News

Day Out With The Walnuts

09/21/20

Village Pizzeria

Good morning little one, how are you on this fine sunny day? Haven’t we been lucky with the weather this week? I hope you’ve managed to have all the fun playing outside but don’t forget your suncream!

This beautiful weather has put everyone in the sunniest of moods, so I decided it was time to treat the family at our favourite restaurant, the Village Pizzeria. Ralph was so excited, he could barely sit still! Pizza is his very favourite meal and he loves to try and fit as many toppings on as possible.

We decided to stretch our legs and walk over to the Village Pizzeria, as it’s just over the big hill in Sylvanian Village. It’s a lovely walk but the hill is very steep, so we worked up quite an appetite for our meal!

On our way over, we bumped into Glenn and Amanda Splashy at the riverside with their little ones. They were cooling off in the water and having such fun splashing around! They even have a new canoe set which they were super excited to try out!

When we arrived, Mortimer Bramble was loading up his bike to deliver some delicious pizzas. He said some Sylvanians were having a pizza party in the park, which I thought was a wonderful idea! Luckily, we managed to get a table outside on the beautiful terrace in the sunshine. We were all a bit hot and bothered after our walk, so had to gulp down some refreshing water to cool off! Then it was time to order our pizzas.

Saffron and I always share a plain pizza, as we can never manage a whole one to ourselves. Cedric loves cheese so he always orders extra on his pizza, and then there’s Ralph… I told you pizza is his favourite meal, so he got a bit overexcited and asked for every topping they had in the kitchen! The chef even had to pop over to the Grocery Market next door for extra ingredients for the other customers – he is such a naughty squirrel!

Unsurprisingly, all four of us had clean plates and very full tummies! The walk home was much slower, as poor Ralph had a bit of a tummy ache from too much pizza. His eyes are always bigger than his stomach! Anyway, that was our day trip – we can’t wait to visit again!

Day Out With The Walnuts

09/14/18

Trip to Town

Oh, hello dear! How lovely to see you. Have you popped by to hear about our day trip to Town? It was rather exciting! Have you been yet? No? Oh you really must go! I’ll tell you all about it.

We caught the tram into Town bright and early, as we didn’t want to waste a moment of our day. Theodore Maple is the new tram driver and he’s such a lovely fellow. He gave us some helpful tips on where to visit and he knows all the fastest routes, so we arrived to Town quick as a flash.

Our first stop was the Grand Department Store and it was just wonderful! It has everything you could possibly dream of – pretty dresses, delicious chocolates, sparkly jewellery, pretty make up and much, much more. Saffron found the sweetest yellow dress and as it’s nearly her birthday, we treated her to it as an early present. She hasn’t stopped twirling in it since!

I took a peek in the Chocolate Lounge and everything looked so tasty, it made my tummy rumble. I tried a nibble of a hazelnut truffle and decided to treat Cedric and the children to a little bag each. They were so surprised and gobbled the lot!

There was a little incident when we were about to leave, as little Ambrose had disappeared! We searched and searched for him everywhere until we eventually found him in the lift, going up and down, up and down. The naughty thing was giggling away so it was hard to stay cross at him for long, but I was awfully worried.

Next, we popped into the Designer Studio to say hello to Stella. She’s a very talented designer and she even showed us some of the original drawings she’d made of Saffron’s new dress. Saffron wants to become a designer now when she grows up, so Stella gave her some pencils and told her to “keep practising!” Wasn’t that kind of her?

Ralph’s tummy was starting to rumble so off we went to get some food at the Delicious Restaurant. For starters, we had the yummiest butternut squash soup. The little ones spilled it all down their fronts but Cedric and I were too busy enjoying our own to notice. For mains, we all had fresh fish from Sea Breeze Cape with roasted acorns and spring greens, apart from the little ones who had chestnut puree. We didn’t even have room for desert, which was a shame as they had a cake nearly as big as Ambrose!

