Sunday, 15 June 2014
Friday, 13 June 2014
A Journey to Holland
An unexpected trip to Holland at the end of last week, with the ferry booked only two days before we travelled, meant we just packed our bags into the car and set off. We don't live that far from Dover so we left home with an
excited Little Owl in the back of the car. She knew she was going on a
'bowt'.
We set the satnav to Calais ferry as we didn't seem to have Dover saved. We didn't really need it but it is nice to have as we don't do the journey often enough to know where we are going without reading the road signs. The satnav got annoyed with us on route as she thought we should go through the tunnel...
On board the boat and its time for breakfast, or lunch. Either way, Little Owl tucks in as she hadn't had much breakfast. We then had a walk around the boat and were a bit disappointed to discover that the only concession for children in the family lounge was a large TV screen showing cartoons on mute. So instead we found a quiet coffee lounge where Little Owl could look out of the window.
Walking around the boat and a tummy full of food, Little Owl was
beginning to look sleepy as we approached Calais. A quick trip to the
loo and she was set for a nice long sleep in the car!
We set the satnav up with our destination - Papa Owl's Aunt's house, and we were off! Little Owl was asleep before we had left the ferry terminal! We are champion travelers!
And then we hit Belgium.
The satnav directed us off of the motorway, slightly confused we followed as we had a vague memory of doing this before. Besides, its always nice to see a bit of Belgium rather than hurtling through on the motorway. We did not expect to find ourselves in a town square though! Never mind, we got ourselves back to the motorway, ignoring the instructions of the satnav, hoping she would reset once there.
Over the next hour it became apparent that the attempted upgrade that Papa Owl had tried to do the night before had somehow managed to delete most of the maps for Europe, only leaving the main routes. This shouldn't have been too much of a problem if when we approached a junction, the satnav didn't suddenly place us in a field half a mile to the left, refusing to tell us what should be happening and just shouting at us to get back to the "highlighted route".
When was the last time you travelled without a satnav? I'd forgotten how much hard work it is, or maybe we have just lost the nack! This led us to taking many a wrong turn, leaving the junction early or when we got the right junction, heading off in the wrong direction! This was not helped by the satnav giving up on "left" and "right" but now telling us to head "north" or "west".
Little Owl didn't sleep for long, probably due to satnav and Papa Owl both shouting instructions!
We set the satnav to Calais ferry as we didn't seem to have Dover saved. We didn't really need it but it is nice to have as we don't do the journey often enough to know where we are going without reading the road signs. The satnav got annoyed with us on route as she thought we should go through the tunnel...
On board the boat and its time for breakfast, or lunch. Either way, Little Owl tucks in as she hadn't had much breakfast. We then had a walk around the boat and were a bit disappointed to discover that the only concession for children in the family lounge was a large TV screen showing cartoons on mute. So instead we found a quiet coffee lounge where Little Owl could look out of the window.
We set the satnav up with our destination - Papa Owl's Aunt's house, and we were off! Little Owl was asleep before we had left the ferry terminal! We are champion travelers!
And then we hit Belgium.
The satnav directed us off of the motorway, slightly confused we followed as we had a vague memory of doing this before. Besides, its always nice to see a bit of Belgium rather than hurtling through on the motorway. We did not expect to find ourselves in a town square though! Never mind, we got ourselves back to the motorway, ignoring the instructions of the satnav, hoping she would reset once there.
Over the next hour it became apparent that the attempted upgrade that Papa Owl had tried to do the night before had somehow managed to delete most of the maps for Europe, only leaving the main routes. This shouldn't have been too much of a problem if when we approached a junction, the satnav didn't suddenly place us in a field half a mile to the left, refusing to tell us what should be happening and just shouting at us to get back to the "highlighted route".
When was the last time you travelled without a satnav? I'd forgotten how much hard work it is, or maybe we have just lost the nack! This led us to taking many a wrong turn, leaving the junction early or when we got the right junction, heading off in the wrong direction! This was not helped by the satnav giving up on "left" and "right" but now telling us to head "north" or "west".
Little Owl didn't sleep for long, probably due to satnav and Papa Owl both shouting instructions!
"please drive to highlighted route"
"make a u-turn"
As we neared our final destination, the satnav uttered a last desperate "please" before going quiet on us!
I cannot tell you how many u-turns we made, not to mention nearly driving down a cycle path!
Tired and weary, we finally arrived, a mere hour and a half late to find no-one home. Not to worry, we were expecting this and went to find a neighbour who had the key... only the neighbour wasn't in either!
We had a very tired Little Owl who was also hungry, so back in the car we went and drove to the nearest town. We had been here a few times before so we had a bit of an idea where we were going now. We parked up and spotted several people heading into a Chinese restaurant - we followed and discovered it was an "all-you-can-eat"! Bonus! And they didn't charge for under 4s!
It may not have been what we planned but it was a rather fitting end to the day - perhaps we are champion travellers after all!
I cannot tell you how many u-turns we made, not to mention nearly driving down a cycle path!
Tired and weary, we finally arrived, a mere hour and a half late to find no-one home. Not to worry, we were expecting this and went to find a neighbour who had the key... only the neighbour wasn't in either!
We had a very tired Little Owl who was also hungry, so back in the car we went and drove to the nearest town. We had been here a few times before so we had a bit of an idea where we were going now. We parked up and spotted several people heading into a Chinese restaurant - we followed and discovered it was an "all-you-can-eat"! Bonus! And they didn't charge for under 4s!
It may not have been what we planned but it was a rather fitting end to the day - perhaps we are champion travellers after all!
Thursday, 12 June 2014
Owlfit of the week
We're going back in time with this week's Owlfit! I stumbled across this photo taken last October and I couldn't resist sharing it. At the time it was my favourite Owlfit and looking at it now, I'm a little sad that she had grown out of those trousers!
