Ickworth House & Gardens

It's been pretty grey and dreary the past few days, but Luna's been a little star so we decided to brave the rain and take her to Ickworth House & Gardens as a treat.

Favourite thrift shop find - Early November

During my break between lectures I nipped over to Scope for a quick browse and managed to get this mini Boden coat for just £4. It fits perfectly (despite being 12-18 months!) and is perfect for walks now it's getting a bit colder.

Visiting Audley End

Today we visited Audley End, a 17th century house in Essex.

Favourite thrift shop find - Mid October

Frugi and mini Boden cardigans for £2.50 each! Couldn't believe my luck.

A trip to Undley Pumpkin Patch

Bat spotting in the woods

Adjusting to Uni has had a big impact on Luna. After a long day of lectures it can be so tempting to just go home, choose a few toys to set out for her and then curl up with a cup of tea for the evening. Instead, I've decided that we're just going to have to find things to do in the late afternoon/evening that are cheap, relatively relaxed and won't over excite her just before dinner and bed.

We're incredibly lucky to live close to Byron's Pool, a small nature reserve in Grantchester.

So, at around 6pm we trundled down in the car with a flask of tea and little else. It was still a little too light so we went looking for leaves, bugs and did a spot of exploring. Luna decided that an old log was now a bus, and sold me tickets (leaves) before pretending to drive around. I then let Luna run off ahead, kept my distance and let her do her own thing. I chipped in occasionally, telling her the names of plants and so on, but it's important she discovers some things on her own, and feels independent.

Eventually it got dark enough, and we headed back to a little clearing at the entrance so that we could see the bats more clearly. We watched them for a good half hour, and Luna was absolutely delighted to see them darting about. I drank my somewhat lukewarm tea, and felt reassured that she was having a lovely time (even if I was tired as crap). Eventually it got too dark and we headed home for dinner. During her bedtime bath she told Liam all about the bats and how much fun she had. It was very sweet.

Favourite thrift shop find - Early October

This vintage 60s dress was just £2 in Cancer Research! It goes perfectly with Luna's Little Bird cardigan and tights, and these silver Clarks originals desert boots.

Wimpole Estate

A little update

2 months after completing my Access to HE Diploma in Nursing, I am starting my Midwifery degree. 

I'm incredibly excited, the past couple of years have been slowly building towards this, but I am also really quite sad that I won't have so much free time with Luna anymore. Up until this point I've only had lectures 3 days a week, and I've had a lovely mix of being a stay-at-home parent and a student. Starting this week, Luna will be in preschool full time for the next couple of years and I'll be either at lectures or on placement in a birthing centre.

It has been absolutely wonderful having so much time with her, there have been lots of tears and I'll miss it hugely. But I'm very excited to be taking the next step towards becoming a Midwife.

A week in the Fenlands

We've just finished a week long mini break in the Fenlands. It's been a really relaxed one, we've enjoyed having some down time together. 

Dragonfly nymph molt at the lake. We managed to carefully remove one of these, which I'll use for a life-cycles activity with Luna.

We baked this incredible strawberry upside down cake using almond flour from the Daily Bread co-operative, strawberries from the nearby farm and alpine strawberries from the garden. It was so delicious.

Harvesting tomatoes from the plants. This was somewhat confusing for Luna as on one of the plants they were ripe at yellow, whereas on the other they weren't. These later went into making a lovely tom yum soup.

A few photos from Costa Smeralda

Investigating the private beach behind the apartment.

Trying out the pool.

The view from the private beach.

Collecting stones.

Costa Smeralda

We have arrived! It's so beautiful here, the sea is crystal clear and you can see the mountains from our bedroom window. We've spent the entire day at the beach, Luna's having so much fun. Going to get some dinner later and then hang out in the apartment.

Buckingham Palace Garden Party

This year I was incredibly lucky to be invited to the Buckingham Palace Garden Party, along with my mum. Here are a few photos from the day.