The Gallery - Sky

One of the first things I think about upon waking is the weather and what the sky is looking like that day, so I can dress accordingly. The summer has been a little poor this year but we have still had some beautiful skies.

When the sky is clear or blue rather than grey it really helps improve your day...

The Gallery theme this week is Sky - you can link up your posts over at Sticky Fingers.

Saturday Caption #SatCap

Apparently the trees have eyes, well they certainly did last weekend at the Jubilee Festival at Hyde Park. Do you have a witty or funny comment for this pic? Please pop your comment below and I'll return the favour.

To link up your own saturday caption or to view some more you can head over to Mammasaurus. Roarrrr!

Have a good weekend!

 

A day in London - Jubilee Family Festival

On saturday we headed to Hyde Park, London (3 trains and a car trip either way eek) for the Jubilee Family Festival presented by Sainsbury's. I hadn't even heard about the event until a friend of the Mr mentioned that he had won some tickets the week before, although with local events and rain on the agenda I can't say I had really been on the look out for celebrations on a larger scale!

Entry
We arrived at Hyde Park around 11.30 after a few hair-pulling-out-teeth-gritting moments at the underground stations wondering if we were going in the right direction. There were 4 queues that seemed to go on for miles but thankfully they were moving quickly so the kids nibbled some sandwiches while we waited to get past the big golden crown gates.

What's inside
Inside we picked up our free leaflets with some details on what companies were there and what was happening at each stand.  We were also provided with lost child wrist bands which always puts my mind at rest a little when there are huge crowds. It was already rather busy but there seemed to be alot to keep everyone entertained. There were plenty of food stalls, ice cream vans, a Pimms bus (oh yes!) and bars too for hungry tums if required.

After exploring a little we headed to the Ribena stand where they were giving away free drinks, had a guess the berries in the barrell competition and a family photo opportunity. I discovered at this point that you could also collect stamps from each stand to get a free bag when you had collected 15.

The bag however was a basic pullstring style which was completely empty and rather disappointing, especially when you pay £52 for entry for a family of 4. It would have been nicer if Sainsbury's provided these upon entry to carry all the bits we picked up going round or atleast had a Jubilee momento in them as a keepsake.

We continued around the stalls and stopped for lunch after a while. I'm very glad we took a picnic with us as queues were large and prices quite high. I'm glad we didn't take cans or bottles as they were confiscated at the gates.



Favourites
The kids seemed to really enjoy the Kleenex stand where you were given free balsam tissues and could decorate your own tissue boxes. They also liked the Kingsmill (Queensmill for the ocassion) display where you received free bread and fillings and were asked to make a Jubilee themed sandwich entered into a draw and the Jammie Dodgers stand with free biscuits and masks and a meet the character/photo opportunity.

Some pictures from our day...

Overall the kids thoroughly enjoyed the day but from a parents point of view there were a few let downs. The majority of stands were purely promotional and queues were large. We were unable to get in the Disney tent as queues were 2hrs + and I like many parents wasn't willing to wait that long.

Considering how many tickets were sold you would assume they would've thought ahead and had larger tents/stands to allow room for more to gain access. There were also large queues for the toilets so it would've been better to have a few more around the park - it's a family event afterall so toddlers and young children will need to go and wont want to wait! Generally a good day though as they kids being happy means I'm happy. It sure wore the kids out anyway...

Project 366, 156/366 - Baking

Due to the weather (again) we spent the majority of the day indoors but atleast we kept busy by making a delicious chocolate cake!

Project 366, 155/366 - Picnic

Despite the miserable weather putting a stop to our planned big lunch at the country park, we decided to have a mini picnic indoors instead and the Mini Mes invited along some of their bears!

James feeding Teddy some crackers and cheese!

Silent Sunday

 

Project 366, 154/366 - Jubilee Festival

After an hour and a half in the car and three train rides we finally arrived at Hyde Park for the Sainsbury's Jubilee Festival. Although the kids had an amazing time scoffing freebie food, taking part in crafts and watching shows and performances throughout the day it was just a promotional event and the the queues were huge - as a parent I felt a little disappointed.

The day obviously wore then out as they conked out in the car on the way home!

Jubilee Jam Tarts

Having a Jubilee party? These Jubilee themed jam tarts are delicious and would look great laid out on your picnic blanket to share and enjoy. They are very simple to make so the kids can help out too!

You can add crowns to make them Jubilee themed!

Ingredients
5oz plain flour
2.5oz butter
1/2 tsp salt
Jam
Egg yolk (optional)

Makes around 12 tarts

Method

• Preheat the oven to around 180 degrees.
• Rub the butter in with the flour and salt until it looks like breadcrumbs and then add a small amount of water (around 2/3tbsp) to form a stiff dough.
• Flour the surface lightly and roll out the dough to around 3mm. Cut into rounds with a 7cm cutter and place in a cupcake tin.
• Add a tsp of jam to the centre of the rounds
• With the leftover pastry dough cut out crowns and place on top of the jam.
• If you want to give the tarts a shine you can brush them in egg yolk at this point.
• Cook for around 15 minutes.
• Scoff - Cooled or lovely warm with ice cream!

Have you made anything special or the Jubilee?

Project 366, 144/366 - Jubilee

The kids came home from school today with a Jubilee mug each. It seems you can't go anywhere without having red, white and blue on show at the moment... but I'm pleased! It's good to be patriotic and get involved with events. The kids are looking forward to making crowns and having a Jubilee tea party.

Jubilee Review and Giveaway!

With the Queen's Jubilee just a few weeks away many of us are purchasing flags and bunting and planning garden parties to celebrate 60 years of her reign.


The lovely people at Prezzybox have a great selection of gift ideas for everyone and they have kindly provided me with 2 British themed products to review... and another two are up for grabs for your Jubilee Celebrations!


British Street Party Cake Stands

These British themed stands will present your cupcakes (and other snacks) perfectly for your garden or street party this June. They are made from sturdy card and are so simple to assemble it really is a piece of cake! The tiers have different images on and are reversible so you can pick and choose your favourite. An ideal centrepiece for any table and they can be used for other celebrations too as they are easy to take apart and store back in the bag they arrive in.


 Brit Plucker Set

This stylish yet practical set is a stunning duo for your handbag. The magnifying mirror is great for makeup application when on the go and the professional grade tweezers are ideal for removing stray hairs. With the Jubilee and Olympics on the horizon this little set is super!


If you fancy buying these lovely items or shopping from a huge variety of other fantastic products you can head over to Prezzybox.

WIN
For a chance to get your hands on your own British Street Party Cake Stands and Brit Plucker Set you can enter below!

The closing date is May 30th.
Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway