We have just come back from a couple of days break near Birmingham.  Dh was going away and I thought we'd travel with him and then go off on an adventure of our own.  I had used Mapquest for directions and had about 10 sheets of printed out directions.

You know what?  I discovered that using a MAP is a whole lot easier than trying to follow those directions.  Are you shocked?  We don't have a disembodied voice in our car telling us where to turn left so I have been sucked into thinking that getting directions from the internet is a 'good idea'.  No, it isn't!  Buy a road atlas and use that.  It even has the added bonus of, if you end up in a traffic jam you can find another way to go!  We didn't get stuck at all, not least because we were probably one of the few people in the country using a MAP and therefore not congregating on the same roads used by every computing devices' instructions.

Okay, so I did have to stop a few times to figure out where to go next, but that was easier than trying to figure out whether we'd gone 1.4 miles or 1.5 miles (our milometer doesn't do 0.1).  And, on top of that we had two of the quickest answers to prayer I have ever had - asking the Lord for help and with 1 minute receiving an answer not once but twice.  I was surprised and I think the Lord was laughing with me about it!  When I was obliged to use Mapquest directions I was very glad that LJ is now so good at reading that he could keep me on the right road!

We stayed 2 nights at a hotel so that we could take it easy and enjoy a whole day at the chocolate factory - plus we were looking forward to the adventure of staying in a hotel and having a HUGE cooked breakfast for 2 mornings!

We found Cadbury World down more back alleys than I care to remember (I doubt most local people even know the way we went!) and then relaxed into chocolate delight.  Our arrival was greeted with a large packet of Buttons and a Curly Wurly each.  We then went through into the history of chocolate.  We had been reading up about chocolate so we already knew the basics.  The trail took us on to the Cadbury family who were God-fearing Quakers.  Being Quakers they were considered non-conformist and were not allowed to attend university (and so enter a 'profession') and as pacifists also could not contemplate a military career. This left them very little choice but to enter the world of trade. After choclate began to gain in popularity they moved their factory out of the large city and started a whole development of buildings and homes which is still known as Bournville.  As Christians they were very unhappy with the conditions many factory workers faced and they determined to do things very differently.  Every home had a garden, workers were encouraged to take time off and get involved in sport and so on.  To me, it is no great surprise that with Godly men at the helm the company flourished as it did.

We were able to visit part of the factory.  The smell of chocolate was quite amazing and a little overpowering.  I can well believe that people working there all the time loose their taste for chocolate.Here we were given MORE chocolate just in case we'd run out????  We did eat 2 of the Curlywurlys between the 3 of us, but that's all. 

We were able to write with liquid chocolate and then 'play with' liquid chocolate on a huge marble slab.

There was a ride through a 'bean world'...

and an area to play various games

including getting your silhouette made in chocolate (only on the computer though- sadly!)

Then came a highlight..... we went for a short walk (through the rain) into another area where it was explained how Dairy Milk chocolate was first made and were given little tubs of liquid chocolate.  It was so delicious.  Yummy, yummy, yummy.  Yes, it deserves 3 yummys.

We had a great time.  It was fun, tasty and even educational.

We decided to pop into the nearest supermarket on the way back to the hotel and buy sandwiches for tea - remember we'd had the huge breakfast and a snack and chocolate.. - and what did we find?

Well, we had to buy one each because we see them so rarely!  "Icing on the cake,"  I believe it is called!

Last Thursday my parents took the boys for a day out.  I know this may seem hard to believe but the weather this summer combined with the various health problems they've encountered recently has meant there has not been one single opportunity to go out for months.  I was 'surplus to requirements' (ie. told in no uncertain terms that 'We don't want you to come, Mummy!' - they do like their bit of independence with grandma and grandad) so I decided to go on a very necessary clothes shopping expedition.

I had won a ticket for 4 to go to Knowsley Safari Park (yes, that's another competition I've won in the last year!) so off they went.  They had a great day and saw many exciting animals.----

I went clothes shopping.  Now, if you are a 'girlie girl' who thinks that clothes shopping is a slice of heaven you should probably skip the rest of this post.  I am a total disgrace to all shoe, bag and clothes loving women! 

