Our Wet and Windy Weekend

Just to be totally British I am going to go and say 'have you seen this weather? Of course you have, it's bloody awful, absolutely whizzing it down out there and if Little Miss doesn't cling on for dear life she swears the wind will take her. Luckily we haven't HAD to venture out and if you have I feel for you I really do.

However, saying that I was terribly bored on Sunday, so bored I even contemplated taking Little Miss swimming which she quickly vetoed pointing out that it was in fact raining so much we could swim outside. When i said it would be warm in the pool she didn't buy it. Damn. Outsmarted again.

I later turned to Other Half and within 20 minutes we were all kitted up for our battle with the rain and wind. Little Miss and I headed out first to grab some seats at the restaurant with Other Half following closely behind. We didn't get too wet, Little Man was obviously the dry one out of the lot of us and I think he was rather smug about this, little monkey

I treated us all to a nice lunch which made a change as Other Half is usually the one parting with his cash on family days out. Of course I help out but he usually pays the bulk amount so it was nice to treat him as well. I had beans, eggs and chips, not healthy in the slightest but totally necessary on such a wet and miserable day.

Yummy!
 Below is a photo of our view during lunch. Glorious isn't it!


 Little Man is at this highly frustrating stage (for both him and me to be honest) where if it's on a spoon it isn't quite good enough. He will plunge his hands into my breakfast cereal, try to nick his sister's dinner and if you try to put a spoon near him he'll bat it away or try to feed himself! Needless to say we spread butter on his tea cakes and let him do the rest before he helped himself to one of Daddy's onion rings and then my fruit salad dessert!

Trying real onion rings for the first time.

Soo happy
 Little Miss is not fun when it comes to food. She is one of the fussiest children I have ever come across and has been the same since she was 2. I'm of the opinion that Other Half is slightly food phobic to be honest and I think she's picked up some of his anxiety. Bean juice (as they call it) sends them into shocking fits of refusal (yes Other Half as well!)

Eating some ice cream for pudding after doing well with her dinner
Very unusual!
 After all that the last thing to do was have a nice hot chocolate before heading back out into the weather. I love pictures of hot drinks, they just make me feel warm without even touching a drop!


We did in fact have a lovely day. We left at half 12 and didn't return home until after 4 by which time it was almost Little Man's bedtime. I'm glad I hadn't prepared a roast because I was pretty full as was Other Half after his burger and onion rings. I wasn't very well after all that though which is a shame to end the day like that. It wasn't a bug, more like a wake up call! I've been eating so much rubbish my body can no longer deal with it. Time to get serious with this healthy stuff.
Watch this space!

CupcakeMumma

Scavenger Hunt


Amazing
I love the detail in this photo which is why it's under 'amazing'
  • Can't live without
An obvious one: My two babies

  • Direction
Various directions including the local park, museum, bowling green and much more!

  • In/out
I waited over half an hour just for this one shot! Thanks duck!
Indulgence
I may be intolerant to it but I know in Cornwall fudge is real indulgence food as it's so rich and creamy.
Multi-coloured
Some knitting tied to a lamp post, very cool and random

On the move
This couple were lovely. I hope one day that'll be me and Other Half wandering around :)

  • Rock


  • Smile
I felt brave so here is a nice smiley one of me!
Spring

Another shot from the local park, how beautiful are these ducklings.
Sticky
These were very sticky fingers
Tangle
If you go exploring you'll never know what you'll find!

Another great Scavenger Hunt list from Kathy and without escaping to the old park I used to visit I would've been stumped! Hope you've enjoyed this months list please have a look over Postcards from the P.P for more fantastic photographs.

Cupcake Mumma

Project 366- April 23rd-29th

April 23rd 2012
114/366
Having a snoop about town on Monday, Little Miss found something
that most concerned her!
April 24th 2012
115/366
I spied all these pictures and pasties made created by local school children
in preparation for Trevithick Day
April 25th 2012
116/366
Watching Daddy play football!
April 26th 2012
117/366
Baking cake
April 27th 2012
118/366
Little Miss's collage we did together for nursery. This is the giant from
'Jack and the Beanstalk'
April 28th 2012
119/366

I would so drive this! Look how pink it is! 
April 29th 2012
120/366

Trevithick Day

Here in Cornwall we celebrate Richard Trevithick, the pioneer in steam-powered rail. Richard Trevithick invented the first high-pressure steam engine and also went on to build the first full scale working railway locomotive. To read more on Richard Trevithick and why he is so important to the Cornish please click this link!

