{"id":17033,"date":"2017-10-18T11:52:36","date_gmt":"2017-10-18T11:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=17033"},"modified":"2017-10-19T20:28:21","modified_gmt":"2017-10-19T20:28:21","slug":"two-at-finkley-down-farm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/two-at-finkley-down-farm\/","title":{"rendered":"Two at Finkley Down Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The toddler had his second birthday at the weekend.\u00a0 We celebrated him turning 734 days old (I have just added the extra 4 days!) with family which was a novelty in itself.<\/p>\n

It’s incredibly hard to believe that that much time has passed already since our slightly turbulent introduction in the noisy wards of Erding hospital, that busy blustery Autumn Day<\/a> (This post from ASausageHasTwo<\/a>\u00a0had me reminiscing about our meals that week in a German hospital.\u00a0 I kind of wish we had recorded ours now, I especially used to look forward to the brotzeit of an evening, usually consisting of a plate of rye bread, smoked meats, cheeses and pickles, all served with an Alkoholfrei Erdinger Weissbier!\u00a0 \u00a0Erding is home to the Erdinger brewery, they even had the stuff on tap in the hospital reception!).\u00a0 Anyway, I digress…<\/p>\n

Forever gone are the baby days.\u00a0 No more pushing around a contented infant happy to look at the world around him as I got the shopping done for the week, this Toddler has an absolute hatred of all things einkaufen (shopping) which probably saves his Father a small fortune.<\/p>\n

The last 300 odd of his 734 days on Planet Earth have usually involved a toddler scenario or two that can be quite hard to keep a straight face at.\u00a0 \u00a0He’s not a morning person (a bit like his Mother) and as his speech develops like wild fire, he’s beginning to express himself more extensively.\u00a0 I am hoping that he grows out of his “goway nanny” phase that he yells at each poor unsuspecting elderly lady that dares to try and speak to him when we are out and about too early (a phrase that’s not just reserved for the elderly I must add, he uses “goway baby” for anyone under and up to the age of five) and he doesn’t quite feel like socialising.\u00a0 \u00a0 More often than not thankfully he enjoys the company of other people, even if he doesn’t quite grasp the concept of sharing toys or food just yet.\u00a0 \u00a0Having said that, I did have to laugh when he pressed a half chewed up gummy bear into the palm of our neighbour’s hand the other day (he’s not in the habit of eating sweets by the way, his big brother had some and in his infinite wisdom thought the toddler might like to try one!)…<\/p>\n

Unlike last year, where we celebrated his first birthday<\/a> at the quite brilliant fairy tale themed Marchenwald<\/a> with a quick trip for some oompah dancing at The Hofbrauhaus afterwards, we went for more of a rural theme.\u00a0 \u00a0As he’s quite obsessed with animals and anything with wheels, we opted for a day at Finkley Down Farm<\/a> so he could spend his birthday surrounded by everything he loves, together with some of his cousins and his amazing cake bearing granny to boot…<\/p>\n

Finkley was somewhere we used to go to as young children.\u00a0 It was just up the road from our house (well, pub.\u00a0 My parents ran a country inn for many years!), so inevitably it became THE place to go for birthday parties, and get-togethers with friends.\u00a0 It has been quite a few years since my last visit, and to be honest, as much as it was always a good day out, I didn’t hold out much hope that it would have moved on much since then.\u00a0 \u00a0After all, it is the only real family attraction of its kind in that area, so you can imagine that it doesn’t really have to try all that hard…\u00a0 But, I was pleasantly surprised to see it really has moved on, and it does try really hard, and it’s probably the best farm park experience I have had to date in this country.\u00a0 Not that I have been to every single one mind you, but still.\u00a0 It takes a lot to impress me about places like this…\u00a0 It was also done up for Halloween when we visited, which was fun!<\/p>\n

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cow milking<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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autumn colours<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We met my sister and family, and Granny (with the cake!) and started off with a quick walk past the bird of prey display.\u00a0 \u00a0As he walked down the line, the Birthday boy “introduced” himself to every single feathered friend with a\u00a0 “Hello Bird”, “Hello Bird”, “Hello Bird” until we got to the one in the middle where he stood confused at the creature in front of him that stood taller than he does.\u00a0 \u00a0Then we had a “Hello….\u00a0 Cat?!?”\u00a0 It was a very large owl…\u00a0 Afterwards he headed straight off to the pedal tractor section with his cousin who was quite content to push him about for ages!\u00a0 Don’t be fooled by this tiny being, at a few months older than The Toddler, she might be fairy like in stature, but she’s feisty and incredibly strong, and the two of them are quite hilarious together!<\/p>\n

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One major recent development at Finkley is the addition of a big play barn, with a variety of soft play areas for different ages to enjoy!\u00a0 \u00a0The big favourite with our group was the soft play area set out like a giant hen house, complete with an air system where you can shoot soft balls (or “eggs”) about the place.\u00a0 \u00a0Most of our group spent a happy hour or so in here whilst my Mum, Sister and I got to catch up over coffee from the well organised Moody Cow Cafe next door (could describe me before Coffee of a morning!).<\/p>\n

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Then it was on to meet all kinds of four legged friends (including the opportunity to hold baby bunnies at one point, a really sweet and calm experience for all involved thankfully), Shire horses, sheep, hares, cows, alpacas, pigs, guinea pigs, goats and ferrets, not to mention chickens and birds of prey (nowhere near each other thankfully).\u00a0 \u00a0 One thing I do remember from Finkley visits as a child is being able to feed the animals, which you still can.\u00a0 There are clear signs telling you which animals can and cannot eat the bags of food, just watch out for greedy goats who like to pinch the whole lot, and bring plenty of hand sanitiser too (although there are plenty of hand wash stations!)…<\/p>\n

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My sister and her youngest feeding the goats.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Afterwards we sat outside for a birthday picnic and a slice of the all important cake before spending an hour or so on the outdoors play equipment.\u00a0 \u00a0You could easily spend the whole day here, and for under \u00a340 for a family of five, I think it’s pretty reasonably priced too.\u00a0 It’s open all year around, apart from Christmas Day I should imagine…\u00a0 Finkley has also recently opened a nursery, which has to be great fun for all involved.<\/p>\n

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My favourite birthday photograph… You have to love a day out where they have had so much fun they can hardly move at the end of it…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Granny and some of her brood…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Have I mentioned how brilliant Granny is at cake decorating??<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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A little note to my tiny one, as has been the birthday tradition on my blog over the years…\u00a0 Although my memories of\u00a0 our first introduction are perhaps not as either of us might have hoped initially, I would go through it all again in a heartbeat for you.\u00a0 Thank you for making me laugh almost every single day, in a year that has been “interesting” (to say the least!) as we all adjust to being back in the UK (for however long that might be)…\u00a0 \u00a0Although there’s obviously still time, part of me worries that you won’t have that same international start in life that your siblings did and all the amazing experiences that came with it.\u00a0 There is however that very definite plus side that it’s really special to be “at home” to be able to celebrate birthdays and the like properly with friends and family, something we definitely missed out on living abroad.\u00a0 \u00a0You even got two cakes and two celebrations this year as we had another celebration with Grandad, and my other sister and family the following day.\u00a0 It’s not every year you are two after all…\u00a0 We have plenty more adventures planned over the coming weeks and months, and I look forward to what your next year will bring. xx<\/em><\/p>\n

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I on the other hand, like to cheat at cake decorating sometimes…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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