After lunch, we went for a wander around the Town. It’s so pretty, especially now all the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing in the trees. We bumped into Millie and Jasper Maple outside the Creamy Gelato Shop, so Saffron and Ralph had a quick game of tag with them while I got us all some gelato to cool down. Georgina really is the best gelato maker in all of Sylvania!

There was still so much to see in Town but the little ones were starting to get tired, so off we went back to the Tram. Theodore’s driving was so gentle, everyone fell asleep almost straight away! We had such a wonderful day and can’t wait until our next visit!

Day Out With The Walnuts

04/04/16

Trip to the Seaside

The sun has stopped playing hide and seek, so last weekend we all took a trip to the seaside! Our first stop was the Seaside Ice Cream Shop of course! It’s only just opened and Amelia Sandy, the Striped Cat Mother, runs it all by herself.  

I had an ice-cream with all of the flavours of the rainbow. The vanilla and mint and strawberry were my all-time favourite. Baby Crème tried to have four scoops too but she’s only little so we just gave her one. It was a big scoop though so she didn’t mind too much.

Ralph and Shane found a message in a bottle which had washed up on the shore – it had a secret map in it! We took the Seaside Cruiser Houseboat on an adventure to Adventure Island and discovered a new Secret Island Playhouse which was ever so fun! It’s hard to spot because it’s tucked away in a little hidden cove but Ralph spotted it in the distance through his binoculars. I thought it might be pirates at first!

The Secret Island Playhouse had all sorts of treasures hidden away including a map, goggles and a pair of fins that are just the right fit. I wonder what it’s all for… maybe there’s secret treasure buried somewhere! Don’t tell Mother until we find it though, it’s a secret remember!

We searched and searched for the treasure but couldn’t find it so we went with Cedric and Yardley to the shops. The Walnut’s bought Saffron and I a new Girls’ Swimwear Set each so that we had something to go diving in. It fit perfectly! We even got Crème a matching one because she wanted to look as grown up as us.

Finally it was time to *splash*! We never wander too far away from our parents but this one time we had a race to touch the bottom of the ocean and guess what we found on our way down? The Seaside Treasure Set! It had the best treasure you can imagine, better than we ever thought, there was even a shiny pearl which I’m going to keep in my bedroom. We also got to see some magical fishies swimming all around us, in all different colours and sizes – some even blew bubbles in our faces! I liked playing games with them but, after a little while of swimming, my little legs couldn’t go any further and I had to have a rest while Crème played with her friends.

The park was full of rides – Crème especially loved the Splash & Play Whale and the new Seaside Merry-Go-Round. She was going round and round and round and round and round and round and round for what felt like forever. I think she felt a little tired afterwards because she slept all through the night without even a stir.

Day Out With The Walnuts

12/28/15

Celebrating New Year

2015 – Our 30th birthday year – has been particularly wonderful, hasn’t it? We’ve had such fun adventures and a birthday party that was the best of all the things!

I just can’t believe that when our eyes close, we will be in 2015 but when we open them again, we will be in 2016. It’s going to be hard to remember to change the 5 to a 6 when we write the date down!

In 2016 we are looking forward to welcoming some new arrivals into Sylvanian Village. I’m sure we’ll be the best of friends in no time at all! Aren’t friends just the best!?

Grandpa Chocolate Rabbit has been searching for hidden areas of Adventure Island so hopefully he will find something in the New Year that we can all explore together. I wonder what it might be…

We’ve been invited ‘round to the Walnut Family’s house for New Year’s Eve. According to Ralph, there’s going to be a giant hazelnut upside down cake. The Walnuts have invited all of our nearest and dearest, and have also prepared the best firework display that you ever did see. Last year, you could see the fireworks all the way from Sea Breeze Cape and gosh were they magical. They lit up the sky like giant shining stars – I wish they could shine here every night. I think baby Crème might not like the booming sound too much though, she always hides under my coat!