Every year at the end of April it is Trevithick Day in Cornwall and come rain or shine the stalls come out, the rides come out, the food and drink flow, the steam engines make their travels to the town centre of Camborne along with vintage cars and lots of people!
We were very lucky to have the sun shine for us on Saturday only experiencing small showers on and off through the day. We packed Little man in his back carrier to avoid the fuss of pushing the buggy through the crowds which was a nightmare last year!


First of all we did a quick glance of the stalls before buying anything, we like getting a feel of the things on offer instead of just diving in. There was this huge stall selling all sorts of sweets, have you ever seen so many?


We bought some lolly pops and flying saucers which are my favourites, plus the face the little ones pull when the sherbet hits their tongue is priceless!

Then we watched the parade come through town. The smaller steam engines led the way with Camborne Town Band playing their music behind them. Little Miss and Little Man were really interested in what was going on. Little Miss loved the steam engines and couldn't wait to see the bigger ones, Little Man just couldn't believe what was going on!



Enjoying the parade

Afterwards Little Miss bumped into a school friend who had her face painted so, off we went to find the face painter!



Then it was time for the big engines!

This is the replica of Puffing Devil, the first high pressured steam engine built by Richard Trevithick.
Me and Little Miss in front of the Colossus



Favourite shot of the day
 Finally, before heading home and popping Little Man to bed and collapsing onto the sofa ourselves, we took Little Miss around the fair for some rides. Daddy got a Scooby Doo toy for Little Man and a Hello Kitty toy for Little Miss on those over priced but fun fair ground stalls. I'll leave you with Little Miss on the rides!


Cupcake Mumma



The Pill and Teens

Today I have seen and heard many things but the most common theme is about teenage girls the age of 13 being allowed to obtain 'The Pill' from chemists without the knowledge of their parents. There are those who agree with this and there are those who oppose this move with very strong opinions on the subject.
Do i agree? Yes I do.


It's a well known fact these days that for whatever reason children are not staying children for long. I have no idea what makes a 13 year old want to have sex. I knew what sex was but was I interested in it? No, not until I was 16 and even then I wasn't emotionally ready. Many young girls become physically ready for sex around the age of 13 and some even younger. Are they emotionally ready? No I think not.

I do think it's a shame that young girls feel the need to approach professionals because they feel they cannot approach their parents. But with sex and parents comes total embarrassment doesn't it? I never spoke to my parents and why would i? I don't fully expect my children will either but I'd like to think they could (and would). I would never judge and like to think I'd be there to give the listening ear and best advice possible- what more is there I could do?

A lot of blame is put on parents and education. There are some parents who couldn't give two hoots what their children are doing and i would rather those children had someone to turn to, somewhere to obtain this pill safely and with a consultation than end up pregnant with an unwanted child or feeling their only option would be to turn to abortion which is a  decision not easily made for anyone and especially one no 13 year old could emotionally manage in my opinion.

The only thing that doesn't sit right with me is not knowing what medication my daughter is on. The pill is not a simple medication. There are some people who really should not take it and if your child doesn't know a family history of illnesses specified then this puts them at risk. And if you don't know about them obtaining the pill then surly you won't know about the arrangements they would have to make regularly to get the next packet, the blood pressure and weight checks? It's a long line of miss-communication between teens and parents which shouldn't be happening.

Ultimately though? I hope Little Miss wouldn't have sex until she was ready (over 16 please!). I do hope she has enough self respect, I do hope she doesn't feel the need to prove anything to anyone and I really do hope she learns to say 'No'.
I could talk to her until I was blue in the face about contraception. I could tell her my story of being a young Mum until the cows came home but she will do what she wants, after all I did.
 I was 17 when I fell pregnant, not as young as some of the girls in England now but young enough to stop college, young enough to loose friends and become a responsible grown up when really I should have been travelling, working, studying and having fun. I knew everything about sex and relationships but I was naive and, quite frankly, stupid. I'm not scared to admit that. There were no accidents, there was nothing to blame other than the immature mentality of a 17 year old.
No parental advice, no first class sex education system, no screaming dolls you can turn off (or stick   in a wardrobe for a quiet night!) will change how some of us make our decisions.


Go to NHS Choices homepage
Clicking this will take you to NHS Choices where you can read information about the pill.

