Volksworld Show 2010 pics

So, having missed the Volksworld show for the last couple of years (thanks not least to getting married on it's regular weekend slot) Thomas saved up his pennies and bought his Mummy an advance Saturday entrance arm band for a Mothering Sunday gift (which she was very pleased about indeed)...after baby swimming we piled into Poppy the Beetle and zoomed as quickly as we could to Sandown Park (near Esher), however, being a bit later than we would normally be (i.e. crack of dawn), by the time we got to the Esher Park *junction* on the motorway, the queue to even pull off to start the painful slog towards the venue was several miles long!

Spotting a cheeky splittie jumping the queue and continuing down the motorway we decided to copy (and hopefully take advantage of some local knowledge), turned out, after loosing them several times, frantic bashing at the Tomtom only telling us to "Turn around when possible", it finally managed to work out another route, and we roared triumphantly up to the entrance to the car park only to be told it had been completely full since before 10am, even waving our "for sale" sign didn't get more than a shrug from the guy in HVJ blocking our way, as he handed us a map showing other car parks in the area...bah! Anyway, we quickly found a spot in the council car park (by the tiny farmers market), popped Thomas in his borrowed baby carrier (thanks Absolute Beginner!)

- and made our way through the car park towards the show entrance -

- enjoying even the sights of the car park (not often you can say that)... ;)






- including a bit of "work in progress" -


- someone that obviously got a bit lost ;) -

- and someone who did an almost perfect disguise job on their Honda(?) mini-MPV...

- we took a look around all the shiny bugs and buses in the main halls (including some interesting new raised vehicles) -







- marvelling at these (never seen before) Baby hammocks attached to a few of the campers -



- and some seriously lowered vehicles...!

Poked around the shopping (although it felt like there were slightly less stalls this year) -

- loved these flame boots, absolutely custom made for rainy years at Santa Pod -

- and these "Plain Lazy" flasks "Don't wake me, I'm busy"...hehe... ;)


...and then we popped out onto the stands -

- to watch the "how many people can fit in/on a VW Beetle" -



- Bug Jam - quite literally...! I think they managed 94 this year...although I saw at least four people walk off without being counted (silly lot)... ;)

- then I had to run out and put some more money on Poppy (as the council office was pay and display) while Flyingpops and Thomas went to catch up with old friend Sam (hello!) and have a little ride in his beach buggy (which he thought was everso good!) -

- then we went for a quick pint, and watched someone making a real mess in the bar while we were waiting for the barrel to be changed... ;)

A lovely (if a little tiring with the baby carrier) day, we're already talking about next year... ;)

Volkswagen Beetle Pram - Bugaboo Frog

Okay, here we go, proof positive, the Bugaboo Frog (or "Chameleon" as the slightly newer version is called) fits perfectly in the boot of the VW Beetle -


- there is even space left over to stash a few bags of shopping...Phew (you won't believe how much of a concern this has been)! :)

And actually (the sharp-eyed among you will have noticed) you don't even have to pop the wheels off to get it in (which is a bit of a relief), it really is the cleverest pram/stroller/thingy I have ever set eyes on (as I noted before), folding completely flat (if needs be) -

- even the cot part collapses to a completley flat state with the removal of two bits of black plastic (one on each end), here it is all ready for the off (with rain cover) -

- and when the baby is big enough, you strip out the bed fabric (it's attached with velcro) and put in the seat fabric and it transforms into a push chair! You can spin the bed or seat around by 180 degrees to allow the baby to either face towards you, or the pleasant view ahead, and the handle flips over to either the front or back (with the push of a button) to allow the highly maneuverable wheels to be at the front (for town driving) or at the back (for off roading), the attachment on the chassis even works with the car seat we have got, so, in theory you could leave the top part at home and just bring the wheels, snapping the car seat in as the push-chair seat...it's all terribly clever... ;)

This isn't the finished article though, Flyingpops is busy shopping for all new, flashy coloured fabrics to customise the sleeping/sitting areas, and I think some new wheels are on the cards also (as the newer Cameleon ones are filled with foam to prevent punctures - and that would never do)...!  

