Family time exploring local places

My brother came to visit from Darlington with his partner and my nephew.  It was so nice having them to stay and of course my furry nephew too, I loved having a dog in the house!  We showed them some of our beautiful countryside with a nice walk near High Hurstwood.

Drusillas Park, East Sussex - review

We chose the perfect day to go to review Drusillas last week. It was sunny with just a slight breeze, hot but not sweltering and I can wholeheartedly recommend the park, we had an amazing day out!

Blackberry Farm birthday party

The twins were invited along to a birthday party at Blackberry Farm last weekend and had a great time (in between tantrums and clinging to me that is)!  It wasn't our party so I'm not going to "review" it but I will say it was awesome and the twins and all the other kids had so much fun!  I have permission from the Mum to share a few photos with you of her little boy's awesome day out with his friends.

We started off meeting by the cafe before all heading through to the petting area with rabbits and guinea pigs.  Most of the little ones were great, sitting down patiently waiting for their turn to hold or stroke the animals.  The twins were in a bit of a funny mood (possibly related to my stress dealing with a poorly timed tantrum as we left the house - all Priya's fault declaring that it was HER birthday and no one else could have any cake, setting Kalyan off crying and complaining to me that Priya said he couldn't have cake, me telling her it was Eliot's birthday and his cake to share triggering her meltdown - the joys!) so they didn't want to touch the animals and were pretty clingy with me so I didn't get many photos here as Daddy was at work so my camera was swiftly tucked away again.

Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare review - Adventures with Toddlers

On Thursday we met up with friends for a play date at Raystede near Halland.  If you don't know it, Raystede is an animal rescue centre with animals ranging from bunnies to horses and it's a lovely place to visit with the kids.  Entry is free but you can make a donation or become a sponsor to give continued help to one specific animal section if you wish or become a Friend of Raystede for just £3/month and as well as helping the animals you also get perks like Friends Only events and discounts.  It's good to have some free activities available in the holidays as it all adds up with various trips out but even if you can't afford to make a big donation, I'm sure everything helps and if you visit the cafe, you're also helping to support the centre.

Vintage Christmas at Middle Farm - day out in Sussex, by Bex

So way back in November we had a day out at Middle Farm for their Vintage Christmas event.  It was so well marketed on facebook that thousands of people turned up and when we arrived, the police had closed the entrance and were turning people away.  Lots of cars had parked up along the side of the road and we were lucky to find a space after packing and wrapping everyone and everything up for our day out so we walked along and made it in, thankfully!

I think all of the people who had been allowed in to park ended up having to be towed out of the parking field anyway as the weather was horrendous and the whole area was so muddy.  By all accounts we were very lucky as their Facebook page showed a lot of angry people had travelled further than us and waited hours in back up traffic only to have to go elsewhere in the end.

Anyway, we had a lovely day out with Grampy (who was here for a flying weekend visit) despite the rain and mud.  By the time we'd made it in we were all pretty hungry so we headed for the food stalls and settled in the cake tent (as the BBQ had sold out when we arrived at 2pm!) to feed the twins on their packed lunch and we indulged in some huge slabs of cake and tea.

After the rain cleared a bit, we had a wonder around the vintage stalls and Priya had some fun riding on a beautiful vintage rocking horse Dad found (and insisted on buying the twins for Christmas).

I think the most fun we had though was in the animal barn.  The twins loved being able to see and touch all of the farm animals and I loved taking pictures of it!  Kalyan loved chasing the chickens along the bails of straw and came close to touching one and was surprised when it zapped out of there at speed when he touched its tail!

Look Daddy, I'm touching the sheep!

Although we did have a sudden need for milk apparently!  I've even breastfed them in a barn while sat on bales of straw now!

There was also a sleigh next to the brass band who played Christmas carols and I got some great videos of the twins sitting in it dancing and clapping along.

No chickens were harmed!

Weekend in Bristol

by Bex

So, as I mentioned yesterday, we enjoyed some fantastic R&R staying with Nik's uncles (and their gorgeous daschund, Otto) in Bristol for Nik's interview last weekend.  We sipped Champagne while snacking on lovely arrow root crisps Uncle S brought back from Kenya...

Ate delicious seafood pasta created by Uncle T (he's one of those amazing people who can just whip up restaurant style, simple but delicious food at home!)...

And a cheeky roulade for pud...

Followed by coffee and chocolate while sat by the cosy fire in their gorgeous sitting room...

I think they might be the most stylish people I know!
(Loving the Versace cups)

During Nik's interview on Friday morning, I wandered the streets of Bristol in some awful weather, spotted a Banksy (sadly vandalised with blue paint) and some gorgeous mugs in a wee shop...

I'm tempted to order the dragonfly one online!

It was a bit too cold & windy though so I had to stop to 'recuperate' with some tasty bites and a latte in Source (as recommended by Katy)...

