Ginger's Jollies: Weekend with Mama Ginger

This weekend, Mama Ginger came to visit me. 

Of course, I had to be ill for her coming up, didn't I? 

It was nice having my mum up. I live by myself, so when I'm ill, it's nice to have somebody in the house to perk me up. And Mama Ginger ALWAYS keeps me busy...She is the Queen of Lists/Jobs/Visits, and this weekend, I was very grateful for the distraction! 

On Saturday, we headed into town because I needed to find some new bedding. We stopped for lunch and had some sushi - this was a big step for me. I'm not a huge fan of the sushi that comes wrapped in seaweed, and seafood really freaks me out. But we found some amazing dishes, and I even ate some crab (although I had my eyes closed mostly through that experience)

Walking back through town to the car, we happened upon a market, and the most beautiful looking Italian sweets counter. We knew we had to get something, and went for a strawberry chocolate wedge as a naughty Saturday treat....I still have some left in the fridge...Although it won't be there for much longer... *sneaks off to raid kitchen*

After our trip to town, it was back home for food, a film, and flopping on the sofa! 

Bliss!

Instagram: @Gingerjax

FOTD/OOTD 30/03.....I'm in LOVE with my new coral coat from Primark. Such a sensational colour. It's funny how wearing bright colours can really lift your mood, don't you think?

Instagram: @ Gingerjax

On Sunday (Easter Sunday), we took a trip to Rufford Old Hall - a Tudor Manor in Lancashire - to have a look around. It was a gorgeous sunny day, but bitterly cold. But the fresh air put a spring in my step and cheered me up a bit. By this time, my cold had gotten even worse, and I was starting to look a little bit like Rudolph!

Instagram: @Gingerjax

Rufford Old Hall was absolutely stunning, with really pretty grounds. Colourful pockets of  flowers were everywhere, and made everything seem bright and cheery. There was an Easter Egg Trail taking place for Easter. I tried to convince my mum that we should try and blag giving it a go, but I don't think she was too convinced!

I really loved how romantic Rufford Old Hall looked. Walking round - especially outside - I kept imagining little stories that might have taken place there....all romantic tales of course, and with yours truly as the main protagonist, but regardless of that, it was definitely an inspiring place to be!

Looking back at the hall. It was set in such beautiful grounds that were well maintained. Even though we didn't take part in the Easter Egg Trail, you could tell it had been really well planned out, because there were families running around everywhere, hunting for clues. I really wish there had been an Easter Egg Trail for grown ups too....we like Easter Eggs too! 

Ginger x

p.s: I vlogged over the weekend about our days out. If you want to check those out, head over to my JustAddGinger  channel!

Ginger's Jollies: Cadbury World!

On Sunday, I FINALLY got to live out one of my childhood fantasies and go to a chocolate factory...and not just any old chocolate factory....

Oh no....

I went to Cadbury World!!

And it was AMAZING!!!!

Where?

Cadbury World is in Bournville, Birmingham, in England!

Description

Cadbury World is a chocolate factory and exhibition, detailing the production of chocolate, and the history of the Cadbury brand. The factory is set in quite a large grounds, where there are outdoor attractions and facilities. Bournville is a town, which was initially established by Cadbury, for all its workers, so that's attached to Cadbury World too.

Opening Times

Cadbury World is open for most of the year (it is shut for a few weeks in January.) Opening times vary depending on the day and the time of year. The earliest Cadbury World opens is 9am, and it stays open until the afternoon (again, times vary!) It's worth ringing up, or checking the website before you visit to make sure you know the exact times!

Cost

Adult: £14.75

Child: £10.75 (ages 4-15)

Concessions (Senior/Students): £11.10

Under 4's: Free

Family Ticket: £45/£53...depending on the number of adults vs children

Parking

Parking is free!! Yippeeee!!! And there is quite a decent sized car park, with lots of spaces, and an overflow section (it gets very, very busy!)

Child Friendly

Well, this is a bit of a silly heading....it's a chocolate factory!! There are LOTS of things for children - samples, interactive attractions and rides, games, educational bits and bobs....the only thing that children may not be AS interested in is all the history of chocolate and cocoa, but in the "adult-y" bits, there are models and lots of things to look at that don't require reading!

Pros

Chocolate!!!

Okay, aside from that, Cadbury World is a family fun day out...there is something for everybody, and it's generally a happy, cheery place. If you were with children, you could happily spend the afternoon in the adventure playground after looking round the factory. When we went, there was lots going on...family shows, a fancy dress competition...it's very inclusive...

...and if you're lucky you get free samples!

The shop is also very reasonable in their pricing. I picked up a HUGE bag of mis-shapes for just under £3!!

Cons

It gets very, very busy!! Mama Ginger and I arrived for the 9.50am slot, and when we came out of the factory, the lobby was absolutely CRAMMED full of people. We could barely move!

You also need to pre-book to guarantee you can get in. You couldn't just decide one weekend to go to Cadbury World. You might be disappointed, and have some unhappy children (and adults), if you find you can't get in.

There is also no bag holding area. We got caught behind two women wheeling suitcases...yes...SUITCASES, around a very narrow part of the exhibition, and it was really annoying!

Final Thoughts

I have wanted to go to Cadbury World since I was a child and a boy in my class at school went and brought in a pencil sharpener to school from here!

I was not disappointed...not even being a 25 year old. I had such a good time! Admittedly, I did get carried away with the chocolate eating, but aside from that, I think Cadbury World is great and I'd definitely go back.

I can imagine that in the summer the amount put on for families increases, but considering that we only went on a weekend, I was really impressed.