It really is starting to feel like we might be almost ready (and we still aren't even half way through the pregnancy), but then with Flyingpops involved, what did you expect?  ;)

Choosing a Pram - Volkswagen Beetle

Well, it's all starting to come together, items are being checked off Flyingpops' baby checklist with frightening rapidity - the cot arrived over the weekend (came from a friend of Flyingpops' sister and looks like it's never been used), that's now stashed up in the spare room behind the freshly reassembled futon/sofa bed, two boot-sale bargain brand new, still boxed (£35 in the shop) stair gates (for a fiver each) are now sitting behind the sofa in the living room-

- pregnancy cushions have materialised, the assorted parts of a (as my mother dubbed it) "baby torturer" -

- or (sit in) activity centre are upstairs in the nursery-to-be - this sort of thing- absolutely heaps of clothes next to it and more are overflowing from the baby bath (that I already mentioned)...and soon to come is the pram/push chair...

Before all this started I had heard Flyingpops talking about the Bugaboo range and remained completely neutral on the matter - surely, a pram is a pram? - however, when (a few weeks back) we took a little trip out to the A3 Baby Barn to physically check some out (and more importantly see if we could find one that would actually fit in the boot of Poppy the Beetle), it quickly became apparent that not all prams and pushchairs are equal. Some of them barely fold up at all, being just as clumsy, heavy and bulky whatever button you push, or catch disengage...perfectly alright if you have a MPV to heave it's massive bulk into the cavernous depths of, but totally impossible with the space we have to work with (getting the weekly shop home can be a tetris-like exercise)...

It was impressive, not only was the Bugaboo extremely light, while feeling unshakably sturdy and almost impossibly maneuverable it also folds up into an incredibly tiny space (even the wheels pop easily off, if required, and the whole thing goes flat)...In fact the package was so well thought out (it actually feels like playing with a transformer toy!) I would have said "Go for it" straight away...apart from one tiny little sticking point - the £900 price tag - oh and the wait while they hand-make the thing especially for you (you even pick the colours)...it's the Rolls Royce of the pram world but how on Earth could we justify paying all that money for a pram? I mean, that's almost one month's rent, and before long we are only going to have one salary to count on (for a while, at least)...

We continued discontentedly looking at, and half-heartedly pushing around a succession of other prams, all of which felt like they weighed a ton and steered like a wonky shopping trolley (in comparison), none of which would allow you to position the seat backwards or forwards with a flick of a switch, all the while spotting yummy mummies (apparently everywhere) dining al-fresco swivelling their little ones around in their transforming seats and adjusting their coffee cup holders and then effortlessly gliding off over the uneven pavement with their gel-filled wheels and active suspension...The word "compromise" seems awfully difficult to form on the lips when the difference is so pronounced...

So Flyingpops started watching ebay and they did come up for sale, frequently already serviced (yes, like a car, except they go back to the manufacturer), if you were lucky you could get one for £400 or so...still rather expensive...we were almost to the point of biting the bullet and actually bidding on one (as we were saving so much money everywhere else), when Flyingpops went to visit a friend of hers (who had the pleasure of using one for her "first") just to get an honest opinion as to whether it really was worth the extra cash (although, if I am honest, I think we both were really only seeking someone (anyone!) else's permission to spend so much money)...

If this comes to pass MJ is going to enjoy being taken on quite the most upmarket of strolls in all of merry Earlswood... ;)

Update - We got a Bugaboo Frog, fits perfectly, see here...

Poppy the Beetle

Hehe...says it all I think... ;)

Poppy Matilda - Our New Beetle

Let me introduce you to Poppy Matilda ...

She was conceived on Remembrance Sunday (deposit paid), Born on Saturday 15th November (collected)  and Christened on 16th November (splashed with Holy water from Maria's christening).

The name 'Poppy' was suggested by Vodqueen so she has become Poppy's Godmother.  I chose the name Matilda as I thought it was a fun/happy name and reflected the personality of the car!

We have owned Poppy less than 48 hours, driven over 300 miles, have flowers in the bud vase and its absolutely fantastic! 

Oh and the best thing of all, if you drive past another beetle, new or old style, you wave and flash your lights...