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| Spooktacular Day Out! |
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| My Scary Girls at the Halloween Spooktacular |
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| Wonder who Santa is, answers on a postcard |
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| Bit Cold Out Today |
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| My Littlest Man |
Memories of Magical Marrakech
I love my hubby! In January he took me to Marrakech for my birthday. We stayed at a beautiful place called the Riad Cherrata. Our room was lovely, comfortable and spacious with an en suite shower and toilet. The main room downstairs was beautiful and there was also a gorgeous roof terrace, although it was a bit cold to sit out in January. We took our baby boy with us and our other children got to spend the weekend with grandma. Thanks grandma xx.
We were made to feel so welcome by Valerie and Matthew the owners and also the ladies who work for them, Saadia who is the most fantastic cook and two other ladies whose names I have regrettably forgotten. My only concern was the open pool in the main room downstairs, so spent a bit of time making sure baby bear didn't go for an early swim hee hee!
Not long after we arrived on Friday we took our first trip into the old town making our way through the crowded streets and alleys where bicycles, mopeds and donkeys (yes donkeys!) also jostled their way through. It was difficult at times as we had baby in the buggy, but we eventually made it to the market square. We also spent some time wandering around the beautiful gardens where every tree was stuffed full of oranges and hubby took lots of pictures of the Koutoubia mosque.
Jemaa El Fna is an amazing place, from the colours to the gorgeous smells of the food market. We ate at Ayisha food stall 1 where we had the most delicious pastilla. Only wish we had a chance to go back there and have another it was so good. After we ate, we wandered around the market and came across groups telling stories, groups of musicians, snake charmers, birds of prey and baboon handlers. I was a bit upset about the baboons as a couple of them had nappies on which I found quite sad. The night time is completely different as that is when all the food stalls open for business and as you walk through you will be asked by every single stall holder to come eat at their stall.
If you ever get the chance to go, then get a table on one of the top terraces at any of the restaurants on the square as you can sit and watch everything without he hassle of being tackled by various traders touting their wares. I have to say that the most persistent person we came across was a lady doing henna. I said no numerous times to her and was about to carry on walking when she grabbed my hand and started doing her stuff. Once finished she tried to fleece us but hubby got her down to reasonable price. The rest of the time, I just said no and kept my hands either firmly in my pockets or on the buggy lol.
Breakfast was lovely and consisted of home made yogurt, fresh orange juice, pastries, breads and jams. Valerie very kindly babysat for us on the Saturday morning whilst we went to a local hammam called Bains de Alhambra where we were flayed alive and then pampered endlessly. It was bliss and we left the hammam very pink, shiny and clean!
After the hammam we went back to the Riad briefly to get changed and then we headed off to do some more exploring and went on a bus tour around Marrakech. We were stunned by the beauty of the place, from the Medina in the old town and then the complete contrast of the modern town. It was a bit disappointing though to discover a McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut in the new town.
As it was a trip for my birthday I was given a lovely gift to remind me of the Riad and on Saturday evening we had the most amazing meal in the Riad which Saadia cooked and I would LOVE to get the recipes for (especially the carrots they were fabulous!).
First we were given about 6 dishes to taste from and all were delicious and have to say that we stupidly ate quite a lot of that even though I knew that I may not be able to eat our main course. Unknown to me, my darling hubby had ordered not one but two tagines, a beautiful lamb tagine and a chicken tagine both of which were absolutely amazing. Having stuffed ourselves with the starters we struggled to get through it. And then out came a beautiful birthday cake! It too was delicious but unfortunately I could only manage a small slice. If I could put Saadia in my pocket and smuggle her back home, I would set her up with a restaurant she is that good!
On Sunday we had another lovely breakfast with beautiful pancakes dripping with honey, yoghurt, orange juice and Saadia made me a lovely omelette as I am not a big bread or pastry eater.
After breakfast we went back to the Medina to have a good look around and see if we could get some nice gifts to bring home with us. We found the spice market and bought some saffron, some black soap, some Argon oil and various other bits and pieces. We then made our way through the Medina and a local guy asked if we would like to visit his "brother's" shop to take a look at shoes, so we went with him and he took us to the part of the Medina where materials and wool are dyed to make scarves etc that was amazing and we bought a lovely scarf for grandma to say thanks for looking after the older children. Then we were taken to the shoe shop and bought some lovely pointy toed shoes for the girls who absolutely loved them. Well when in Morrocco you have to buy a pair of pointy shoes don't you! Hubby bought a belt and then we bought some lovely glasses which I am going to use to make the yoghurt which Valerie gave me the recipe for. I have to admit I haven't made it yet but am determined to give it a go soon.
