Week in Pictures - A Sussex Beach

I love the beach. Sussex beaches are not like the beautiful sandy beaches of Cornwall, they are stoney, seaweedy and a little bit grey but to me they are the best. I lived a couple of miles from this beach when I was little and we used to go all year round. In the summer we would go for picnics after school, scoffing sandy sandwiches and slurping sticky lemonade, and come Winter time I would ride my horse on the beach, jumping the breakwaters and galloping along the sand in the frosty morning light.
So last week we went back to my parents for a huge roast and a brisk walk along said beach. It was freezing but both babies loved the "big water" and it made me realise how lucky I was to grow up there. This Summer we will most definitely be going back far more often....

A Week in Pictures - Snow

Apologies for the lack of posts, I have many excuses, (husband taking laptop abroad, viewing houses, a new book, snow etc etc) but in fact I have just not had the impetus. I have been super tired, six months of a baby in our room has finally taking it's toll, but he is nearly ready to go into Honey's room, hurray.

Anyway, here are a few snaps of the snow, we have loved it and luckily it hasn't caused a huge amount of disruption down in Surrey, just lots of fun and snowmen.

Hope everyone else had a great week too? Love everyone's snow pictures on Instagram.
Honey's mummy x

A Week of Firsts

Not loving the baby rice

in the big girl bed

new mini hunters

This week has charted a few milestones in our household. Firstly the little dude has gone from the basinet part of the Bugaboo into his big buggy, which may not seem that significant but to me signals the end of the newborn stage to the big bouncy baby stage, and being a bit more robust when random toys go flying at him.
Secondly the honey bug has moved into her big bed out of her cot. This is big news, she is now officially a little girl and not a baby anymore *sob*. The best thing is it went relatively smoothly, without hitch and only one night of waking up, hurrah.
Thirdly the dude has started solids. Scary crazy and now definitely not a newborn. He hated and detested his first bowl of baby rice, screamed the house down at the first spoon, yet every day since can't get enough. Even though he's only just hit the five and a half month mark I decided to wean him a little early, (so shoot me health visitor busy bodies), it was the right thing for him. Not that I need to justify it but he drains 9oz bottles left right and centre (7/6oz is recommended) and chews anything that goes past his mouth. I'm currently swotting up on baby-led weaning. More weaning posts to come, bet you can't wait :-) So any baby-led weaning advice or tips would be greatly appreciated (Honey had puree Gina Ford weaning).

So big news on the baby front for the first week or so of the year, potty training is next on the list, heaven help me! Hope everyone else has had a good start to the year. x

Week in Pictures - Christmas!

Clockwise from top left; A beautiful Christmas table, daddy and the dude, Honey and granny, table decs, little nutcrackers, a new umbrella

A christmassy corner in our house

The only picture of Honey I took (the little pink pig in the middle) before the crying started!

So apologies for the lack of blogging but Christmas has been a complete whirlwind of wrapping, pressies, food, nappies, tantrums, packing, bottles, driving, friends, nativities, family, alcohol all in the space of about 48 hours and were all shattered. Did anyone else think it went way too quickly??  Both our little munchkins were completely spoilt and actually very well behaved which made everything go a lot smoother than was expected. (Apart from Honey's first nativity play which she was dressed up as a piglet and screamed the whole way through). Anyway, I  thought I'd share a few pics and wish you all a great New Year. (Now my ocd is setting in and I'm itching to get all the decorations down).

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas....

The most beautiful shop in the world

Orange and fir Christmas wreath

A vintage doll's house on my Honey's Christmas list

This weekend the boy was away in Italy for three days playing rugby, so Honey, the Dude and I decided to go to my parents in Arundel, West Sussex, for the weekend. Terrible snotty colds dominated, but a few hot mulled cider's, an amazing home cooked roast dinner and a stroll around a Christmas market overshadowed by beautiful Arundel castle certainly helped with our Christmas cheer.
We also visited my favourites shop in the world (see top) which couldn't look more beautiful or Christmassy and stocks Neom candles and Kew pottery. Then spent the afternoon sipping lattes and eating pizza in an Italian cafe, people watching while the babies slept in their prams all rosey cheeked and snug.
All that was missing was the boy....

