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This day I love.......

We were invited to an event in London with Sudocrem who kindly provided travel so we could attend. We have not been asked to write a post or share our day but I wanted to do so to document my experience.

I was excited to take Little Man to London. It is rare I can travel with just one of my children and given his love for trains and buses I was so excited to see his face. I wasn't disappointed either. He was as good as gold on the train, he loved looking out the window and was just amazed that he was on a train! 

We were attending an event for Sudocrem who have launched a new my Little Sudocrem that is perfect for little green fingers. The perfect size to pop in your bag or even your pocket and with all the same properties to treat and soothe skin exposed to a harsh day. 


The event took place at Clifton Nurseries which was a real hidden gem in the centre of London. I couldn't believe such an amazing and colourful place existed in central London, completely hidden and surrounded by the tall houses on all sides. It was just a feast for all the senses. 


We were treated to a story all about growing seeds and even got the chance to plant our our sunflowers. I was shocked to discover that 73% of children had never grown a sunflower and only 6% had ever eaten a pea from a a pod! This is something we do every year so it never occurred to me that some children do not. Little Man loved pulling the carrots from the ground and planting his own sunflower, which has just started to sprout on the kitchen window. Great British Bake off winner Frances Quinn created a stunning cake and even gave us a signed copy of her book.


We unfortunately had to leave a little early as we had to get back to pick the girls up from school. Although it was a whistle stop tour it was really beautiful and we are so grateful to have been invited.


Here is a quick look at our day


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May bank holiday always starts off with celebration, my youngest daughters birthday. 


Perhaps the best start to any bank holiday is birthday cake and one with colourful buttercream and unicorns! She was incredibly pleased with her cake and her presents. Her party had been the day before so we celebrated at home after school on Friday night, and perhaps ate far too much cake.


Saturday saw another celebration. My daughters 10th adult parkrun and my 50th. It has taken 3 years to get to this point so feels a long time coming. 


The sun as shining and it was such a beautiful day. My eldest daughter did a sprint walk, as per usual, and so no PB's were set but it was just a beautiful morning. 




The beautiful weather was also the perfect excuse to play in the allotment too.


I think Little Man would have spent all day digging if we let him!


Sunday was as beautiful as Saturday and the warm weather continued. I had a local race in the morning which I struggled with the heat but loved the route. I love this picture taken by fellow runner and photographer Steve Frith. He is fundraising for Mountain rescue at the moment so any donations are appreciated. 


After my run the kids wanted to go on a bike ride so we headed back to the beautiful grounds of Nostell Priory to take advantage of their bike tracks.


A stunning 5km bike ride through the bluebells and the woods. Followed afterwards by a treat of an ice cream in the cafe.


The good weather continued into Monday and another visit to Grandma and Grandad house, and a chance to play once again in the allotment. 


All three of my children love the car Grandad made for them and Little Man has now worked out how to drive it. He's not the safest of drivers so his big sister does help him!

Before the sunset on a wonderful Bank holiday I managed to squeeze in one more run. How beautiful is that view!


With the kids successfully worn out from three very sunny days filled with fresh air and out door play we could then unwind on an evening and play the Pointless mini Game.


Similar to the TV show, which we are all huge fans of, the game looks for the answer with the lowest score. Each card contains a question and 5 possible answers but in cryptic format. Work out the answer which you think has the lowest score. There are 6 rounds to play and the overall lowest score wins. With 120 cards it is difficult to remember which answers score the fewest points. I would say the game is for over 12s as some the questions are fairly tricky! Good fun to play when the kids are in bed and a great way to unwind after the bank holiday.

We are looking forward to the next May bank holiday, not long to go!

The pointless game was sent for inclusion in the post. all words are my own opinion. 

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Ever since the postman delivered the Little Tikes Splash Face the girls have been itching to get outside and play. The problem however has been the weather. Snow, grey skies, rain and wind not to mention the cold temperatures are not the ideal condition for playing with a game in which you get very wet. So we waited and waited some more.

