Hastings Pier

I've been out most evenings this week on my new bike and there's always something to see on the seafront but I struck gold on Thursday when I saw the arrival of the jack-up-bridge at Hastings Pier.  It's here to take away the mangaled remains of the Old Ballroom which once hosted famous acts such as The Who, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and many many more.  In my youth, the ballroom was the venue for an under 16s disco, a laser quest and a night club for the many foreign students who visit the town each summer to learn english.  It really has been remarkable how the town has come together to raise funds for the rebuilt. 

The photos aren't great as I only had my phone on me, which was the same on the morning I discovered the pier was on fire.  On that occasion I ran down to the seafront before work, trying to assess just how bad things were.  They were bad, and the whole town sat in a fog of smoke that day.  Today though, the sun is shining and the pier is standing firm.

New Bike

I have a new bike and I love her!

Isn't she a beaut? She needs a name.

I haven't owned my own bike since I was a kid.  I learnt to ride on my brothers bike and around the age 7 or 8 I got my own bike, it was red.  But I didn't go on it often, I had no one really to ride with and no where really to cycle - I remember getting told off for cycling on the prom which is funny really as now there is a white line down the middle of the same prom and its called a cycle path!

Anyway, that was the last time I owned a bike until now!  We're lucky enough to live near the seafront where there is a cycle path.  Papa Owl has been taking Little Owl for rides all summer and I have been feeling a bit left out, so a few weeks ago I hired a bike from Bells Bicycles in Hastings Old Town and we cycled all the way to Bexhill.  I love the bike I hired, I'm not a very confident cyclist so I found the sit-up-and-beg position was great for me. 

Often, we only want to go out for an hour or so on the bike, or to cycle to my parents house, hiring a bike is a bit over the top for such short trips so this weekend I took the plunge and bought my very own bike!  The lovely lady at Bells was very helpful, letting me try out all of the bikes, carefully explaining everything to me whilst holding her own with Papa Owl's complicated questions (he has his mountain bike leader qualification amongst other outdoor things).  After an hour and a half I walked out with this beauty!

I took it out first thing this morning and it was wonderful cycling by the sea, saying good morning to the other cyclists, most of the ignored me but hey ho!  My target it to ride this enough times to make the price per ride less than the cost of hire so look out for more photos of my adventures!

Little Owl's First Hike

This is a Post by Papa Owl.

The outdoors plays a huge part in my life as a qualified Mountain Leader and member of the Institute of Outdoor Learning.  I spend a large part of my working life there and love climbing, hillwalking and mountain biking in my leisure time. I am passionate about the physical and mental benefits of spending time Outdoors. You can challenge yourself, learn how to take risks and just have fun. 

It was only natural therefore that we would want to make it a large part of Little Owl’s life. Well, the craziness of family life and renovating a falling down Victorian house has meant that I really haven’t done as much ‘outdoorsy’ stuff with Little Owl as I should. When Laughing Owl asked me if I could look after Little Owl for a day I decided it was time we went on a hike.

I decided that a short walk along the South Downs around Firle Beacon would be a good route. We could park on top of the downs so no steep climbs and there would be loads of flexibility in how far we could walk. We didn’t complete a major expedition and walked about a mile from the car park to the top of Firle Beacon. It would normally take me about 15 minutes but it took the best part of an hour. We stopped a lot to look at the sheep, at the birds, the cows feeding their calves and to eat lots of Haribo’s! I learnt on a previous walk with Little Owl and her cousins that some form of extrinsic motivation was required. The phrase "you will get your next sweet when we get to the gate" was used a lot! She already knows that we only have sweets when we go hiking.

When we got to the top we put on an extra jacket, it was windy and chilly even on an August day, and tucked into our packed lunch. I had insisted that Little Owl carried her own sandwiches in her rucksack as when we do longer walks or even overnight camps in years to come I want her to carry some of her own kit so it’s worth starting good habits early. After lunch we walked back to the car which took about an hour again with lots more to look at, especially with my binoculars. A quick trip to the playground in Firle followed and then we drove home with Little Owl fast asleep nearly the whole way. 

