What a difference a year makes

Last Easter, we went to the Cadbury's Easter Egg Trail at Petworth House and loved it.  It was probably around this time last year that I moaned at Angmering Daddy for signing up to Wildfowl and Wetland Trust.  A year later, we've just been to three very different Easter events.

On Good Friday, we went to WWT Arundel for the Giant Duck Hunt.  Despite my moans last year, we have made the most of our WWT membership.  It's a great place to go for family walks and duck feeding.  Admission is free for Munchkin, and it's nice and flat for AD, who doesn't do hills very well.  The Giant Duck Hunt is run on similar lines to an Easter Egg Hunt - you follow clues to find the animal or bird associated with each plastic duck, and get a chocolate prize if you find them all.  Unlike traditional Easter Egg Hunts, it's running for the whole of the Easter Holidays.  WWT Arundel also have indoor crafts, pond dipping and boat trips running throughout the Easter Holidays.  Basic admission prices are £10.86 for an adult and £5.45 for a child over 4.  Other admission options are available, including family tickets and a 10% discount if you book online.  Most activities are included in the admission price.

The Giant Ducky at WWT Arundel

We are also members of the National Trust but might be discontinuing this.  When we visit NT properties, we tend to be confined to the gardens and cafe, plus the occasional self-guided tour.  What pre-school child wants to go on a guided tour of an old house, run by a grown-up, for grown-ups?  Not mine!  We went to the Cadbury's Easter Egg Hunt, because we'd enjoyed it so much last year.  We were rather disappointed.  Last year, we got to make a chick.  This year, I had to do a quiz aimed at primary age children.  Munchkin got nothing from it because she can't read or spell.  Last year, the trail started near the bottom of the hill, and AD got the minibus back to the car park at the end.  This year, we had to walk a long way up the hill - AD wasn't expecting this, and sat out most of the Easter Egg Hunt.  Munchkin became desperate for the toilet when we were in the middle nowhere so I had to carry her down the hill to the ladies.  The sign-posting and map quality were poor, meaning that we had trouble finding the start-point and some of the eggs.  We will be finding another Easter Egg Hunt next year.

On Easter Sunday, we went for Breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Wyevale Findon Garden Centre.  We've previously had a very successful breakfast with Father Christmas at Old Barn, another Wyevale Garden Centre, so thought we would give the Easter Bunny a go.  It was well worth it.  In addition to cooked breakfast, followed by soft-play, Munchkin got to meet the Easter Bunny.  (She was fully aware that it was person dressed up as the Easter Bunny!)  The Easter Bunny gave her not one, but two toy rabbits to take home, plus a Lindt chocolate rabbit.  She was given two Easter biscuits to decorate when she'd finished her breakfast.

In other news, we are starting to think about schools for Munchkin to start in 2016.  She got a little upset when we told her she would have to wear a uniform.  I hope she doesn't insist on going to a school where they wear her favourite pink and yellow!

Duck!

We like ducks in the AM household.  "Duck", was Munchkin's first word, well over a year ago now.  We all love feeding the ducks at Mewsbrook Park in Littlehampton.  Despite this, I was somewhat annoyed when Angmering Daddy announced that he'd bought us an annual membership to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.  We'd probably use it once, then the cards would sit at the back of our wallets until the renewal came through and we realised we'd forgotten to cancel it.  Well, that's what happened with English Heritage and National Trust, anyway.

I hate to admit it, but I was wrong.  We've been to the Arundel Centre three times since AD was "conned" into signing up at a local garden centre.  Our membership was £63 and it would have cost us £71.70 if we'd paid on the door each time.  Munchkin goes free until she's four, so we'll make the most of that as well.  We've tended to go for a morning stroll, then stay for lunch in the cafe.

We're not avid bird watchers or serious photographers, we just find it a pleasant place for a day out.  In the past we've made a day of it, and taken a picnic.  We generally take the same route, so we start off in the area where bird feeding is permitted.  -This is something WWT need to be clearer about. Every time we visit, there are people feeding birds where they shouldn't be.- When Munchkin is a bit older, we'll give pond dipping a try.  We take the boat safari towards the end of our visit.  Munchkin usually insists in going to the playground just before we leave.

The Centre puts on family activities from time to time.  We're hoping to try some craft activities, though these tend to be in the school holidays so may be busy.  I need to find out if any mummy friends are members, since it's an easy place to get to for a meet up.

In other news, we are finally potty training... Munchkin does something on the toilet pretty much every time she sits on it.  The trouble is, she still goes in her nappy between toilet visits... Sigh...