We’re all going to go outside when the fireworks are on, so that we can countdown as loud as we can until the clock strikes midnight and we are in 2016.

Shall we practice? Are you ready? “10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1… Happy New Year!” That’s it, you’re all ready for a new year.

See you in 2016, little one!

Day Out With The Walnuts

11/10/14

At the Park

Brrr!! It’s cold for November, don’t you think!? That won’t stop us heading outdoors though. We love to be outside. No matter the weather.

Yesterday we went to the playground together. It’s lovely there, it has these cute little swings, and a lovely slide, and even a glorious zip wire for the older children! It’s got all the bells and whistles!

First thing's first, I had to make sure they all had their mittens on and their coats buttoned. Funny little things they are, they don't seem to notice the cold until they've turned into snow squirrels! Cedric is the same, the silly goose, completely oblivious to the weather when he steps out the door. I couldn't even count the number of times he's come home and his tail has been sopping wet, and I've had to light the fire and wrap him in a blanket while he sneezes left right and centre!

There's nothing more my little ones love than heading down to the park to have a long play, whether it’s rain, shine, or even if there’s a spot of snow. So although the plants have gone for their seasonal nap, leaving only the sturdy greens out to fend for themselves, it’s still outdoor weather for us!

I managed to get them all in their winter clothes, and we trekked across the village to the park. The autumn leaves are beautiful, aren’t they?! Anyway, when we got to the park, Cedric and I settled ourselves down on a bench, and I offered him some hot pistachio coco from a thermos. Ralph took the twins over to the swings, and Saffron picked up Ambrose and swayed her this way and that, singing her the same lullaby that I sang to her when she was just a tiny little thing.

Quite a few other families come to the park around lunchtime, and so it was no surprise to see some familiar faces drop by. First it was the Brambles, with the twins Bilberry and Peaches in tow, and then it was the Periwinkles with their Henry. Cute as a button he is!

They came over as soon as they spotted us and brought out their own thermoses and snacks to share. Alex even had some wonderful conker cake, which I’ve never tried before, but it was blooming delicious, I must get the recipe, it tasted exactly like autumn. I even had a second piece, handing her a slice of the fruit bread that I had baked for the occasion in return. I make a fierce apricot roll!

The Chocolates arrived with Crème, and all the babies oohed and awed at each other. So nice to be able to watch them all together! Crème waddled straight towards the slide. “Whoosh” she said loudly, and Teri waved at me, hopping after her, and grinned apologetically that she hadn’t been able to come over to say hello yet.

The older ones, they were scurrying up and down the climbing frame, swinging from the monkey bars and all sorts! When I was a child all we had was the forest, and that was enough for us, we would scurry into the woods, and climb the trees, sometimes making branches into dens or even pretending they were our friends! It seems so strange to look back on it now; I think we really did count those trees as though they were one of our own. We used to climb them enough that we knew them by heart!

Oooh, how lovely it is to be young!

Day Out With The Walnuts

10/20/14

In the Woods

Hello there m’dear, what mischief have you been getting up to in the last few weeks?

This weekend we managed to make it out to the woods for a weekend break. There’s a nice little Treehouse and Log Cabin up there, and it’s incredibly peaceful. We stayed in the Treehouse, and the Harveys – little Austin and Zara and their parents - stayed next door in the cabin. It was so good to have another family to go on holiday with, and there’s never a dull moment with those cats around, I’ll tell you!

Being up in the woods is just a breath of fresh air. Sylvania is peaceful and calm even at its busiest, but it’s always lovely to get away, to see another slice of the world, to slow down and take things in, and of course, have some quality family time.

And gosh, there’s nothing like cooking and sharing food with another family! I wish you’d heard the sound of the little ones running around and playing; music to my ears it was, like a lullaby! Oh! It’s so wonderful to hear them all happy.

