I always have a lot of questions about accommodati I always have a lot of questions about accommodation when we stay anywhere as a family so I thought I’d share this little tour of our room at @windjammerlanding which was a pretty perfect place to stay.

It’s the ‘Ocean View Two Bedroom’ which was like a little house, with an upstairs and downstairs, built into the hillside. Both rooms had outdoor space and their own shower rooms. Such a great option for a family.
A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. A little photo dump from our holiday in St Lucia. We’ve been back a few days now but still miss the heat, the food, the pool, the constant sounds of wildlife and the lovely people. It was such a great holiday and I’m sure we’ll be back one day.
And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is And just like that, Athena is 12! What a joy it is watching her grow and what a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We could not be more proud. Love you Pickle, have a great birthday.
We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in S We’ve just got back from two glorious weeks in St Lucia staying at @windjammerlanding and it was just the holiday we needed. Two weeks of sunshine and relaxation in what must be one of the most beautiful islands in the world. 

We can’t wait to go back again in the future. Here’s just a little snippet of our trip.
AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @na AD - Press Tickets | We had such a nice day at @national_motor_museum despite the rain! The children loved the Little Beaulieu play area and we loved exploring the National Motor Museum and Top Gear exhibit before having a ride on the monorail! We went on an old open topped bus, explored the Beaulieu Manor House and loved the gardens. 
Beaulieu is always a great day out - whatever the weather. This summer they have a whole ‘Summer of Fun’ planned, with activities most days - parades, bird shows and hundreds of sculptures within the grounds too. If you’re looking for a day out this summer definitely think about heading to Beaulieu.
AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to t AD - Press Tickets | Tonight we took the kids to their first concert - but it was so much more than just a concert! @abbavoyage is incredible. With CGI ABBA and a live band, it’s like being at an ABBA concert 40 years ago but with modern lighting, effects and sound. ABBA look and sound real, it’s a mind blowing experience.
The set includes all the songs you know and love as well as a few less familiar ones.
You can’t take photos during the show which actually made a refreshing change. A whole arena focused purely on the show and soaking up the moment. It’s definitely something the four of us will always remember.
Now, I’m off to sing Dancing Queen all the way home.
AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdo AD - Press Trip | We had such a great day at @phdockyard today. They have a fantastic Ultimate Explorer ticket that lets you visit all the attractions as many times as you like for 12 months - and after a day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard we can see that you need more than one day to really do everything!

We explored HMS Warrior, HMS Victory and the Mary Rose Exhibition - which is incredible! We also saw where ships are built and restored and spent time in Action Stations where the kids climbed and did an assault course.

Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is such a fun, educational day out with something for all ages - we can’t wait to go on their harbour tours next time we visit!
AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To cel AD | WIN!! Would you love to win a holiday? To celebrate #100YearOfARoads National Highways have launched their #ARoadsToSummer competition! It's all about celebrating summer holiday moments, time together, fun in the sun, days out and more.

So why not be in it to win it? To enter, all you have to do is send @nationalhways a DM on here with a photo or video of your favourite holiday moments. You can also comment on their Facebook or Twitter #ARoadsToSummer posts with your holiday photos. I've shared a few of our favourite photos to give you some inspiration.

The best six entries will each win a £500 @nationaltrust holidays voucher! SO what are you waiting for? Dig out your favourite holiday photos or take some new ones to share!

The #ARoadsToSummer competition runs from 24 July to 10 September 2023. Winners will be announced in September 2023.

Good luck!
Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. Oh these two! Every day I feel lucky to have them. As school draws to a close at lunchtime, I’m looking forward to a whole summer with them. My favourite people.

They’ve both had a great year at school this year. Troy’s first without his sister by his side and Athena’s first at secondary school. 

They both had great reports, always did their best and have made some really lovely new friends this year. I could not be more proud of them.

Now, let’s go and enjoy the next six weeks before school starts all over again!
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Days Out, Days Out and Attractions/Events, London, Reviews · September 8, 2021

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden – London

This summer, Buckingham Palace opened their gardens for the first time to allow visitors to have a picnic on the lawn of the most famous palace in the world. We’ve never been to Buckingham Palace, only ever seeing it through the gates. So, as soon as I saw that tickets were released I booked them – and couldn’t wait to visit.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

What is Buckingham Palace?

