Hide And Seek At Cadw: Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire

A rainy late holiday Sunday and we are back on the trail of Wales' historic treasures, protected for future generations to enjoy by Cadw (the Welsh Government's Historic Environment Service).

This time we are off to William Herbert's (the first Earl of Pembroke 1423 - 1469) Raglan.

It is much more showily built than Caerphilly Castle, have a more genteel kind of grandeur.

Nevertheless, Raglan Castle still held off Oliver Cromwell's forces for thirteen weeks in one of the last sieges of the Civil War.

With fantastic views of the rolling Monmouthshire countryside and in a very peaceful setting, part of Raglan's charm for me is its almost seclusion from the hustle and bustle of daily life.

You really do take time out to enjoy Herbert's statement of wealth and power which, despite the ruins, still shines through.

This was a man determined to make his mark.

Construction of the castle didn't begin until the 1430s which is considered unfashionably late by about 150 years but there were some amazing 'modern' features.

Large mullioned windows brought light to bathing rooms and there was the Oriel window, a huge bay window which is one of Raglan's defining features.

Raglan also had a long gallery, considered very fashionable in the Tudor period with intricately carved wooden panels.

You can see one of these Tudor panels on show in the Visitor Centre.

The Buttery, located behind the Great Hall has reopened to the public and was recently used to film an episode of BBC's Merlin.

Our trip to Raglan had a dual purpose - to enjoy the castle and to meet up with my sister, Sarah and friend Anil.

Cousin Georgia, who had been staying with us for a few days and thus subject to endless crafting, role play and general din from Caitlin and Ieuan, was very glad indeed to be reunited with her mother.

Ieuan / Harry / Usain Bolt's Son

The Husband 

I was hoping for a quiet meander through the corridors of power and some limpid gazing across the meadows, swiftly followed by a trek to the lovely farm house behind the castle which serves hot lunches and afternoon teas.

Sister Sarah, Caitlin and Cousin Georgia

No such luck.

Caitlin had swiftly split the group into two groups for a game of hide and seek.

I'm not sure if you have experienced the force field that is a 7 year old girl but we split into teams and set off.

The towers and corridors are just made for hiding and getting lost in.

Me!

 Did I mention it was raining?

Still raining.

Ieuan was not thrilled to be left in the dungeon.

Anil, having palpitations trying to keep up with Ieuan / Harry Potter.  Ieuan has also recently been claiming to be "Usain Bolt's Son".

After a good hour or so of running up and down towers, we got to know Raglan rather well.

The facilities are excellent at Raglan.  There is free car parking just outside the castle gates.  There are toilets and a well laid out visitor centre / gift shop.

Entry to Raglan Castle is free if you are a member of Cadw, otherwise a family ticket is £13.50.

As at Caerphilly Castle, there is a £10 reduction in the membership fee if you join Cadw on one of their sites.  Incidentally, it is worth noting that membership of Cadw includes half-price entry to English Heritage and Historic Scotland sites in your first year and free entry on renewal.

In the gift shop I was able to stock up on my favourite Welsh Cakes before we went down to the farmhouse for lunch.

The Husband and I had curries and the kids had chicken sandwiches followed by ice cream and cake with coffees for us.  The bill was in the region of £35.

We had a lovely time at Raglan, despite the weather.

It is an easy drive of approximately an hour from Cardiff and the kids just love running around in the open spaces and exploring the winding turret stairs.

We'll be back.  As long as we can catch 'Usain Bolt's Son" first of course.

Photo Courtesy of Sarah Jasper

Further information can be found at: www.cadw.gov.wales. Opening times and admission costs can be found here.

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Back to school with Room To Grow & A Cool Giveaway

It's back to school tomorrow and as uniforms are being dusted off and labelled, and new shoes duly polished and sprayed with one of the multitude of protection sprays we all have lurking under the sink,  our kids may well be more concerned with looking cool and standing out from the crowd.

Children's bedroom furniture and storage specialists, Room To Grow, have a fabulous selection of products ranging from nursery furniture and beds to bean bags, clocks and even teepees.

They also have a great range of children's bags - some very cool backpacks from MadPax, who make 3D backpacks and accessories for kids of all ages that are, they say, "two parts funk, a pound of punk and a dash of double dare".