Salted caramel & cherry dark chocolate brownie (x2 they looked SO good) and a bakewell slice

I then did some more exploring sheltered from the wind & rain in the very interesting St Nicholas market.
Until Nik called and we met up for some post-interview celebratory drinks and a late lunch at Graze (another fab recommendation from Katy - review to follow soon!)

Then more delicious seafood made by Uncle T at home (which we tried to recreate tonight and almost managed to make it taste as good as his!)...

And we munched on the last of my heart apple & cheese pies from baking club which I took down with me...

On Saturday, after a lovely morning with cheese & toast and mangoes for breakfast (and morning cuddles from Otto) we explored more of Bristol as we all went for a walk around Clifton village, stopping at the Lido for a coffee and pasteis de nata...

I actually indulged in an Amaretto & sea salt hot chocolate!  It sounded too good to resist and was pretty amazing!

Otto joined us in his little bag which he seriously loves, he couldn't wait to jump in it!  But he did walk as well when it wasn't too wet & windy and we weren't in cafes/shops.

They took us to their favourite gallery where we fell in love with a particular artist - Elaine Jones.

And the gallery owner let me take a photo as we were particularly in love with this painting below and are seriously considering investing once we move house (if it's still available!)...

You can see more of her work that I have pinned on my Art & Photography board.

After some Otto based fun (he really loves his ball) in the park where we got a great view of the Clifton suspension bridge, we walked back home through the village and via a beautiful cemetery in gorgeous light...

Then it was time for a late lunch of another of Uncle T's amazing seafood pasta dishes then we had time to chill for a bit (I had a lovely long nap) before sipping more fizz (why not, we were on holiday!) and getting our gladrags on for dinner at Harvey Nics later on that evening!  (Review also to follow soon.)

Wearing my tie dress by Enienay

On Sunday we went to Bath and were really lucky with gorgeous sunny weather while we explored the interesting streets and buildings but I think that will have to wait for another post too (because I haven't downloaded all the pics yet)!

As you can tell, it was a jam packed three days away but we still felt relaxed and also managed to get some much needed good quality sleep in our super comfy bed there.  Just what the doctor ordered!  ;)

My new best friend

by Bex

So, our weekend away in Bristol was just the getaway I needed.  In more ways than one.  It gave us time together just to hang out and explore.  We spent it with family, getting to know Nik's uncles better and staying in their absolutely STUNNING house.  We ate a lot of lovely food, home cooked and eating out.  We enjoyed lots of lovely wine and champagne.  We had time to relax and wander round Bristol and Bath.  (I didn't even do any shopping really, very unlike me!  Well, we did a bit, but I only bought a couple of used books and a necklace from a charity shop for a grand total of £3.25.)  We talked about our future, where we might live, what it might be like and celebrated the fact that Nik's interview was over.

I am now much more comfortable thinking about our future and almost excited at the prospect of a new city, even though we still don't know where that might be.  I still get stressed thinking about the practicalities, the unknown and the changes but I am generally much more positive about it.

I feel more relaxed and happy with life and have dreams again, even if they don't involve children for now.  One of the best things about the weekend was in fact this little guy...

This is Otto, a beautiful, friendly, happy little chap who I loved cuddling, playing with and taking dozens of photos of!  We also bonded over some of my leftover sausages from lunch on our last day.  I'm hoping he remembers me forever now ;)

It's so blustery my ears are blowing away!

Can we go home now please?

Isn't he the cutest?!  And Nik wasn't allergic to him!  All weekend, without any anti-histamines, and not a single red eye or sniffle was had!  This is excellent news as it finally convinced Nik that he isn't allergic to all dogs and there is hope for us having on of our own one day!  I loved having a dog when I was a teenager (read more about Gigha here) and have been trying to convince Nik for 7 years that perhaps a hypoallergenic dog might be the answer so we could become dog owners together.  He has now been doing his own research into it and is much more on board with the idea.  :)  A wire-haired breed seems to be the answer although I would LOVE a Samoyed, apparently one of the top 10 hypoallergenic dogs (it was actually number 1!) and super friendly although require a lot of exercise and grooming.  But look how smiley and friendly they are!!!

So for now, I'm dreaming of a lovely new home, making new friends (and potentially seeing a lot more of current ones if I move closer to any of you!), owning a dog and seeing more of my wonderful husband.  :)

I also have a busy week to keep the excitement going, I was at a wonderful Yelp event last night.  You may have noticed I have replaced my social media addiction with Yelp, OK not entirely replaced but certainly my current obsession is Yelp!  On Friday we're heading to Munro's for their birthday celebrations (they're having a 'Battle of the Brewers' free event for customers this evening in fact!), Saturday is another Yelp event - brunch at McCune Smith, then we're heading through to Edinburgh for Siobhan's party where we're staying over, then an AOW girls' lunch on Sunday!  Phew!  I can't wait!!