I’m sure most people know of Buckingham Palace and have a good picture of it in their minds. Buckingham Palace is the official London residence and administrative headquarters of the Queen of the United Kingdom. It’s the centre of many state occasions and over the years we have seen so many royals wave from that famous balcony at the front.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

When can you visit Buckingham Palace?

Part of the Royal Collection Trust, Buckingham Palace has always allowed tours of the State Rooms, The Queen’s Gallery and The Royal Mews but until 19th September you can visit the Buckingham Palace Gardens Thursday to Monday.

What happens when you visit the Buckingham Palace Garden?

When we arrived at the entrance to Buckingham Palace Garden, through the Royal Mews on Buckingham Palace Road, we walked through a gift shop and then had an airport style security experience before our visit began. This is standard practice at the Palace and also places with current royal connections like Windsor Castle.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

We started our trip walking through an exercise arena for the royal horses and picking up a garden trail for the children before coming straight out into the Palace garden. There were staff everywhere, saying a friendly hello and pointing us in the right direction. There was a real buzz, it’s such a happy day out.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

What can you see in the Buckingham Palace Garden?

When you visit the Buckingham Palace Garden you can explore the whole of the Great Lawn with Buckingham Palace as the backdrop. The first time we saw the palace we were blown away. It’s an incredible sight.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London
A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London
A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

The Great Lawn is well known to most people as home to The Queen’s Garden Parties. Around eight thousand guests attend each one – wouldn’t that be amazing to be invited to? The Great Lawn was originally formal gardens, with lines of trees and walkways but it was changed to a more natural garden by George IV.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

You can also walk along the 156 metre Herbaceous Border which contains a really diverse collection of plants. Each week when the Queen is at the Palace, she is given a bouquet of flowers from this border for in her room. It’s so nice that the flowers get to be enjoyed both inside and outside of the Palace.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London
A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

Another big focal point of the gardens is the lake, easily viewed from anywhere on the Great Lawn. The artificial lake covers 3.5 acres and once, during Queen Victoria’s reign, there was a fountain in the middle. Back then it was used for royal ice skating parties when it froze in the winter!

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London
A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London
A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

Some areas of the garden – like the Rose Garden and wildflower meadow – are only accessible through pre-booked guided tours. Spaces are limited and do book up quickly. We decided not to book as we didn’t know if the children would find it very interesting and so just explored the areas allowed on our standard ticket.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

Is there a cafe at the Buckingham Palace Garden?

We took a picnic with us to the gardens and enjoyed it on the lawn, people watching and enjoying the view of Buckingham Palace. As well as the vast lawn, there were also shelters set up in case the weather turned. It’s so nice that they’d thought of shelter for guests!

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London
A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

There are also other options catering available if you didn’t want to bring a picnic. There are various refreshment stands available right in front of the Palace, including the Garden Cafe, selling everything from hot and cold drinks to cakes, sandwiches and ice cream. There’s even afternoon tea selections available.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London - Ice Cream Menu
A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London - The Garden Cafe menu

There’s also a pretty impressive toilet block – considering it’s in a marquee style tent. The toilets were super clean and felt more like a really upmarket hotel rather than a temporary toilet block at a tourist attraction. There were baby change facilities and accessible toilets too.

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London - Toilets

We spent a couple of hours at the Buckingham Palace Garden and had a great time. It was so nice to do something that we’ll probably never do again and it was such a nice addition to our mini-break in London. I’m so glad we got to explore Buckingham Palace Garden and hope they open the gardens again next year for more people to experience it too.

You can find out more and book garden tickets and tours over on the Buckingham Palace website and for reference the address is: Buckingham Palace, London SW1A 1AA

You can see a video of our trip to Buckingham Palace Gardens here:

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A post shared by Donna – What the Redhead Said (@genuineplacebo84)

A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London
A Picnic at Buckingham Palace Garden - London

In: Days Out, Days Out and Attractions/Events, London, Reviews

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Hi everyone! I'm Donna. Mummy. Blogger. Social Media Manager. Traveller. Lover of stars, rainbows and gin. Firm believer that tea and cake can fix most things.

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