So, what tips have I got for parents taking their little ones hiking…. 

1. Be flexible.  Make sure you can adapt your route according to weather, tiredness and sweet supplies.
2. You will not necessarily go very far, but that’s ok. It’s not about you.
3. Make sure you have plenty to do along the way. Things like binoculars, bird identification books and cameras are great. Farm animals and wildlife are also really good distractions.
4. If you are cold it’s not fun, plenty of layers needed even in summer.

Would I take her again? YOU BET! I had a great time and can’t wait for our next adventure!

Rainy Days

This past week have been what we lovingly refer to as "the Great British Summer".  Waking up each day, not knowing what to wear and whether you can go outside to play.  The red flags have been flying on the prom, and the wind and kite surfers have been having a great time.  Not what you would call beach weather!  But actually, this is when I think the beach is at its best!

I dug out Little Owl's waterproofs, popped on her wellies and off we went!  That makes it sound like a great distance, but we were at my parents so all we had to do was cross the road!  Little Owl had a whale of a time, the tide was low and with all the extra rainfall, there were small streams of water for her to play in.  She picked up pebbles and moved them about, found shells, splashed in puddles and the wet sand.  I suspect she could have spent hours there, but the tide was coming in and I was after a cuppa!  

Play Days in the Park

Last summer Papa Owl and I took Little Owl to our local park for a Play Day.  We really didn't have high expectations and were overwhelmed with the activities on offer!

So this year Little Owl and I headed down to the park with bag full of food, water and a change of clothes (for Little Owl, not me!). 

I had images of us flitting from one activity to another.  There were so many activities that Little Owl was well, too little for last year.

We weren't disappointed!  The field was packed with things to do, assault courses, dressing up, woodwork, clay, story telling, tree climbing and a whole section marked out for the under 5s.  It was great!  We walked from one end to the other, waving at friends and looking at everything there was to do.  I started making a mental list of what was suitable and which order we would do it it... but then...

LITTLE OWL FOUND THE MUD KITCHEN!!!

That was it.  For the rest of the afternoon Little Owl was playing in the kitchen, only occasionally popping over to me to grab a bite to eat and then back again!

Little Owl was as happy as a pig in... well, mud of course!

A big thanks to Hastings & St Leonards Children's Centres and all of the other organisations who help to put this event on!

Cherry Picking

Little Owl has her own Cherry Tree!  Well nearly... as a baptism gift, her Grandma rents one from a nearby farm.  We get regular emails throughout the year, telling us how things are progressing.  In the spring we are invited to the Blossom weekend where we get to see all the trees full of blossom, as well as enjoying a hog roast!  The newsletters become more frequent in the summer as the different varieties of trees are ready to be picked.  We were given a 10 day window in which to pick our cherries, but warned that heavy rain might mean the cherries split, in which case we should go as early as possible within that slot.  

We arrived at the orchard, gave Little Owl's name and were taken to our tree.  They hooked up the net next to our tree and we were left to gather our crop!  Little Owl had a great time picking the cherries she could reach, emptying our pots into a larger box and giving them back to us.  Although cherry trees aren't very tall, it was a good job we had Grandmadad with us to reach the top ones!

We got a bumper crop this year so will be freezing most of them, but not until we have made our cherry brandy ready for the bonfire season to start!

Water Painting

Little Owl loves to paint.

But its messy.

She doesn't care what she paints.

But she loves to dip the brush in the paint.

And then use up the paint on the brush.

And start all over again.

She mixes the colours.

And gets paint everywhere!

This is why I have only let her paint at home a couple of times.

Mainly I wait until she is at a group

Such as the adventure playground

Where someone else can help clear up.

Then a friend of mine shared this ingenious idea!

Water painting!

Outdoors in the sunshine!

Its brilliant.

Little Owl loves it.

She can paint as much as she likes.

We don't run out of water.

And the sunshine dries it off so she can't paint things again and again!

Little Owl loved doing hand prints

And foot prints too!

It doesn't even matter if she paints her face!