Yesterday it seems the weather Gods were looking down on us in favour. The sun shone. The temperature went above 20 and the wind was non existent. Perfect. The girls came home from school and were so happy to see I'd assembled Splash Face ready for them to play. It only took a quick 5 mins and the only tool I needed was a screwdriver. Off into the garden we went.


I used a hammer to ensure the pegs stayed in the ground, this was to make sure splash face stayed upright with all the tugging during the game and then I went to get the hose pipe. Here we encountered our one and only issue. The connector supplied on the Splash Face didn't fit with out hose pipe. The engineer in me wasn't going to be beaten. I rummaged around the kitchen found some electrical tape and wooden skewers and before you knew it I'd fashioned a fix to make the hose pipe stay in place.


Although only a temporary fix as I shall go and purchase a connector to ensure longer play. It mattered not. The girls began tugging and splashing each other. As they tugged the other got squirted with water. Much to the delight of their sibling. The garden was filled with shrieks of delight. Little man trying to get in on the fun too.


A temporary fix is just that, temporary. I had to keep putting the hose back on but that's no fault of Little Tikes, simply I need a different adaptor. The girls soaked to the bone but with huge smiles and lots of giggles. Little Man kept running off with the hose pipe and trying to get in on the fun.

Splash Face was certainly worth the wait. The girls loved it. Little man loved it. I best get to the garden centre and buy an adaptor so they can play for longer. I can see it featuring heavily in our garden during the warm weather.
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I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do what I do for a living. When it is 2am and I am sat at my computer writing blog posts or editing photos it never feels like work. It feels right. When I go out to meet a family or a couple or a client for a photo shoot my camera feels a part of me, like it was meant to be there. Time simply flies. Even editing the photos late into the night, I just loose track of time.

I wouldn't change any of it. Of course I want to improve and increase my skill set, but I can never see me not holding my camera or writing this blog. My passion has always been capturing the story as it unfolds. Both my blog and my photography allow me to do this. With 3 children I now have hundreds of photos which tell the story of their childhood.

I need to get this on a sign for my husbands office! This is exactly how he feels about his job as an Ag teacher and  FFA advisor.

Looking back through all the photos is simply wonderful. It brings back feelings and emotions from the time. I cannot believe how much more children have grown and changed in such a short space of time. A memory came on my time line of my eldest daughter talking about colours. In the video she is 2, but it feels like yesterday.

Many of these memories are proudly displayed on the walls of my house. Some I even turn into photo books but many others are waiting to be displayed. Finding wall space is one issue, but also working out which image to use as I have so many favourites.


Up until recently I had no idea that you could print your photo onto metal so that the image can be hung outside if you wish. This has been a real game changer as it has opened up more possibilities. The ability to print some of my treasured memories onto metal means I can begin to transform our outdoor space, so that it becomes an extension of indoors.

The girls can choose some of their favourite images too which we can then use to hang in the fairy garden. We can also add splashes of colour onto the walls of the sheltered seating area. 

I sent the above image to Hello Canvas to do just that. Create a metal outdoor image to hang in the outdoor seating area. The whole ordering process was quick and simple, the hardest part was working out what image to use. A swift delivery followed, and my beautiful metal print was ready to be hung outside. Unfortunately what also followed was rather a lot of snow, several days of the children off school and now a rather cold snap meaning I have not had time to hang it up outside yet.

I cannot wait until the weather becomes brighter so I can get outside to hang my print up. The colours are bright and bold. I opted for a high gloss look so it has a premium shine to it. The print feels excellent quality and strong enough to withhold whatever the weather throws at it. In fact when I look at it I cannot tell it is printed onto metal.



The print I chose is 20x30cm and is really light weight. There are other sizes available too. On the black are holes ready for the print to be hung up, so there is no messing around and you can hang it up straight from delivery. All I need now is some nice weather to be able to get outside!

Thanks to Hello Canvas for sending the print in exchange for this post, I really cannot wait to hang it up and add a splash of colour to our garden seating area!

