Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews of Books, Products and Places

Great Little Trading Company – Cavendish Kitchen: A Review

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Shelley Cook

At some point around the time that your child turns 2 or 3 you will find yourself shopping for a toy kitchen. The draw of play kitchens is not to be underestimated and both my children have spent many a … Continue reading →

Posted in Product Reviews, Reviews | Tagged Cavendish Kitchen, Great Little Trading Co, Great Little Trading Company, Kitchen, mumsnet, Play Kitchen, Portobello, Review | 1 Comment

Victorian Festival of Christmas: A Review

Posted on December 2, 2014 by Shelley Cook

Last weekend, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard transformed its streets into a Victorian town complete with Fagin’s Tavern and street urchins. This year’s event was bigger than ever before with the addition of an outdoor cinema and screenings of Frozen with live performers as characters from … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Place Reviews, Reviews | Tagged Anna, artisan, Carousel, Cast, characters, chimney sweeps, christmas market, Cinderella, cirucs, Elsa, father christmas, ferris wheel, Festival, Frozen, Groundlings Theatre, helter skelter, HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, indoor market, Mary Poppins, miniature steam train, National Museum of the Royal Navy, outdoor cinema, paupers, performers, Portsmouth, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Reindeer, Sensory Play, snow, Snowman, Solidiers, Step in Time, Stilts, Suffragettes, The Cabin Room, track, urchins, victorian, Victorian Festival of Christmas, Victorian School, Victorian town | Leave a comment

Review: Muchachos Singing Spanish and C’est Chouette Singing French

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Shelley Cook

I was recently invited to a taster session with Muchachos Singing Spanish. Set up by Debbie Garrick in 2010, she also runs C’est Chouette Singing French sessions throughout Portsmouth and at various other venues throughout Hampshire. Having worked in a pre-school … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles, Class reviews, General | Tagged baby spanish, C'est Chouette, Chichester, Children, Church of the Holy Spirit, Debbie Garrick, Deborah Garrick, drayton, Drayton Centre, English as a foreign language, Fawcett Road, French, Hedge End, Muchachos, Petersfield, Portsmouth, pre-schoolers, Singing French, Singing Spanish, Southsea, Spanish, taster session, taster sessions | Leave a comment

Charming Parties of Portsmouth

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Shelley Cook

Last week I was invited along to a party where the soft play items had been provided by Charming Parties. For those of you who haven’t yet come across them, Charming Parties started up earlier this year and hire out … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Product Reviews, Reviews | Tagged Bouncy Castle, Bouncy Castle Hire, Charming Parties, Children's Birthday Parties, Didi Cars, Fancy Dress, hampshire, Inflatables, Inflatables Hire, Jade Salmond, Lego, Parties, Portsmouth, Soft Play, Soft Play Hire, toddlers | Leave a comment

Glorious Victorious Festival

Posted on September 7, 2014 by Shelley Cook

Our woman from Hackney, Annika Eade stepped into the breach last month when she attended the Victorious Festival on my behalf and here is what she had to say about it… A good weather forecast for a bank holiday … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Place Reviews, Reviews | Tagged Belle Isle, Breastfeeding, Dizzee Rascal, Esplanade, family friendly, hampshire, Kite Festival, Music Festival, Portsmouth, Shed 7, Sophie Ellis Bextor, Southsea, Splashpool, Victorious Festival | Leave a comment

We review 101 Things For Kids To Do Outside

Posted on August 9, 2014 by Shelley Cook

What better time to review a book like 101 Things for Kids To Do Outside, than the summer holidays? Arriving a week into the break, when I was running out of ideas for less expensive entertainments, it was a very … Continue reading →

Posted in Articles, Book Reviews, General, Reviews | Tagged 101 Things For Kids To Do Outside, activites, climbing trees, Dawn Isaac, gardening projects, half term, horticulture, matchbox challenge, Mr Bloom's Nursery, mumsnet, Mumsnet Academy, nature activities, nature rubbing, nature signs, outdoors, pooter, queen elizabeth country park, RHS, school holidays, summer holidays, things to do, toddlers, young children | 1 Comment

Fishbourne Roman Palace

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Shelley Cook

Today we visited Fishbourne Roman Palace, just on the outskirts of Chichester, an easy drive from Portsmouth. Here you will find the largest collection of in-situ mosaic floors in Britain, laid around AD75-80, making them some of the oldest in … Continue reading →

Posted in General, Place Reviews | Tagged archaeology, breastfeeding friendly, Britannia, Celts, Chichester, Children, Collections Discovery Centre, fishbourne, fishbourne roman palace, formal gardens, gardens, mosaic, mosaic floors, mosaics, Portsmouth, pushchair friendly, Re-enactment, Roman baths, Roman garden, Romans, The Novium | Leave a comment

Defend the Fort! A visit to Fort Nelson

Posted on April 14, 2014 by Shelley Cook

Having spent so long listing Easter events and activities on the main Mumsnet Local Portsmouth and Hampshire sites, I thought it was about time I ventured out into the fresh air and actually went to see what was happening out … Continue reading →

Posted in Place Reviews, Reviews | Tagged activities, Children, Day Out, Defend the Fort, drill sergeant, Easter, Fareham, fort nelson, hampshire, mumsnet, mumsnet local, Mumsnet Local Hampshire, Mumsnet Local Portsmouth, Picnic, Portsmouth, souvenir shop | 3 Comments

Sleeping Beauty, Kings Theatre, Southsea

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Shelley Cook

The Kings Theatre delivers a wonderful pantomime every year, and so I was delighted to be given the opportunity to review it this year. The story is that of Sleeping Beauty, one which we all know and love starring Helen … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged Abba, Christmas show, Christopher Marlowe, Daniella Westbrook, Elton John, Family Show, Helen Kent, Kings, Kings Portsmouth, Kings Southsea, Kings Theatre, Lynne McGranger, Matt Dallen, One Direction, Panto, pantomime, Pantomime Dame, Portsmouth, sleeping beauty, Southsea, The Kings, The Kings Theatre, Tony Adams | Leave a comment

Moby’s Kids Play & Party Venue

Posted on November 20, 2013 by Shelley Cook

Last Sunday it was my son’s first birthday. Having asked for recommendations for somewhere age appropriate to take him, someone suggested Moby’s which is a soft play centre in Fareham. I was told that they had an area for the under … Continue reading →

Posted in Place Reviews | Tagged Annabel Karmel, Fareham, Kids Play, Moby's, Moby's Kids Play & Party Venue, Mobys soft play, Party, Party Venue, Portsmouth, Soft Play, Starbucks | 2 Comments