On Sunday evening we went to a local Italian restaurant, Pepe Nero that was recommended to us by another guest at the Riad. The starter was lovely, but the main course was a bit dry and the service a bit slow. Glasses were not filled when empty etc and our waitress seemed to wander around doing nothing a lot. Unfortunately we should have left baby bear in Valerie's capable hands as he kicked off big time due to being over tired. Karim finished his food whilst I tried in vain to soothe our baby boy and then he took him for a walk whilst I ate my food. Our waitress could see that I was getting more and more upset about the baby as I felt that I was being stared at and she told me not to worry about it. After that we decided to leave but one of the waiters showed us into another dining area that was not being used and had a lovely couch in there so that we could put baby bear down for a sleep while we had our dessert which was a de-constructed sweet pastilla but not a patch on the savoury version we had in the night market. When we finished our meal we were visited by the head chef who wanted to know our feedback about the meal and the service. He wasn't happy about our waitress and as we were leaving we saw him telling her off, but I spoke to him again and said that she was not a bad waitress and that she had been very supportive and understanding regarding our screaming baby when I was upset and I explained this to the waitress too. The Head Chef also asked one of his staff to make sure we got back to our Riad ok as it is very easy to get lost in the numerous alleys. However, I think hubby was a Sherpa in a previous life and got us back safe and sound without help. But it was a very kind and attentive thing for the restaurant to offer.
On Monday alas it was home time and after another lovely breakfast we got our things together and got ready to come home. It was a bit sad to leave as Valerie and her lovely staff had made us feel like the Riad was our home and so we had a hug and baby bear got lots of hugs and kisses from everyone and then we headed off to the airport and home.
We really enjoyed our stay at the Riad Cherrata which I would give 10 out of 10 on all fronts and Marrakech which we absolutely fell in love with. I have recommended the Riad Cherrata to all of my friends who are thinking about taking a weekend break and highly recommend it to anyone reading this blog. We would love to go back again, hopefully sometime soon we will manage it.
We were made to feel so welcome by Valerie and Matthew the owners and also the ladies who work for them, Saadia who is the most fantastic cook and two other ladies whose names I have regrettably forgotten. My only concern was the open pool in the main room downstairs, so spent a bit of time making sure baby bear didn't go for an early swim hee hee!
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| Riad Cherrata |
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| Our beautiful room |
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| Koutoubia Mosqu |
Not long after we arrived on Friday we took our first trip into the old town making our way through the crowded streets and alleys where bicycles, mopeds and donkeys (yes donkeys!) also jostled their way through. It was difficult at times as we had baby in the buggy, but we eventually made it to the market square. We also spent some time wandering around the beautiful gardens where every tree was stuffed full of oranges and hubby took lots of pictures of the Koutoubia mosque.
Jemaa El Fna is an amazing place, from the colours to the gorgeous smells of the food market. We ate at Ayisha food stall 1 where we had the most delicious pastilla. Only wish we had a chance to go back there and have another it was so good. After we ate, we wandered around the market and came across groups telling stories, groups of musicians, snake charmers, birds of prey and baboon handlers. I was a bit upset about the baboons as a couple of them had nappies on which I found quite sad. The night time is completely different as that is when all the food stalls open for business and as you walk through you will be asked by every single stall holder to come eat at their stall.
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| Jemaa El Fna |
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| Jemaa El Fna at night |
Breakfast was lovely and consisted of home made yogurt, fresh orange juice, pastries, breads and jams. Valerie very kindly babysat for us on the Saturday morning whilst we went to a local hammam called Bains de Alhambra where we were flayed alive and then pampered endlessly. It was bliss and we left the hammam very pink, shiny and clean!
After the hammam we went back to the Riad briefly to get changed and then we headed off to do some more exploring and went on a bus tour around Marrakech. We were stunned by the beauty of the place, from the Medina in the old town and then the complete contrast of the modern town. It was a bit disappointing though to discover a McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut in the new town.
As it was a trip for my birthday I was given a lovely gift to remind me of the Riad and on Saturday evening we had the most amazing meal in the Riad which Saadia cooked and I would LOVE to get the recipes for (especially the carrots they were fabulous!).
First we were given about 6 dishes to taste from and all were delicious and have to say that we stupidly ate quite a lot of that even though I knew that I may not be able to eat our main course. Unknown to me, my darling hubby had ordered not one but two tagines, a beautiful lamb tagine and a chicken tagine both of which were absolutely amazing. Having stuffed ourselves with the starters we struggled to get through it. And then out came a beautiful birthday cake! It too was delicious but unfortunately I could only manage a small slice. If I could put Saadia in my pocket and smuggle her back home, I would set her up with a restaurant she is that good!
