myrealfairy.com

Ilfracombe…where the romance is!

Hi, thanks so much for stopping by. Last week my partner and I went on a little 2 night break without the kids down to Ilfracombe. It’s always like a military operation to plan these things but so worth it. The kids giggle that we are having our romantic break and love their time with nanny and we appreciate to have a couple of days to ourselves. Like most parents, even on our time alone we talk about, email and speak to the kids. Still, I feel it’s important that all of the family gets their relaxation time and this is ours.

We booked through one of these sites that you contact the owner themselves and they rent out their place to you. We were so lucky to get an amazing little apartment which overlooked the sea, the crazy golf park and a weatherspoons…it doesn’t get much better than that!!

We were also right by a beautiful little Italian place which had such a gorgeous smell coming out of it that on the first evening we were so shattered that we had them make us pizza and pasta and we took it up to the apartment. It was great to sit there, looking out at the amazing view with our food and chill out.

Ilfracombe is such a gorgeous place. Most of the town dates from victorian times when it grew rapidly as a seaside resort. It seemed that most of the town around the harbour was on a slope and it nestled into the hills.

In the morning we took a walk down to the Tunnels Beaches. You have to pay £2.50 to walk down through them but it’s a fantastic sight once you walk through and see the view.

The tunnels lead down to a lovely little sandy beach which has a bathing pool which was made out of bringing lime into the bay and making an edge which, as the tide goes out, keeps in an amount of water in a large pool making it idea for bathing. This was created for ‘segregated bathing’ where men and women were not allowed to bath in the same bay or cove. In 1839 there was a guide book which stated that segregated bathing was tightly controlled and a ‘bugler’ would sit between the men’s and ladies pools keeping an eye out that the two did not mix. If a man attempted to spy on the ladies then the bugler would blow his trumpet and the man would be arrested!

There’s so much more to discover in Ilfracombe and the statue in the harbour is worth a post in its own right. Overall I would highly recommend a few days spent there, with or without the little ones.

Heres a little teaser which we saw on one of the signs – Can you make out the Ilfracombe elephant in my picture?

Do you ever get to have breaks on your own or if you have kids do you prefer having them with you?

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The Silence

I have had a sore throat for a few weeks now and have just seen a consultant for it. He thinks that it is a swollen windpipe and suggested a steroid injection would ease it. The thought of having an injection into my neck gave me a small meltdown so I asked if there was anything we could try first. He said that I should not speak at all for at least 2 days and we would see how that went.

I am determined to give this the best shot I can so I can avoid anything invasive. The thing is, like most of us, how on earth am I going to do the 101 things that I normally do…..without speaking!

The kids, my business, talking to everyone I work with to get things done, other mums on the way in and out of school….oh goodness this is going to be tough.

It starts sooner than expected as my other half and the kids – ‘M’ and ‘G’ come and pick me up from my appointment and come bounding into the clinic. I thought I’d put the initial thoughts and the plan we came up with into a poem. I hope you enjoy it.

Mum mum what did they do

Mum mum, please tell us

Mum mum what’s wrong with you

Mum mum we won’t make a fuss

Oh my loves if only I could

I shake my head and mime

I point to my mouth like I should

And am careful to take my time

Oh boys please understand me

Oh boys when I try and say

Please little ones try and see

I can’t speak – at all – for today

We get in the car and I have a plan

It’s simple and to the point

Boys video yourselves, like I know you can

Shout your name – on your own – not joint

Thats right my clever boys

You know what to do

say it loud, make some noise

shoot the clip on my phone, right through

Then, if I need you I’ll press play

You’ll hear it wherever you are

and to me you’ll come without delay

To me, if near or far

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Fantasy Dinner Party Guest List

Hi there and thanks for stopping by. Recently the lovely Carol over at Virtually All Sorts posted her fantasy dinner party guest list and asked me who I’d have on mine. I have enjoyed having this going through my mind over the past week and I’m pleased to share it with you now….

Firstly it’s got to be Paul Weller, he would smoke, swear and be so cool that I would forget how to eat with a knife and fork and probably miss my mouth when I tried to quaff my wine. I’d love to have him there but I would be a mess so I’m not too sure. I am pretty sure though that I would tell him that I loved him at some inappropriate point in the evening… English Rose is amazing, have a listen if you can!

Annie Lennox, she’s the striking singer who I am sure would be fascinating to sit next to. I’d have to up my game when it came to interesting topics to talk about. I can only think of my one link to her, which would be that I once sat in a restaurant in Ibiza next to Siobhan Fahey who was married to Dave Stewart who was her partner in the Eurythmics….that should bring the conversation to a shuddering standstill…Ok.. she’s on the ‘maybe’ list.

