To be fair, its a 10 year old’s paradise. We were lucky in that we got a bright, albeit quite cold December afternoon for the party. But the boys had an absolute blast. Finbar, head honcho at West Cork Secret, recommended the boys wear very old clothes or a wetsuit  if they had one and to bring a change of clothes and footwear and a towel so they could avail of the hot showers after all the play.

The day started off with the boys being split into 2 teams and tackling puzzles and and go kart races in one of the fields.

Then came the race to see which team could transfer enough water along the pipes to fill the container at the finish line. This initially was quite a test for the boys but it ended up a very close finish as they began to cooperate very well.

By this stage they were fairly wet but none seemed to mind. Next the army obstacle course. Under the netting, balancing on the ropes over the water, through the tyres, over and under the wooden logs in the water. They ran around and around. The finale was the monster water slide. They loved it and I lost track of how many times they went down it. By this stage, soaked to the skin and covered in suds but having a ball.

As it was getting dark, they decided they’d had enough and headed to the warm showers and changed into dry clothes. Finbar served homemade pizza cooked to order in the wood burning oven. Needless to say, demand was very high after all the activity. The pizza was delicious.

Oisín had a brilliant unforgettable party.

Many thanks to all at West Cork Secret. Would highly recommend it. There is no doubt that we’ll be back!

photo credit: gavinsblog

I’ve decided to make a list of “Things to Do and See in and around Bandon” for his family, keeping in mind that the children range in age from 6 years old to 9 months.

This is what I’ve come up with so far.

• Clonakilty Model Village and train
• Inchydoney beach
• Playground in Clonakilty
• Playground in Bandon
• Garretstown beach
• Charles Fort in Kinsale
• Whale in Kilbrittain
• Playground in Timoleague
• Nice flat walk from Courtmacsherry to Timoleague along the inlet, suitable for bike rides
• If weather is terrible and you feel like a day trip, I would recommend the Aquadome in Tralee and stop on the way in Killarney National Park. Great playground there. Aquadome good fun. Driving there takes about an hour and half.
• Cinema in Clonakilty
• McCarthys Maze Trail in Kilbrittain
• Fota Wildlife Park
• Bandon Skate and Play

So what have I missed? I know there’s plenty more but nothing else is springing to mind at the moment so any suggestions would be most welcome!

photo credit: subewl

The day includes:

• Demos of Traditional Skills such as baking and sausage making
• Horticultural Talk on Fruit Trees by John Hosford
• Kid’s Colouring Competition – themed “In the Garden with Granny and Granddad”
• Real Lemonade Making – A hands on session especially for children (of all ages!)

As part of this year’s theme  – we have 20 apple trees to donate to schools in West Cork and Cork city.  We would love to see the next generation growing and nurturing trees for their own fruit in the school yard. Teachers and those interested in receiving a tree for their school should email slowfoodwestcork@gmail.com or call 086 067 6249 for further details.

Hosfords is located on the main Bandon to Clonakilty road. This sounds like it’s definitely worth popping into if you’re in the area next Sunday.

Once seated the waitress promptly brought crayons and colouring pages for the kids and left us to peruse the menu. I was impressed.  A range of salads, sandwiches, quiche, baked potato, bagels, lasagne, soup or afternoon tea and a good selection of breakfast choices: fry, cereal, croissant,  porridge, waffles, scones and more. Specifically for children: plain sandwich, soup, pasta bowl or baby bowl. Smoothies, babycinos, coffees were also on offer.

As my pair love lasagne, I asked if an adult portion could be divided between them. No problem. I wasn’t hungry so just opted for a latte. My latte and their small hot chocolates arrived quickly and they set about doing their colouring.

The food arrived not long after. The lasagnes were declared to be the second best in the world, just pipped at the post by Nana’s version which is a high standard to beat.

We had a lovely relaxed lunch. The bill was €16 which I thought was reasonable as I have often paid more for food they haven’t liked or eaten. They loved this food, the service was friendly and very helpful. As result I will definitely return there the next time I’m in Clonakilty. Looking forward to trying one of the specials from the blackboard on my return visit.

Would recommend if you’re in Clon and looking for somewhere to eat which is family friendly and serves good food.

Ok, I’ll admit I am very partial to silver, white gold, platnium jewellery. I spotted these delicate, beautiful fuchsia earrings on the Enibas website and thought they would be perfect as a Christmas gift. They remind me so much of West Cork. I must admit to really liking loads of the pieces on this jewellery website. Much of them have an irish feel with a modern twist.

I ordered the earrings and they arrived, beautifully packaged within a couple of days.  Delivery is free throughout the island of Ireland.

Now if they only had a wishlist……