those a bit further away, going to the nearest phone box (providing they had a phone, of course). However, it used to drive me mad that I couldn’t enter the phone-in competitions on the Multi-coloured Swap Shop on a Saturday morning!

But now I have both a landline and a mobile, and to me they both have their place. As do intimate, graphic conversations – the place for these I would suggest, is definitely not on the bus!

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This July Why Not …?

Become a tourist in your home town. It’s an odd thing, but it’s often the places closest to our own homes that we don’t get round to visiting. Attractions and historical sites on our doorsteps are often ignored, whilst we quite happily journey afar to view those on other people’s doorsteps. I was born in and lived in Rochester, Kent, for many years (I’m not far from there now) and yet I never ventured into the keep of Rochester Castle until about three years ago. I had often visited the grounds, playing in them as a child and attending events as an adult, yet had never actually looked inside this great Norman castle. What nearby tourist attractions are you missing out on?

Meet family and friends halfway. Do you live a fair distance from certain family members and friends and never seem to get together due to the journey involved? Then consider finding a suitable halfway point to meet up for a picnic, outing or get-together. A couple of years back, we decided we’d like to see family members that were spread quite widely across the country, so we chose a suitable central point, booked a function room in a pub with catering included, divided the cost between us all, and had a fantastic time catching up with one another. Mass family picnics are great fun too, so be sure to arrange a big ‘meet-up’ this summer.

Send a postcard. Even if you’re not actually away on holiday, take the time to send a postcard, or better still a notelet or handwritten letter on decorative paper, to someone that you haven’t seen for some time. In these days of texts and emails, I still love to send and receive a ‘proper’ letter once in a while.

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June’s Blog Review

‘Flaming June’ it may not have been, but at least some warm sunny days have enabled us to get out and about to various visitor attractions and enjoy some traditional family picnics.

With this in mind, this month I wrote several reviews about places that I have visited and would recommend. These have included Bressingham Steam Museum and Gardens, Norfolk (a great fun family day out), The Hop Farm, Kent (offering free admission and reasonably priced rides) and some lesser-known English Heritage sites, such as Burgh Castle.

One of the main irritations that I addressed this month was the way that certain companies ask you to ‘hold for a moment’ then proceed to abandon you for what seems like ages. Comments from readers included stories of extremely long waits, tales of being passed between a series of unhelpful people and complaints about the cost of such lengthy calls. At least companies that use 0800 numbers allow you to listen to their annoying music, stony silence or intermittent recorded messages for free!

Some of the other topics that I wrote about this month were camping (great fun, low cost holidays), moving your static caravan (easier than you would think) paying for public toilets and the worst shops as defined by a recent consumer survey.

It was thumbs up for Avon Eyeshadow Primer and Bookstart, but thumbs down for Belvita Breakfast Biscuits.

Next month there’ll be more visitor attraction reviews, more verdicts on products and no doubt a bit more ranting about life’s irritations.

Thanks for reading.

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Carry On (Or Start) Camping!

Camping holidays are great fun and very cost effective too (once you have bought the initial equipment).

I was brought up on camping holidays. In the summer we would load up the car and head down to Ladram Bay in Devon, to literally ‘set up camp’ for a couple of weeks. The combination of the outdoor living, fresh sea air and camaraderie made for great holidays.

Whilst there for my birthday one year, I woke early and proceeded to dance around the outside of our tent, singing. “Happy Birthday to me!” A very good-natured camper emerged from the  tent opposite and presented me with half a crown (that’s showing my age), despite not having previously met us, having arrived late the night before! My birthday was celebrated with an on-site party, the guest list for which consisted of a number of children that I had never met before, or since – but it was great fun!

In more recent years, I have been camping with my own family. My son still loves the experience, but as my daughters got older they found it a hardship more than a pleasure – lack of hair straighteners and TV soaps!

Not that I’m a camper that ‘roughs it’ exactly. I insist on a toilet and shower block as a minimum requirement on any campsite and more recently elected for electric hook up so that we could have a little fridge and recharge our lamps.

