Boconnoc Steam Fair
A beautiful summer’s day and the choice of two local activities the children wanted to do. Following the morning tractor rides we decided to pack up a picnic and split into two groups. The teen boys went off with Nick to the car rally at Wadebridge while I look the triplets and Theo to the steam fair at Boconnoc House. This looked more of a country fair with more to do for younger children. It turned out to be a good move and everyone was happy with their choices.
The size and scale of the steam engines captivated the triplets; they looked in awe at the huge engines and admired their work at work chopping logs. I have to say Farmer Nick would have enjoyed this too.
Tractor and train rides ran all day with queues of people waiting their turn.
The whole event ran for 3 days even though we only caught the last afternoon. It was well organised with good signage from the main roads and we arrived to find ample free parking, plenty of attendants to ask for help and toilets everywhere. It had a real festival feel and geared up for all the family to enjoy. We had a wander round together and stopped under the shade of a tree by the motorbike display for our picnic.
After this I allowed the boys to set off alone and meet up in an hour. They had their own money and set off in search of an ice cream, Clio and I made for the craft stalls delighting in taking our time over all that was on offer without the boys or Farmer Nick complaining they were bored!
I tried on Farm Nick style hats and bought some bracelets while Clio bought a hippy hair band, and slides, it was a lovely hour together.
We heard the boys before we saw them; they had bought a load of ‘fun snaps’ for 25p and were busy popping them everywhere. I suggested a visit to the fun fair before they ran out of money and they raced ahead when I told them there were dodgems.
2 turns later and a packet of candy floss each and we were ready to head home in time for the evening train ride at Coombe Mill.
My fears that splitting the family in two parties during the day were soon dispelled as we shared our different experiences over an evening meal. Everyone had something to add and listened with interest to what the others had been doing whilst delighting in being together again. I think we might do this again.
Our fun day on video:
Joining in with Country Kids
Country Kids is all about making the most of outdoor spaces with the children. Getting kids mobile and out in the fresh air can take so many different forms. A family day trip, play in the garden, a craft or learning activity to mention just a few possibilities. Every week I am amazed at all the fun being had out there. Please keep the ideas coming, grab the badge code below and link up your outdoor adventures. It is not just the kids but us grown ups too that feel better for a blast of fresh air so switch off the gadgets and get on out there for a while.
Country Kids is around in these communities, I’d love you to join me there:
Pin on the Pinterest Board Just ask for an invite to pin and include Country Kids on your pins for me to stop by on your boards too (no need for a hash tag in Pinterest)
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A few of my favourites from last week:
Let Kids be Kids shares a fabulous day from their holiday here at Coombe Mill. Reading posts from others about life here on the farm makes me realise how easy it is to while away a day on the farm between the organised activities. Please do take a read if you’ve not stayed with us.
MumofThree World spent a morning with us here on the farm enjoying the animals and the fishing despite a heavy downpour.
Right from the Start shares Fairy Houses in the woods. There are some lovely ideas here I plan to copy for our fairy gardens at Coombe Mill.
The laughing Owls show how hiking with a toddler can be a great adventure
GrumpishMum took the family camping with friendly chickens and smiles all round
All year I have had regular guests asking me what has happened to all our bunny rabbits. We used to have so many that the bucks were only allowed out to play with the girls one at a time to avoid a rabbit overload. Regularly guests would go home at the end of their stay with a rabbit or two to re home and return the next year with news of how their pets were getting on and on occasion bemoaning Farmer Nick when he had incorrectly sexed his giveaways and two had become six!
One night we lost a whole load to the local fox and this was followed with a disease that spread. Since then we have sterilised the rabbit house, bought several new rabbits and new hutches inside, however we still faced disaster after disaster like this one shared by Guy.
Last week Nick decided to make a return trip to the Farmers Auction up on the Devon border. He has been a few times and come home empty handed or with something quite different from what he set out to bid on so I wasn’t holding out much hope but agreed to take over the morning feed run with the children. I’m usually the one wielding a camera for this but figured driving the tractor, organising the food and taking pictures was too much and left my camera in doors. However I still managed a few snaps on my phone.
We finished not long before Nick arrived home and opened the car boot to reveal his success.
The children quickly took the chicks to join our latest hatched two in the chick nursery. They needed to be put under the heat lamp as quickly as possible after the 40 minute drive home.