My wardrobe is essentially practical, especially since I had children!  In my defence, I grew up in a country where many folk only had 3 outfits in their entire wardrobe at most and the thought of a cupboard full of clothes I will rarely wear still makes me feel very uneasy.  I am also only really comfortable in cotton or similar fabrics (African influence again) and find nylon and many synthetic materials uncomfortable and they make me sweat (sorry, 'glow' - apparently horses sweat, men perspire and ladies glow!) 

However, we are going to my niece's British wedding celebration soon (they actually marry in Canada) and I really don't have anything suitable to wear.  I also wanted to get the boys new shirts and trousers for the event and then I'll save them for Christmas.

I usually enjoy getting the boys new clothes and do my best to buy ahead so I get everything very cheaply.  This day was stressful, however.  I couldn't find ANY smart/casual trousers - it was school uniform or jeans.  On top of that it was only in the fifth shop I scoured that I found a shirt in any colour other than dark grey or black.  Yes, really!  I am talking about a 5 and 7 year old.  I think they should be wearing yellow and red, orange and bright blue and green.  Okay, maybe my African background is sneaking in again there, but when we live in such a dull country, surely we should do all we can to brighten things up?  Not dress in the same colours as the weather.  Argh! 

So, I at last found blue shirts for the boys, complete with blue ties. Yeah!  (A few days later I caved in and bought smart black jeans to go with as there seems to be no hope of getting anything else in time!)

So, now I only had me to shop for.  I had checked out the women's section of each of these stores and one or two others besides when I decided that I had had enough and would give up and go home.  One of my favourite stores did have some nice things, but I really needed both a blouse and skirt, or a dress and that wasn't coming in at under £60 ($100).  Don't have that kind of money!  In despair I popped into a charity shop.  To my delight I found a blouse and a skirt for about £6. 

Oh, don't get excited - they don't match, though they are both from one of my favourite stores.  I thought, as they were so cheap, that I could find something in my wardrobe that would match and tah dah - new outfit.

Sadly, I got home to find that the blouse which is very pretty and a sort of peach flowers and cream colour actually doesn't go with my smart dark green trousers, or with navy blue, or even with black really.  It kind of goes with a creamy beige skirt I have, but it's the wrong material and it doesn't work together.  Same with the skirt.  I have a few tops that would do, if they were the 'right' material.  Sigh.  I hate clothes shopping.  You see, I can tell if something looks bad, but I'm not too good at thinking creatively to make it look good - do you know what I mean?

I hope you are feeling my pain!

I mentioned to a friend at church that I was struggling (she always looks gorgeous!) and she said, 'Well if we were the same size I could loan you something, but you're only a size....!' and she mentioned a size 2 sizes smaller than me!  Funny how we perceive others.  Turns out we are the same size and she's lent me a rather gorgeous linen skirt and jacket and a matching blouse in turquoise blue.  Bright and cheerful, but not 'in-your-face'.  The only slight problem is that the top is a bit too low and I can't figure out a way of making it 'decent' so I may yet have to head back to the shops to find a suitable vest top.

Next time I'm  going on the safari trip and they can go shop!

A few weeks ago a 'veteran homeschooler' advertised that she had rather a lot of books to pass on.  As you'll know I am a bookaholic so off we went.  After picking up several great books I decided to take a little detour and have 'an educational visit' too.  (It's hard to resist isn't it?)

We visited Helmshore Mills Textile Museum which combines 2 textile mills.  We were able to:

Trace how cloth production, first wool, then cotton, become Lancashire’s main export throughout the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries.

Follow a journey to discover how raw wool and cotton were transformed into yarn ready to be woven into cloth.

I found it all quite fascinating, not least because I know some of my ancestors worked in the mills around Preston.  They worked very hard!  In the cotton mill there were so many machines to look after all at once.  This particular mill was recycling cotton products, way before recycling was the 'in thing'!  I can't remember all we were told about the process but we were given the cotton at one stage and asked to try and pull it apart. It was the easiest thing, a little like pulling cotton wool apart.  Then we were asked to twist the strand and amazingly it became almost impossible to pull apart.Untwisted (thick) and twisted (thinner) strand of cotton.    