When choosing camping equipment, your list needn’t be huge. Do choose a tent big enough for your needs, but not too complicated to put up. We opted for tent that we could actually stand up in (our crawling days are numbered) with three bedroom compartments. I strongly recommend airbeds as opposed to bed mats, which can be a little thin for uneven ground. Apart from that a sleeping bag each, some form of compact portable cooking stove, a cool box (or small fridge if electricity available) and some rechargeable lamps form your basic kit. We take folding chairs and a folding table, so that we can eat in comfort, but once tried taking one of those all in one picnic table and bench arrangements. What a disaster! It collapsed completely on its second time of use, resulting in me wearing my pasta rather than eating it!

A sorry sight - a dead picnic table!

Weather permitting (did I mention I’m a fair weather camper?) camping holidays can be brilliant fun, good value for money and mean you can visit places that you may not ordinarily manage to go. We’ve enjoyed staying on a number of UK sites and have ventured to France, but have also found a tent in a friend or relatives garden makes for great fun too!

So come on, what are you waiting for? Get camping!

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Static Caravans – Update

Many of you may be familiar with me waffling on about my ‘happy place’ – my static caravan situated in East Anglia.

Back in September of last year, I explained that it is possible to change the location of your static caravan more simply than you may think.

In the post ‘Static Caravans Can Move’ I wrote:

“Providing that you own your caravan outright, (are not tied in to any finance deal with the company) you are free to move. Some park owners may prefer you not to know this, and should you express a desire to leave the site, will probably offer the following suggestions:

a)    Allow them to buy back the caravan from you. Translation: Offer a price bearing no resemblance to the price you paid them, or its current worth, so they can sell it on for only fractionally less than you paid when you bought it.

b)    Sell the caravan yourself on site. Translation: Selling must not involve any on-site advertising; the park owner will not assist in the sale in any way; the company is allowed to approach your potential buyers to sell them a caravan of theirs instead; the company will claim 15% commission when you sell.

c)    Sell for scrap. Translation: cut your losses and clear off.

Of course, I must point out that not every caravan park owner is as ruthless as this, there are some really quite helpful ones out there, who give better advice and help properly with selling your caravan, but there are those who adopt the attitude outlined above – shame on you, you know who you are!

However, I am pleased to report that there are an increasing number of caravan parks that will allow you to site your own caravan and moving it is not as expensive as you may think, in the region of £350 for transport depending on the distance/area/etc. Of course, you do have to pay a disconnection fee at the site you are leaving, as well as a connection fee at your new site, but if you shop around these costs may be cancelled out by lower site fees at your new chosen park.”

Our caravan was originally sited at place called Marlie Farm in South Kent, a caravan park that is part of the Park Holidays chain. Unfortunately the standards of maintenance and management on the site fell quite badly (grass was not cut, reported problems were not dealt with etc), whilst the fees continued to rise sharply. The final straw came when a staff member was actually quite rude to us.

A discussion with the area manager of Park Holidays proved very useful, as he revealed how much cheaper and easier it was to move a static caravan than I had imagined. Of course, his plan had been for us to move to another of their sites, but we had other plans.

After spending time researching and visiting sites, we found our present location in East Anglia – a delightful caravan park overlooking the sea, which is part of a much smaller group. The staff there are so friendly and helpful, the site is well maintained and any problems are dealt with quickly and efficiently, whilst site fees are lower than at our previous site.

It really is worth looking around if for any reason you are unhappy with your current caravan park.

If you struggle with the yearly site fees, then why not get together as group, share the fees and draw up a rota of who uses the caravan for a holiday and when? Alternatively, rent out your caravan when you’re not using it yourself. Whilst some parks ask you to pay a commission for this, others are happy for you to keep the whole rental fee, knowing that it could be the difference between you being able to afford a caravan there, or having to leave.

So remember my original message – Static Caravans Can Move!

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Old-Fashioned Thrift

Over recent years, due to the recession and a change in personal circumstances for many of us, we probably consider ourselves to be exercising ‘thrift’.

