Tag: Essex

My brother really likes going to plays. This was something I did not know until he came to visit me in England – he’s become so cultured. Who knew. So, when searching through The Stage Stortford’s booklet that comes through our door every month, he picked out a few plays that caught his eye, the first one being Shackleton’s Carpenter. I didn’t know much about the play, but grabbed some tickets and set out with him and Dann to attend.

I’ve not actually been to a local play or a larger London based play since coming to England. In school, we use to take big trips to bigger cities, in order to see large plays around Christmas. These always had tons of actors, loads of scenes, different backgrounds, etc. Going to a local play, I had no idea what to expect. Shackleton’s Carpenter is a play done entirely by a single actor – which is already an amazing feat. Talking to ghosts and random members of the audience, Harry McNish tells his tale of being the only man who challenged the boss who manned their ship on the Antarctic ice floes.

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[Ad- gifted experience] If you’ve got smaller children in your family, I am sure you know that they really love music. There is just something about music that children gravitate towards, especially as they are younger. Megson, a British folk duo, have just released a new album and is currently is touring around England. We were lucky enough to see their live show, which is a wonderful family tour, as well as get their album and coloring book.

Going to see their live show, I had not been to a children’s concert since I was a child myself and I was pretty excited. Megson play a mix of original songs and classical favorites, providing some stuff I did know and plenty I didn’t. At their Colchester concert, the music was a great pitch and the stage was set well. There is a big area at the front full of pillows and soft cushions for children to sit at, with chairs more towards the back for those who wanted them. Children were encouraged to dance and sing along, as well as taught about various instruments and even a little sign language.

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It’s not a secret that Jupiter loves farm animals. She grew up in farm town, upstate NY, where a variety of animals were just always around. Coming to England and living in London, there just isn’t many farms to explore. That’s why she loves going to places like Pet’s Corner.

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If you haven’t noticed, the kids really love dinosaurs – especially the youngest, Robin. This summer was all about new experiences for the three of them, and one of them was going off to play mini-golf. As a kid, Jupiter grew up in a very small town, which had it’s own mini-golf course as the major town nearby had quite a few. Going to mini-golf was something she did often and even played as apart of my school’s summer rec program. When looking for mini-golf, Jurassic Falls Adventure Golf seemed like the best option.

With all three kids in tow, we went off to Jurassic Falls. They have a mini-golf course that can be played through in about an hour, as well as a big climbing thing for older children. The climbing range is quite interesting, but Robin is just too small to go on it, so we skipped it this time around opting for just the Jurassic Falls golf. We grabbed our golf balls and clubs, then set off.

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When Jupiter first moved to England, she lived by the sea side. Each day, she could hear the waves from her window and almost taste the salt in the air. She loves the ocean, the soft sand and the feel of the beach. As it is summertime, and Walton-on-the-Naze is so close, we just had to have a day out to the beach.

The children were pretty excited about a beach day, so we packed a picnic lunch and set off in the morning to get to the beach! The drive there wasn’t too long, but when we arrived everyone was ready to eat some food before taking on the large jungle gym that we parked by.

Continue reading “A Day at the Beach: Walton-on-the-Naze” →