On Sunday we had another lovely breakfast with beautiful pancakes dripping with honey, yoghurt, orange juice and Saadia made me a lovely omelette as I am not a big bread or pastry eater.
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| Wool Dyers |
| Typical shop in the Medina |
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| Majorelle Gardens |
We also went to the Majorelle Gardens which is an eclectic mixture of exotic plants and cacti and there is also a memorial to Yves Saint Laurent who purchased the gardens and restored them to their former glory and when he died had his ashed scattered through the gardens. It is a beautiful, serene place to visit with lots of little nooks to sit in and contemplate whatever you like to contemplate. There is also a boutique where you can buy some lovely gifts, a cafe and a museum. It is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Marrakech.
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| Courtyard Pepe Nero |
On Monday alas it was home time and after another lovely breakfast we got our things together and got ready to come home. It was a bit sad to leave as Valerie and her lovely staff had made us feel like the Riad was our home and so we had a hug and baby bear got lots of hugs and kisses from everyone and then we headed off to the airport and home.
We really enjoyed our stay at the Riad Cherrata which I would give 10 out of 10 on all fronts and Marrakech which we absolutely fell in love with. I have recommended the Riad Cherrata to all of my friends who are thinking about taking a weekend break and highly recommend it to anyone reading this blog. We would love to go back again, hopefully sometime soon we will manage it.
Ellie's Easy Banana Bread
If your kids are anything like mine, you buy bananas for them to eat and they just end up going black in the fruit bowl. So this is the best way I know to use up those overripe bananas that would otherwise be chucked in the bin and produces one of the easiest and tastiest banana breads you will ever have.
Ingredients:
2-3 ripe bananas
third of a cup of melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar (I use caster sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 tsp of baking soda
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4.
Mash the bananas in a bowl then add the melted butter and stir in thoroughly. Add the beaten egg, vanilla extract and sugar and stir in. Next add the flour and mix in enough to make quite a thick mix and finally mix in the baking soda.
Lightly grease a bread tin, or use a silicone bread tin, pour in the mixture and stick in the oven for about an hour. When finished remove from the oven and test with a skewer. If the skewer comes out clean the bread is ready, if not put back in the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes.
Done, told you it was easy.
You could also make it into a cake by using a round cake tin and when it is finished, use a tin or Carnation toffee, put banana slices on top of that and then a layer of whipped cream on that to make a delicious banoffee cake. Hey two deserts from one recipe not bad eh.
Enjoy and let me know your feedback xxx
If your kids are anything like mine, you buy bananas for them to eat and they just end up going black in the fruit bowl. So this is the best way I know to use up those overripe bananas that would otherwise be chucked in the bin and produces one of the easiest and tastiest banana breads you will ever have.
Ingredients:
2-3 ripe bananas
third of a cup of melted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 cup sugar (I use caster sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 - 1 1/2 cups of plain flour
1 tsp of baking soda
Method
Preheat the oven to 180c/gas mark 4.
Mash the bananas in a bowl then add the melted butter and stir in thoroughly. Add the beaten egg, vanilla extract and sugar and stir in. Next add the flour and mix in enough to make quite a thick mix and finally mix in the baking soda.
Lightly grease a bread tin, or use a silicone bread tin, pour in the mixture and stick in the oven for about an hour. When finished remove from the oven and test with a skewer. If the skewer comes out clean the bread is ready, if not put back in the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes.
Done, told you it was easy.
You could also make it into a cake by using a round cake tin and when it is finished, use a tin or Carnation toffee, put banana slices on top of that and then a layer of whipped cream on that to make a delicious banoffee cake. Hey two deserts from one recipe not bad eh.
Enjoy and let me know your feedback xxx
The New Quinny Yezz
After waiting for what seems like forever, I have finally been given a brand new Quinny Yezz to test out as part of the QuinnyCasters 2012 group. It was supposed to arrive yesterday, but we had to go out and do some last minute Christmas shopping as you do. Typically when we got home there was a card through the door from the courier company. Aaaagh missed it! Anyway, I vowed not to go out today until it had finally arrived which it did at around 2.30pm. Baby bear found the box very interesting and where there was a hole in the box, he tried to pull the contents out of the box through this little hole.
Baby bear and I had fun putting the buggy together, although it only took 5 minutes. When it came out of the box, there were only two pieces to work with, the frame and the seat canopy.
It was simply a case of unfolding the frame:
And then just clipping the canopy onto the frame. So easy.