Paying bills by direct debit to ‘spread the cost’, stocking up on cheap supermarket offers, making use of discount vouchers, swapping branded products for shop’s own, limiting treats and so on are all ways that we try to cut our costs.

However, the so-called thrift measures that we employ today aren’t quite on the level that I remember from my childhood (cue violins). Not that we actually suffered then as such, but people’s priorities have changed, and some now consider themselves hard up if they can’t afford the latest gadget or sunshine holiday.

A survey last year revealed that many young women would rather go without food than cut back on trips to the hairdresser/manicurist/tanning salon!

As a child, I remember the excitement when my family acquired our first chest freezer. We visited our local frozen food warehouse (Cartiers in Rochester), which also sold bulk-sized containers of grocery items. Once all the purchases were safely stowed away at home, my mother proceeded to break down the costs of all the food items, calculating how much each sausage/pie/bag of crisps/chicken portion actually cost, noting down the prices. From then on each time that an item was used, the cost of it was placed in a specially allocated jar. If I wanted a bag of crisps, I would either ‘buy’ it with my pocket money, placing the necessary coins in the jar, or my mum would ‘treat’ me and put the money in herself. When the original supplies ran out, there was enough money in the jar to re-stock them.

Early on in my married life I had one of those cash boxes with little compartments marked ‘gas’, ‘electricity’, ‘food’ and so on. Once the required amounts of money had been allocated to each, then I knew that any ‘surplus’ funds (if any) were available to save or splash out on a treat.

I don’t use any of these actual methods today, but I do collect odd coins until they are sufficient to use for a treat, and in a more 21^st century way, accumulate loyalty card points to pay for ‘extras’. Some of you may collect supermarket savings stamps, putting a few odd pounds on your card at each shop, to help buy supplies when things get tight.

Personally, I would never sacrifice food or skimp on other essentials to pay for beauty products or treats, but hope that by employing a bit of good old-fashioned thrift, careful budgeting and a little of the ‘make-do-and-mend’ mentality, I can afford not only the necessities, but the odd little treat too!

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Bressingham Steam Museum and Gardens

On my travels last week, I visited Bressingham Steam Museum and Gardens near Diss, Norfolk.

When a sunny Bank Holiday dawned, it seemed the perfect opportunity to have a family outing, and as we had previously driven past Bressingham, but not actually ventured inside, decided it was time that we checked it out.

The drive into the attraction was a bit like going on a mystery tour – a winding track meandered along until it reached the car park – or parking field as it technically was, but more on that later.

Bressingham boasts some beautifully stunning gardens (17 acres), especially the quaintly named, award-winning, ‘foggy bottom’. The lovingly-tended, ‘private’ garden of the Bloom family is open to view at certain times and is a wonderful place to sit and soak up the natural surroundings.

Of course, what my son was really eager to see was the steam museum and all that it has to offer. On ‘steam days’ (Wed – Sun and Bank Holidays) you can purchase an inclusive ticket (£12.95 adults, £8.95 children, Tesco Days Out Vouchers accepted), which entitles you to unlimited rides on the narrow gauge steam trains and three rides on the steam carousel.

We really enjoyed riding the trains, one line takes you around the gardens, another tours the old nursery area and a third travels over the water meadows. The steam carousel, known as the ‘gallopers’, built over a hundred years ago, proclaims it was ‘built to last’, and it sure has! As tunes from Mary Poppins played, I could imagine the horses riding off across the fields as they did in the film.

We also loved the collection of steam engines and the fun Dad’s Army Walmington-On-Sea display, including original props. My son delighted at the old penny machines, whilst for an extra charge, we could have ridden the waltzers and dodgems.

The one little blip of the day occurred on our arrival at the parking field. Unfortunately our car became stuck in a previously unnoticed muddy patch. However, the Bressingham staff came to the rescue, towing us out of the mud, offering apologies and then promptly roping off the ‘dodgy’ area, so all ended well.

