We’re finally getting into the swing of things again. After a few weeks off nursery, a tearful pre-school graduation, a trip down south and plenty of summer shenanigans, we just about have the autumn term in hand.

Emphasis on ‘just about’, of course. You see, nothing is ever quite that simple, is it?

As if Kidder starting school and an array of after school clubs wasn't enough to give my pocket diary the fright of its life, thanks to the ol’conjunctivitis the little man’s plans have been changed left, right and centre.

Cue: working from home with ill child sleeping on my shoulder, making tea while teaching cursive handwriting, and the dreaded eye-drops dosages, sprinkled with generally spinning on my t…

Yes, September has been challenging to say the least, but I can’t wait to get all my thoughts down onto paper and fill you all in with what we've been up to.

More to come, most definitely. 

"Don't cry, Mummy. You're my best. We'll have a house and you can live with just me in it and we'll just have toys and cakes and Batman."

It's a deal Kidder, it's a deal. 

"Mummy, I want some brothers."
"Some brothers?"
[nods]
"How many?"
[holds up both hands]
"TEN!?!"
"Yes. For now."

Is there anything better than a spot of berry picking in July? We've been looking to take Kidder strawberry picking for quite some time, but after our trusty field closed its gates when I became a teen, it left us prowling the farms of Lancashire and surrounding areas for somewhere new to go. 

It was Groupon that flagged up Kenyon Hall Farm and after a quick Google, I'm not sure how we missed it. Located on Winwick Lane in Warrington, the farm is just a half an hour drive from our home - ideal for a sunny Sunday day out. 

Off we trod, wellies and all, through the muds of the car park to collect our baskets. Punnets which hold approximately 0.5KG of fruit are given out as standard, but for the hardcore fruit fans among us, 3KG baskets are available. We might have filled one of these with strawberries. 

Sadly because of the adverse weather conditions at the start of summer this year, it was obvious that not many people had ventured to Kenyon Hall Farm. Underneath the lush green leaves, quite a lot of fruit was decaying, but that being said, the fruit that was ripe and fresh tasted absolutely gorgeous. Kidder did the obligatory and stuffed his face with half a punnet of strawberries as we slaved in the sun.  

As well as strawberries, in July you can expect to find raspberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants, gooseberries, broad beans, sugar snap peas and beetroot, with rhubarb ready to pick from late July onwards. Enough for a full, family day out. There's definitely an element of nostalgia in there for me somewhere, but it's always heart-warming to go back to basics, whatever your upbringing.  

I'm not going to lie, as we made headway back to the tills of the farm shop with a 3KG tub of strawberries, 0.5KG of gooseberries, blackcurrants and raspberries, my head was spinning with numbers. When you consider the cost of berries in the supermarket, I was expecting our haul to cost a small fortune. Alas, no more than £15 for the lot, including a couple of curry spices and a packet of the fella's favourite munch, Lancashire pork scratchings. Not bad for three hours entertainment and fruit for four people. 

We could have easily stayed longer. A lovely wooden outdoor play area, tractor rides and the cutesy little café, could have kept us there for another hour or so. The chickens were also a hit with Kidder. So much so that I was needed to rescue him from the beak of one of the birds. Lesson learnt: desist from supervising your child through the lens of a camera.  

Kenyon Hall Farm is open for berry picking from June, but is an ideal Summer Holiday activity during July and August. Start your Halloween themed adventures here in October when pumpkins are at their best and pick up your Christmas tree at the start of the festive season.  I couldn't recommend it more.

Hello and welcome to our blog. We're Kidder and Mummy and soon we're going to be telling you all about our adventures together. Check back soon for lots of fun stuff. 

Kidder and Mummy x