Dann and I both really like going to cat cafes. We have gone to quite a few, in a few different countries, so we always keep our eye out for little cats in windows. While walking back to our hotel from a tourist stop, we spotted a cat in a window, which turned out to be a cat cafe! Miaoka Cat Cafe was quiet when we went in, as we came in at a strange time for a Monday I think, and so we had the place to ourselves.
The Harlow Chinese School does a cooking club every few months as a fundraiser for the school itself. It’s always a very community feeling thing, where Sun Yung teaches us all about a bit of food from Chinese culture, and we enjoy eating it and making it. This class is always very family friendly and enjoyable, without having to do too much cooking, and with a big focus on community and eating! This time, the course was very quick in time, as the summer rolls were the only thing that really needed cooking. They actually brought out some pre-made spring rolls to snack on, while we waited for ours to cook.
Continue reading “Harlow Chinese School – Spring and Summer Rolls”
[Ad- gifted experience] When it comes to nice weather, we are always looking for new activities to do out in the sun! We have been to Aqua Splash parks before, but had not taken the short drive to Lee Valley White Water Centre to try out their Water Wipeout! This course looked a little smaller than the ones we have previously been out too, but with that in mind, everyone said it was their absolute favorite.
When we arrived, it was easy to find on-site parking before checking in. This course does have a dress code, requiring everyone to wear a t-shirt and shorts over their swim outfit (though the boys had shorts as apart of their swim outfit) and shoes. At first, I found this to be a little strange, as I didn’t understand why we might need to wear all of this, but when we arrived we found that they have a wetsuit rental and water boots that you could put on, which was actually a really fun experience. There is something so cool about the water boots at Water Wipeout and they do help you run around the course without slipping.
We did not grab wetsuits, but did take advantage of their free, easy to use lockers on site and changed in the changing rooms they had as well. These lockers were extremely easy to use! The staff at Lee Valley White Water Centre in the Water Wipeout area was very helpful on the lockers and greater use of the facilities. But, let’s talk about the course itself. As previously mentioned, from the outside, the course did look smaller than others we have been on. This was actually as it was set up as two separate courses and the water itself wasn’t too-too deep, like it has been at other lakes.
The facilitator at Water Wipeout at Lee Valley White Water Centre explained that we could only have four people on each portion of the course at once, and needed to move from the start to the finish of each course. I must say, this movement flow and requirement really did make this course fee so much safer. There wasn’t a single time when a kid pushed another kid into the water or when someone rushing caused another to fall – the entire experience just felt so much calmer and better. They also have step-like access to get on to the start of each course, which honestly took a lot of the pressure off of all of our arms, as it is often the hardest part when getting back onto the course. These two big changes made this course so much fun!
Both of the courses at Water Wipeout were very different, with completely different sections, so it wasn’t long until our family had favorites. Kai liked that he could climb on top of the tunnel area of one part, where as Amelia and Robin both enjoyed not having to jump from pad to pad on one of the courses. We had a lot of fun going on that one over and over. After about half an hour, the facilitator started giving out challenges – for the children to hold hands while going through the course or to go through backwards (literally walking backwards!) which added more interested and fun!
We had a fantastic time at Water Wipeout at Lee Valley White Water Centre, and it was also neat seeing the other activities they had on in the area. We were interested in some of the kayaking and paddle boarding happening nearby, and will find ourselves back here soon.
You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!
When meeting up with a few friends in Milan, our friend Husky said “do you want to try the best Ramen of your life?” and, curious, Dann and I headed there. Sadly, they were heading off to the airport, but we were excited to try out what could be the best ramen ever. When we arrived at Takumi Ramen Kitchen, the atmosphere was fantastic. The internal decorations were cute, the waitress was nice, and we were excited to take on some lovely food.
We absolutely love to see new events and activities pop up near our house. The Wild Retreat, previously CRE8 where we glamped a few years back, is now under new management and is looking to build a more community vibe, with tons of fun activities out in nature. The Wild Retreat has starting running a monthly movie night, with their first movie being a fantastic choice; Inside Out. Though we have seen Inside Out before, it’s one of those movies we all very much enjoyed and wanted to see in a new environment.
Continue reading “Seeing Inside Out Under the Stars at The Wild Retreat”