We loved our trip to Bressingham – there was plenty to see and do, the staff and volunteers were friendly and helpful and the day represented good value for money (even the ice creams were reasonably priced). I thoroughly recommend Bressingham for a fun family day out. For more information visit www.bressingham.co.uk

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May’s Blog Review

Finally spring arrived, blossom filled the trees, flowers bloomed in the garden and the sun made a welcome (if sporadic) appearance. For me personally, May proved to be a busy month, with the birth of my grandson (first grandchild) for which I was present, even cutting the cord, being the highlight.

On the downside, the Hypermobility class that I attend at my local physiotherapy department is being reduced from weekly to monthly sessions, which will affect so many of us suffering from the condition (for information on Hypermobility Syndrome click here)

On my blog I once again looked at a diverse range of products and services, highlighting the good and bad and making a few recommendations.

I was disappointed with the change of packaging for some Boots No7 products, which I believe has meant less content in some cases, and inferior packaging in others, making it hard to use a measured amount of product, thus causing wastage. Next month, I will be suggesting alternatives to two of the No7 products that I was most disappointed with – the Stay Perfect Smoothing and Brightening Eye Base and the Beautiful Skin Eye Make-Up Remover.

Some of the more serious issues I touched on were visiting the dentist and health screening. It was lovely to hear from JR of the Mohali Dentist Clinic who commented ‘The Dreaded Dentist’ was an ‘impressive post’ with ‘minute details mentioned and clearly expressed’.

I also pointed out that you do not have to pay to get an EHIC card for your holiday. If you find a website trying to charge for this service, ignore it, be sure to visit www.nhs.uk/ehic where you just complete a simple form to receive your card – no fee involved.

Thank you to you all for visiting my blog. There’ll be lots more going on next month, so keep reading!

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Another Bank Holiday

Here we are again, another Bank Holiday, another long weekend – what are you doing with your ‘extra’ time?

I’m currently relaxing in my much-loved coastal retreat, aka my static caravan by the sea. I love to come here to enjoy the peace, the walks by the sea, the chance to lounge by the pool and to generally take time out form day-to-day life.

Maybe you’ve been spending time in your ‘happy’ place this Bank Holiday Weekend, be it your garden, your shed, your hobby room, your favourite holiday destination, a quiet part of the countryside or wherever.

When it comes to places to visit I have my particular favourites that I love to return to from time to time, and which I highly recommend. Audley End in Essex is a stunning stately home set in beautiful grounds, where I love to wander. Run by English Heritage it is free for members to visit, or costs £13.40 for adults and £8 for children over five and is a really lovely setting for a family outing.

I also love to stroll round the grounds of Hever Castle in Kent, where the gardens are lovely and we can all revert to being big kids, by trying to dodge the water jets in the fun water maze. A ‘gardens only’ ticket costs £12.50 for adults and £8.00 for children, but you can use your Tesco Clubcard Reward Vouchers (exchanged for Days Out vouchers) to gain admission.

But I have to say, one of my all-time passions is for clocks. I love the sound of them ticking and chiming and just love being surrounded by them. (I’m not weird, honestly) So somewhere that I love is Belmont House, Faversham, Kent, (adults £8, children £5) where there is a very impressive collection of clocks to view as part of a guided tour. If you love clocks, you’ll love Belmont.

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Preparing For Your Holiday

This time of year your thoughts may well be turning to your holiday. Maybe you’ve already booked a break away, counting down the months, weeks or even days until you go, or perhaps you’re still hunting for that great bargain deal.

Whatever your plans for this year, it’s a good idea to make sure that you’re well prepared.

Renew that passport! Don’t wait until the last minute to check the expiry date on your passport. It’s so easy to forget how long it is since you last renewed it, so double check to be sure. Whether renewing your passport or applying for your first one, I recommend that you use the Post Office Check & Send service. For a fee of £8.75, your form will be checked for omissions and errors, relevant accompanying documents verified and your photo confirmed as passport standard. This prevents your form from being returned to you due to errors, avoiding delays, and includes special delivery of your passport, to further speed up the process. I recently renewed my son’s passport using this service and received his new one within just 10 days.

