Gloucestershire

Problems with your Mini central locking? 3

This entry was posted in Car Gloucester and tagged driving Gloucestershire Mini on

About a year ago we bought an ASBO on wheels, also known as the BMW Mini R53, a 1.6 litre engine with a supercharger. It looks like a Granny car, especially in this pale metallic blue, but it’s far from it. It might be a twenty plus years old car, but it still really pulls. I adore classic Minis, always will, but with my health slowly declining, driving little Mavis really hurts. I feel every bump and can barely walk after an hour driving her. The nearest to the classic is the first generation BMW Mini – in size and character. We had the Mini One R50 for a while, size wise it wasn’t much bigger than the classic, and still had a lot of original Mini spirit, but this was the poverty spec of the first generation BMW Minis. The R53 is a Copper S, and it was built […]

Livestock festival is proper family fun 5

This entry was posted in Gloucester and tagged days out Gloucestershire live music Music festival on

Over the weekend we were lucky enough to go to Livestock Longdon festival. This is only it’s second year, but I’d only heard good things from last year so I was excited to go. Everywhere we drove in Gloucestershire recently we would see the advertising boards, and being an 80’s kid seeing Jason Donovan and Chesney Hawkes would be playing near home made me want to go even more. My lads have never been to a festival, and Livestock being local and small makes it a logical first festival in my opinion. Also I kept reading it was family friendly.   During the day time there were scheduled activities, like arts and crafts with Daisy the Fairy, a lady came in with snakes and lizards, bouncy castles, pony rides, a climbing wall, rugby tykes coaching skills, fairground rides, science sessions and more. For grown ups there was plenty of beverage […]

Getting hitched in Gloucestershire? 3

This entry was posted in Gloucester and tagged Gloucestershire hotel wedding on

If you proposed this Valentines or leap year it might be worth you popping along to the Hallmark hotel Gloucester. They are having a big open evening on March 10th between 6 and 8pm, that’s right, this Thursday. They will have their main wedding rooms set up so you can see what they are offering for those of you getting hitched. The good thing about the Gloucester Hallmark hotel is that it is licensed to have the wedding ceremony – you can do everything in one venue. The wedding itself, the reception, the meals, the discos. Your guests could stay in the hotel if they are too tipsy or tired to go home, and you could relax in the pool and sauna the day before if you wanted.

Are you an organ donor? 18

This entry was posted in Good Causes and tagged Gloucestershire health NHS on

Many years ago I signed up as an organ donor, but I had selected the bits I was willing to be taken. Medical science wasn’t bad when I was a teenager, but it had certainly improved these days. I’ve always felt that if you would consider accepting a donated organ for yourself or your family you should be registered yourself. Today was a normal day for us, we went to the rugby, Blokey and his mate are drinking a few pints, and Jen is munching on a pasty. Then the NHS  sign for life folks walked along – #SignForLife leaflets in hand and armed with Haribo hearts – looking for new recruits. Blokey wasn’t on the list and now we are both down as full donors. We’ve given them full permission for both of us, if we die they can use what is saveable. Apparently you can save up to […]

Dee diving of the high board.

Better Extreme trampoline park in Swindon 3

This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged fitness Gloucestershire Wiltshire on

The boys and I went to test out Better Extreme trampoline park in Swindon’s link centre* before it opened to the public. It’s now open. It was easy enough to get to, I had the satnav set to quickest journey time, Blokey had said “Oh it will be hell driving around there on a weekend. You’ll get stuck in the towns traffic and it’ll feel like London.” Sorry my dear, my smarty pants satnav sent me through villages and countryside not the town, it was pretty and a fun drive (except for a twisty 20MPH village) and I arrived a few minutes early. Me… early?! I wasn’t sure what to expect, I don’t like to research places before I attend, ruins the fun. The trampoline park was part of a large warehouse type building, with a swimming pool, a coffee shop, ice skating rink and a gym. If you’re bored there is […]

Brewers Fayre* does the Beano this half term 1

This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged Gloucestershire kids restaurants on

