Weymouth sea life centre

Having visited the sea life centre in Weymouth over 7 years ago. I expected the place to be really run down and not as much fish as there actually were.

 When going into the park there is a restaurant on the left and a few other attractions in which you can visit.Car parking is not free and costs from 80p upwards depending on how much time and how busy the sealife centre is so allow for plenty of time.

I was surprised as it was looking a little shabby but all the areas were in the process of being remodeled and new playgrounds being built within the grounds.

The route in which the booklet helps guide you through the different areas was a little dated as was the park but that didn't stop us having a fun experience throughout the 2 hours we were there.  

 Whilst looking around at the mixture of sea creatures its clear to see that the tanks are kept clean at all times and that the fish are cared for a great deal.

My favourite tanks are  the urchins, sea horses and the lion fish. Whether its because I used to keep these myself makes for happy memories.

There is a restaurant on site but as I wanted vegetables we ventured off in the car on a 5 minute drive which was recommend by a local.

The food at the harvester was very filling and was priced well. 

The service was not the best but it was busy, and I expected the service to be a little slower then the normal. I didnt get to take any photos of the meal although I wish I had as it was lovely, but by the time it had been served up I was starving and couldn't wait any longer. 

Nothe Fort Weymouth

Entrance to Nothe Fort 

Monday the 26th of August was a busy day but for some reason this beautifully restored Fort was not busy. The heat outside was hot and sticky and yet walking around this place it seemed like a cool summers day.

When you enter the Fort it doesn't look like much but a large tunnel and lots of rooms leading off the central area.

View from the top of the Fort 

We first started looking around the top floor of the Victorian built labyrinth. With three floors and fantastic views of the surrounding coastal area we were stunned at the sights that could be seen from the viewing deck room.    

 

Each of the displays on every floor had numbers to help find where you are on the map. This came in handy when we reached the basement floor. In the basement there was a dark corridor where it's said to have a lot of paranormal activity the main one being an eerie whistler that can heard around the Fort.  

Each floor has various room with descriptions of what the rooms roll was back in each of the wars.

Feeling very lucky whilst looking around we stumbled across a room that had man made matchstick  aircraft carriers and planes. Each of the models were hand painted down to the smallest detail

Matchstick airplanes

Matchstick aircraft carriers 

First time camping since I was 16...

Over the last few months I've been thinking of going camping with TJ and I finally bit the bullet. 

I looked at a few different campsites but ended up choosing one that wasn't to far from home in case our first camping trip went wrong.

I booked via the official camping and caravaning site which was easier then I thought.

http://www.campingandcaravanningclub.co.uk/campsites/uk/wiltshire/salisbury/salisbury?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_content=Salisbury&utm_campaign=google_places

When I packed the car I just put in the basics of everything in the car.

• Blow up mattress
• Blanket
• 2 x sleeping bags 
• Small gas bottles 
• Cooker
• Small amount of food
• Electric cool box ( plugs in to car lighter)
• Spare change of clothes 
• Torches 
• Deck of cards 
• Tent 

The tent erected.

Once we arrived at the campsite the tent was erected in our pitch which was a lot bigger then I thought it would be. 

With the car parked next to the tent, we went for a walk down a path that took us to Salisbury town. The path ran past a housing estate and near a field where there's a river running around the edges and a play area in which the smaller kids were playing in. 

The walk took a total of 25 minutes and was along flat terrain and paths so it made quite a nice little stroll.

The shops near the play area were Morrisons, sports direct, Smyths toy store and a few other shops. After buying some bread rolls we headed back to the river where children were swimming and playing, so I let TJ paddle in the river to cool down for a few minutes before scooting his way back up to the campsite.

When we arrived back at the campsite there was 3 x color coordinated VW campers. 

Seeing the different tents and camper vans was amazing. and the mini community that is built once you pitch your tent.

There was two different bathroom blocks with one having washing facilities. These blocks were immaculate and with an entry code which was easy to remember to be used after 5pm it helped keep the campers happy. 

There was 4 shower cubicles, 6 toilet cubicles. and 6 sinks in one shower block. 

When we started cooking on the BBQ we were asked to use a few bricks underneath to stop the grass from being burnt which I could understand why as the grass was kept very nice.

The only downside about this campsite was the noise after the sun went down although the other neighbors didn't seem to mind to much. 

When the sun came up we were up and ready packing the tent and heading out before 8am. 

The play area in the garden..

Cutting the grass in my house is always left to me and lately it seems to be the only place I can get peace and quiet.

The Grass grows very quickly in my garden which it seems like we've been putting miracle grow on as yesterdays length was ridiculous and up to my knees in two weeks.

Once the grass was cut and tidied up the next task was to move TJ's play equipment so it could hidden by this amazing camouflage net.

TJ requested for the slide to be facing the fort, instead we had to face it in the opposite direction towards the back fence.

We then attached the rope with steps to the middle of the climbing frame so TJ could climb up and down the middle as well as swing around the inside of the frame.

From the side of the climbing frame TJ can climb on to the front deck of the fort without touching the floor. 

The next step in preparing his area in the garden is to add a basket ball post and a few paving slabs possibly 3x3 and a fence to keep the dogs out of his area.
As this happens I will post up and review but as I've been such a busy bee lately I'm sure it will be step by step.

I guess I'm the person that loves to take pictures of nature in the family....Why not?!

I love taking photos when I'm on a dog walk and I guess now that its spring weather I'm loving the plants more.

The plants in the pictures below are ones I've taken either in my back garden or along the woodland walk with my galaxy s7 which in my opinion takes fantastic pictures. 

Cutting back the lavender

So this week other then being at work, I decided to take on the big challenge of sorting out parts of the garden for winter.
I managed to cut the grass which seemed to take forever and a day as it was damp. As well as cutting back the lavender. Now I've never cut the lavender back before now so I'm not sure how low I shouldve gone, but I still have some green showing on the top so I gave it a shorter at the sides and a little longer on the top kinda cut. It looks so much neater but hopefully it will survive.

Next on the task was to burn all the lavender. It was damp when I started burning and not to windy, so I checked the neighbours gardens to make sure no washing was out and I let loose on the burning bin.

Warwick castle

An almost 3 hour journey from home took my mom, TJ and myself to many adventures in Warwick yesterday.
From amazing countryside (not that I don't see it everyday) to tudor houses.
For myself I love architecture and how over the years it evolved.
Warwick Castle in itself full of pleasant surprises with various collections of furniture dating 100's of years. One of my favourite pieces being the child's suit of armour although this would not have been used on the battlefield, it was amazing to see how tiny the 6 yr old suit was.

Whilst one half of the castle was decorated for medieval times , the other half was decorated early 1800's with models in each room displaying the various clothing that would have been worn. 

I found whilst walking around the castle there were very few notices about the building or information to read about who, why, what, and when it was made. Although there was a time tower which was a little informative on how the castle was passed down from person to person and for what purpose it was made.

The famous Poole Quay bike night

Every week during the summer bike night is held on the Quay. There are has been in the past over 800 bikes on the Quay. Although I cannot ride a motor bike I love to look at them. I find the shapes and sounds amazing. 

I liked this one just for the shape and color and although hearing the engine roar I can understand why its owner wasnt far away. I wouldnt want to leave mine for long if I had something like it either.

When we arrived it was just gone 530pm. The photos were taken just after 9pm and as you can see by the amount of people the bike night is very popular.

View of small part of the harbour