Bournemouth is one of my favorite places here in England. I know it does not boast with as much history as London nor it is quirky like some villages but I still love it. Maybe because it's not too far from where we live, it has a 7-mile beach and a huge and lovely park. There's always something to do here. That's why our visits are always pleasant and we always end the day with a smile. Parking is never a problem, no matter when and what time you decide to come here!
The high street
Beach huts that you could either hire or buy
impressive sand castle
lazy afternoon picnic after the air show
The beach obviously reminds me of Pinas, though the water is cold most of the year, ewan ko ba... there is something about being close to the water that calms me and makes me feel happy.
I have to admit we've not visited Bournemouth as often as we would like. But the Air festival was too good to miss, and we know that Poj would love the airplanes and picnic =) We have to plan our next visit before the winter season. x
The Bournemouth Air Festival is an annual air show held along the coast of Bournemouth. This is a free event which features aircraft from the Royal Air force and the Royal Navy. The first air show was in 2008 & we were among the first ones who enjoyed that event. We didn't go last year as it was rainy and Poj was too little. But we knew he's old enough to enjoy the show this year & he did!
The Red Arrows
It was a proper boys' day out with picnic and planes. There are also a variety of interactive & informative attractions including Firefighters and Safety Equipment Fitters from RAF Odiham, life-sized Chinook Helicopter, an interactive weapons display, RAF caterers (we tasted their food & it was lovely) and a lot more.
super happy with his souvenir Red Arrows
After the event we went to the park to relax & enjoy a little picnic. It was a wonderful day & Poj had a blast!
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Unfortunately, one of the RAF Red Arrows pilot died when his plane crashed following the display. Flt Lt Jon Egging, Red 4 crashed near the Bournemouth Airport. Our deepest sympathy to his family and friends.
Alright, it's not really that exciting. It's not even that hi-tech either.
For the longest time Papa Erick knows that I want a water proof video cam. I wanted a small one that could take still underwater as well. He wouldn't budge coz he knows my mobile phone contract is up for renewal in November. He told me to get a phone with an HD video and decent still camera. He has a point there, but there aren't any waterproof phones out, is there?
I only wanted an inexpensive one that we could bring when we go swimming. And this minicamera came to the rescue. It's as small as a credit card, light as a feather (exage!) & is waterproof. It's not HD but for a tad over £20 (P 1400) I'd say it's not bad.
It's not for serious photography or anything like that. But with all the stuff that I need to pack with me whenever we go out (those with kids would know how much you need to pack for them!), I just need one that I could slid in my pocket and not worry too much about. I reckon this would do the job =) What do you think?
This was the last underwater pic of Poj, taken when he was under 1 (by a professional), hopefully with my new cam we would be able to take pics and video of him next time we go swimming =)
We bought this tri-scooter ages ago (syempre, nung nakita namin na sale sya!) round about the time we bought him his trains and new train tracks. Went a little Thomas gaga? You betcha! So we excitedly showed this to Poj and he completely ignored it. Tried to entice him by showing him how it works but he just wasn't buying any it. He was simply happy playing with his new train collection. It kept him happy and that's alright with us. After weeks of trying we decided that we will take it upstairs at the end of the day to wrap up for Christmas.
At parang adik na tulad ng kanyang Ama lol, kung kelan itatago ko na ay doon nya ito napansin! He asked me to open the box and set it all up, kept calling it "stooter." And so I did set it up for him and let him play with it thinking he was too young for it and would get bored pretty quickly. And how wrong was I? The boy was on a mission, stopping only after he finally knew how to do it properly. So after having a go several times and a couple of bruises later, tadaaaa! Scooter boy na ang Poj ko!
Now he goes around the block when we get home in the afternoon until I'm finished preparing dinner. Or minsan naman sa park. Medyo ambitious nung nakita yung skateboard rink sa park, "dun Ina, Ama!" Ok, medyo OA pero cute diba? Just explained to him that he needs to practice a bit more and when he's a little bit older we'll let him play there. Kalerky!
The Sky ride is a free cycling event where riders of all ages cycled the traffic-free 7.3km route through the city at their own pace. The event was sponsored by Sky and British Cycling, in partnership with Southampton City Council. The aim is to get one million more Britons cycling regularly by the end of 2013. The Sky ride is happening in different parts of the country & 14,000 people joined the Sky ride Southampton on 14th August. It was a whole day event, they even organized other activities and entertainment for everyone.
This year, nagdecide si Papa Erick na sumali, at syempre hindi pwedeng hindi kasama si Poj! It was such a gloriously sunny day and the boys had a lot of fun. Papa Erick decided to only do the morning route knowing that more than that would be too much for little Poj.