Arundel Castle

Winter Wonderland & The Jolly Hog

Winter Wonderland is carnage there is no other way to put it. If you are in London or the surrounding areas you won't have escaped the hype around the Capital's biggest festive destination. There is an ice rink, a 5D Ice Age cinema, a magical ice kingdom, a circus, a giant observation wheel, christmas markets, Santa land, live music, Oktoberfest, German markets, roller coasters, zip wires to carry you from one end to the other and hundreds of thousands of people. Literally.
At first glance it seems like one huge Christmas theme park full of burger vans, chips and waltzers accompanied by blaring music, which it is. However, if you take time to look and don't get too annoyed with the crowds (I got serious buggy rage, yes I will ram your legs with the buggy if you walk in front of me then stop), there are gorgeous artisan products such as German cider flavoured with cinnamon, flamed salmon cooked in front of you over a wood fire, homemade British sausages and roast hog (more of that later) and live bands. The ice rink is gorgeous if you can get on, canopied by thousands of twinkling fairy lights, and the Oktoberfest tent has an awesome apres ski feel to it. The attention to detail for such a temporary attraction is great, everywhere you look there are giant snowmen, polar bears and Christmassy decor.

I must also mention our family business the Jolly Hog who are trading this year, situated on the Serpentine corner of Hyde park, near the talking tree. They serve up the best homemade British sausages and hog roasts with crispy crackling and apple sauce, all made by the Hogfather himself. Run by my husband and his two brothers, make sure to say hi if you go down.

We decided to visit the park on a Sunday and the crowds were huge, apparently it gets even bigger in December and nearer to Christmas, so be prepared if you are taking small children. We took the Dude in a Baby Bjorn sling and Honey bug went in the Maclaren. Due to the immense crowds you have to walk very slowly, people constantly walk into the buggy which drives me mad and you wouldn't want a toddler to walk unaided in case they got lost or knocked over. The facilities and baby change are good though and there are lots of nooks and crannies to take cover in. Honey is a two and loved it, she was speechless the whole time (which is a first) gazing at the lights and goings on. Dude slept the whole time. I would highly recommend a trip to Winter Wonderland to get you in the Christmas Spirit, a mid week trip would probably be calmer and quieter than a weekend, either way it is definitely worth a trip. It is free too, so you can just walk in.

Last of the Summer Berries

A couple of weeks ago we thought we'd make the most of some late afternoon sun and decided to go and get our Halloween pumpkin (which is still sitting waiting to be carved in the kitchen) and the last of the Summer's berries. So off we toddled to a local Pick Your Own and gorged ourselves on strawberries and raspberries, gathered fistfuls of fresh green runner beans and clambered our way through rows of plump pumpkins. Honey had the best afternoon ever stuffing her little mouth full of berries and trying to carry pumpkins bigger than her, not to mention waving at giant tractors and splashing in muddy puddles. We came home laden with punnets of raspberries and what better way than prolonging their juicy little lives than folded into a fluffy sweet ice cream?! Recipe here.

A Week in Pictures - Fifteen Street Food Festival

A few snaps from Jamie Oliver's Fifteen Street Food Festival. Hosted by Jamie Oliver's Fifteen as part of their 10th anniversary celebrations, Fifteen Street featured the 2012 British Street Food Awards, Ginstock andRumstock. Street food vendors from all around the country parked up in Hoxton, on the cobbled streets outside Fifteen and went head to head to win an award. We obviously tasted most of the street food on offer, amongst my favourite was the scallop cream tea (scallop, whipped butter, piquant strawberry sauce on a scone - bottom left) and a brownie baked in a horse box! We will definitely be visiting again next year.

A Week in Pictures - 50 Shades of Pink

A few pictures of Honey's 2nd birthday.
Pink strawberries and cream cupcakes, homemade pink pom poms, pink party dresses, pink balloons and plenty of pink food.  We had a small gathering of friends and family over for a BBQ. Luckily the weather held out (the tantrums didn't).