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This year I have been trying to make more of a conscious effort to shop more ethically, or at the very least be more ethically aware. Making little swaps, like buying vegetables not wrapped in plastic, to slightly bigger swaps, using quorn or meat substitutes at home instead of meat. In addition we are trying to reduce waste, by using our compost bin more and grow some of our own vegetables. We have partnered with Suttons, online gardening retailers and advocates of grow your own vegetables, to look at some of the other trends in food and drink this year

Guilt-free alcohol

Alcohol often crops up now and then in our diets, for some more than others. However, we are becoming more health conscious and calorie counting doesn’t go well with a taste for liquor…
But, not to worry, guilt-free drinking is on its way. This new trend allows us to drink and be sociable without consuming extra calories. The low-calorie option amongst alcoholic drinks has been a rising segment for many years and will continue to grow as we increasingly monitor what we eat and drink.

It's already popping up here and there. You might have seen low-calorie beer on the shelves for example. Now, 78% of bars offer cocktails which is up 12% on 2016 — driven by social media and people’s willingness to post photos of their fancy drinks. Zach Sasser, a head bartender, predicts that ingredients such as beetroot juice, kale and pureed carrots will be popular. “Going into this health-conscious age that we live in, I believe integration is inevitable,” he says.

We might see healthier additions included in our cocktails too. In one survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association, 700 chefs were surveyed on what they think the latest culinary trends may be. They said that the relationship between the bar and the kitchen is to become stronger. Can we expect vegetable-infused cocktails in 2018?

Make room for more mushrooms

Scientists have discovered that mushrooms are better for us than we once thought, and it’s down to our ‘adaptogenic’ compounds. These compounds have anti-stress and anti-cancer properties. In fact, Food Navigator found that year-on-year sales of food products that include medicinal mushrooms have risen between an outstanding 200-800%, depending on the variety.

Experts are predicting that the mushroom market will be worth over £37 million in six years. Making its way into the food and drink sector through mushroom-infused coffees and mushroom smoothies, many cafes and retailers are already profiting from the trend.

The use of the mushroom is not limited to foodstuffs either. We can expect to see the ingredient on the labels of our hair and beauty products too. Different species of mushrooms are chosen for their varying properties — for example shiitake mushrooms are known for their richness in antioxidants and high vitamin D content, and the reishi mushroom is selected for its anti-inflammatory properties.

More non-meat eaters

More people are removing meat from their diet in a bid to help the environment. In fact, the number of vegans in the UK has risen by 350% in the past decade — predominantly driven by the younger market, with half of those opting for this diet falling between the ages of 15 and 34. At home we have been adopting a flexitarian diet — primarily vegetarian with meat and fish occasionally.

It’s possible that more plant-based ‘meats’ will be available to us. An example of this is an innovation called Beyond Meat. This could come in the form of burgers or fried food. Expect to see other indulgent food too, such as extravagant vegan desserts.

Smoothies and plant-based workout fuel 

Smoothies were big in 2017, you might’ve noticed an abundance of them on social media. Finely ground tea leaves, matcha and powdered super vegetables such as kale, spirulina and spinach have been popular too — their texture making it easy to add to soups, smoothies and salads. Registered dietician, Abbey Sharpe, explains their popularity: “I think people love a quick way to get in their healthy-eating fix, and powdered substances are seen as an easy way to pack in the nutrition.”

As part of the new craze, it’s likely that we’ll see more plant-based proteins. One of the newest forms of this is pea protein which has many benefits including its neutral taste — making it favourable for regular consumption.

Taking to the gardens

One prediction for this year’s food trends is more people growing their own produce. Brexit is already changing our views on food shopping. In April 2017, one in five said that they were more likely to buy British food after leaving the EU to support the economy. However, this was dependent on pricing, and if prices rise, many will go for cheaper alternatives.

In 2016, we witnessed first-hand the implications of relying on imports. Vegetable prices rose by 6.6% and this was explained by climate problems in Europe which led to shortages in some items. Can we risk facing these soaring prices again? Many think not. Instead, keen and amateur gardeners are heading to their back yards to plant their own vegetable plants and seeds and it’s expected that this trend will continue. 

What are your predictions for healthy food trends in 2018?
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Under the kids play centre is a patch of grass that just won't grow.  Well, parts of it will and then the problem is we simply cannot get the lawn mower to it.  It seems to just go to waste, and given it is a nice shaded space we wanted to make more use out of it.

