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Dreaming of Family Holidays with Villa Pia in Tuscany

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When Villa Pia got in touch about their fabulous villa in Tuscany, I had to take a look.

As a family, we’ve mostly done the UK thing and the only time my boys have been on a plane was to go to Dublin for a weekend.   We have had caravans for years and last year traded ours in for a motorhome.

The weather in the North of France was horrible in comparison to last year, with lots of rain and storms.

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So we packed up again and headed down to the South of France, which was fabulous for the boys to paddle in the med, but the journey down there was just far too long.

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The water was warm and the sun was incredibly hot.  It’s given the boys a taste of outdoor life at the beach where you don’t run away as the water comes close.  Living in Aberdeen, we’re used to freezing water along our beaches so giving them the experience of a different kind of relaxing beach life was nice.

For our next holiday, I’m considering a flight somewhere lovely and warm, but also safe enough for middler, who needs a close eye kept on him.

I looked at the Villa Pia Tuscan Family Villa and loved it.  It’s exactly the sort of thing I’d have loved when my kids were wee.  Actually, it’s the sort of place I’d love, even now.  I’m not into massively lively and noisy bars and clubs.

I really like the idea of 5 acres of safe land for the kids to explore too.

These pictures are taken from their website, but they look fabulous.

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The facilities for children include a trampoline, indoor soft play, a tennis court and a play area.  That’s not to mention the swimming pool.  Unusually, there are cookery and art classes for children.  I like the sound of that.

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The villa has 17 bedrooms, including some family rooms that sleep up to 2 adults and 3 infants.  There are also interconnecting doors for separate accommodation.

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Villa Pia is located in Lippiano, a town with lovely green fields, olive groves and vineyards.  Just outside the gates is a 10th Century Castle set in lovely woods that would be fabulous for walking, mountain biking, horse riding, or just exploring.

We’re used to real castles up here in Scotland, but I rarely see them when I go to other countries.

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The one other thing that would make this a great place to go is the option of an English speaking babysitting service.  I know there were some evenings when my kids were younger that I’d have loved that option.

As well as family holidays, they cater for retreat style holidays with beauty treatments, yoga, art and even weddings.

In September to October, they host Ways with Words writing workshops and discussion groups led by Kay Dunbar and Stephen Bristow.

 

 

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Mixed Pepper Bake with Turkey Bacon

This is simple to make and easy to feed the family with some lovely colours.

Mixed Pepper Bake 4

Mixed Pepper Bake

Lesley Smith
4 from 1 vote
Course Mains

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Red Peppers
  • 2 Yellow Peppers
  • 1 Green Pepper
  • 3 Small Onions
  • Handful Green Beans
  • Rapeseed Oil
  • 400 g Turkey Bacon

Optional

  • Barbeque Flavouring

Instructions
 

  • Stir fry chopped onions and green beans in a frying pan with some rapeseed oil until they soften. If you plan to add some flavouring, this is the time to add it.
  • Use a slotted spoon or spatula to put onions and green beans into a shallow baking tray.
  • With the remains of the oil used for the onions, lightly fry your turkey bacon until is cooked to your taste. With the barbeque flavouring still in the pan, ours took on that flavour.
  • Pop the chopped peppers and turkey bacon into the baking tray and bake at 180C for twenty minutes, or until the peppers are cooked through.

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Review: Scottish Edinburgh Cape from Heritage of Scotland

I was given the lovely option of choosing something from the Heritage of Scotland website to review.  I’ve bought from there before, so I knew whatever I chose was going to be great quality.

I could have chosen a dress, or a bodice or something dressy, but I figured I’d not get as much use out of something like that as I would a cape.  It might have been a different if I attended functions and dinners, but I can count on one hand how many I’ve attended in the 11 years since I adopted my boys.

I made a fabulous choice as it happens.

Along with the heritage cape, I chose a wee sterling silver brooch, which I thought I’d need for the neckline, but it wasn’t necessary.

Edinburgh Cape

The made to order Ladies “Edinburgh” Cape comes with two silver coloured buttons at the neckline to fasten it.

I had hundreds of tartans from the Lochcarron Mill to choose from and found it difficult to pin one down.  It’s 100% pure new wool and it’s gorgeous.  Have I said that already?  If I haven’t I really need to say it many times over.

I dislike the tartans I am entitled to wear, but finding something I’d love for years to come was difficult.  In the end, I went for the Scotland Forever tartan.  The blues and purples are perfect for me to wear with the jeans I seem to perpetually live in these days.

I actually have a cheap version of the cape that I never wear as it is such a light tartan that it floats in the breeze and the colours are too light for me.  The made to order version is very much higher quality, which is reflected in the higher price range at £187, but I absolutely love it and it will last for years.