Brewers Fayre are upping their game for the children this February half term and are hosting a barrel load of Beano fun in selected restaurants. Your little folks get a rather cool Beano comic to keep them busy at the table, or they can play in the soft play areas. The play areas have recently been given a Beano themed makeover and they can also ask for a Beano balloon after their dinner if they fancy it. On Friday 19th and Saturday 20th at selected Brewers Fayres there will even be a disco. The toddlers party is scheduled from 9:30am until 3pm then the bigger kids are welcomed between 3:30pm to 7:30pm and costs just £3 per child. Full details of the restaurants that are hosting these discos will be online at Brewers Fayre from 2nd February, so bookmark it now if you are interested. What was the comic itself […]

Table Table

The Oakwood Table Table* at Twigworth

This entry was posted in Reviews and tagged Gloucestershire restaurants on

Around Christmas time we went to The Oakwood, a Table Table restaurant at Twigworth near Gloucester. It is just off the side of a busy road, but inside you don’t really notice the road noise so you can relax. We were met by a friendly young lady in a festive jumper and she showed us to our table. The boys are children but they usually order from the grown ups menus, not out of greed, but because they prefer more flavour and less fried food. Children get a Horrible Histories sticker book to keep them busy, I thought it might have been a 6 page miniature book, but it was a proper one, I’d estimate a £4 to £5 value for similar at a newsagent or book store so it really is worth asking for. This kept Jen so busy he almost forgot that we were here for dinner!

How to avoid a double glazing disaster 23

This entry was posted in DIY & home style and tagged cleaning Gloucestershire Repair windows on

As winter is approaching household repairs are on my mind. This house is always freezing in the winter but it improved a lot since we had new windows a few years back. What I know from shopping around is the prices vary wildly between double glazing companies, so does the quality of the product and the installation. To save you from a double glazing disaster, I thought I’d share a few tips to bear in mind when shopping for new double glazing. You get what you pay for

Outdoor fun in Gloucester 3

This entry was posted in Gloucester and tagged animals Country Kids Gloucestershire on

The last few days I’ve been forcing the kids outside. They are not the outside sort sadly, but I don’t want to stay in when it’s so warm. That and I need my legs to work well for the skydive which is coming around really soon. I still would love some support on JustGiving.com/JulieMM please. Sunday evening my lads and Blokey went to play “piggy in the middle” on the fields. Jen and Blokey are wearing Minions t-shirts by George*, they almost match.

The tall ships festival 1

This entry was posted in Gloucester and tagged boats docks Gloucestershire on

Gloucester is a quirky place normally but every now and then it gets a bit weirder. The tall ships festival is one of these times. Folk in pirate outfits, Victorian vagrants pretending to pickpocket, shanty singing choirs, market stalls, aquatic stunt teams, and of course the tall ships themselves. There is an entrance fee to the dock area during this festival, either £2 a day or £6 for the full weekend. The full pass allows you on the boats, queues permitting.

Brewers Fayre do lunchtime carvery now? 2

This entry was posted in Food and tagged Gloucestershire restaurants on

Apparently they do! This was news to me but a few days ago I was treated to lunch with my friend Joy. She was invited to attend I kind of tagged along  The restaurant is just off the M5 motorway at junction 9 Tewkesbury.  Not too far away from home,  but I think they are missing a trick not advertising it as motorway services – it’s closer to the road than most alleged “motorway services” where you seem to drive half a mile away from the slip roads. 

Repair before replace – easy ways to give new life to your windows 3

This entry was posted in DIY & home style and tagged Gloucestershire windows on

When the big lounge revamp was going on we discovered that the windows and back door were never fitted properly. To sort out this problem the chap we had in to decorate pulled away all the old trim and stuffed the gap between the wall and the window frame with sealant. Eight tubes of sealant later, and on went new thicker trim. Since then there has been a noticeable decrease in the draught. I realise of course that if the lounge windows were so badly fitted you can bet the rest of the house is just as bad. So as each room gets a decor update I will have to do the same in those rooms, except I’ll use expanding foam filler to block out the gaps fully. Some things I can’t do myself though, like adjusting the window runner bits so they close straight first time. This will have […]