Week in Pictures - Borough Market

We love Borough Market, especially my husband who is a huge foodie and wants to try everything new on offer. It is a shame the traders don't love it anymore though (too focused on tourists and not enough on wholesale apparently) but for us that's a bonus as it means there are tasters galore.
We always make the same compulsory food spots, the famous chorizo bap, a coffee from Monmouth, a fat sausage roll, a toasted cheese sandwich and then some form of chocolate goodness. And we always leave laden with goodies and delicious (but very expensive) produce for our dinner.

Borough is not the most relaxing place on a Saturday as the crowds are immense, (it is a little less crowded on a Friday) and really not a great idea with buggies. So be prepared for a few elbow barges, but once you have filled your tummies a stroll along the South Bank is a perfect antidote to the hustle and bustle and the craziness of the market.

Week in Pictures - Olympics 2012

We were lucky enough to catch the Olympic torch being run though Guildford High Street the day before the little man arrived, and this weekend were even luckier to go to Eton Dorney, with the little man in tow, and witness Team GB win two golds and a silver in the rowing. Even someone as unsporty as me (bar horse riding and rugby of course) I have loved every minute of London's 2012 Olympics. From the awe inspiring Opening Ceremony to the Double trap shooting, which was surprisingly riveting. The atmosphere at Eton Dorney was incredible, in true British style we all sat in the pouring rain with soggy bottoms giggling at how awful the weather was, then the sun came out in all its glory to shine on our winning GB Team as the 20,000 strong crowd belted out the National anthem. Glorious!

Week in Pictures - Flowers, Friends and Feasts

This week has been all about being chilled, meeting friends, eating out and doing nice things. Not only can I barely move around with out huffing and puffing, I know that in under two weeks I will be a complete zombie with new baby in tow and not be able to do much at all. So this has been our last couple of weeks. (I particularly love the pic of Honey engrossed in Vogue.)

Week in Pictures - A Stacay in the Cotswolds

A few snaps from our heavenly little sojourn to the Cotswolds a couple of weeks ago. I can't fly this summer due to the imminent arrival of the new baby so we decided to head to the Costwolds lakes.
We stayed in an incredible log cabin, with the comfiest super-king sized bed I have ever slept in, not to mention the Finnish hot tub on our veranda, private jetty with rowing boat and a double swing seat overlooking the lake. It really was a little peace of heaven. We spent the days walking, rowing and eating in country pubs and in the evenings Honey's daddy and I settled down and watched the whole series of The Bridge, accompanied by lots of Green & Blacks chocolate and a couple of really good bottles of red.
British holidays are the way forward!

Week in Pictures - Sun, Swimming Pools and Cucumber Sandwiches

As always with my "week" in picture posts, these have come from the last few weeks, not just one. The weather has turned super drab, but I did manage to capture a few snaps as evidence that the sun can shine when it wants! I also ate lots of afternoon tea, went on a hen do in the Cotswolds, a trip to Liberty, a rainy Surrey County Show, witnessed someone special winning the Premiership Final and had a drunken (not me) trip to the Kensington Roof Gardens.

Week in Pictures - Bristol, Bocketts Farm, Blondeness and Bluebells

Time wise these pictures happened over a few weeks not one, it's just been so rainy and miserable I haven't been hugely inspired to take many pics. They include trips to see the family in Bristol, Bocketts farm, Stoke Park, my fav Ginger beer, pink lemonade and macaroons, Peppa the micro pig, trampolines and finally being bright blonde again! 

The Royal Ballet

Last week just we were treated to the most magical evening at the ballet. Not only was it to see La Fille Mal Gardee performed by the Royal Ballet at The Royal Opera House, but we were given the most amazing backstage tour by Ballet Master Gary Avis, oodles of champagne, a private box and we also went behind the scenes for the curtain call at the end of the performance to meet the lead ballerinas.

It is safe to say I'm now hooked on ballet and can not wait to take Honey, I think we'll start with Beatrix Potter!

Week in Pictures - Pearls, Lace, Rugby & a Boat Race

 

This last two weeks has been fun, fun, fun, I love it when Honey's daddy is not working! We've had a mix of Easter, DIY, baking, amazing roasts, the Boat Race, picnics, eating a lot of cake and of course rugby.