March 2016 - Page 2 of 4

Natalie Ray March 26, 2016 Days out

Resorts World Birmingham with Children: Review

Last week, we were lucky enough to be invited to attend Resorts World Birmingham for a preview of their Very Hungry Caterpillar themed soft play and children’s menu. Resorts World Birmingham Before being invited to this event, I had no idea that Resorts World Birmingham even existed. It is quite literally a shopper’s dream. It is located on the same site as the NEC, a short walk from both Birmingham International train station and Birmingham airport with plenty of parking spaces available. There is an 11 screen cinema and 50 outlet stores, all of which sell goods from fantastic brands…

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Natalie Ray March 25, 2016 Lifestyle

And life went on

It was a balmy summer’s evening, still warm even as the sun set behind the hill. The sky was a dappled pink with light, wispy clouds floating on the sky like foam on a calm shore. The silence was broken only by the sound of birds whispering goodbye to the last light of day. From her mossy perch, she gazed down on the countryside she loved. Lowering herself backwards, she lay down, enjoying the peace and tranquillity. Relaxed, she allowed her thoughts to drift to times past, to the people whose lives had intertwined with hers. She remembered the days…

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Natalie Ray March 24, 2016 Our Thursday Photos

Thursday Photo #98

You may have noticed that my blog has had quite a big makeover this week. It has been several months coming, I wasn’t happy with my header or the overall look of the blog back at the end of last year. Determined to do something about it, I stripped it back to a completely minimalist theme. And that’s the way it stayed. Things got so chaotic here that the blog makeover went on hold. This week, I’ve finally found the time to redo it. What do you think? I know a lot of people pay somebody to design their blog, but…

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Natalie Ray March 23, 2016 Food and Drink

Co-op Easter treats: Review & recipe

Much as I loved Easter as a child, it’s been a long time since I had an Easter egg of my own. My family don’t buy them, my husband and I don’t buy them for each other and his family just buy one for the children. So when Central England Co-Operative asked me to review a few items from their Easter range, I jumped at the chance. I have literally years of Easters to make up for. I chose two fabulous looking, huge Easter eggs. The first egg I chose was the Brushed Gold Milk Chocolate Egg with Dark Chocolate…

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Natalie Ray March 20, 2016 Toddler

Lessons from my children: On saying ‘No’

Since beginning my love affair with Instagram just a few short months ago, I have become more aware of the world around me. This afternoon on my walk, I noticed that the sun glancing out from behind the hills onto a tree cast it into a perfect silhouette. As I stood there for a few moments, committing the beautiful view to memory and to camera, it crossed my mind that the structure of the trunk, branches and twigs were reminiscent of the skeleton of a leaf. The tree follows a tried and tested structure that it knows to be strong and effective…

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