I don't know about you but I usually find myself trotting behind the kids carrying an odd selection of books, snacks, bits of Ieuan's latest superhero costume, Buzz Lightyear (or the toy du jour) and, rather worryingly for the staff in our local NISA, a ray gun. Well, no more!

It's not too bad on the way to school but you do look a bit strange wandering home with an Iron Man statue and a glitter wand.

Spiketus Rex Multi Backpack (Full Pack) - £55

This one, Spiketus Rex is the original backpack from MadPax and has a bold and multi coloured soft spiky design. The full pack is a traditional sized backpack, perfect for school books and sports and comes in a range of funky colours.

Lightweight and durable, it has two side zip pockets and one inside, a padded laptop sleeve, adjustable straps, a clear ID window and comfort air-mesh back padding.  It's also easy to clean with a damp cloth and mild soap.

Or how about this one?

Lator-Gator Backpack (Full Pack) - £58

The Lator-Gator backpack has a spiky reptile design and the same features as Spiketus Rex.  It is also available in a range of funky colours.

The packs also come in half pack size, which may be better suited to younger kids.

Spiketus Rex Multi (Half Pack) - £45

The half pack is also ideal for carrying electronics and other essentials and I have a Spiketus Rex Half Pack to give away!

Remember to visit www.roomtogrow.co.uk and tell me your favourite product as a condition of entry.

Simply complete the rafflecopter in the usual way.  The giveaway ends at 11:59 pm on 15th September 2015. UK entrants only.  Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

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My Sunday Photo - 30/08/2015

Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire

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Brewers Fayre, Barry - A Real Family Affair

Now when you have an extra teenager (lovely cousin Georgia) staying, as well as my very own Dennis the Menace and Minnie The Minx (Ieuan and Caitlin), it's nice to find somewhere that caters for all tastes and appetites.

This is particularly important since Ieuan has the eating habits of an 80 year old, toothless dowager duchess and Caitlin is still in the throes of her 'ice cream with everything' phase. (Please remain calm dental hygenists - the riot act is read regularly about the risks to your teeth about enjoying desserts a little too much).

Happily we were invited by Brewers Fayre to reacquaint ourselves with our local restaurant just a stones' throw (unless you're rubbish at throwing, like I am) from Barry Island (or Barrybados as we almost locals like to think of it).  It is also, handily, right next door to a Premier Inn.

What I like about this particular Brewers Fayre is that it is spacious, immaculately clean and the staff are friendly, upbeat and genuinely look like they are happy to be there. The restaurant is designed with clearly designated areas, a 'zone' for coffee or fizzy drinks, a large bar and a separate area for the carvery.

The menu is vast and it took us a good quarter of an hour to decide what we'd like.  This was also because the kids were happily colouring their Beano Comics and regaling us with the jokes inside.

Because it was a Saturday, the weekly meal deals were not available but even so, everything was reasonably priced.

The kids menu is very good value and, sensibly, is priced according to the number of courses.  Given the generous portion sizes, this means that you're not ordering food that then goes to waste.  You can have a main meal for £3.99, 2 courses for £4.49 or 3 courses for £4.99.

Caitlin chose a strawberry Starslush (like a Slush Puppy) and Ieuan had a chocolate Yazoo (which, 80's pop fans, made me think of Alison Moyet).  Caitlin had tomato soup with crusty bread as her starter and Ieuan had the Gn-achos, cheesy nachos with a tomato dip.

 

Is it just me or do other parents only discover their kids' tastes in meals have changed when they go out to eat?  Caitlin's soup was rapidly dispatched whilst I sat there saying "but you don't usually like soup". "Well," she announced, "I have had it before you know".

For main courses, Caitlin had Popin Chicken (chicken, chips and baked beans) and Ieuan had the Cod-apult (love the Dennis The Menace inspired names) which was crispy cod bites, chips and beans (substituted for peas).  Both meals came piping hot and with a generous portion size.

Cousin Georgia chose the Ultimate Sausage & Mash from the main menu which was a giant Yorkshire filled with Smithfield pork sausages, mash and caramelised onions, all served up with cabbage and gravy (£8.29).

The Husband had Hand Battered Atlantic Cod & Chips, the fish being hand battered to order and served with tartare sauce and a choice of garden or mushy peas (£8.99).  The fish came wrapped in its own paper which I thought was a fun touch.