The first night, I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow! Cedric though, he had to imagine squirrels jumping over branches for hours before he could get some shut eye. The next day we ate our breakfast outside in the crisp air. Dorothy did all the cooking, bless her, she’s a wonderful cook! I must get her recipe for scrambled aubergine!

Autumn was in full swing, so there were all sorts of beautiful colours in the forest, although it was a bit nippier than we would have liked.  We learnt so much about the woods - Perkin showed the little ones how to light a fire by rubbing two sticks together, and Ralph took a shine to finding water! What a wonderful way to teach children about nature! Cedric pulled a few tricks out of his sleeve too and taught the little ones to make a shelter and then made these wonderful marshmallow and chocolate creations on sticks! This is the life, I tell you!

Gosh, I’m so glad of the forest - what would we do without those woods, I wonder? It’s back to business as usual now though, once I’ve done all the laundry that is! Who knew that one family could use so many pairs of socks in just one weekend!? It’ll take me all week just to get Ralphs clothes clean, the mucky pup! He can’t help but climb a tree when he sees one!

Cedric is putting the little ones to bed tonight though, so I think I’ll just stay here for now, put my feet up and finish my book! Ahh, it’s good to be home!

Day Out With The Walnuts

09/15/14

At The Meadow

It’s getting a little chilly now don’t you think? Autumn has definitely made itself comfortable! 

What’s that m’dear? You’ve never been to the meadow? Oh, gosh, it’s difficult to even contemplate that a little bunny like you might never have been to the lushest, most wonderful place on earth.

Anyway, this weekend we went to the meadow, all seven of us, little ones in tow and all. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, when you have a family as big as ours, even the simplest trip just down the road can become a full on expedition.

This time though, I didn’t take any chances. I packed everything we could possible need the night before, and set seven alarm clocks just to be sure (my tail has a nasty habit of switching them off before I’m actually fully awake; the pesky little thing has a mind of its own before I’ve had my acorn juice).

Where was I? Oh yes, I had already packed a picnic; lemon curd sandwiches for Saffron, and macadamia spread baguettes for everyone else. And a few jars of peanut puree for the little ones too, of course; they still can’t eat nuts whole, the adorable wee chestnuts!

The meadow is such a beautiful place to play. There is all sorts of play equipment for the sprogs, and there are chairs and tables for the grown-ups too. People bring along barbeques and games to play, and from early morning to evening, all the families nearby spend time together and have fun! Right up until the sun sets, and even then, we sometimes sit and pick out the cats, bunnies, squirrels and hedgie constellations in the stars; showing the little ones how to find them with their paws. Cedric always keeps a telescope in the boot of the car just in case, and he even knows the proper names! He’s always been a clever clogs!  

We spent most of the day playing rounders. Even little Ambrose held the ball in her paw and tried to give it a throw, although it didn’t make it far of course! I was so proud of Ralph, he’s really turning into a speedy little thing, and he was pretty much just scoring rounder after rounder! What a little sprite he is!

Abigail and Maxwell were climbing trees with Saffron, and the Golightly girl, Tiffany, was sitting curled up in the sun with her book, her tail moving this way and that like a proper grown up cat! They grow up quick, gosh, I remember when they were just the size of a loaf of freshly baked bread! How things have changed!

As the afternoon wore on though, there was a little bit of a chill in the air, and it just knocked some autumn leaves right off on the ground, and that’s when the wee ones spotted the conkers. Oh, my, conker season is loved by children across Sylvania! They have all sorts of rounds and competitions with the little things tied to a bit of string. It’s been the same since I was young. So the rest of the afternoon just vanished. POOF. Gone. Leaving only a few conkers and some exhausted little bunnies to show for it! But, oh, we all loved it!  They were playing in the leaves too, throwing them up in the air, and gathering little piles of them – all crisp red, orange and yellow.