I am a big believer in planting plants for purpose, to bring wildlife into the garden or for food.  I also really like wild flowers as they seem to really encourage insects into the garden.  For some time I have been thinking how to incorporate all of this together, and yet still have a usable space for the kids to enjoy.  The idea of a fairy garden was born.

First I sourced some tree stumps to make a circle with.  These act as seats for the girls, Little Man and their friends to sit on.  You can also see in this picture how patchy the grass is.  Then began the tricky part working out what to plant.  We began by sprinkling some wildflower seeds, before planting some bulbs ready for next year.


Next we added a selection of fairies and toadstools.


The girls love that our fairies even have a magic door.  They believe that at night the fairies come and help the plants grow in the garden.  I feel our fairy door is going to add a real magical element to our garden.


The girls made sure all the fairies had homes and that they were in the proper place.  They love to sit on their wooden steps and make up games with the fairies.


After making sure the fairies all had a place to live it was time to do the same for the bees.  We gathered up twigs and cane and begun work on the bee hotel.


The bee hotels have been hung just above our fairy garden and we hope it will help encourage bees to visit, along with the flowers.

By just making a few little changes we have managed to transform a piece of unloved garden into a much loved fairy garden.  We are looking forward to watching our bulbs grow and the garden change over the seasons!

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I love how it is starting to warm up.  Given the nice weather there can only be one place to spend it, in the garden.  This also gave me plenty of opportunity to play with the camera and practise with the different settings.  I love watching and capturing the moment and having the camera with me gave me chance to watch the girls and the dogs play.










I love this collection of photos as it sums up our weekend.  Full of fun, laughter and food we probably should not be eating.  I really am looking forward to more sunny weather and watching Little Man play in the garden too!

This day I love a sunny weekend
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For several years I have been wanting to grow more fruit, veg and herbs in the garden.  We always seem to get the timings wrong and before we know it winter arrives.  Determined not to miss out again this year I planned to make a start on our herb garden this weekend.  It was almost as if Piccolo knew of my plans, as in the post arrived some seeds!  


Using the special Piccolo pencil, which contains rosemary seeds in the base, my youngest practised her writing by writing the labels for our pots.


The girls then got to work filling up their plant pots with compost.


We planted a variety of different herbs and the girls were amazed at the different shapes, sizes and colours of all the seeds.  They started tearing open the packets very carefully just in case the seeds inside were very small. 


Our seeds [and pencil] were all carefully planted and watered, before placing in a warm sunny place waiting for them to grow.


My eldest has already declared she is going to be making mint chocolate, and I cannot wait to use fresh herbs in my cooking too!

This day I love watching them grow

Piccolo sent a packet of seeds and the pencil but did not request a post.  I purchased everything else other than 1 packet of seeds! 


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There is something wonderful about watching a child's imagination unfold right in front of you.  As they dress up and become that character.  Magic pours from their fingertips and everything they touch glitters.  


Watching my youngest daughter run around the garden as she pretended to be a fairy, and watch her face light up as she sprinkled magic and fairy dust over the garden was simply wonderful.


Gracefully walking between the plants, her sparkly red and silver wings behind her.  Her hand gripping her sparkling wand tightly.


Gorgeous detailing on her dress from Pretend to bee of roses and flowers, you can see where her inspiration came from to be a flower fairy.


The wind lightly blowing her dress, it was perfect for twirling and running in.  During the summer and warmer months she will be able to not wear a t-shirt under the dress, but for now she needed the warmth.


As the evening began to draw in there was just enough time to stand in her castle and admire the garden and everywhere her magic had touched.


Thank you to Pretend to bee for sending my daughter this fairy dress.  There is a wonderful fairy giveaway over on their Facebook page.  All words are my own opinion. 
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About me

About Me

Welcome to This Day I love.

My name is Leyla, also known as Mum to my 3 humans and dog Mum to J. I have a passion for the outdoors and love to run. I can often be found off road exploring the trails and fells and covering distances all the way up to 50 miles. As a family we love travelling and discovering new adventures, as I try and run around the world!

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