Autumn - The Gallery

I love Autumn, I think it is my favourite season, so when Tara at Stickyfingers said this weeks Gallery was about seasons - I was made up.

Originally, when I was young it was because my birthday was in October and the new school started in September. This was reason enough to love the season. Nothing to do with the colours and the beauty of this time of year.

Now for me, Autumn stills starts at the beginning of the school year, I send my eldest off in her new uniform all smart and shiny and bright.

Then it is my youngest's birthday, so still about the birthdays.

Then mine, I have no photo recording this so instead I will put one of the pictures that symbolise autumn for me.

Nice weather for ducks!

Then, of course comes pumpkins and Halloween

and conker hunts.

At this time of year my road looks gorgeous.

And for me Autumn finishes on Bonfire Night...

Now roll on the cold winter, where it's all about Christmas and being cosy. (Love that too...)

The Gallery - Show me the Funny

I was thinking about doing a Halloween blog to show off all the fab photo's of the kids my husband and I took of the kids (I can't take full credit this week as husband has been doing quite a lot of the photography as I have been a bit poorly...ahhhh..full sympathy please), but then I remembered the theme for this weeks Gallery - marvellous.

So here we go. My Children went to the pumpkin farm this (see below) was here. Now, I find this funny, and I am gutted I missed it.

They also went to Kenilworth Castle. What concerns me is what my daughter is doing to the boy next to her. OMG she is 7 where did she learn that - put that boy down!!!!!

 Back at the pumpkin farm...Mr Pumpkin Head

And finally, here is my little witch enjoying her potions a little too much....

Hope we have made you giggle.

Why I don't like Disneyland

Am I weird? OK all those who know me don't answer that.

Am I the only person in the world who doesn't like the corporate giant that is Disney?

I have just got back from Euro Disney; I went with a grumble in my heart, comfortable shoes and tales of very expensive food. They were not kidding about the food. A meal for 2 adults and 2 children cost a hundred pounds a pop! This is extortion. They have you captured in this strange little world and there is no way out. Talk about feeling trapped!

I tried to have an open mind but queuing for everything really annoys me at the best of times, but when I have paid a fortune for the privilege of being there.... and then there is the piped music, ugh, ugh, ugh...I mean, really? I wouldn't mind if was varied but no, the same songs over and over again.


Then there are the shops. So many shops. You have to walk about half a mile through shops before you even see a ride, and then my 3 and 6 year old really only had a choice of about 8 rides that they could go on.

In true grumpy old woman style; I was disgusted and appalled.

Everybody said to me but, ah..the children you will see their little faces light up etc etc... I have seen my 6 year olds face light up more when she has discovered a snail in the garden. In fact when I asked her what she thought at the end of the holiday, her response was 'it was alright'. I tried to get her to elaborate, and she did like the Peter Pan Ride 'because you could see lots of shadows in the town'.

We were there for Halloween and were really looking forward to the parade, but even that caught my daughter off guard and scared her (I think it was the dancing Nightmare before Christmas fella), so she wouldn't watch that anymore.

I have just asked her again, if she thought it was magical there, and she said 'Yes, because I saw fairy dust on the floor and Tinkerbell'. The trouble is I know that’s down to her own imagination and has absolutely nothing to do with Disney.

Then there was the Hotel. We stayed in the Disney Hotel, it smelt odd...artificial, like air freshener or shake 'n vac. The TV in the room had no volume control, so we couldn't watch it quietly when the kids went to sleep, and there were no coffee and tea making things in the room. I paid a FORTUNE to stay in this hotel and no coffee in my room! The good things about the hotel where; the staff, they were lovely and really helpful, the breakfast was great, and the magic hour, where we got to go into the park an hour before everybody else.


Why did I go in the first place, it's a long story but I made my eldest daughter a promise. Do I regret going? No, I think I had to experience it for myself, and I really enjoyed all the time with my family, but in terms of value for money against magical memorable moments like they promise in the adverts ... hmmm not really.


Finally, and what highlighted the scary commercialism of it all, we left on the 1st November and saw Disneyland changed from Halloween to Christmas, overnight.