Ensure you have a valid EHIC – European Health Insurance Card. This is enables you to receive free/reduced cost medical treatment on the same basis as local residents in the countries that it covers (those in the European union plus a few others). But beware! When applying for/renewing your card, take care to avoid the dodgy websites out there that charge a fee for application. When we entered EHIC into the search engine, the first site that came up tried to charge us £29! Remember, the EHIC cards are FREE! Apply for your card using the NHS Choices website, www.nhs.uk/ehic where you just complete a simple form to receive your card – no fee involved.

Prepare to pack. Now is the time to start assembling some of the fiddly toiletry/cosmetic items that you may want to take away. Save sample sachets of face creams etc that you find on the pages of the odd magazine, to pack as opposed to big pots for a short break. Travel sized versions of many toiletries are available to buy, but often cost almost as much as their full-sized counterparts, so either refill any existing mini bottles that your may have, or buy small, empty bottles designed for this purpose from shops such as Superdrug (refillable jar 99p. bottles from £1.59).

Now is the time to get prepared!

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Good Old-Fashioned Fun

I do love a good, old-fashioned slot machine at a seaside arcade.

When I was a child, each school summer holiday my mother would buy us a week’s runabout train ticket (allowing us to travel anywhere in our region). Every morning she’d ask, “Where shall we go today?” to which I’d reply, “Margate”, and off we went.

I loved Dreamland, a proper old fun fair with rides and games, and all the arcades with their (literally) penny machines. The fun you could have with just a few pennies – or better still the 1/2p machines on Margate’s Sun Pier (long gone). These may have been the most annoying little coins ever, but you could have an awful lot of goes on the machines with them for very little money.

I still believe that seaside arcades are a good source of family fun, even though the cheapest machines you find these days are 2p – happily you can find quite a few of these. We sometimes visit one as part of a weekend outing, sharing a couple of pounds worth of 2p pieces, which we eagerly feed into the slots. Many of these machines now contain small prizes, adding the extra challenge of trying to win one of these, in addition to the hoped-for shower of coins. A recent trip yielded a set of little wind-up teeth, which provided a great source of amusement for my son.

On our trips we always restrict ourselves to the 2p play machines (with the occasional exception of a ‘prize every time’ crane) and limit the amount we spend to just a couple of pounds. This gives us a lot of fun for a little cost, and means we don’t get too compulsive in our play.

Even more fun are some of the ‘old penny’ machines, dating back to the days before decimal currency and computerized games. At arcades containing these machines you can ‘buy’ a bag of old pennies to try your luck at the machines of yesteryear, some of which are much more fun than their modern counterparts. We particularly love the two-player games, where you each turn a handle at top speed to be the first to complete a cycle race/horse race or drain a baby’s bottle and my son simply adores the ones where you guide a ball through a maze.

Do you enjoy a good seaside amusement arcade?

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Pot Desserts

Although we enjoy a little something to finish a meal, we’re not big on puddings in our house, except for the occasional weekend treat of apple crumble or lemon meringue pie.

Normally, if we fancy a dessert, we just have a yogurt or a small pot dessert (or fruit if we’re being really good). There’s a great choice of yogurts and pot desserts available on the supermarket shelves, but they can work out a bit pricey if you have a big family to cater for. That’s why I’ve been impressed with the Tesco Value range of desserts.

My favourites from the range are the strawberry cheesecakes and strawberry trifles (available individually or in packs of three for 90p), and crème caramels (available in packs of six for 68p).

It’s actually a wonder that I can even face crème caramels at all, due to the fact that as a child I was taken on a family holiday to Spain, where the hotel we stayed in served crème caramel every single evening. For some considerable time afterwards, we all groaned if someone dared to even mention the confounded dessert.

Anyway, I digress. The pot desserts from the Tesco Everyday Value range are creamy, very tasty and great value for money, so I recommend that you give them a go.

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