Tim Peake, wow! 186 days in space aboard the International Space Station is pretty good going. Not content with whizzing around the earth at 17,000 miles an hour, he also ran the london marathon, completed the first spacewalk of a british astronaut and read a bedtime story to millions of children via cbeebies. Furthermore, he comes across as such a likable man. Luckily I won’t have to ask about how to wee in space as he kindly already answered that on one of his many video links, phew! He’s on the list.

My nan, she loved new experiences and would always come out with exactly what was on her mind, she’d be great at keeping the conversations flowing. She would recount tales of her and her best friend going to the dance halls in Poplar in the east end of London before the war and all the wonderfully funny situations they would get themselves into. OK, any ‘maybes’ can now come. I could entertain all of the above people, and more with her by my side as my co-host. I Love and miss her, she was so fab.

What about you, who would be head of the table? I’d love to know.

Just one more thing before you go….incase you weren’t convinced by the first Paul Weller song. I have been listening to him while writing this post, so here’s another little gem for you to have on in the background…

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The Promise…can it be broken?

The ‘airy fairy’ promise, the ‘rash’ promise, the late night ‘on a promise.’ From the colloquial to the world renowned promise, we have all come across our fair share.
Promises can be both passive – I promise never I will never be late again, please don’t be angry at me and aggressive – I promise you that you will be sorry if you leave me waiting here for you, you just wait and see!

A ‘Rash Boon’ or a ‘Blind Promise’, dating back to folklore tales where a promise is to be indebted for a reward is often quickly made without hearing what the request is. Normally this would be for the impossible love of a woman whom men will quickly pledge to do anything for in return…suffice to say that this never seems to end well. Not much changes over the years!

Fairy tales will lead us in the direction of seeing where a promise ends. Will the evil villain stay true to type and double cross the pure heroine? Will the handsome prince return to his kingdoms with the fair maiden as his bride? The more traditional tale having the moral clear for us to see. These are read with the hopeful intent that they will lead our youngsters on the right path. Just before bed, knowing that honestly will help in their quest to become prince or princess of their land – or their very own small box room in the case of our youngest.

But do they really take this in or is there an innate nature over nurture principle at work here which no amount of prince charming chiseled perfection will be able to dampen.

Tonight I had a great example, the situation and conversation went like this….

I heard a crash from the lounge – I entered and there was ‘G’ our 7yr old standing there with a piece of the ceiling chandelier in his hand. At his feet, bright orange football.

“What have you done?” I said,

‘Nothing mummy, it wasn’t me,’ he replied, all wide eyed.

“But you’re the only person in here darling and there’s a blow up football there which you are not allowed to have inside.”

‘I know mummy but I promise it wasn’t me, it just happened – on its own!’

“G, I’m not happy about this and you know I don’t like lying.”

‘I know mummy, but it wasn’t me – anyway don’t get angry and lets just “put it behind us” it won’t happen again.’

Now the thing is G is not a huge liar but he sometimes has a burning self preservational need to get out of things. I’m curious to know more about where the saying that a promise is made to be broken comes from. They often do get broken, either with forethought and intent or with a naivety of a child stumbling through the their first years.

Promises and lies have such a close path, its no wonder that they sometimes cross over with each other.

I surmise and hope that it is as basic urge in some that using the ‘promise’ in whatever form is used as a short term gain rather than anything more sinister.

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10 Facts About Seahorses … and how to help them

1. Their scientific name, “Hippocampus” comes from the Ancient Greek word hippos meaning “horse” and kampos meaning “sea monster”.

2. Even though they are fish they are really poor swimmers and can often die of exhaustion in storms. They also might just hang around clinging onto to a piece of seaweed or eelgrass for a few days just resting.

3. It’s the males who give birth…yep its true! The female seahorse pops the eggs into the male and he waits out the gestation period and then contorts his body until the live young are pushed out. They even have contractions!

4. Their eyes work independently of each other! One eye can look forward and the other back!

5. The smallest seahorse is the Pygmy Seahorse and is around 2cm long and the largest is the Australian big-bellied Seahorse at around 35cm. However, there was a massive one caught in Poole, Dorset in 2015. It was thrown back unhurt which but was 34cm which is huge for a ‘spiny’ seahorse.

6. You can keep up to date with local conservation to see how you can help out. In the U.K. there is a project close to where I am which is the Dorset Wildlife Trust. The Trust supports Seahorses and other marine life. Read here to learn about Studland Bay and the amazing conservation work the they carry out.