And then the rain came, and little Freya danced around in it, she loves to feel the droplets on her ears I think, but my little ones, they were gone lickety split, don’t like getting their tails wet, you see. But in the end, the Chocolates had brought a gazebo with them, Frasier is always prepared for all weather, so we just pooled our food together and had a giant feast while the sun set. The kids even wandered back from under the trees to sit with us. The autumn leaves looked extra beautiful in the dappled pink light as it fell across the hills. By then, the grumpy clouds had vanished and there were just flimsy whispy little things in the air. Oh, what a gorgeous day. Sometimes even in the middle of winter, the day is so beautiful, I want to get a camera out and just capture it forever!

I do love it when the season changes, it’s more than just the weather, I think. Especially for us outsidey folks, it makes such a huge difference. Gosh, what a lovely autumn it is this year, but if it gets any colder, I’ll have to buy myself a new winter coat! The one I have is already 10 winters old and it’s starting to fray! Anyway, I hope we manage to go on another family outing soon, I love them more than all the acorns in the big oak!

Day Out With The Walnuts

08/11/14

At The Beach

Today, we went to the beach!

When you have little ‘uns, even a quick trip to the meadow can sometimes become like a full scale house move! But going all the way to the seaside? For a family of seven that little journey is an expedition of epic proportions. If you’re a parent, I’m sure you’ll know what I mean!

It had been in the calendar for weeks, a glorious day at the beach, all seven of us, playing in the sand, dipping our paws in the ocean, and splashing around with our tails. We were all looking forward to it, but even forward planning can’t make the roost get their tails into gear for a trip away! 

Thirty ticks after we were due to leave, it was still absolute chaos. Cedric was running around with his shirt untucked mumbling something about his waistcoat. Saffron was outside climbing a tree, Ralph was still in his pyjamas. The little ones were dressed, but Ambrose had got strawberry juice all over her baby grow. Alfie and Alyssa had given up and nodded off to sleep amongst the chaos, holding each other’s paws they were, the cute little pine nuts! 

I packed the car, and when I came back I could hear Cedric mumbling to himself in the other room; “Where’s that acorn, it was here just a second ago.” And Ralph shouted down from the attic, “Have you seen my bark frisbee?” I think they’d lose their tails if they weren’t screwed on, I tell you! 

Anyway, after a rather tumultuous morning, I finally got everyone into the car, (I’m still not quite sure how!). I breathed a motherly sigh of relief, and off we went, trundling down the lane towards the great blue sea. We got lost of course, but I like the children to do the map reading so that they learn how to. It’s an important life skill after all.

Going to the beach with the family is a fine art. As well as two bottles full of water for each of us, more sunscreen than you can shake a stick at, 7 towels, and the yummiest picnic you’ve ‘ere laid eyes on, I also brought along some nice games for us all to play together. Armbands so that little ones could go swimming, a ball so that Saffron and Ralph could play catch, sunglasses for each of us, extra clothes for the sprogs, swimming togs for them all. And of course, a wind break and a sun umbrella to keep the little darlings safe from the heat.

What a wonderful day it was! They were all running around in the sand this way and that, and Cedric was watching them, so I had a quick kip with little Ambrose snuggled in my tail. They started building sand burrows, and Cedric loves that kind of thing, so he showed Ralph and Saffron how to build a sand squirrel. It’s a hard task, but he’s got it down to a T.

After a nommy lunch of cucumber sandwiches, the kids started picking up shells from the beach, and Saffron even found a starfish! Then there was an afternoon of pure heaven, swimming and splashing in the ocean, all the time keeping a watchful eye out for the little ones to make sure they were safe. After that, we joined in a game of catch with another family, and the children were so thrilled to have made new friends! They were practically beaming!

Then we went to the seafood restaurant for some dinner. Yum! It has views like you wouldn’t even believe! Saffron didn’t like her main, and got herself some fish ‘n’ chips from the van instead afterwards, it was a treat day after all, so we didn’t tell her off. You should have seen the look on her face when I said yes…it was a sight, I tell you.