The day has inspired us to plan a cycling day out one weekend in the New Forest here in Hampshire. It'll be a cycling/picnic day out and we can't wait. We are just hoping for a sunny weekend in September to make it happen. And to all my friends who knows I can't cycle, may solusyon kami dyan - ang pagkabit ng trailer buggy! Papahuli ba naman ako? lol =)
I got this recipe ages ago from a magazine & have been making the cake every summer since then. And since I've received emails asking for the recipe, so here it is guys. Let me know how you got on.
1. Preheat the oven to 180℃. Put 100g hazelnuts on a baking tray and cook for 10 minuts until golden. Tip onto a clean tea towel and rub through the cloth, the papery skins should come off easily. Spread the nuts out on a large plate to cool. When cold, whizz in a processor or blender until ground, taking care not to over process and make them oily. Grease 2 loose-based 20cm sandwich tins and line the basses with baking paper.
2. Put the 4 egg whites (large) in a large mixing bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks. Add 1 tablespoon of caster sugar ang whisk until stiff again. Continue to add the sugar a tbsp at a time, whisking until stiff again after each addition until all the 225gcaster sugar have been incorporated. You should have a stiff, glossy meringue.
3. Whisk in 1teaspoon of white wine vinegar and a few drops of vanilla essence and then fold in the hazelnuts, using a large metal spoon. Take care not to knock the air out of the meringue. Divide the mixture between the tins and level the tops.
4. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Leave to cool in the tins for 10mins, then turn out onto a cooling rack and remove the paper. Leave until cold.
5. Whip 284ml double cream until it hold its shape. Set aside 8 berries, then slice the remainder of your 400g strawberries. Fill the cake with most of the cream & slices strawberries.
6. Decorate the top with the reserved strawberries, secured with blobs of cream.
Enjoy!
NB:
You can buy ground hazelnuts in some stores. Also, if you don't have a processor you can use the mortar and pestle. You can do this in advance if you like (coz this is the boring part) & store it in an airtight container & have it ready when you need it.
If you find that the strawberries you bought are sharp/sour, just slice them up, put them on a plate & sprinkle a bit of sugar on top. Leave this in the fridge for a while & your berries won't be so sharp anymore =) I used 9 strawberries to decorate instead of 8, wala lang- na OC lang ako!
I sometimes use sugar substitute so that I could share it with Papa Erick (diabetic) but I rely on tasting it before baking so I couldn't tell you the exact measurement.
Tuwing umaga ay merong pinapalabas na mga kiddie shows (ie Thomas & Friends, Peppa Pig, Mr Men etc) and ang tawag sa kanila ay Milkshake shows. At ngayong summer ay nasa Chessington World of Adventures ang ibang Milkshake characters para mag perform para sa mga bata - ang Milkshake Live!
40 minutes lang naman ang show, pero puno ito ng sayawan at kantahan. Nandun ang ilan sa mga favorite characters ni Poj. Ang ngiti at saya nya nung isa isa nang lumabas ang mga characters para makisaya - Priceless! (sayang nga lang kasi bawal ang pics & vids sa loob...)
Sinwerte kami dahil hindi gaanong matao sa Chessington (considering na summer vacation ng mga studyante ngayon dito) makulimlim kasi at umambon pa nga sa byahe namin papunta. Kaya't kahit late kami ay malapit pa rin ang aming na-parkingan, at maiksi pa ang pila sa show kaya't marami pang time sa hapon si Poj na sumakay sa mga rides pagkatapos ng Milkshake Live show. Hindi rin mahaba ang pila sa mga rides, kaya't andami pang nasakyan ni Poj kahit hapon na sya nagstart.
Sabi ni Poj '' Ama, heavy! '' lol
Ang favorite ride ni Poj
Ang batang pagod, bow!
Noong asa byahe na kami pauwi ay nagkekwento na sya ng mga nasakyan niyang train rides at tsaka sinabing.... "Ama, Ina... happy Jace" =)
We are taking advantage of the hot summer days... Dito kasi ay walang garantiya na kapag summer ay laging maaraw. Kaya't kapag maganda ang panahon ay dinadala namin si Poj sa mga iba't ibang parks malapit sa amin. Buti na lang at maraming mga parks dito kung saan libre kang makakatambay, magpicnic at may play area para sa mga bata.
Nakakatuwang panoorin ang mga bata kapag naglalaro. Lalo na kapag tumatawa at tumutili sila sa galak. Dito ay nakikita ko syang maki-interact with other kids. Dito ay natututo syang maging pasensyoso, dahil alam nyang kaylangan nyang magantay kung merong ibang gumagamit ng swing, slide o iba pang laruan. Nakakaaliw kapag natututunan nya kung paano paandarin ang mga laruan sa park. Andyan na rin ang pagintindi ng concept of sharing.... It's only now that i truly appreciate that children learn through play talaga at hindi lang sa mga libro...
I feel happy & complete... feelings that no amount of gadgets, jewelries or money could ever buy. It is true what they say, the best things in life are free! ❤❤❤