7. It’s thought that they are at risk of extinction so what can we do to help? Well, firstly, steer clear of buying dried seahorses as souvenirs. Secondly, as they are used in some countries as herbal medicines, it’s best to try to find an alternative product so that using them starts to get less and less profitable. Thirdly, do not buy as pets for aquariums as they may of been taken from the wild and imported to the UK.

8. Seahorses are thought to hold magic qualities and there are stories of them wrapping their tail around people’s fingers and emitting a healing feeling to the person. This is the tale of folklore and not certified

9. There are organisations and charities who assist in the conservation of seahorses, there are some pointers below if you wish to become more involved in areas of marine life conservation.

Seahorses, have now been listed as endangered under the United Nations Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species. They are also protected under U.K. law.

10. There are further folklore tales of dried seahorses being used as good luck charms to assist in the production of breast milk for nursing mothers. Thankfully this was rare. Many cultures see it as a carnation from the seas gods and link it with strength and power.

A couple of additional links which I found useful are below.

http://www.projectseahorse.org

http://www.blueoceannetwork.com

http://www.dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk

I must also thank Emma Rance, Marine Conservation Officer with the Dorset Wildlife Trust in assisting with the factual accuracy of the post. Not the folklore aspect of course.

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Little G’s first vlog….is that even a real word?!

Little G who’s 7 now is an eager beaver when it comes to helping around the house and in the garden. He is also desperate to go into the world of blogging with videos. Now many of the seasoned pros will know it by its cool name but I had to undergo the humiliation of my eldest ‘M’ who’s ten, languishing on the sofa, glued to YouTube saying ‘oh muuuuummm it’s “vlogging”, don’t you even know what it’s called.’

Right! so after I had thrown his second-hand phone out of the window and chirped ~~manically~~ triumphantly ‘oh darling thank you for putting me straight,’ off I popped out to the back garden to give it a go with ‘G’.

We love our plants and even though none of us (me!) are particularly green fingered, we love rescuing the dying plants reduced down in the supermarkets to silly pence when no one has gone out and given them a bit of water, or they’ve been forgotten at the back of the shelves.

‘G’ was excited and without further ado, here is his 30 seconds debut vlog blog thingie!

What I need to do is master the whole art of YouTube so that I can edit out all the bits and bobs I can see lying around in the garden and also not have the words over little G’s head. But as he said to me the other day – ‘mummy, did you have YouTube when you were little in the olden days’ ahhh bless!!!

Thanks to Karen from Two Tiny Hands who inspired me to put together this little piece as she is encouraging kids to get involved for her linky #abrandnewday. It gave me the little push I needed to take the step with the kids and the video.

A couple of examples of our little offerings.

How have you got on gardening with the kids? I remember when the boys were little that I used to spend more time taking the soil out of their mouths than putting it into pots.

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The Dimpled Monster Has Struck!

Recently I went on holiday with my mum and children to Spain which you can read about here. It was a great time with 3 generations of our family together and loving each others company.

However, just before I went I fished around in the swimming box that I have at home. This box, stashed on top of the boys wardrobe is where I have my various one piece practical ‘mum’ swimming costumes for when I’m at the pool for their regular swimming lessons each week. This time though I was searching around for my bikini.

I thought I’d give it a quick try on just to make sure that it wasn’t moth eaten or missing a hook an eye here or there. I got it on ok and thought I’d check it out in front of the long mirror in my bedroom. Well…. I was, ~~mortified~~, ~~heartbroken,~~ ~~fuming,~~ slightly surprised to see that I had not only gained weight but had also gained cellulite and just looked ‘different’.

It was an eye opener to say the least. Over the years we change – children, life events, careers, the misery diet, the happiness spread, sadness, age and health all change us both inside and out. I’m now at a different stage in my life and have to embrace my age and my new body shape. Below is a lighthearted poem loosely based on that moment last week. It’s sentiment for me is humour, life and love.

The Dimpled Monster Has Struck!

It’s been tucked up for months

Proving, doubling in size

Stuffed in jeans

Gobbling down the pies.

———-

It’s been dark, it’s been grey

No one asked it out to play.

So what do you expect

As you stand there in shock

The changing room door

Clearly on ‘lock’.

———-

Did you not know

This bubbling mound

Would be the result

On your waist, all around.

———-

It’s a spell, it’s a curse

Please help! Bring me a nurse!

This bikini has shrunk, surely or worse!

No, wait…..I see it now, I’m so sorry

I must of got it wrong

I needn’t of worried.