The colours are gorgeous.  My lovely sister in law came for a visit on Sunday so I snaffled her to model it (yes, I know, I’ve been very lucky with my SIL).  She wasn’t keen on handling my camera for me, so she happily stood and let me take pictures.  She’d have walked away with it there and then if she could as she said it was so cozy, so that’s always a good sign.

The cape can be worn as a cape with the scarf element thrown over a shoulder on warmer days, and it even has a hood built into the scarf so it can be put up to keep misty weather out.  It’s a clever design.

She said she wished I’d warned her that she’d be my model as she’d have done her hair and make-up, as well as wearing high heels.

I couldn’t lend her mine as she’s got tiny wee feet, so here she is.  Didn’t she do well?

Edinburgh Cape 5

Edinburgh cape 4

Edinburgh cape 3

Edinburgh Cape 2

Edinburgh Cape 1

 

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Review: New Coca-Cola Life (New Product)

Coca Cola asked if we’d like to try the new Coca Cola Life.  They’ve replaced some of the sugar with stevia for the first time so there is a third less sugar and a third fewer calories.  The cans are green and quite distinctive and tempting to buy for the kids instead of the full sugar Coca Cola.

I do often buy Coke Zero or Diet Coke, but I’m not completely happy with aspartame and saccharin.  My preference would be for a project made fully with stevia and also having zero calories, although I know that could prove difficult as stevia tends to leave foods it’s cooked with a distinctive flavour.

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I’m not complaining though.

Some of the stats:

Coca Cola – 139 Calories

Coca Cola Life – 89 Calories

Coca Cola Zero – 0 Calories

Diet Coke – 0 Calories

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The Life Drinking Child’s Verdict:

‘It’s really nice and love it if they put my name on it.’

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I have to admit to often buying the Diet Coke that is caffeine free.  It tends to fizz more than caffeine laden drinks, but where I can buy it, I do.  I often wonder if it’s the colour of the caffeine free packaging that stops people or shops buying it.

My ideal drink would be Caffeine Free Diet Coke Life, sold everywhere.

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I’ve made some things with Stevia – mostly using it as a sugar replacement in cakes, sorbet and ice cream.  It works very well, so I’m happy to see some big manufacturers taking it on board and using it in their products.

Stevia is a leaf that is produced from the Stevia plant from Paraguay.  It’s 200 times sweeter than sugar, but has no calories.

I thought it was worth mentioning that all Coca-Cola bottles are fully recyclable.

What I didn’t know was that 97% of all Coca-Cola projects sold in the UK are actually made here.  Coca-Cola Life will be the same.  That’s quite an impressive statistic.

My kids love the green colour of the can.  We’re looking forward to seeing it in the shops.

 

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Edinburgh Fringe for families: a guide

Throughout the month of August every year the world’s largest arts festival is held in the beautiful and richly historical city of Edinburgh: Edinburgh fringe festival.

Starting in 1947 with a mere 8 theatre groups, the festival has swelled in size and this year there are now a whopping 49,497 performances of 3,193 shows across 299 venues scheduled to take place. From theatre to dance workshops, spoken word to comedy, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival caters to all and supports both big names and unknown acts at the very start of their careers.

It can often be difficult to find enough activities to keep children happy over the summer months and lots of us are always looking for exciting activities for the family to enjoy. Fringe is a cultural haven and has shows to suit every need ensuring that a visit to Edinburgh Fringe Festival is one of the most rewarding family activities this summer.

What to see?

Fringe boasts an extraordinary 113 shows all specifically tailored for children, which guarantees you will always be able to find something the little ones can enjoy. For a rundown of everything that’s scheduled this year you can order or a program or view it online at https://www.edfringe.com/visit-the-fringe/order-programme.

Elsewhere in Edinburgh

There are many other things to do and see in Edinburgh so if stopping for the festival it’s important not to overlook these. The attractions are not just for kids though and they’ll be plenty for parents, grandparents and visiting family to enjoy. Two main areas you should visit are:

  • The Royal Mile: a vibrant street performance that goes on throughout the month along a bustling road with a festive and carnival feel. This is where acts come to advertise their shows and The Royal Mile is full to the brim with bright and wacky costumes, magicians and even acrobats!
  • The House of Fairy Tales: wholead interactive problem solving tours of the city which are guaranteed to keep children engaged and interested and also offers parents the opportunity to get to know the beautiful city in a unique and fun way.

Who can go?

Not only parents but also grandparents can join in the festivities at Edinburgh Fringe. Much like McCarthy and Stone retirement properties, Edinburgh Fringe Festival is making a conscious effort to make their shows accessible and enjoyable for the older generation.

If you feel yourself or a relative could benefit from extra assistance or a wheelchair while at the festival, you can contact the Box Office Access Assistants who are happy to help and prove that this prominent festival really is accessible for all!

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