Howick Hall

A rare and beautiful thing happened in England last bank holiday weekend- the sun came out; sunshine over a three day weekend is a seldom witnessed but beautiful creature. We made the most of it by enjoying every last ray while out and about in Northumberland, including our first visit to Howick Hall and Gardens (just past Alnwick).

After a long grey winter, it finally felt like spring had sprung!

{My baby boy}

{So delicate}

{Ben negotiating the map, the grounds were a LOT bigger than we had anticipated}

{Kissed by the sun's rays}

{Blossoms}

{Heavenly scent of Eucalyptus from the sticky sap of pine cones}

{You'd think Finlay was on solids the way he is eyeing up Steve's scone}

The weather justified a picnic, but as we had lunch before we went, we 'made do' with giant slices of cake and scones from the coffee shop. Howick Hall was the home of Earl Grey (as in the tea), so really we should have had some but instead opted for milkshakes!I had the courgette cake which, if you should visit, is a must.

In a totally random aside, I loved that top photo but it highlighted how desperately I need my hair doing; it look less dip-dyed and more like I've just let my roots run wild! I'm getting it cut and dyed tomorrow (with 11 week old baby in tow) so wish me luck! 

Hope you're enjoying a bit of warmth where ever you are,

Rach xxx

Sunday Summary (Life lately)

This isn't strictly restricted to Sunday but hey ho! Here's a summary of our half term escapades:

{A rare date night at a local Lebanese restaurant} 

{Tree climbing}

{Horse riding- how cute are the little ear muffs to keep the flies out? NB- Ben didn't have a helmet on as it was only a short guided walk}}

{A terrifying friendly scarecrow}

{And to think he's the father of my children!}

{On the farm}

Photos taken from both the Lakes and at home. Seriously don't know how the time crept away from us!

Hope you're all enjoyed the holidays if you were lucky enough to have half-term off.xxx

A walk in the clouds...

Literally! We were over 1500 ft above sea level for a walk in the Lakes. As we got to peak, the clouds drew in around and we found ourselves in the middle of a snow storm. There were a couple of hairy moments but we made it back down alive and it'll be one of my best memories of our time in the Lakes.

{Ice with that?}

{The brave explorers}

{Oh so cold! Ben has giant sleeves as he's wearing my jumper on top of his own layers; don't worry about me, I had my bump radiator to keep me warm! Believe it or not I only had a t-shirt under the coat but was still warm}

{Touch the sky! The tiny white pub bellow was where we warmed up in front of a lovely log fire afterwards}

{My boys}

{A little mountain hobbit Ben}

I treasured every moment of this day as I realise the chances are it'll be a couple of years before we'll be doing this again but I'm sure we'll enjoy buba-friendly walks instead!

Paris... the most beautiful city in the world?

Or at least the most beautiful one I've visited!I hadn't been for twelve years but it didn't disappoint. I'm not sure these images need captions... except the last one!

{Can you spot the (then) 14 week baby bump?}

So, the last photo... 'Michael Jackson' was hanging around outside a Hollywood Stars type shop at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. Thinking he was an employee, I asked if Ben could have his photo taken with him (to which he agreed). Just before Steve took the photo, he whispered to me that this guy wasn't working, he is just some peculiar soul who enjoys dressing as Michael- you can tell by the look on my face I wasn't sure whether to be amused or a bit freaked out that he was making a heart logo on Ben's chest! The more I look at this photo, the freakier it seems!

And the second last one? This is Ben and Steve congratulating themselves after finding somewhere to eat. Imagine the scene: a pregnant woman (still at sickly stage) has been up since about seven a.m. and wondering the streets of Paris for nine hours (including taking the Steps up the Eiffel Tower, hitting La Louvre and all along the Champs Elysee) and kept being told we'd get food "Just around the next corner...". I had gone beyond huffy and was demanding to be fed! We finally found this little Chinese place (yes I know, not the most obvious choice in Paris but what the pregnant woman wants...) and were able to relax and eat!

I do love Paris, it's a stunning city aesthetically but I'm not sure it has, for example, the funkiness of Berlin or the warmth of Budapest, but that's what I love about exploring a city: discovering it's 'vibe' and Paris is all about the stunning (and I mean STUNNING) good looks. And let's be honest, everybody likes a stunner!

France- I miss you already!

There are just some things the French do incredibly well...

{Warm enough to dine al fresco late into the evening}

{Beautiful attention to detail}

{Gorgeous Châteaus- I did might have pretended this was my house}

{Funky street art, even on the trees!}

{Lakes so warm you can swim/ throw your child around in them}

Just a few of the things I've been pining for since we've returned. Hopefully we'll get a chance to indulge in them all again soon. In the meantime there's always happy memories.xxx

France- Disney Dreams

Disney!

There were a couple of things I didn't realise when we booked Disney: firstly that is was their 20th Anniversary so there would be a enormousness fireworks spectacular display (lovely surprise) and secondly that I'd be three months pregnant so I would be the official 'bag holder' for the majority of the day! Nevertheless, we had a wonderful time and it really was magical to see Steve Ben get caught up in the fantasy.

{It's okay- it was a friendly monster}

{The day time parade}

{Just about to set off on 'It's a Small World'}

{My other home is a castle}

{What a pair!}

{Toffee apple on Main Street}

{Taken by Ben as we waited for the night parade}

{No- it didn't come out!}

{Ben on Steve's shoulders with his new friend}

{Fireworks at the end of the day}

{Sleepy cuddles}

Hopefully we'll return in a couple of years and until then we'll just keep plodding along in our  own fairytale.xxx

PS- If anyone is heading their soon and wants to know about parking/ food etc just ask in the comments box.