———

I have to sort this today

This holiday won’t keep

I know what to say

So I call out, not to weep

“Please be a dear and bring me a sarong,

hurry up now as I don’t have too long.”

Tweet to others to beware, the dimpled monster - it loves to share!Click To Tweet

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Five Fairy Facts On Our Hols

We’ve come away on our hols to have a little break…..my youngest boy G who’s 7 is now so grown up that when he’s trying to be deadly serious and explain anything, he now has to end these sentences with “true fact”! rather triumphantly. So, in great G fashion

True Fact Number 1:

I’m an awful mother as I’ve taken my boys out of school for three days during term time. I must be awful because a headmaster being interviewed on Good Morning Britain said I was. Piers Morgan told him he was barking and Suzanna Reid tried to edge her knee away from Piers’s wandering hand placements. The only giveaway sign bieng Piers’s wink of the eye in the headmasters direction. With all that going on I’m not too sure I’m that bad.

True Fact Number 2

We arrived in the beautifully hot country of Spain, yippie. We always have a week in May away and another longer time in the summer with a different theme. Our hotel is amazing, it’s our 3rd year running here. People might raise an adventurous eyebrow and think why oh why would you do that. Easy peasy, because it works! The hotel is great, there is the beach, there are pools, the hotel is spotless and there is a free drop-in kids club ALL DAY!

True Fact Number 3

Yesterday we had our first proper motor boat experience around Malaga Marina and out on the open sea. I’m not a fan of boats but I went with the consensus and swallowed hard and skipped aboard with a beating heart and bile rising. To my surprise it was great! Photos taken with me with the captains hat on, sneaky little drinkies and the wind in my hair and I was right in the spirit of things. The boys were WELL BEHAVED so it was great. Actually I think rewind to the sneaky little drinkies, add 30 degrees hot sun, stir in the fact it was daytime drinking = the boys ‘appeared’ WELL BEHAVED!

True Fact Number 4

I get to practice my very rusty Spanish which I love to do. In a time and place long ago – ok not that long ago but long enough – I spoke it every day in South America for a couple of years. That’s not the case now. Now it’s on my hols or with Spanish speaking people who I randomly come into contact with through work or play in England. I have to force my very colloquial accented Spanish on people here and when they reply in English I have to insist that I torture them into listening to me as I need the practice.

True Fact Number 5

This is the best true fact and it’s that all of this holiday is also spent with my mum. Every year since my boys have been born we’ve had a weeks holiday abroad with mum. It’s amazing and we all love it. The best and most important person to remember to pack as far as we are concerned is nanny! That’s one of the reasons why this hotel has been perfect for the last 3 years. The personal service of a complimentary car (no, we’re not loaded) that will pop mum and us down to the beach and pick us up so there isn’t too much walking involved. Everything’s on one level. She and us are taken care of and the boys get to splash around in the pool with their nan. Mum wouldn’t fly on her own now and I don’t blame her, so she gets to keep travelling and more than that, we get the pleasure of travelling with her. She has the patience of a saint and the boys wouldn’t think of playing her up anyway. The boys can’t imagine spain without nanny and nor could I.

This is what makes us happy…..True Fact!

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Trip to Bavaria and Chiemsee

I went on a wonderful trip recently to Bavaria with my partner to his daughter’s wedding. You may of read here and here about my anxiety around flying and then the emotional poem I wrote about my other half while at 32000 feet! Its amazing what a rush of hormones can do to a woman! Anyhow, I digress….. The wedding itself was just beautiful, full of lovely people, gorgeous weather and a calm relaxed atmosphere with no drama. There is definitely something to be said for having a small wedding with just your nearest and dearest being part of it.

As I was just there for the weekend we planned on taking a trip here to Chiemsee (pronounced to my brit ear as ‘kiemsee’) It’s a beautiful big freshwater lake in Bavaria. It’s sometimes known as the Bavarian Sea. It’s massive, with a shoreline of 64KM (40miles). We drove down from Rosenheim which took about half an hour and took us through very green and pretty countryside.

I wanted to share some of the photos of this pretty lake and also the island of Fraueninsel (aka Frauenchiemsee) which we visited by taking a short ferry trip of about 10 minutes.

The scenery was amazing and this was the view from the ferry on the journey from the mainland shore to the island.

One of the many boat jetty’s on the island of Fraueninsel. I’m so pleased with how this picture came out considering it was taken on my phone. I’m normally just snap happy but this has surprised me.

