Giddy Up!

Hello, my adoring public

I said, way way back in the mists of time (earlier this year), that I was revelling in the fact that Squeaky loved the kind of sit-on rides you find outside the supermarket, but that she hadn't figured out they do things when you put money in them.  Sad to say, that's no longer true.  Squeaky Daddy is a soft-touch, and when she spotted the carousel horses (it was TEENY, only 3 horses and no up & down), out came his cash, and away she went.  Again.  And again, and again.  It's the start of something expensive, isn't it?  I can tell.

I Am A Cider Drinker

This was the last of our 5 (yes, FIVE) £9.50 holidays this year, and to be honest, it was probably the biggest let down.  We got a call a fortnight before, asking us if we could swap dates or locations, because they had a jive weekend on, and were over-booked.  Yet when we got there, there were plenty of empty chalets, so I'm not sure what was going on there.  We'd made arrangements anyway, so we weren't swapping.  And by arrangements, I mean tickets to see The Wurzels and babysitting by Grandma & Grandpa.  I'm not going to apologise, I spent my formative drinking years in Somerset, The Wurzels are an important part of my heritage & I can sing Combine Harvester with the best of them.

Serious business, this beach lark

Anyhoo.  The site, this time was like stepping into the set of Hi-De-Hi, and our chalet would have been classed as "basic" if it were 1981, never mind 2011.  Still, we did what we do best, and had fun.  The weather was remarkably mild for November, so we played on the beach, used our Groupon to visit the Seaquarium (well worth the Groupon price, not so sure about paying full price), ate ourselves silly at the carvery down the road, and generally had the Squeaky version of a very good time.

Mmmmmmmmm

Please understand at this point, that the Squeaky version of a Very Good Time involves carrying around a small brown mouse bought from Ikea the other week, and trying to share your dinner with it.  Much to the consternation of fellow dinners.  No Little Brown Mice were harmed in the making of this blog, though one did get slightly sticky whiskers.

So that's been our weekend.  Horsies, little brown mousies, and a trip in a time machine back to the mid 1960's.  Next weekend... the NCT Sale hits Cardiff, so it's a girlie shopping extravaganza!

Justin Fletcher - Hands Up! The Single

No. Really. It's NOT a cover of the Ottawan song.  Though that would have been entertaining.

Justin Fletcher, star of pretty much EVerything on CBeebies releases his single Hands Up on 20 November.

Take a look. 

I sat Squeaky on my lap this morning to watch it, and she's hooked.  As soon as it finished, she was demanding "more".

Come on people.  Wouldn't it be even better than Rage Against The Machine if we could get Justin to number 1 for Christmas, keeping the X Factor off?  Children's tv's done it before... Mr Blobby and Bob The Builder were Christmas number 1s, so why on earth not Justin?  You'll be able to download the single from amazon or itunes from 20 November, and here's the facebook page for the single.

Do it people. Let's mess with Simon Cowell's master plan.  JUSTIN FOR CHRISTMAS NUMBER ONE.  I'm starting a campaign. Are you with me?

Disclosure: I was provided with a cd free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Magpie Monday - End of the Year?

Yep. It might be the first week in November (just about), but according to my local car boot, it's the end of the year, and they're finishing now til about April.  I can see their point, it was a quagmire yesterday, and I really wished I'd got my wellies on.  Now I've got to take the car through the carwash (sorry, I'm lazy), and clean the buggy wheels.  In fact, can I do that at the car wash too?

Right. Well.  Anyway.  There's getting less stalls now as well, so nowhere near the chance of finding something lovely as earlier in the season.  I've been really jealous of people who've found lovely vintage Ladybird books for pennies, because I only ever see them in Hay-on-Wye with crazy price tags.  So when I spotted a pile of books today with those distinctive matte cardboard covers, I had to have a closer look.  Sadly most of the Ladybirds were newer, and the few vintage ones were dull and/or badly looked after.

The stall didn't disappoint though.  Someone who knows far more about these things than I was haggling out a bargain on a vintage early 70's Sindy doll, still in her box.  I wouldn't have known where to start with that, so I was glad to be out of it.  I did spot a pile of other old children's books, and took a closer look.  TBH I was hoping for The Eagle, Beano or Dandy, but my luck wasn't quite that good.  I couldn't leave the Enid Blyton Bedtime Annual of 1978 behind though, could I?  Sadly the binding's a bit shaky & there's a page missing out of the middle, but these things happen.  I'm particularly amused by the title of the last page "I Love Little Pussy"  (Oh dear, the google hits I'm going to pick up from that don't bear thinking about.)

