Thinking about taking up running? Here is everything you need to know

The one positive thing that seems to have come out of 2020 is many people are taking up a new hobby with a focus on getting active and improving fitness. We all know that getting outdoors has a real positive effect on both mental and physical wellbeing and walking or running is a great starting point as you need very little to get going and can be achieved by most people with a minimal budget. While I focus mainly on surfing, skating and hiking, I also do a little running and power walking to keep my general fitness level up so I thought I share the basics of everything you need to know should you be looking to get into running or jogging this year. The great thing about running is all you really need are trainers and a comfortable pair of trousers or shorts, a t-shirt and some good socks. Opting for breathable fabric is key though as your skin has to breathe as you run and you need additional support to increase your range of movement. But no matter your reasons for starting, ......

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Visiting Old Beaupre Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan

*Update when we visited this Cadw site a few weeks ago, it was open to the public although as it's a free and unmanned site they have decided to close it due to Covid 19 - this situation is constantly changing so please do check the Cadw website before heading out. There are not many castles and medieval ruins locally to us that we haven't visited although recently I was going through all the Cadw heritage sites online and realised we hadn't visited Old Beaupre Castle - a lesser know about ruined medieval fortified manor house near Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan. After I came across it online I did some research and came across a few sparse online reviews and discovered it was a bit off the beaten track and quite hard to find and awkward to get too, but we always love a challenge, and despite the Cadw directions being somewhat unclear we did manage to find it. Once we arrived as close to the Satnav postcode as possible we could see an old farm track which clea......

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How to make mischief with your kids #MAOAMmischief #AD

#AD I’m working in a paid relationship with MAOAM promoting its Mischief Hub that’s filled with mischievous fun to keep you entertained at home. Get ideas at https://bit.ly/MAOAMmischief. The boys and I love getting up to mischief, so when I was asked to review the MAOAM Mischief Hub and come up with some ideas of my own, I was really excited to get involved. We enjoy playing pranks on each other (always kind-natured ones of course) and just being a little silly. One of my favourite quotes is: "Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional". In my house, I really encourage imagination and keeping an open mind even when it's a bit far-fetched. My children know many facts about life, nature and the world, but we also like to keep the door open to the fantastical and unexpected. With it nearly being summer and so much changing in our garden, we are growing many of our own veggies and herbs. There is a sense of magic in the air watching our garden come to lif......

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Learning about Wines from around the world with The Wine List

*I was kindly provided my first Wine List box in exchange for an honest review  Having grown up in the Western Cape, South Africa, know for its wine and beautiful wine farms, I naturally have an interest in Wine and it's something I am trying to slowly expand my knowledge on, in fact before COVID changed our travel plans I was hoping to do a small road trip around France and Italy this year with the hope of stopping off at a wine farm or two. So when The Wine Lis t got in touch to try out their new subscription box - the first wine box focused on learning, I knew I wanted to hear more about it. Firstly I want to say that my approach to drinking wine is that it should be accessible to everyone, I know everyone has their own drinking preference but Wine shouldn't be off the list and if you're unsure where to start The Wine Folly has a great beginners guide to Wine which is worth reading. Back to The Wine List which is set to make learning about Wine a breeze and......

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