Deep in the heart of the Valley....

A while ago (January in fact, the day we went to see Abel, back when I had my gammy eye!) Kandy and I went to Bury Art Gallery to see the Moomin exhibition!

The exhibition had a big range of Moomin illustrations by creator Tove Jansson and some of her other work for satirical magazines.

The illustrations themselves were a joy to look at, but the gallery had made the celebration of the 65th anniversary of Moomins more of a family affair with interactive pieces, a colour in and comments section, one of those things where you put your face through the hole, so you could be Moominmama Moominpapa or whoever (I took my camera but not my flash, so the photographic evidence didn't turn out, boo).

Our favourite piece was the Moomin valley! An amazing starlight backdrop, fake trees, a little boat and little wooden huts, magical! we sat in (squashed ourselves in whilst children watched) and read Moomin books.

Moomin Valley is most definitely somewhere I'd like to live! Sadly Moomin Valley doesn't exist (I'm sure there are places just as beautiful).

A place that is pretty amazing looking is Portmeirion.....

Kandy and I and all my other rad friends are escaping the Royal wedding and spending a caravan weekend in the picturesque places of North Wales, near Snowdonia. My birthday falls on this weekend and so will be spending my 27th birthday awwing at the beauty that Portmeirion (setting for TV show The Prisoner!).

I think we'll look just like that Moomin picture at the top!