I was feeling rather delicate and it was one of those days when only comfort food would do so I chose Sausage, Egg & Chips, 3 sausages, 2 fried eggs, chips and garden peas (£6.49).  The sausages were good quality and meaty and the eggs fried just the right side of runny.

For dessert, Caitlin had a strawberry sundae (of course) and Ieuan has the Tricky Mini Doughnuts which came with a dish of melted chocolate sauce and a dish of sprinkles (or hundreds and thousands as we used to call them before we unfortunately had to go metric).  This was also a surprise as, usually, nothing but a chocolate brownie will do.

Georgia had been beaten by the Ultimate Sausage & Mash so I had a cappuccino and was allowed to share the Husband's treacle tart which came nicely warmed and was served with vanilla ice cream (£3.99).

We also had a Diet 7-up, a Diet Coke and the Husband had a pint of Stella. My Diet Coke came with unlimited refills, as did my cappuccino (which was a Costa coffee).

Ieuan pretending to be Usain Bolt.  

 The total bill came to £54.17 which, for 5 of us was very good value indeed.

If I had any quibbles at all, it would be that there are a couple of vending machines aimed at kids which meant that Ieuan had a minor strop because we wouldn't let him play with them, and the radio is piped into the Ladies Toilet quite loudly which is ever so slightly off-putting, although singing along to Katy Perry is a bit of a novelty in that situation.

I would definitely recommend Brewers Fayre as a no-fuss, clean and welcoming eaterie for the family - including the kids!  Good food and great value.  We'll be back.

Further information is available on the Brewers Fayre website at www.brewersfayre.co.uk, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/brewersfayre or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/brewersfayre.

We were invited to dine as guests of Brewers Fayre but all opinions are our own.

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High Noon For Head Lice With Vamousse® & Giveaway

Back to school time is nearly upon us and, together with the kids' excitement about returning to see their friends and starting a whole new academic year afresh comes the threat of a set of potential visitors who are not welcome in the slightest.

Yes, when children come back together, it's a great opportunity for head lice to thrive and just one or two lice can start an infestation off.

Sharing hats and brushes can also spread them as they can survive 8-12 hours off the body but generally they are spread by physical contact - i.e. head to head.

I'm sure we've all felt our heart sink as our little ones run out of school brandishing the "slip of doom" saying that one of their number has been adopted by those nasty little varmints, head lice.

We've all heard the homespun advice about combing through conditioner before we wash our children's hair and the theories about plaiting hair to keep head lice away.

We've questioned whether head lice like dirty hair better than clean and given our kids' scalps a cursory examination to see whether we can spot anything.

A Head Louse - Source:  www.nhs.uk

But once you've done that, what do you do?  Apart from crossing your fingers and hoping?

There is a new weapon of lice destruction on the high street from Vamousse® - Vamousse® Protective Shampoo which is proven to break the cycle of infestation.

You see a commonly held frustration by parents is the belief that other parents are deliberately sending their kids to school with head lice and causing the spread.

Actually, most head lice infestations are spread by undetected infestations that take over a month to discover. Head lice are the hidden enemy!

A head lice infestation takes time to develop. In its early days an infestation consists of young lice (nymphs) that are too small to be seen by the naked eye and eggs that do not cause symptoms such as itching/a crawling sensation.

To stop an infestation taking hold both adult lice and, later hatching lice (nymphs) emerging from eggs need to be killed, thereby breaking the cycle of infestation. 

Research carried out by Vamousse® found that most parents are too slow to take action, often waiting for visible signs of lice before whipping out the detection comb and using a product for protection or treatment. (For more information on head lice prevention and treatment with the Vamousse®  range, check out their website here.)

So, you've received the dreaded 'nit slip'.  How does Vamousse® Protective Shampoo Work?

When used regularly as part of a family bath-­time routine Vamousse® Protective Shampoo can stamp out an infestation before it takes hold, by killing the lice that have unknowingly been contracted and later killing lice as they emerge from eggs that have been laid. 

It's easy to use - simply apply a generous amount of shampoo to wet hair, work into a lather and massage into scalp. The leave the shampoo on hair for at least 3 minutes and Rinse.

