Gardening Time

For weeks now I have been busy commenting on some lovely little garden helpers in Country Kids posts. This week as the rain
thwarted our plans to attend the Lostwithiel festival we enjoyed so much last year, I decided it was time to transform the greenhouse from abandoned lamb shelter and bike storage into a thriving veggie house for the season. The children were only too keen to help.

First step was a wheelbarrow for all the old straw and weeds. It took several barrow loads but gave the boys a chance to bring the quad to help take all the unwanted contents to the compost heap across the river.

In the process we found some enormous snails and slugs which the children collected and made a home for.  It slowed down the green house makeover but I was in no rush and happy to be distracted by things that took their imagination. They did frighten the life out of me by uncovering an abandoned toy snake that looked far too real decaying in the soil!

Promising a snail race later we returned to our now cleared and weeded Greenhouse with enthusiasm. I was thrilled to uncover the herb section which had survived the lamb invasion remarkably well and set about planting the tomato plants I had been given at Greek Easter last weekend. The children learned how to turn the pots over and carefully loosen the plants. Dug holes with their trowels, lined them with fresh compost and watered them in. 

Next we tackled the outdoor section behind the green house. Here we planted my rosemary bush out from its winter pot and tried to bed in some wild garlic my Mum had brought up after I had become so taken with scones made with it by Thinly Spread.

The children had been so helpful and enjoyed the whole process so much more than I had anticipated that I took them to our local nursery Cedar Croft to buy a few more things, since they don't actually like tomatoes! They each chose their own plants with helpful advice from the lovely ladies who run the shop and came back armed with peppers, cucumber, strawberry plants and some more herbs for me. Where the labels were missing they made their own.

Our work done we set about the promised snail race. It was great fun and produced much cheering and shouting and just a little cheating when the snails refused to cooperate! I love the tomato podium for the Olympics style awards ceremony at the end! 

The final find of the day was a toad in our drain! The children excitedly photographed him and held him like a pet. Setting him free if was like a send off for a long lost friend! That and the snail race I think were their highlights.

From a day which initially looked so drab came one which excited and enchanted. It just goes to show that so long as you can adapt your plans a wet day needn't be an indoor day.

Joining in with Country Kids.

Country Kids is all about having fun outdoors; spending time away from screens and sofas and enjoying playing, crafting or learning outside anywhere from the garden to the beach. Stretching limbs and imagination and enjoying family time is important for us all. Please grab the badge and add your adventures. There are always plenty of lovely ideas so do take a few minutes to visit some of the other posts here too.

Here are just a few posts that inspired me last week. A season of country fun around a farmer's field from Daisy Bloomfield fairies in the bluebells from Pod Cast and A perfect day out with the National Trust from Kids and Gardens.  

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Mythical Traditions

Where did the tooth fairy originate? As parents many of you, like me, will feed your children all sorts of tales over the years about the alleged tooth fairy. One minute we are keen to see our children demonstrate maturity for their years, to understand the basics of life, values and science, the next we are indulging in fantasy folk such as the Easter Bunny, Santa and the tooth fairy. Why? Because it is endearing to us, we know it won't last and in the end it is harmless, magical fun. 

Beware of the tooth fairy trap!

We have indulged our own children in all this nonsense and to our peril! However as I prepare to morph into the tooth fairy tonight for Clio, I thought I would share some of the pitfalls ahead for those new to the wonder of the tooth fairy, in the hope that forewarned you will fare better at these hurdles than me.

There may be trouble ahead.............

• Watch out for the waking child as you tip toe into the room £1 in hand. I have lost track of the number of times I have stuffed a pound up my sleeve and pretended I was just popping in to check on them! "What again Mummy, but you might put the tooth fairy off?"
• You make it to the bed, child still sleeping but they have buried the tooth so far under the pillow you can't find it, leaving you deliberating whether to leave the £1 anyway or risk turning on the light.
• They suspect you may actually be the tooth fairy and test their theory by not telling you about the tooth that fell out in class, instead waiting then confronting you 3 days later as to why the fairy never came!
• Alternatively they may test their suspicions by hiding the tooth in a secret place so you can't find it!
• Some lucky kid at school tells your child he or she had an amazing present from the tooth fairy, or they always get a £5 when you only give £1, how do you explain that one away? I have tried saying "Perhaps X brushes his teeth better so their tooth is worth more than yours" Only to be met with "but Mummy, X's teeth are really yellow, that's why he had to have it taken out at the dentist!"
• Never get complacent, with 6 children I have simply forgotten to deliver. In fact we have had the tooth fairy not check on Coombe Mill for 4 nights before! I have tried in vain to cover my failings claiming that "Coombe Mill is a very tricky place to find" and once again been flawed by the response "but fairies fly so they would easily see us and Santa always finds us?" Why can't my kids be this smart at school? 

I still have 6 little pots of teeth hidden in my bedroom, each with a tale to tell. I am sure Clio really knows the truth now and hasn't bothered to hide the tooth too well in case I don't find it! However at age 9 neither of us are quite ready to leave the magic behind and she still coverts the pound!

And so to bed:

And then I wait and TRY to remember to return.....

The morning will be a success on this occasion.