And in addition to our old friend Enid, I also found a gorgeous pop-up fairy tales book, which I simply couldn't leave behind.  Sorry about the flash flare at the bottom, it's a really really yellow-tinted book, and all the rest of my pics were coming out looking like they had jaundice. It was 75p back in 1982 when it was printed, so the fact I paid 50p for the pair is a bit of a bargain.  This reminds me of the kind of books my cousins & I used to share at my grandparents' house when we were little.  I wonder if the Rupert Bear annuals are still there?

Do you know how difficult it is to take photos of pop-up books, by the way?  I didn't, but I do now.  There's only 3 stories in the book, but each one has a pop-up scene, and this one is my favourite.  (Any secret nail-bloggers reading this, I'm wearing Revlon's Facets of Fuchsia)

So, that's the car boots over for another year. Good job I've got a stash of finds I haven't shown you yet!  What have you found? Pop over to Missie Lizzie's place & tell the world. 

Hotel Chocolat Winner

The mighty randomiser has spoken, and the winner is Number 36.

The lucky winner is... Michelle @fluffymummy


I'll be in contact very very soon.  Thank you all for entering, please stick around, I'm sure there'll be more cool stuff very shortly.

I've sent you a DM on twitter, can you get back to me by Sunday (13/11), thanks!

Silent Sunday 6/11/11

HABA Toys Splish Splash Fishing Set

We were delighted to be sent the HABA Splish Splash Fishing Set to review recently, as part of our ambassador relationship with HABA

The Splish Splash fishing set is a lovely introduction to magnets, with a fishing line with magnetic “hook”, and five beautifully coloured fabric creatures to catch, picking them up with the magnets hidden inside them. Squeaky loved the bright colours straight away, and quickly got to grips with catching the fish, crab, jellyfish, starfish and turtle, and then taking them back off the hook.

The creatures are as colourful and well made as I've come to expect from HABA toys – the fabric is well stitched, and the animals are brightly coloured with attractive designs on the fabric and happy smiling faces. As well as catching the creatures, we've spent many (many, many) moments identifying the creatures in response to Squeaky's “Whassat?” questioning. To me, that shows a good degree of thought has gone into the game, providing an educational aspect, as well as the entertainment. There's also opportunity for education for older children, learning about magnets, polarity and magnetism, without the messy iron filings that I remember from my own childhood.

The Splish Splash fishing set is a fantastic take-along toy, the whole set fits into a pocket or bag, and as the creatures are magnetic, it's easy to keep everything together. The creatures are water-friendly, and the game can be played as a water fun game in the bath, in a paddling pool (if only the weather was better), or on dry land. I found the creatures dried quickly and well, and if you're like me, you can use the magnets to stick them onto the radiator to dry even quicker!

Squeaky hasn't bored of the Splish Splash fishing set at all, and it seems to have quickly become a favourite, and she returns to it on a regular basis, and is now discovering that magnets stick to other things too! I've found  the starfish in a few unexpected places!

The HABA Splish Splash Fishing Set is suitable from 2 years.

Disclosure: I was provided with the HABA Splish Splash Fishing set free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

HABA Small Sounds Workshop Review

As HABA ambassadors, Squeaky & I get exciting parcels to play with, to share our thoughts with you lovely readers.  Recently, we received the HABA Small Sounds Workshop to try out & review.

The Small Sounds Workshop consists of a drum, xylophone (with beater for either), and a “magic sound flute”, better known to those of us of a certain age as a Swanee Whistle. All the instruments are made of beech wood, and are smooth, safe and light enough for small hands to easily play.

Squeaky immediately took to the xylophone and drum. We'd visited a local hands-on science museum about a week before the toys arrived, and she'd been fascinated by a drum machine and a much larger scale xylophone, so these couldn't have been better timed, her eyes absolutely lit up. The swanee whistle's ball handle makes an excellent second beater, and Squeaky quickly mastered drumming & playing the xylophone with both hands. I think we may have a future Patrick Moore on our hands! The xylophone's three chimes are different colours, adding a good educational aspect, as we can encourage her to hit a certain colour to play simple tunes.

She did struggle with the swanee whistle a little, while she enjoyed the sound, she struggles to blow it successfully herself, as she tends to block the opening, but I've no doubt in time she will master this as well, and I'll find myself accompanied by sound effects wherever I go.

I was a little concerned that Squeaky would be a bit young for the Small Sounds Workshop, as it says ages 2 up, but she's 21 months, and I've had no cause for concern, the parts are all firmly fixed and she's loving her introduction to the world of music. As long as HABA don't start making full sized drum kits and violins, we're safe!

Disclosure: I was provided with the HABA Small Sounds Workshop free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.