How come it took us over 4 hrs to get to Puzzlewood from Kidderminster.. Persevering wins 😊
Departure from home: 10:00
Puzzlewood is about an hour from Kidderminster, where we are based. At least that is what i thought when we booked our tickets and headed off on a Tuesday morning.
Have you heard of Puzzlewood? Is a lovely magical wood near Coleford, in the forest of Dean,Gloucestershire close to the border of south Wales. Star Wars were filmed there and other BBC productions. I have heard from a friend about it and after seeing few posts on instagram decided to go. Puzzlewood here we come, I said 😀. I checked their website and booked tickets on the day. We were a bit sad that we could not take Teddy and Lilly with us, but it was understandable and they suggest on their website two dog sitters in the area.
I put the location on the maps and instead of 1hr, it said 1hr and 30min. Ok , I have booked the tickets so we had to go. Boys had a Coke each and of course half way through , when we were stuck in traffic, one of them wanted to use the toilet 🙈. Reminded me of our adventure in Portugal when we had to take one of the old trains with no toilet inside (or too scared to move to go to one, cannot remember 😂). I used one of the water bottles that time, but then he was way too younger and did not mind to do that. Could not convince him to do the same this time 😊. He was very good and patient though and we stopped on the first services we saw after moving out of traffic.. Have you ever used one of the side lanes to stop for a wee? Was tempted to do that too 😂
So Google Maps told us to turn on to the Goodrich Lane and follow the road.. We passed through a nice village, the trees were bloomimg and a nice, narrow, green Bridge and then few minutes later the road was getting narrower and narrower. I could see the steep turns coming. I was telling myself I could do it.. Till the moment I couldnt 🙈. We passed the steep turn onto the Symonds Yat, and that was it , on the next village we had to turn back.
My panic attacks and fear of heights overpowered and could not continue 🙈. Felt a big failure there.
Apologiswd to the kids for driving them few hrs and decided to do a little detour and stop on Ross on Wye. Sounded a good place to do a quick stop 🙂.
Driving through Ross on Wye was impressive! A village built by the River but at the same time on top of a hill. It has kept it's victorian years charm and there were a lot of little shops with character❤️. Unique as I would say. Ideal for children as there was a lot to browse and we just happened to park outside the Little Chick, a children's clothes store with unique colourful clothes and old fashioned toys.. (see photos below)
We had some money to spend as a gift for Easter from their grandma and we got a lovely vintage chess and baggamon game to play in the car and few other bits, among them an anti-stress ball that glows in the dark👌. I started chatting to the lovely lady behind the till and telling her I could not make it to Puzzlewood because i got anxiety and a panic attack from the steep road. She said , there is actually another way to get there, through Coleford, a much easier way. I was so happy , I could literally kiss her ❤️.
A quick stroll to the local charity shops, a nice and warm baguette from an artisan iralian pub store and some blue sweets made the trick and set our motivation to high. O.. and we visited the amazing shop of The Architectural Store.. Raw wood, lamp making, original tables, coffee sacks, all adding to my inspiration board for my projects at home.
Arrival at the destination:13:30
That time was when the sky decided to cry on us. The rain has started just as we arrived. Eldest forgot coat. Disaster! Thenkfully after years being a mum I have all sorts of equipment and accessories in my car. Thus it looks busy all the time. This time we used a rack shopping bag. It did the job! ❤️
The walk was indeed sooo magical. It felt like entering the world of Smurfs or Peter Pan and the characters will come and say hi to you. Like they are lurking behind the impressive mossy trees. The rain made the scene more moody and we had to be careful not to slip as it was a bit muddy. Appropriate footwear is suggested🙂. It was definetely an experience to remember and get lost in the woods 🥰.
Here are some photos I took on the day.
And of course I had to press explore by mistake on our way home on google maps and we were exploring Gloucestershire randomly till we noticed it will take us over a day to get back home 😂. But we passed through the International Centre of Birds of Prey and the Three Shires Nurseries and I put a mental note that we need to visit those places and explore the pubs around there.
Hope you enjoyed the read 😄
What I am reading this week:
Gardening for profit by Kate Collyns, Got it from Malvern Lbrary
Parallel Lives Plutarhos , Got it from a Sunday newspaper freebie
What inspired me this week:
A crystal workshop for kids run by Jo in Stourport
Ross-on-Wye
Who inspired me this week:
The lessons I am doing online, Carrie Green
My fellow enterpreneur from Malvern, Connor who just did it, started a group for separated fathers
Jo that does the jewelry and crystal workshops in Stourport among with a lady's name that came up from Croydons recycling centre that does woodworking
At home:
Plastering, inspired by Bauwerk and sanding
Got an air fryer oven 🥳 back to making cakes next week
Piroski, russian dish with potato ot mincemeat
In the garden:
Cherry trees are blooming, bluebells are coming up, tulips and so many more..
My cacti are having babies..
Most of my bonsai trees have failed, repotted and trying again..
Lessons I have learned this week
Perseverance either for plants or finding your way
There is always seem to be another way, you can take either the shortcut which can be steep and difficult or you can take the easier but longer way to reach your destination, goal for me.