I would love to hear of any similar stories, and if you are yet to go through this, take note and steer clear of the pitfalls!

Greek Easter

Greek Easter is one of the greatest events of the year for the Greek community. With Farmer Nick being half Greek it is a custom I have come to love too. For the past few years we have been to visit the family in Sussex, but this year as we had holiday cottages available on the required dates we invited family and friends to us, included our Cornish friends and Coombe Mill Guests and made it a real party to remember. Our garden and the wider facilities of Coombe Mill turned out to be a wonderful place to host the festivities while the glorious bank holiday weather was a real bonus.

The main feature of the day is a spit roast lamb which has to be rigged up from early hours and tended lovingly for the duration of the morning and well into the party. All the children helped out and had a hand in basting and turning. Nick remembers fondly doing the same as a child and encourages ours to help knowing that one day they will want to host the celebrations themselves. 

Food and drink is the main feature of the party, and there was plenty to go round as I brought out course after course. So many friends and family helped to make the dishes that it really was a team effort. 

This is very much a family day and while the adults chatted the children had their own entertainment. For the youngest I raided the toy boxes of the properties and laid them out on a picnic rug so that they could be part of the party with something to keep them entertained.

The older children all took off around the farm to play, popping back in to visit the never ending food table periodically to see if a new delicacy was on offer. I broke away from the adults at one stage to catch them all climbing a tree in the sheep field and in with the rabbits. It was lovely for them to have the freedom to come and go as they pleased.

The highlight for the children is the egg game and our children couldn't wait to show their Cornish friends how to play this all so Greek game. Each person holds a hard boiled egg, cooked in special red dye, and takes it in turn to hit the opponents' egg to see whose will crack first. The winner is the person whose egg is unbroken. This year's winner was just two years old so the rest of us have a thing or two to learn. With all the eggs cracked it became a free for all for the kids in a massive egg fight.

The adults watched from afar sipping retzina, eating and chatting in the sun!

A Rare picture of Nick and I together enjoying our party

If I say so myself, it was a wonderful garden party as part of an amazing bank holiday weekend with all our family and friends together. 

Joining in with Country Kids  

Country Kids is all about having fun outdoors; spending time away from screens and sofas and enjoying playing, crafting or learning outside anywhere from the garden to the beach. Stretching limbs and imagination and enjoying family time is important for us all.

Here are just a few posts that inspired me last week. Playing with stones from Becky at Baby Budgeting,  Snails and worms from Sabrina at Brinabird and Son and I could just see my boys enjoying the day Goblin had at Mountfitchet Castle from Taming the Goblin. 

Please grab the badge and share your outdoor adventures here on the linky. Do take a look around the other posts as there are always some wonderful ideas.

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You may also like to join in the Spring Carnival blog hop with your Country Kids post

When Jo from Toddle Bike contacted me about her new concept first balance bike range I knew instantly this was one for Coombe Mill. I had seen bikes without pedals before, but never one so perfectly targeted at the 18 month to 3 year old age group. 

What makes Toddle Bike special?

I have 6 toddle bikes around Coombe Mill and have been watching our guests using them over the past month. I can now say from firsthand experience that these are the main benefits:

Durable.

Bright fun colours.

Lightweight and portable even for a toddler to carry around!

Work equally indoors and outside.

Easy to wipe down and clean.

Easy to ride from the very first go.

Inexpensive at just £23.95 including UK delivery currently from the Toddlebike Shop 

Loved by toddlers who can feel like big kids learning to balance and cycle.

Seeing is Believing

Clearly I am a fan having seen the bikes and the wonderful times children here at Coombe Mill have been having. The bikes are located in our toddler play ground and inside our larger properties. As they are so portable they regularly migrate around the farm and further afield too, which is fine with us so long as they come back home at the end of a busy day in use. 

In the Toddler Play Area where the bikes live and round the Coombe Car park the tarmac surface is perfect for a beginner:

The More adventurous take their Toddle bike out on the farm. Spot the older children joining in, just to prove how durable they are:

Our lovely sandy beaches are perfect for a Toddle bike, though you have to watch out for the tide when they are abandoned to play in the sand:

The happy smiling faces on our little video here are sure to have you reading on and entering our fabulous competition to win a bike for your toddler too:

Win Your Toddle Bike with Coombe Mill

To be in with a chance of winning take a good look around the Toddle Bike Web Site and let me know in the comments below why you would like to win one.

To increase your chance of winning:

'Like' Toddle Bike and Coombemill on Facebook and leave ONE separate comment here to say you have done so with your Facebook name.

For an additional entry, follow Jo Hockley and Coombemill on Twitter and leave ONE extra comment here with your Twitter name.

For one final entry, please tweet the following sentence and leave another comment to say you have done so:

I've entered to win a Toddlebike for my toddler with @toddlebiker & @coombemill http://bit.ly/18rkaY1 Why don't you? Pls RT

The competition is open to UK residents and will close on Wednesday 22nd May 3013 at midnight with the winner chosen by RandomOrg.com and announced the following morning. Good luck to all taking part.  

Disclosure: I was given our Toddlebikes to trial at Coombe Mill for the benefit of our holiday guests and for this review, all thoughts are my own and those of our guests whose children trialled the bikes.