WEEKLY UPDATE: 25th – 31st August | A Week of Family, Fun and Everyday Magic

Sep 1, 2025
3 min read

Bank Holiday BBQ Sunshine

We kicked off the week with a classic British tradition – a Bank Holiday BBQ at my parents’ house. The sun was shining, the garden was full of chatter, and it was so lovely to spend time together as a family. There’s just something so special about seeing everyone gathered round, kids running about while the smell of burgers fills the air – pure summer happiness!

Lunch at Coppicewood Farm

On Wednesday, the kids and I headed to Coppicewood Farm with my parents for lunch. It’s one of our favourite spots because it’s so family-friendly – there’s a little play area the children adore, and the staff are always lovely. I went for a hearty carvery (because you can’t beat roast potatoes midweek!), while the kids tucked into chicken nuggets and chips, followed by ice cream for dessert. The best bit? Their meals and desserts were free with an adult meal – such great value for families!

A CBeebies Adventure at The Lowry

Thursday was the highlight of our week – we were invited to review CBeebies House Party Live at The Lowry! The children had the best time dancing, singing, and spotting all their favourite characters. They even received a little goody bag and got to meet some of the cast, including Duggee, which absolutely made their day!

After the show, we popped over to the Lowry Outlet Mall for lunch – Leo and I went to Chicken Cottage while Lawrence and Alice opted for Burger King. Once we were full, we wandered back over to The Lowry as we’d booked a time slot for the galleries.

While we waited, we stopped by The Lookout, where the kids played for a bit. Alice put on a mini show for us on The Little Lowry Stage, dressing up in costumes and performing with puppets, while Leo sat happily sketching away. It was such a lovely moment – one of those quiet, magic family memories.

When it was time for our gallery visit, we decided to start with Lowry 360, but Leo wasn’t too keen on the dark space, so Lawrence took him to explore the Lowry paintings while I went in with Alice. She loved it and came out telling Daddy she’d “been inside a painting”! Afterwards, I showed her the real painting in the gallery, and her face lit up – such a beautiful full-circle moment.

We also took a wander through the Quentin Blake Exhibition, which both children really enjoyed. The highlight was definitely the big wooden boat in the centre – Alice loved using her imagination, making up a story about us sailing to a faraway mountain, while Leo enjoyed spotting all the hidden letters of the alphabet dotted around the exhibition. I loved seeing the original illustrations from some of my favourite childhood books – a true nostalgia trip!

You can read my full review of CBeebies House Party Live here.
You can read my full review of the Quentin Blake & Me Exhibition here.

A Day at Manchester Museum

On Saturday, we caught the bus into town for a visit to the Manchester Museum to see The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years exhibition. The children really enjoyed it, especially spotting all the mysterious details throughout the displays. We also popped into the Dinosaur Gallery and Vivarium (Alice loves the tiny frogs there!).

When we got home, we rounded off the day with a Domino’s for dinner – the perfect weekend treat!

(You can read my full review of The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years here).

A Quiet Sunday to End the Week

Sunday was a lovely, relaxed day at home. The kids played with their toys and watched some TV while I caught up on editing and wrote a few theatre reviews. After such a busy week, it was nice to have some calm family time before jumping into September!