Baby bear couldn't wait to try it out so in he got and I literally danced around the kitchen with him. This amazing buggy turns on a dime and is so manoeuvrable. It's as light as a feather too.
Dimensions
- weight of the frame and seat is 5kg;
- weight of the frame on its own is 4.3k;.
- height of the Yezz is 105.5cm, from front to back is 75cm and the width of the Yezz is 56cm; and
- when folded the measurements are 23.5cm/ 68.5cm & 27cm.
When you're finished with the Yezz for the day, it folds up very easily and is so compact that it will store easily under the stairs or in the boot of even the smallest car. It also stands alone when folded.
There's also a strap which when folded can be carried on your shoulder easily.
Take a look at this link to see the new Quinny Yezz in action:- http://www.youtube.com/
Our buggy is Green Curve but there are various beautifully vibrant colours to choose from such as Pink Hybrid, Purple Rush, Red Signal, Grey Road, Yellow Move and Blue Track
The Yezz RRP is: £175. It is suitable from 6 months and has a sturdy polyester seat that is rip and abrasion-proof, colour-fast, water and stain resistant. The frame uses IXEF, a high performance glass fibre compound which makes the frame ultra-light & extremely strong. The Yezz comes complete with a hood (sun canopy) a full 5 point integral safety harness that is adjustable & has 3 different height levels.There is a pocket at the back of the seat unit that can take a max weight of 4.4lb.
Unfortunately, the Yezz does not come with a raincover and this needs to be purchased separately as an accessory, RRP £25 and will be available to purchase from March 2012.
Quinny says:-
"The Quinny Yezz is the first buggy made entirely of IXEF®, a high performance plastic. This means it not only has an extremely lightweight frame, but also a strong one. The fabric used for the seat is similar to parachute fabric. Light, strong and comfortable. The wheels on the Quinny Yezz are skating wheels, making the buggy extremely easy to manoeuvre and smooth to push. The Quinny Yezz gives you the freedom to be in complete control of every situation, and when not in use, the comfortable shoulder strap leaves both of your hands free. Experience the city, your way"
I Say: that me and baby bear are looking forward to using our wonderful new Quinny Yezz and really putting it through its paces.
Quinny Yezz Arrives in the Bear's Den
Not testing the Senzz anymore, but after withdrawing the product, Quinny did send me a very nice little trike by way of an apology. It's super trendy and baby bear loves it.
They are going to let us test another NEW buggy of which we are all in the process of answering various questions about and can't say anymore about which buggy it will be until January. I was so hoping we would get it before Christmas but never mind. I shall just have to keep chewing my nails in anticipation.
They are going to let us test another NEW buggy of which we are all in the process of answering various questions about and can't say anymore about which buggy it will be until January. I was so hoping we would get it before Christmas but never mind. I shall just have to keep chewing my nails in anticipation.
Where has the time gone. It seems like only last week that I wrote about getting the first week of term out of the way and now look, it's NOVEMBER!!!! It'll be Christmas next week at this rate. Anyway, life is busy as we all know. What I don't know is how we mums do it all. I never seem to stop, chores are never ending, there is always more homework to get done, or reading to do or nappies to change as well as dinner to make. Phew, how do we fit it all in? Simple answer, we just do, somehow.
Although, I did take some time out this morning and had a lovely breakfast with my girlfriends just in a local cafe, but it was nice to get together and have a chinwag without all of our collective children around. I think we should make a regular thing of it, although if we have a fry up every time, we might have to start calling ourselves "The Round Mums Breakfast Club" hee hee.
Next on the list today is to sort out the mums night out for my daughters class which I happen to be the class rep for. Talk about giving myself more work to do eh. Not to worry I will fit it in "somehow".
First things first though, I can hear darling baby bear stirring from his nap so I'd better get him up and get some lunch sorted out for him as well as trying to find my girly bear's ballet outfit etc. Oh well onwards, and upwards. Tally ho!!!
Although, I did take some time out this morning and had a lovely breakfast with my girlfriends just in a local cafe, but it was nice to get together and have a chinwag without all of our collective children around. I think we should make a regular thing of it, although if we have a fry up every time, we might have to start calling ourselves "The Round Mums Breakfast Club" hee hee.
Next on the list today is to sort out the mums night out for my daughters class which I happen to be the class rep for. Talk about giving myself more work to do eh. Not to worry I will fit it in "somehow".
First things first though, I can hear darling baby bear stirring from his nap so I'd better get him up and get some lunch sorted out for him as well as trying to find my girly bear's ballet outfit etc. Oh well onwards, and upwards. Tally ho!!!
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