mybigadventures.com

 . . . . . and thats about it really. Not a whole lot to say at the minute I havent had any time to do anymore. I just wanted to make the front page a little less plain.

So that day came around as it always does, the one where teachers are at least as anxious as their students - results day. No-one quite knew what to expect this year as it was the first year of the new 9-1 grades in English and Maths and on Wednesday evening in an effort to distract ourselves, we decided to plan a quick jaunt up to Liverpool for a few days away. Well the results turned out pretty good, which is more than I can say about the drive up. We set off after a morning of results on Thursday and arrived here 6 hours later after quite a bit of queuing on the motorway.

Liverpool as it turns out is quite the northern gem, and anyone reading this who hasn't yet taken the time to visit should plan a trip poste-haste! We're stopping close to Liverpool One which is pretty central and have managed to get about quite a bit. We've been down to the Albert Docks a few times - including today when it seemed to be hosting a folk festival with lots of musicians performing all around the docks - very exciting! We've also been to see the Cathedrals - both of which are less than 100 years old and one of which is celebrating its golden anniversary this year, having only opened 50 years ago!

You can't get too far without bumping into a bit of Beatles mania and amongst other things we saw a canal boat painted up as a yellow submarine, passed by the Cavern nightclub and stopped by 'a case history' which is a sculpture featuring cases from many of Liverpools famous faces including the Beatles. We also visited the central library which is a fantastic bit of architecture and features a wonderful circular reading room set over 3 levels - Dani was in her element surrounded by all the books. 

Anyway, we had a fantastic time, but sadly will be on our way tomorrow. Enjoy the photos!

So it's still the summer and we've been out making the most of it. On Tuesday this week we went on a cruise to Kew. We had a voucher for Christmas for buyagift.com so used it towards the cruise trip and entry to Kew. You can just head down to Westminster pier and pay for the ferry on the day and get your ticket for Kew for the same price but the buyagift combo is great if you don't know about it. We really enjoyed the cruise; it takes a little over an hour and for the first half you get a commentary explaining all the local sights. When you first set off, it goes past the Houses of Parliment offering one of the best views of the structure as you pass under the Westminster Bridge.

Kew was fantastic as ever, I think it's our third visit now. This time we were able to look at, and go in the recently added Hive installation. Its a giant metal structure that "encapsulates the story of the honey bee and the important role of pollination, through an immersive sound and visual experience" (www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/explore/attractions/hive). The hive is linked to an actual bee hive and the lights and sounds inside respond to activity from the real bee's. Certainly worth a look if you're visiting.

It was a lovely sumer's day and stayed really warm thoughout our visit. We stayed until closing at 6.30 before heading for dinner at the nearby Ask (we had vouchers). After a very filling meal we opted for a Uber back as it was only going to take 30 minutes over the 1 hour 30 minutes by train. All in all a great day out! Enjoy the photos