Our last week in England… It feels surreal to even write those words, the chasm between concept and reality still an endless distance apart. It has been a week of heightened emotions, exhaustion, love and tears. We’ve said a lot of goodbyes and each one has been painful. To our home, where we have created so many memories. To William and Noah’s grave, a place we have grown to love, although we…
Flying With A Toddler: What To Pack
In a few days time, we’ll be making the 8 hour journey from the UK to the USA. Flying with a toddler is a little bit daunting, so I’ve been doing a spot of research around the best things to take along to keep little ones occupied. The general consensus seemed to be a variety of small, new toys. We did consider taking along a Trunki to pack all of…
Ox Pasture Hall Hotel
Nestled deep in the heart of the North Yorkshire countryside lies Ox Pasture Hall Hotel, a picturesque ivy covered house set amongst 17 acres of gloriously green grounds. A tranquil setting for an idyllic hotel, for those who are in search of a peaceful haven to relax and unwind. Matt, Henry and I arrived mid afternoon, greeted by rolling hills bathed in sunshine and breathtaking views, completely surrounded by pure…
What’s In My Hand Luggage
Matt and I are heading to the USA next week to spend some time in Richmond, take a look around a few neighbourhoods and view some properties. Besides the fact I am going to miss Henry terribly (we’ve never been apart for more than a few hours) I’m actually very excited. It will be the first time I’ve been to the States, and those long lie-ins that become a distant…
Wollaton Hall
We don’t have long left in the UK before we make the move to America, so we’re trying to revisit our favourite places before we leave. Wollaton Hall (also know as Bruce Wayne’s Manor) is a vast and beautiful space, set on a hill and surrounded by luscious grounds and a lake. It’s a special place for us as we visited a lot when I was pregnant with Henry, and…
California Dreaming
I first fell in love with the USA through books. My collection of hundreds of books that held the secrets of other worlds hidden within their pages, waiting to be devoured and relished. We couldn’t afford to go on holiday when I was growing up, so I spent my summers curled up in the shadows of trees, exploring foreign lands through literature. The majestic mountains of Kefalonia in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, the haunting…
Our First Family Holiday – Kalkan 2014
We all need a break sometimes. A place to retreat, where you can let your guard down and take time to rest and relax. Matt, Henry and I recently returned from our first family holiday where we created some special memories. The past two years have been incredibly difficult for us, so it came as a much needed break. A high risk twin pregnancy with the knowledge that one of…
Hercule the Elephant
We recently welcomed Hercule the Elephant into our home. Don’t you just love his ribbed green sweater and cute little hat? Hercule is a vegetarian and grows radishes on the windowsill. Very good at darning socks, he also enjoys watchings rockets go into space. As Henry’s first knitted toy, he holds a very special place in the nursery. There is something nostalgic and quaint about knitted toys, and I love the modern twist given…
Baby Travel Essentials
After returning home from a lovely two week holiday in Kalkan, I thought it might be helpful to other mums to put together a few baby holiday essentials. Apart from the obvious items such as high factor sun cream, hats, favourite toys and swimming gear, these are the items we found made the whole travelling-with-a-baby experience a lot easier… 1. SnoozeShade – Essentially a blackout blind for the pushchair and carseat. This…
