B & B....

B & B = Bed-and-Breakfast

noun

1. an accommodation offered by an inn, hotel, or especially a private home, consisting of a room for the night and breakfast the next morning for one inclusive price.

2. an inn, hotel, or private home offering such an accommodation.

Our favourite B & Bs have to be those that provide us with ‘being truly spoiled’ for the all inclusive price of nothing at all. Great value!! And this can only mean two places - Birmingham and Banchory - homes of parents/grandparents.

Our post-Cotswolds tour continued with a few nights stay in Birmingham with Granddad – where we were treated with a trip out to the Black Country Museum. Having lost my Mum last year, and the challenges that Covid presented seeing Granddad has not been straightforward but, with normal business hopefully resuming, it was great for us all to catch up again. And we had a fine day out going back in time and teaching the girls ‘how ta speak proper.’ We even squeezed in a visit from big cousin, Ruth..... Ta very much Granddad!

And then it was a week back home, before Tanya and the girls high tailed it up to Banchory, with a working me in tow as Baba relinquished his ‘office’ for the week. And the week was truly an Olympic one for the girls. There were trips out to Crathes, Drum, Story Book Glen and Aberdeen, but there was also activities a-plenty with mini-tennis, ice skating, putting, climbing, swimming in the Dee and extreme hide-and-seek. In between working hours I also got to run in the magnificent Deeside scenery, and went out for walks every night with Tanya – total luxury. We were all truly spoiled! Thank you very much Nana and Baba!

Gratitude messages on the Tree of Thanks

Old Street at the Black Country Museum

My childhood favourite 'Beep Beep'

Aberdeen City Beach - 'Italian Takeaway' - apparently!!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

The big man HD

And so they went to the ball...

Spa treatment by the Dee! 

And a paddle too

Niomi No Fear

Rain meant lunch in the boot!

One of many stunning evening walks

Videoclip: The Banchory Olympics

To watch the video click here

Capers in the Cotswolds...

So with a fun-filled first week under our belt, it was rapidly onto week two in the Cotswolds. And I guess the big thing to point out was the weather - it was scorchio!! The thermometer was regularly hitting over 30 degrees during the day - and boy did we swelter. But hey, when you come from the dreich north then you shouldn't complain! Besides, we were supposed to be in Portugal so it was only right we should get some Portuguese weather 🌞🌞🌞

Well then - what happened? First mentions need to go to Nansy, Molly, and Ella - the children that were staying in the cottage next to us and, as they were similar ages, were the source of endless games and fun for Emily and Niomi. Next up would need to be Rosie, Mocha and a host of other animals that lived on the farm who were religiously 'force fed' every day by Niomi and Emily (particularly Niomi) - boy did they get some attention. Then there was the swimming pool on the farm where we cooled off every day and had loads of fun and laughter. And all of those things were just the entertainment on site - never mind our excursions in the Cotswolds!

There was Waddesdon, Buscot Park and Blenheim Palace - with gardens, mazes, trains and outdoor puzzles to keep us amused. The obligatory trip to the beautiful Bourton-on-the-Water for Birdland, the Damselfly Maze and wading through gorgeous streams running through the town. And then there was the Thames! We were staying in Lechlade-on-Thames, the last navigable point on the Thames by motor boat - so it'd have been rude not to explore its flowing delights. We paddled, waded, swam and jumped in the water, as the sun shone to keep us warm....And hats off really has to go to Mummy - she was on awesome form! Putting all the teenage folk to shame by jumping off every available branch and bridge...carpe diem indeed!

Waddesdon wow!

Birdland 1

Birdland 2

Another day, another picnic

With obligatory egg (potentially risky at Birdland!)

A-mazing!

Cooling off at BOTW

😊

Races!

Meet Rosie the well-fed donkey

Even more a-mazing - they're in there somewhere

Maze champion

Always full of life!

Blenheim Palace - the granddaddy of them all!

😊

All together now...making holiday friends

Hours of fun

Cooling off in the Thames this time

Water fun!

Thames by canoe

Away from it all!

Videoclip: Thames fun in the sun

To view the videoclip click here

HPW...

Since January 2020 HP has been a big part of our world. Obviously not the sauce, but the one and only Harry Potter. Emily dipped her toe, then foot and then jumped in and has devoured everything HP related over and over again. She's had all books read to her twice (the hours it took!!), she's read about half herself and watched all the films at least twice. We've done HP quizzes online, played HP Dobble over and over and recently started HP Top Trumps. We even had a Harry Potter Birthday party (see previous blog here). It's been quite a thing to say the least.

And no trip to High Wycombe would be complete without a small detour to HPW. Yup, the infamous Harry Potter World. And, despite needing to take out a small personal loan to cover the costs, I have to say it was most definitely worth it. What a day!!

(Warning Spoiler Alerts Below)

 

One excited Gryffindor

All a bit Slytherin

The Big Man's Study

Wand practice

Boarding for Hogwarts

Home

Post's arrived

Is this allowed?

Hands in the air like Dobby don't care

Here to see the bank manager

Getting the Hufflepuff Cup

The best place for jokes in town

Hogwarts 1

Hogwarts 2

Videoclip: HPW

To view the videoclip click here

Grab that snitch!!