Starting at the top, the t-shirt is H&M which was handed down to us along with the cardigan which I love and am pleased to say still fits her! The trousers were another of my TK Max bargains. I can't remember the brand now, and they have long since gone in the loft, although there's a bit of me thinking they might fit Little Owl now she is out of nappies...
Last but not least, Little Owl's gorgeous Livie and Luca shoes. These brown suede shoes with their blue peacock were brilliant through the autumn and into the winter, complimenting all of her Owlfits.
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Owl and Sewing Cat Dress Making
Just over 18 months ago Papa Owl bought me a sewing machine, it was one of the best presents that I have ever received as the potential was enormous. However, I had never used a sewing machine before and simply didn't know where to start.
I then came across a shop in Eastbourne called the Owl and Sewing Cat and signed up for one of their workshops and made a cushion. It was great, they took the time to explain how to use the machine, and helped me pick out fabrics and patterns for future products.
A whole year passed and I had a selection of cushions but still hadn't been brave enough to tackle any clothes for Little Owl. Christmas had brought with it a gift voucher for the Owl and Sewing Cat and so I booked myself on to a whole day dress making course.
My first challenge was to choose a pattern and the fabric.
I chose the dress the girl on the right hand side is wearing and then selected this fantastic owl cord. Cord is one of my favourite materials to dress Little Owl in, as its soft but durable. I must confess at this point, that I did this course back in March so it was still winter!
Next I had the scary task of cutting the fabric. Luckily Tracey who was running the course was keeping a watchful eye on me, as well as the other ladies who were dress making.
The neck was the most complicated bit of the dress, and something I definitely couldn't have managed on my own. Even now, looking at the photos, I'm not entirely sure what I did but in order to keep the shape of the neck, I had to add a stiffer fabric to the back of the neck.
Finally it was time to sew! I am always surprised when I start on a new project, just how much work is involved before I can actually start sewing! The trickiest part of this dress was the sleeves as its such a little dress!
It was quite an intense day, while I enjoy sewing I also find it very stressful! I quite often realise that I have been holding my breath while concentrating! But it was worth it to have a finished dress at the end of the day!
Isn't it cute?!!!
Little Owl loves it, although she wasn't as compliant a model as she is now!
Monday, 9 June 2014
Cross Monday Week #12
Sunday, 8 June 2014
Thursday, 5 June 2014
Owlfit of the Week
These shorts have to be one of my favourite hand-me-downs! I was given them when Little Owl was tiny and thought they were trousers. They don't have any kind of label so I don't know what size they are meant for. However, they were a real struggle to get over cloth nappies so they haven't been worn much until this summer. But now she is rocking them!
I have teamed them up with a pretty pink top from M&S. It was a set of four, the other colours are white, green and blue. I really like the fit of them, especially the longer length which keeps Little Owl covered even when she's doing her forward rolls!
The sandals are from Livie and Luca which is my favourite place to buy shoes for Little Owl, in fact, Little Owl's first shoes were from Livie and Luca.
Finally the hat is from H&M.
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Small Garden Sandpit and Water fun!
I was loving the sunshine we had last week but Little Owl and I were exhausted! Knowing how fickle the British weather can be, I was determined to make the most of the sun while it lasted, but this meant we were out all day everyday!
You see, we do have a garden, a pretty big one, but its, well its not toddler proof. Little Owl spends two days a week at her Grandparents while I'm working, but their garden is small, and while toddler proof, has a brick paved floor and no grass - not exactly idea for spending lots of time in!
Then a friend shared an idea of facebook for a small garden sandpit which I thought was brilliant, so I thought I would share with you too.
A quick trip to Tescos and I bought 2 plastic boxes with lids, £3.60 each, and two bags of play sand for £4 - a grand total of £11.20.
I went for two different colour boxes, not only because they are fun but also for their different uses. The pink is to become a sandpit, while the blue box is for water. The best part about using boxes is that the water can be tipped away, they can be stacked together and the lid put on for another day, much better than a purpose built table which would need storing!
Little Owl loved the sandpit, but she loved the water even more! She spent hours playing with it, and then rushed straight to the back door next time she was at her Grandparents. From what I hear, she's spending as much time as she can in their garden now which is great news.
I'm really please that I have found a way to make a small space a great space for Little Owl, I'm now inspired to find other ideas to bring the outdoors into our small space, and maybe even find a way to toddler proof our garden!
Then a friend shared an idea of facebook for a small garden sandpit which I thought was brilliant, so I thought I would share with you too.
A quick trip to Tescos and I bought 2 plastic boxes with lids, £3.60 each, and two bags of play sand for £4 - a grand total of £11.20.
I went for two different colour boxes, not only because they are fun but also for their different uses. The pink is to become a sandpit, while the blue box is for water. The best part about using boxes is that the water can be tipped away, they can be stacked together and the lid put on for another day, much better than a purpose built table which would need storing!
Little Owl loved the sandpit, but she loved the water even more! She spent hours playing with it, and then rushed straight to the back door next time she was at her Grandparents. From what I hear, she's spending as much time as she can in their garden now which is great news.
I'm really please that I have found a way to make a small space a great space for Little Owl, I'm now inspired to find other ideas to bring the outdoors into our small space, and maybe even find a way to toddler proof our garden!
Monday, 2 June 2014
Cross Mondays Week #11
A busy week with half term but I did manage to get to watch Happy Valley which gave me an hour of stitching! When I am home in the evenings, I will normally be sat in front of the telly, only half watching with the laptop beside me - that's when I do a lot of my blogging! So I save the stitching for when there is something on TV that I really want to watch!
Fingers cross I can have the pot finished by next week - looking forward to Happy Valley already!
Sunday, 1 June 2014
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