Water painting is our new favourite thing to do!

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

The Adventure Playground

We've just discovered the most wonderful place in the world!  No take that back, its like another world!  Little Owl and I have been looking for new groups to join, having grown out of our baby groups, we had yet to find a place we felt happy where Little Owl could play with kids her age and older.  We really wanted a place for Little Owl to play outside too, but thinking that was too much to ask for, I had even started to look at some local nurseries that offered regular outdoor adventures.

But then I discovered THE ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND!  The adventure playground is aimed at 8-13 year olds "to experience play opportunities that are often difficult to find elsewhere in the town.
Adventure and taking risks is an important part of growing up and it is through play that children learn about themselves and the world around them". 

When I first heard about the adventure playground, I thought Little Owl was far too young, but then I heard that they also ran toddler and pre-school sessions there too!  Its hard to describe, but I feel a bit like I've stepped into Biker Grove, while other parents have said it reminds them of Why Don't You?!

 

The playground is set in a valley, right by the railway line which all the kids love, stopping whatever they are doing to wave at passing trains.  There's a large industrial building and lots of outside space to explore.  I love the rough and ready appearance of the playground, and the wooden climbing frame.

We did a bit of exploring and found this secret garden that looks like its been forgotten for a while.

Tucked in the corner of the playground is a sandpit.  Its not the beautiful play sand that you find in modern playgrounds or sandpits, but, well, normal dirty sand!  Bits of grass growing in it, stones that have migrated that way.  But there's toys to play with and tyres to sit on - what more could you want?

  

A slide at the edge of the playground takes you down into the woods.  The slide is one of those steep metal ones that I remember from my childhood, but as it goes down the bank, you don't need to worry about toddlers climbing up steep ladders - Little Owl has fallen off the top of a slide so I am a little nervous.  In the wood, you can find swings and tree houses and Little Owl's favourite - a zip wire!  I was really surprised she was able to do it on her own, although she does need a hand to get on it!

 

Further into the woods and Little Owl finds her own little house, which she loves, but she never gets to stay for long as its usually snack time. All the kids get a drink of squash (or water) and there's a platter of chopped up fruit for them to help themselves to.  Meanwhile the mums get a big mug of tea!

Inside there is plenty to explore.  I didn't capture all of it (and was trying to keep other kids out of the photos).  There's a huge pile of dressing up clothes, a piece of gym equipment to climb onto and jump off onto crash mats, a piano to play, a table set up for painting (including covers for the children) and various toy kitchens and work benches dotted around the place.  There's probably loads I missed out on too.

Back outside the building to where we came in and there's a covered outside area which I can imagine is a blessing in the winter.  All sorts of different activities are put out here including my favourite - the muddy messy play!  Little Owl loved it too, and it was great to be somewhere where she really could just play and no one minded if she dropped mud on the floor.

Can you believe we packed all of this in to just two hours?!!  For only £2.50 too!  The adventure playground has fast become one of our favourite places to go, and with it open on 3 mornings including a Saturday, we can always fit it into our week somewhere!

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!

Natural Sensory Play

Little Owl just loves to explore the outdoors and we are very lucky to have a park nearby with several sets of swings, large grass areas, a café, plenty of ponds and some great wooded areas too!

The leaves on the floor at this time of year are just great fun and we don't get to walk very far as Little Owl wants to stop and look at everything! 

 There were sticks...

 And plenty of leaves!

We took a small bag with us so Little Owl could take some of these things home.

Two days after our visit to the park, I gave Little Owl her bag of bits and let her explore.

 At first she took one leaf out at a time, looked at it then put it back in. 

The holly leaf caused a lot of interest!

 After a bit, Little Owl realised that she was only seeing the same leaves over and over,

and it was time to empty the bag properly!

 She had a great time exploring the different textures.

 Watching the leaves fall back to the table.

  

In the park, Little Owl is always distracted by the next thing she has spotted and so it was great to see her taking her time over all the items.

After Little Owl had finished, most of her collection went in the bin

but I kept a few interesting bits to come out again.