General Chit Chat

[bobo the clown]

^^ the most telling thing is the complete lack of uproar from the usual suspects. Not even the Grauniad. It seems everyone is looking at their shoes.

[thebish]

so those with small brats; have you had any good, interesting, fun, non too consumerist/commercial days out over the summer holidays? need ideas....

what kind of stuff do your kids like to do? that'd make it easier to suggest stuff...

[TANGODANCER]

so those with small brats; have you had any good, interesting, fun, non too consumerist/commercial days out over the summer holidays? need ideas....

Wife and daughter took the grandkids/great grandkids to Smithills Farm for the day. Both said it was great and the kids really enjoyed it. Says you need to go all round it though but it's a cracking day for the kids who just loved it.

[Burnden Paddock]

so those with small brats; have you had any good, interesting, fun, non too consumerist/commercial days out over the summer holidays? need ideas....

Wife and daughter took the grandkids/great grandkids to Smithills Farm for the day. Both said it was great and the kids really enjoyed it. Says you need to go all round it though but it's a cracking day for the kids who just loved it.

That's a good shout TD. If you haven't been already General, they can see the cows being milked and feed various animals. The kids (and some adults ) love it when there are lambs around. They have everyone sat around the edges of the barn on bales of hay, with bottles of milk. They then let the lambs in. They charge everywhere looking for a feed. They also bring out the rabbits and guinea pigs etc out for the kids to hold. Reasonably priced too.

[Hoboh]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/trave ... world.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If things work out I may try to do this on the bike this year, Septemberish when the dread midge are dying off!

[Bijou Bob]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/trave ... world.html

If things work out I may try to do this on the bike this year, Septemberish when the dread midge are dying off!

"The route can only be completed in a weekend ". Cue some eejit on an R1 taking up that particular challenge!

[Hoboh]

I reckon including the ride up there and back, I'd give it, for a leisurely ride, around seven days (leaving evenings free for the odd snifter or two )

[General Mannerheim]

so those with small brats; have you had any good, interesting, fun, non too consumerist/commercial days out over the summer holidays? need ideas....

what kind of stuff do your kids like to do? that'd make it easier to suggest stuff...

Well I like outdoorsy adventure type stuff - they'd be delighted if we just took em to an indoor play centre!

Smithills is great, we go up there quite often. There are a few similar petting zoo farm yard the things knocking about now. They went to Blackpool zoo earlier this week too

[malcd1]

so those with small brats; have you had any good, interesting, fun, non too consumerist/commercial days out over the summer holidays? need ideas....

what kind of stuff do your kids like to do? that'd make it easier to suggest stuff...

Well I like outdoorsy adventure type stuff - they'd be delighted if we just took em to an indoor play centre!

Smithills is great, we go up there quite often. There are a few similar petting zoo farm yard the things knocking about now. They went to Blackpool zoo earlier this week too

If you like the outdoors and your kids are adventurous, you could try Crocky Trail, near Chester. Some of the bridges, rope swings and rides are pretty rudimentary but kids love it. Loads of middle class parents trying to give their kids the opportunity to climb trees and use rope swings.

http://www.crockytrail.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[bobo the clown]

If you like the outdoors and your kids are adventurous, you could Crocky Trail, near Chester. Some of the bridges, rope swings and rides are pretty rudimentary but kids love it. Loads of middle class parents trying to give their kids the opportunity to climb trees and use rope swings.

http://www.crockytrail.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chester. Where even the working class are middle class.

The Crocky Trail has 3 rules.

1. Have Fun
2. No riff-raff
3. No Scousers

It could be argued that rule 3 is a subsection of rule 2, to be fair.

[jaffka]

sounds a good place

[Montreal Wanderer]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/trave ... world.html

If things work out I may try to do this on the bike this year, Septemberish when the dread midge are dying off!

The answer to America's Route 66??? Route 66 is 2500 miles long, enormous stretches of which are completely boring. I've driven to more than half the places the upgraded NC 500 now visits, and it must beat Route 66 as a route to travel in its entirety by, so to speak, a country. Not that Route 66 doesn't pass some great places to visit. Just my opinion mind.

[General Mannerheim]

Crocky trail it is!

[thebish]

kids are spoiled nowadays!

we used to take our kids out for a morning/afternoon to a local showhome and play makebelieve that we were going to move into this house and try to persuade the person showing us around that we were serious - then the kids would romp around the house arguing over which room would be theirs etc...

1) it was better than them trashing my house
2) it was entirely free
3) it taught them acting skillz

(we seriously did do that)

on a more serious note, though...

Your kids really don't care that much about the venue or the activity - what they want/need is to spend quantity time with YOU - and I mean actual time that takes time - not this bollox modern invention "quality time"*. You can spend hours with them for very little layout in your own house/garden over the holiday period doing simple messy/crafty activities.

or camping in a small tent overnight in the garden
or making a huge tent in the sitting room and living in it for the whole day/night
or spend a whole morning reading to/with them

this is the kind of stuff memories are made of...

I think that it is easy to mistake "entertaining" the kids for parenting them...


it seems to me that "quality time" is a euphemism for "time that I want to spend with you when i am not busy doing summat else. "quality time" is usually time that is convenient for parents in between other stuff - and isn't usually the time convenient for the kids themselves.

[Bruce Rioja]

kids are spoiled nowadays!

we used to take our kids out for a morning/afternoon to a local showhome and play makebelieve that we were going to move into this house and try to persuade the person showing us around that we were serious - then the kids would romp around the house arguing over which room would be theirs etc...

1) it was better than them trashing my house
2) it was entirely free
3) it taught them acting skillz

You spoiled those kids!

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

we used to take our kids out for a morning/afternoon to a local showhome and play makebelieve that we were going to move into this house and try to persuade the person showing us around that we were serious - then the kids would romp around the house arguing over which room would be theirs etc...

Mrs AT and I did that last weekend, minus any kids

[General Mannerheim]

LoTs of fun today making and flying bottle rockets!!

[TANGODANCER]

Just seen a blast from the past. Cricket bats at St Joseph's were a bit battered and well worn, but Bolton Tech were much better. Just seen a pic of a Gradidge Len Hutton that brought back some nice memories from back then.

[thebish]

LoTs of fun today making and flying bottle rockets!!

good stuff!

[malcd1]

Crocky trail it is!

Let me know what you think. Health and safety isn't applicable there but it is fun all the same.