At one point in the process the women had to lift a very heavy cylinder that was at least 1m long.  They placed their hands at either end to lift it from the first machine and lay it ready for the next.  A man came along an realised how difficult this must be so he designed a special device to carry the heavy cylinders for them, through the ceiling space above all the machines.  The only problem was that he forgot that the women were not as tall as him and not a one of them could lift the cylinders high enough to reach the carrier.  It's still there today - unused.  Oops!

In the wool section we were able to see and feel the huge waterwheel powering the fulling stocks as they thumped the wet woollen mass.  It was very noisy.  The wool story goes right back to Roman times.  They used urine to break down the lanolin so the wool could be used for a variety of purposes.  This method was used for hundreds of years.  The guide showed us a large urn that was used to collect urine from the chamber pots of the local homes for a small fee.  Imagine being able to sell your urine!  He told us that the urine collected from Methodists homes was considered superior because it had no alcohol in it!  In fact alcohol content makes no difference.  Happily nowadays they use other methods to process the wool.

The guide's comments about the Methodists reminded me that we were in 'Temperance country'.

There is now only one 'Temperance bar' left in the UK.  Fitzpatrick's accredited Temperance Bar in Rawtenstall has been making soft drinks for the people of Rossendale and the Lancashire regions for 118 years now.    The history of it makes very interesting reading.  I've taken this (and edited it) from the Fitzpatrick's site....   

The temperance movement started in the textile districts of Yorkshire and Lancashire in the 19th century, and later swept across the whole of Britain, with the aim of combating alcoholism.

Alcohol was one of the greatest problems facing Victorian Britain, due to untaxed, cheap ale and gins that was driving the population into drunkenness.

It was a Methodist cheese-maker in Preston, Lancashire, who set about establishing a society under which a pledge was taken never to drink alcohol. The society quickly grew and expanded beyond churches and became part of the everyday life for the sober British. The temperance bar became the social outlet of the society where they would enjoy sarsaparilla and ginger beer. By the 1880’s, temperance bars graced every high street in the north of England.

Sadly, fifty years after the movement began, enthusiasm faded for the temperance movement on this side of the Atlantic, following the end of prohibition in the United States. The falling interest, along with a wave of imported, sugary drinks hitting our shores, resulted in the steep decline of the number of temperance bars.

I was pleased to find this in the 'gift shop':

Mr Fitzpatrick's Temperance Drinks Sarsaparilla Cordial!

This is one of those drinks I've heard about and read about but never tasted and I was so curious I had to buy a bottle to try.  Sadly, I don't really like it.  It's a little like Dandelion and Burdock but not as sweet.  My mum tells me her grandparents used to love it and she had it at their home when she was a child - so at least 65 years ago.

Last week we went to Eureka!  in Halifax.  It calls itself 'The National Children's Museum' and says that 'Everything at Eureka! has been designed to inspire children to find out about themselves and the world around them through 100s of hands-on exhibits.'

There we met up with some home ed friends.  Eureka is a convenient meeting place about halfway between our homes.

The weather was not great and Eureka was packed.  We queued outside for nearly half an hour but happily it wasn't raining at that stage.  I noticed when we got to the head of the queue that they have an umbrella stand full of umbrellas that can be borrowed while you queue.  I've not seen that before but it's a very sensible idea for the UK!

It poured with rain on the way home and the fog came down reducing visibility to about 100 metres.  I don't like driving in conditions like that.  Happily it didn't last long.

The museum has some great exhibits, many of which can be interacted with.  There is a large 'body zone' where you can weigh yourself, measure your height, see how far you can stride or stretch up.  You can see if you can smell freesias (I didn't realise some people couldn't smell them!) and try to guess what you are touching.

There was a huge 'house' with loads to play with and observe, not least a see-through toilet.  (A must for all boys and probably most girls too!)  There was also a shop, a bank, a Post Office and a garage all with things to touch and try.

One of the highlights was watching our children get on together so well, especially considering it's nearly a year since we last met up.

A fun day!