The sight as you come into dock on the island. There are 3 islands on the Chiemsee in total. Fraueninsel is also known as the ‘womans island’ due to a being a Benedictine convent being situated there.

This is a 1000 year old tree on the island. It now has a small fence around it to protect the roots from the effects of the footfall of all the visitors.

Here’s the bell tower which really does stand out and is very impressive.

Everything there is very clean and tidy and apparently it’s home to around 300 people. I say apparently because we only saw about 3 of these, I think they were hiding behind ornate net in their windows. It was hard to see how you could live there peacefully because even though the visitors appeared respectful and pretty mild mannered, there were still a regular spill of tourists from the 2 or 3 ferries making the frequent trips. I can only imagine how the inhabitants feel when the last ferry trip departs and the island can breath a sigh of relief and settle for the night.

One of the main differences I felt between Bavaria and England was the amount of people on bikes and walking properly kitted up. I’m pretty used to it around my neck of the woods at home but this was quite a bit more in general. I’m glad I managed to get a glimpse of the island and to take a walk around it in full. It was a beautiful end to the weekend in Bavaria.

Have you visited Bavaria and explored?

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Discussion & Book Review – The Golden Winged Fairy

What’s so lovely about having my own site is being able to write and post about people and things which I have an interest in. I can write without the normal constraints…..Lucky old me:) New York based author Lala Fae contacted me and asked if I would review her book ‘The Golden Winged Fairy’. When I looked into both her and the book she had written I thought it fitted well with my blog and interests.

I liked the way that she came across and she’s been really pleasant to get to know. If you have read my previous book review here you will see that that one was carried out with my eldest son ‘M’. However, ‘The Golden Winged Fairy’ was clearly more suitable to be read with my youngest son ‘G’ who is 7.

Lala kindly sent me a complimentary copy of the book as opposed to a digital download review copy. The book is sold as a hardcopy and considering the illustrations which are phenomenal, its the only way to appreciate this book. It’s good to feel this books pages and the embossed paper, great for small children. The pages of the new book smelt wonderful too, there’s just something about it, maybe a throwback to my own childhood. It’s a proper story telling experience for the younger audience.

The story focuses on a fairy with a difference, as G said…’a difference that she felt embarrassed about.’ We talked about the difference the fairy heroine Lorelei has and how this made her feel. All Lorelei wants is to fit in with the Silver Moon Fairies. As the story progresses I found that it led me to the natural conclusion that we should celebrate our differences. It’s a great back up to many conversations I had with my two when they were younger in nursery and started to either be on the receiving end or the perpetrator of comments relating to individual differences.

I usually ask my partner to look through my posts and he’s done just that. Particularly if I feel that I’m missing something. When I know what I want to say but it’s not transferring through to the page. His feedback…..’it reads as if you’re being politically correct…why?

I thrive and enjoy being me and being honest. I had to stop and think and then we entered into a discussion. Was it his German straight forwardness or my english political correctness that led us both to think that my writing in this review lacked punch?! It lacked that special something needed to give the book, Lala and me the true airing this subject deserved. This post now is a very different piece than it was originally and it’s more grounded for it.

Understanding individual differences is not limited to what children should be doing, as adults we must remind ourselves that differences are not the exclusive details such as the colour of our skin or language we speak, it’s also the essence and personalities of who we are. Sometimes its easy to forget and as adults it’s actually really good to talk about. Often we are so caught up at home in parenting that proper intelligent conversations just don’t happen. Today we had one and it felt good! All because of reading a children’s book.

It demonstrates that this book manages to do that on its most basic level and to start small children with such a such a book, in my opinion is no bad thing.

I would say that the book is aimed at either very young learner readers or at children who are being read to as their relaxation or nighttime story. It’s relaxing, has a positive message and isn’t too long. It can be read in one 10 minute sitting and it’s of a fairytale quality that can be read again and again. It really is beautiful.

The book is enhanced to a magical quality by the illustrations drawn by Laura Siadak. Lala told me she is excited to announce that she has finished her second book and that one is also currently with Laura who is providing the illustrations once more. This lady can really draw.

You can see more on the youtube video here, it’s really worth watching:

If you fancy making contact with Lala then you can find her on some of her social media platforms here:

www.facebook.com/madebyfae

twitter.com/madebyfae

The book can be purchased here amongst other places.

In the words of Lala…May you always glow golden.

I am really pleased to have Lala onboard with responding to your comments for this post! You might hear back from either Lala or myself. Thank you as always for all comments and thoughts about the post x

Do you remember reading fairy tales as a child, was there one in particular. Have you heard of Lalas golden winged fairy?