Time was much less pressing for the rabbits since even the babies were beyond weaning age and able to be out in normal temperatures. It was a three man job carrying them; I think it was a mix of the weight and bulk of the cage and a shared sense of ownership of the new arrivals.
The original four rabbits were thrilled to see some friends enter their house and came dashing over to investigate. The new arrivals on the other hand were shy and nervous of leaving their cage, eventually being coaxed out with a few handfuls of fresh grass.
Theo and Jed soon choose their favourites and couldn’t resist a cuddle while Guy pondered the suitability of their sleeping arrangements with Dad.
It didn’t take us long to realise that the original four were all boys, this might just explain why we hadn’t had any babies! I know it sounds silly but rabbits are extremely hard to sex unless you catch them ‘in the act’. Anyway their actions soon gave them away and after a couple of hours of chasing Mum and the babies round their new home we knew we would have to separate them. The boys now spend their nights in a separate hutch giving Mum and her lovely new bunnies some peace and quiet, I fear it may already be too late to prevent her being pregnant again, but at least we know she makes a lovely mother!
Needless to say the guests were delighted to visit the rabbit house again and discover so many fluffy little bunnies running out to greet them.
They are even Twitter worthy!
“So lovely to be back at @coombemill. Totally in love with the new baby bunnies. They are just adorable. Kids loving it.
— Hayley (@simply_hayley) August 23, 2014 “
Linking up with Country Kids, What’s the Story and Magic Moments. Click on the badges for stories from others.
Making and Racing Natural Rafts
I’ve mentioned before how sometimes we have a magical week at Coombe Mill with families who gel and choose to socialise outside of the organised events here on the farm. A few weeks ago we had a week just like this, made up of families who had largely rebooked from the same week the previous year. Instantly friendships resumed and a relaxed week followed. For activity hour there were many requests for a repeat of the highly successful natural raft racing devised by The Boy and Me and myself last year and I was keen to oblige. I had forgotten how much fun it was and will now use it again into the autumn as the children love not just the building but the fun of the race that follows.
I began with an example raft and we then spent half an hour gathering materials and sitting by the river to create our masterpieces, adults enjoying the challenge every bit as much as the children.
There were some wonderful designs and each was convinced they had the winning idea!
Guy was at the ready in the river with his surfboard to free any rafts that became tangled on the riverbank along the journey from one bridge to the next together with a few sporting parents. On a three, two , One they were off meandering their way downstream amidst homemade dams and obstacles from the children’s play earlier in the week.
The children followed through the river or dashed along the riverbank to stand and wait on the far bridge. There was much cheering as the first rafts approached.
Guy diligently counted them all through and rescued any for keepsakes while the others were ceremoniously thrown overboard to carry on towards Padstow. The beauty of all natural rafts!
What better way to finish off than with a quick play in the river.
Our raft making and racing captured on video:
Joining in with Country Kids
I’d love you to come and share your fun times outdoors. Country Kids is all about enjoying some screen free fresh air time exercising mind and body through crafting, playing, exploring and more. There are some great places to visit that needn’t put you out of pocket either; the forests, beaches and parks generally cost no more than a car parking ticket and offer a great chance for some quality family time. Whatever you have been doing please do grab the badge or link back here and remember to visit a few of the other posts. There are always so many great ideas shared which might just fuel your next adventure.
Country Kids is around in these communities, I’d love you to join me there:
Pin on the Pinterest Board Just ask for an invite to pin and include CountryKids on your pins for me to stop by on your boards too (no need for a hash tag in Pinterest)
Join the Google Plus community page for Country Kids and add #CountryKids to your tag elsewhere for a +1 from me
Share your posts on Instagram and Twitter with #CountryKids for a like or a re-tweet
A few of my favourites from last week:
The Boy and Me and Mummy Mishaps both shared matching posts last week that left me with the warmest happiest feeling as they expressed their heartfelt joy in a day we spent together here at Coombe Mill. If you have ever thought to visit us do please take a look at these two posts.
Diary of the Evans Crittens really know how to make the most of a woodland walk
I’m always a sucker for a Gruffalo post! This one is by Liquorice UK
This festival by Wild and Grizzly looks like the perfect place for fun loving Country Kids
Mum turned Mom has a chance to sit back and savour the moment of a lovely beach day