Adding to Collections:

As many of you know I collect postcards and have been for about a year now. I have a little tin under my bed where I keep them all safe. Some of them are picked up when I visit a new place, some are bought from the same shop as I got one before but the occasion is different and some are really, really old. 1930's old, which is amazing. Most of these are dated and have lovely small written notes to friends or loved ones on. I'm a bit of a history lover and I adore the thought of holding something that was in somebody else's hand so many years ago.

Last weekend I went off around the market and I went to my favourite stall hoping to find some good postcards from years ago. Sadly there were only 2 proper postcards. I have been known to pick up very old photos from this stall too as the old fashion, traditional photography just pulls me in along with the fashion of say a young woman or child.
Anyway, I picked up a couple of postcards costing 75p each. As you can see i'm not the hard core collector just yet. To spend nearly a fiver on a postcard it would have to be pretty special to me!


Another collection I enjoy adding to is my stamp collection. A few months ago my Mum brought over a memory box I made when I was 12/13. Inside was a little pocket of stamps I had started collecting and never carried on. Well, going around the market I came across a new stall full of postcards, medals and yes, stamps. At 25p each I thought i'd treat myself!
I'm drawn to stamps for their artwork and fine detail. This is another reason I using Postcrossing as I love seeing the stamps on the back of my newly delivered postcards from all over the world.

These are just wonderful! My favourites by far!
 On leaving the market I came across a lady selling bags of stamps. Most of the stamps have been 'stamped' during mailing which is a shame but i got rid of very little and mostly duplicates to be honest. I can still see a lot if not most of the detail on these stamps.



And what do I do with all these old stamps? Put them in a tin of course! I found the perfect one. A vintage quality street tin bearing Major Quality and Miss Sweetly. This tin doesn't have the Quality Street logo which has puzzled me a bit but I think it's wonderful nonetheless! I gave it a clean up and now it's all ready to be loved again.

Major Quality and Miss Sweetly all cleaned up

Lovely designs of the setting 

'Mackintosh's Quality Street'
 What do you collect? I'd love to know!
CupcakeMumma

The New Life in Cornwall

Until recently there was a vast, empty space just screaming out for attention in Cornwall. One day I was walking up to Tesco's for some supplies when I noticed boards attached to newly erected fencing. The Wasteland was being transformed into a wonderful space for playing, relaxing and exploring.
And here it is:
Heartlands in Cornwall.


When the tin mines closed down in Cornwall it left this area a wide, empty space of nothingness. It's hard to believed this now beautiful area was nothing but mud, grass and rocks, a space which seemed like nothing good would ever come to it. But thanks to the Regeneration Project, a new lease of life has been injected into this area of Cornwall.
This brand new, free attraction site has a wide play area, a cafe, studios with so much to do, gardens and spaces to explore, fantastic sculptures to observe and more importantly a chance to learn about Cornwall's heritage with tours around the mine and much more. You can even get married at Heartlands! If you click the image above you'll be taken to the site where there is so much more to discover.

Now, on to my day. We ventured up to Heartlands on Saturday to see what all the fuss was about. I hadn't read much about this project, I didn't know a great deal about it. I had seen lots of buildings coming together and hard work being undertaken but I thought this was just going to be a new park and maybe some extras. When we arrived we were quite taken aback by how lovely it all was.

Below are some photos of our day out. Hope you like them!




 These photos are of Robinson's Shaft and the engine room. Because this mining site closed in the 20th Century it has retained a lot of its historical architecture leaving even the engine room in apparently great condition. I'm looking forward to going on a tour here myself to learn even more.



 Outside there is a large area surrounded by studios and a large water pool. The water is crystal clear and I really hope it stays that way. It's very tempting to take your shoes off and go for a paddle in this water but, sadly and quite rightly that is not allowed. What a shame though!


There is a knitting studio at Heartlands and on the way around you could spot knitted objects either funky looking ones like this or scarf like creations hanging from the fences. 




These photos were taken in the garden area. Little Miss and Daddy did a bit of exploring while I took a few photos. We then sat down before heading off the park.


Because there were so many children I couldn't take any of the actual park. On the positive side this means we can visit plenty more times when it's less busy! Here is one photo I took though of Little Miss playing under these plant made tunnels. It's actually a sort of maze with a little climbing frame in the middle which I thought was pretty cool. I didn't bank on the tunnel shrinking in height as I went around it though!
Candyfloss anyone?
After all the excitement we went around the market. Because of the weather it wasn't too busy but I did get some good finds which I will write up in another post. We got home pretty tired and after a nice dinner vegged out in front of some good films. 

CupcakeMumma