A Day at the Fayre

We love finding new things to do locally and a May fayre at the end of our road was too good to miss.  There is a big park with a small kids play area in one corner, but today it was transformed and I have never seen it as busy.  There was a dog show, beer tent, every variety of bouncy castle and a few little fairground rides.  The sun shone, the whole town came out, the ice cream van was never without a queue and there were free bus rides from the park to the harbour all afternoon.

Archie had a little snooze whilst we examined the tombolas, climbed aboard an ambulance, spun in the teacups and swung on the roundabout chairs.  He woke up the moment the word ice cream was mentioned of course, and the boys had fun exploring, choosing which flavour fudge to buy (cherry bakewell), hooking ducks and seeing so many of their friends.  I took my proper camera with me and snapped a few pictures, although I still haven't mastered the focus on fast shots, as you will be able to see.

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A winter's Beach Stroll

We live in a beautiful place, sure, it has its faults but there is nowhere else I want to bring up my babies.  We have a lovely house with just about enough space for us all, and neighbours all around that we stop and chat to.  We have family and friends all around us. We have a park at the end of the road where the boys can run around, climb and kick a ball.  We have the promenade just round the corner, where they can ride their bikes, spot boats in the sea and watch the world go by.  We have a beach within walking distance that we don't take advantage of nearly enough.

I have seen lots of photos on instagram recently of people enjoying the sea, even as the temerature drops and it inspired us to do the same.  We often go for lunch down on the seafront, but we went for a wander afterwards at the weekend, to skim stones in the sea, chase the waves and build sandcastles (without a bucket).  The boys loved it (until Dylan got caught out and drenched to his knees) and the sun shone for us.  I had my camera on me, so took a few snaps, although with the sun so bright, it was hard to avoid the shadows. (Sorry about the photo spam)

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Play Day

I knew that the place I grew up would be the same place that I bring up my own babies.  I wanted to travel, to see the world, to experience different cities, but I had always known that when it came to starting a family, this place is home.

My family live here, and everywhere I look, I have memories of growing up.  There are so many beaches on our doorstep, so many parks, schools and small communities.  Sure it has its issues, there are bad parts of town as there always are, and it does boast an incredibly high teenage pregnancy rate, but this was my home, and this is my children's home.

Bringing them up here, we have spent a lot of time at the Children's Centres, from antenatal classes, breastfeeding support groups and the health visitor to messy rock'n'roll toddler groups and courses.  The Children's Centre organises a 'Play Day' every summer for the community, a completely free event for families, and this year's theme was healthy.

All children received free water and fruit, there was bouncy castles and characters to meet, information about local services and healthy start incentives and the chance to make a smoothie on a pedal bike.  The mobile farm was there, letting the children get close to the sheep and pigs and there were displays from local groups like Judo and majorettes. The weather was sadly not what was hoped for in early August, but it was only the parents stood under umbrellas, whilst the children ran free, reminding us that being outdoors whatever the weather is completely healthy.

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