For best results it is recommended that you use the shampoo daily for at least 2 weeks.  Hair is left clean and fresh and you can use a conditioner afterwards.

Best of all it's pesticide free and suitable to use on children aged 2 and over.

If you do find head lice, in other words there is a visible infestation, then you need to use Vamousse Head Lice Treatment before using this shampoo.

It is non-toxic and pesticide free and kills 100% of the lice AND eggs within 15 minutes of contact. 

So what did we think? We are not currently under threat of an infestation but I wanted to test the shampoo for ease of application, smell and its effect on a child's scalp and hair.

The shampoo is colourless and quite runny.

It is recommended that you really massage the shampoo in well to blitz any lurking eggs or lice.

Then rinse and condition as normal.  Caitlin's only comment was that the shampoo had a stronger smell than her usual one.  

Her hair was left clean and actually had quite a nice shine to it - although that may be because I was liberal with the use of condition, conscious that she had had a stronger product on her hair than normal.

You are advised, by the way, to make sure that you don't get the product in your eyes or near your mucuous membranes as it may irritate or sting but that probably applies to many other shampoos.

Vamousse® Protective Shampoo retails at £9.99 and there is sufficient for around 20 washes in the bottle. Vamousse Head Lice Treatment costs £14.99.

Both products are available to buy at and the products are available to buy at Boots, Superdrug, Ocado (coming soon to Sainsbury’s) and all good pharmacies.

It's nice to know that there is something definite you can do to prevent head lice taking hold and now you can really Vamousse® Those Varmints™.

Further information is available at www.Vamousse.co.uk or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VamousseThoseVarmints or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/VamousseUK.

In addition I have a giveaway of 1 x pack of Vamousse Head Lice Treatment, 1 x Vamousse Protective Shampoo and 1 x Turbie Twist Turban Towel.  Simply complete the Rafflecopter below in the usual.  UK entrants only. The competition ends at 11:59 pm on the 11th September 2015.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*PR samples were received for the purposes of this review.

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Mums: Don't Get Angry -Get "Turbo-Calm"

Week 5 of the Summer holidays and we are now all living in a simmering state of restrained hostility. Caitlin is showing all the signs of galloping puberty or is permanently auditioning for Hollyoaks - I can't tell over the sound of harumphing, slamming doors and "none of you understand me".

Ieuan is admitting to getting "a little bit angry" which is akin to saying Kim Kardashian is quite fond of cameras.

I have exhausted my repertoire of bribes, threats, cajoling, wheedling, pleading, stropping, sighing and outright emotional blackmail.  I have hidden in my bedroom and taken mid afternoon showers to shut out the thunderous sound of bickering which erupts over something world-shattering like the wrong placement of a Lego brick or the refusal by one or the other of them to play their longstanding (and weirdly entertaining) game of Puppy and The Incredible Hulk.

I have taken them out to run free on our nearby common or to explore the local beauty spots.  They have iPads, books, TV, a safe garden, bikes and scooters and Lego which appears mysteriously like damp in the various corners of the house but they still require entertaining.  I've read to them (which lasts the length of a shortish chapter till they get bored) and they have enough craft materials to build a space shuttle. I have eaten so much pizza I'm starting to resemble Gino on the Go Compare advert.

But I have a new thing.  I'm calling it "Turbo-Calm".

It's where you are rendered speechless by rage or irritation. It's the replacement of shouting with silence. It's when you finally think"enough of this nonsense" and take yourself out of the argument equation in order to defuse it.  And, surprisingly, it works quite well.

Expecting a spectacular explosion of maternal nagging, the kids find an icy calm exterior.  I become one with the universe and my mind is like a computer.  I am Mrs Logic.  I show no emotion.  Oh no.

Now, I'm not entirely sure this is a healthy method of interaction but it does at least create a space for everyone to calm down a bit.

My mother used to send me to my room to fester and then appear with a cuddle about half an hour later.  I'm guessing today that would be referred to as positive time out.

There's no escape when you're a parent though, is there?  You can run but you can't hide.

When it all gets too much, hit the turbo-calm button.  And break out the biscuits.

While you're carb-loading you may just remember that you love the little menaces after all.

And if you're lucky, the kids will remember they quite like you too - and come for a cuddle.

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