A low-key babymoon in Surrey

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I remember when I was pregnant with Max I scoffed at the idea of a babymoon. It may have been related to the relentless sickness I suffered from most of the way through that pregnancy, but the thought of going away for a break just didn't feel like something I wanted or needed to do. But this time around I definitely felt in need of a break! Having been pretty sick this pregnancy too, plus running around after Max, and with the knowledge that we don't have a holiday planned until the end of September, we decided to book a weekend away. We didn't want to go far, so when I read that Bel and The Dragon, a small chain of restaurants ...

Postcards from Tuscany

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I always describe Tuscany as my 'happy place'. We've visited so many times now that as soon as we head off from Pisa airport in the car I can feel myself start to breathe in more deeply, and becoming more relaxed. I'm not sure if it's the green of the vineyards, the good food, the amazing wine, the nice weather, or the friendly people, or just the way they all come together to create one of the most magical places on earth. Of course, I'm slightly biased, as Tuscany is where my husband proposed, and where we honeymooned, so there is a huge amount of nostalgia for us there too. Which is one of the reasons why we were so keen ...

A wet and windy trip to Wheal Coates

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As recently signed up members of the National Trust (a sure sign you've hit middle age!), I spent a good amount of time trawling their website for sites in Cornwall that we could visit on our recent trip. Wheal Coates is an old tin mine, located on a dramatic clifftop above Chapel Porth beach, and the ruins are one of the most photographed places in Cornwall. The best viewing time is supposedly the evening, when you should see a spectacular sunset, but as we have a toddler, we took the easy option and visited on a moody looking morning. There are 3 engine houses and from the car park you can take a circular walk amongst the heather and gorse and ...

An April trip to St Ives

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We've just got back from a wonderful few days away in St Ives - it's been a bit of a stressful time at home lately and the timing was perfect to get away. St Ives is one of my favourite places - there's something almost magical about it that makes you relax instantly. As soon as I'm down there, my hair remains unstraightened, most of my makeup stays in it's bag - I'm just happier to go with the flow. We were blessed with amazing weather considering it's April, but we seem to get lucky on the weather front every time we visit. We visited last with Max when he was 7 weeks old, so it was lovely to be able to revisit ...

The Pig Near Bath - A Review

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If you read my recent post on the Roman Baths and the Thermae Spa, you'll know that we recently treated ourselves to a child free few nights away in Bath. We had a fabulous time away and a huge part of the success of our stay was our choice of hotel - The Pig Near Bath.     The Pig Near Bath is an old Grade II listed country house in Pensford, a small village about 20 minutes drive out of Bath. The Pig pride itself on 'a touch of luxury combined with a homely charm' - the decor is very much 'stately home shabby chic' - distressed wood floors, roaring fireplaces, comfy armchairs, and a few deer heads mounted on the walls. It's ...

A Whistlestop Trip to Rye

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One of the things that I miss the most about life before becoming a mum is the little trips away we used to do on a regular basis, so we thought it would be nice to squeeze in a small trip before Christmas. As we'd not both left Max overnight before we wanted to limit it to one night, so decided to head to Rye in Kent - an old town that we've stayed in before. Not too far away, and since we'd been before, not too much pressure on fitting everything in with limited time. As luck would have it, Max came down with a nasty cold and went from a nice and easy babysitting prospect, to very clingy, snotty, and ...