Then after some sandy yawns, we piled back into the car, and off we went back home, taking only a pawful of seaweed and sand with us! 

Gosh, I love the beach, but Sylvania is home sweet home, and it was good to get back to the dray and have a mug of hot hazelnut milk by the fire! 

Later on that evening, as I was tucking in Ambrose to make sure she was snug as a bug in a rug, I found a shell clasped in her wee hand like a toy! She was sleeping like a kitten, bless her, so I managed to prise it out of her grasp and put it by her bed ready for her to find the next morning.

What a day! 

Day Out With The Walnuts

06/05/14

Strawberry Picking

With five little sprogs to look after, I know as well as anyone how hard it can be to find a day out that keeps everyone in the scurry happy and gets us all out of the dray for a day! There are quite a few of us in the Walnut Squirrel family, so outings are often a tough nut to crack when it comes to pleasing both the oldies and the rugrats.

As a Walnut, I stand by the three ‘f’s: food, family and fun! Being a Walnut is all about knowing how to pick out the perfect nut just by seeing what it looks like on the outside, and I apply the same technique to family trips. I’m great at finding the best activities out there for the whole herd whether they’re in the meadow or further afield.

The other day, we all went to a pick-your-own strawberry farm just outside of Sylvania, and I’m happy to report the little ones were soon running around like fruit bats in an orchard, full of Vitamin C and dappled in sunlight. Saffron and Cedric, my two oldest, were jumping between the rows of plants, gobbling up the berries left, right, and centre. Even Ambrose and the two wee twins, Aldie and Alyssa, loved it.  And we took some beautiful photographs too of all the kids with their faces splattered with smooshed berries.

Some hints ‘n tips for picking your own:

When to go

Pick-your-own strawberry farms open in early June and go right through to the end of July (depending on the weather of course). It’s important to check the dates with your farm though, as sometimes the season only lasts 2 to 4 weeks if it rains, or if the little ‘uns demolish all the berries! Hot sun softens the fruits, so the best time to pick is early in the morning, or on a cloudy day.

How to pick them & which ones to choose

Strawberries are delicate and should be plucked and pawed carefully! Some varieties simply drop off when they’re ready, but others need to be convinced, so ask when you get there what technique the farm recommends.

Be aware of your knees and elbows when you head out to the fields - don’t ouch the poor little greenies while you’re picking.

The fun of strawberry picking is that it is a bit like playing hide ‘n’ seek - there’s always one or two mischievous ‘berries hidden underneath the branches. So make sure you reach your hands in and move the leaves aside - you might find a whole bushel of juicy ripe straws’ playing peek-a-boo.

The colour yellow might be Saffron’s passion – she’s my eldest daughter by the way - but avoid yellow strawberries as they aren’t ripe. Always go for the reddest berries you can find – as they are the yummiest!

How to get your pickings home

Most farms will provide you with containers to put your strawberries in – but I have some pretty baskets I use for nut-gathering, so I took these with us the other day, one for each of the Walnut Squirrel family.

When it comes to travelling home, a word of advice for you mums: remember when you came home from hospital with your new baby, and how carefully you drove? Well, it’s the same with strawberries on board - they can easily get bruised, so tread carefully with your Bluebell Seven Seater – after all, we know it’s the tortoise that wins the race!

What to do with your strawberries

Once you’ve brought your little red cuties home, they will stay in the fridge for three or more days, but tend to lose their beautiful taste and lush colour after that. So make sure you get cracking with thinking how you will eat them – there are all sorts of things you can make from strawberry jam to fruit pie, or you could just serve them up with cream and a sprinkling of sugar for a delicious, simple pudding.

I hope this tempts you to find a strawberry farm near you soon. As Grandma Walnut used to say, ‘the most important thing is to have fun and be healthy!’, and a day out picking those juicy red berries is just that.