Tag: family life

Springtime Wanders

After a long winter, spring seems to be flying by in a blur of children’s parties, time in the garden and family adventures.

At the end of March, we took a trip to Blair Drummond safari, which we’d never been to before. We were impressed by the collection of animals from lazy lions to penguins, grazing giraffes and the ever entertaining meerkats, though our girls were disappointed we couldn’t see the tiger. There was also ice creams vans, a huge wooden fortress playground, and things we didn’t have time to visit like a little fair with favourite rides like a caterpillar coaster and spinning tea cups, the monkey island and an animatronic dinosaur forest. It was a great day out and definitely somewhere we’ll return to because there was just so much to see and do.

We also had our first trip to Lunderston Bay since last autumn. We’ve already had a bracing New Years Day walk at Ayr beach, but our first trip to Lunderston on a mild, clear day felt like the symbolic start to spring as it’s become one of our favourite places to visit with the kids during the summer months. We took a wander along the shore, our girls splashing in the waves, digging in the sand, and searching for critters in the rock pools before heading to the playpark at the opposite side.

Our most recent adventure was to a place I’d seen on Instagram called the Auchineden Spout. We parked at the St Mocha drive thru, taking the opportunity to buy a slab of salted caramel brownie big enough to share, crossed the road and wandered up a private farm road on foot. We were unlucky with the weather as it started raining as soon as we set out, though the kids were wrapped up in waterproofs and wellies, and had plenty of puddles to splash in along the way. It’s a fairly easy route, following the road past a couple of abandoned houses until the road forks, then turning off the main road when we spotted the footbridge across a small waterfall, then a muddy scramble down to the bottom of the stream and the Auchineden Spout. Our daughters loved paddling in the stream and being able to walk behind the waterfall into a shallow cave high enough for them to stand in. It’s another place that we’ll keep in mind for a walk in better weather.

I’ve really enjoyed getting out to explore new and old favourite places, and we’re looking forward to lots more adventures over the summer. Have a lovely week. X

Winter Gardening

Normally the garden is dormant through the winter months but this year we’ve been planting up the space where the boundary hedge used to be, and making a few other changes around the garden too.

I’ve totally ignored the spacing guidance and planted four apple trees (Arthur Turner for cooking, Ashmead’s kernal, Saturn and Red Devil for eating) along the fence, interspersed with climbing roses and clematis. We moved the Crown Princess Margareta and James Galway roses from the damp and shady corner at the back of the garden to the fenceline. I really hope they survive the move, especially Margareta as its a beautiful rose and has always done well despite a less than ideal aspect but one that has been retired by David Austin. We also planted The Generous Gardener and Strawberry Hill along the fence, and the rambler Malvern Hills to climb over the pergola, because I go into a kind of trance when the David Austin catalogue arrives. I planted daffodil bulbs between the roses and apple trees at the end of December and start of January, far later than planned.

We’ve moved one of our square raised beds from the shady, far corner to beside the green house to make space for the kids’ swing, a birch tree and Holly bush in the corner instead.

Our youngest daughter usually toddles about and digs in the mud when we’re gardening, while our oldest helps planting bulbs, watering and collecting worms and other creepy crawlies. We all get so much out of time spent outside in nature.

In the deep midwinter, when the weather swings between hard frosts and torrential rain, it feels good to get outside when we can to feel the sunlight on our faces and tackle some of the jobs in the garden that need done. Now in the first days of spring, we’ve had sunshine (if not warmth) the hellebores and daffodils blooming and the promise of so much more as nature starts to wake from hibernation. Have a lovely week. X

January Notes and Hopes

My little blog has been gathering dust while I’ve been juggling my return to work with family life, but just finding some time to share a little post about some of the adventures we’ve enjoyed in January.

We started 2024 with a trip to Ayr Beach for a stroll along the shore with a rainbow arching overhead, which seemed like the loveliest symbol of hope for the New Year. A wrapped up New Year’s Day walk has become one of our traditions, and it’s been lovely to share it with our little daughters, who always love a trip to the beach whatever the weather or season.

We also took a trip to the Sea Life Centre, which we last visited when our youngest was just a couple of weeks old, but now a year old and walking, she was delighted by the fish, sharks, rays and otters. Our nearly four year old also enjoyed it, and was fascinated by seeing a real crown of thorns starfish, which are the villains in one of her favourite TV shows, The Octonauts.

Finally, we visited Loch Lomond one morning for a wee wander. While the kids played in the park, I admired the view and spotted some snowdrop growing under an oak tree. As much as I love the excuse to stay home and cosy in the winter, I miss spending time outside, so these winter walks and the little signs that spring is on the way always give me a boost.

I returned to work after the Christmas break, and it’s been a less smooth transition second time around because so much has changed, colleagues have been promoted, others have moved on, retired or passed away, and I feel like I’m ready for a change too.

Have a lovely week. X

Betwixtmas ~ 2023 in Review

Taking some time over my morning coffee to reflect on the year behind and the new one ahead. 2023 was overall a great year for us as we enjoyed so many new experiences and adventures as a family of four.

In February we celebrated our oldest daughter’s third birthday, she has always been such a determined and independent little girl and over the last year she’s reached new levels, learning to ride a bike, playing football and learning Spanish at preschool. She’s a sociable child and we’ve loved meeting some of her little friends for playdates too. Her imagination has exploded this year and we’ve enjoyed lots of make believe games of doctors, vets, hair dressers and librarians with various playsets and improvised props.

Our first family holiday

In July, we took our first family holiday together spending a few nights in a caravan on the East Coast and spending every day at the beach with the kids, which we all loved. I also celebrated a milestone birthday, and it has provoked some reflection on what’s important to me now and what I’d like to do in the next decade of my life.

Over the summer we enjoyed lots of trips to the beach, local parks and time in our own garden too, letting the kids eat fresh berries they picked, and our oldest grew carrots from seed. We’ve made some big changes to the front and back gardens this year, adding a pond to the front garden and replacing the unruly privet hedge with a fence in the back.

Homegrown fruit and veg

In October, we finally returned to the Enchanted Forest for the first time since 2019, which was a first for both our girls. We also celebrated eight year anniversary for adopting Mara, I’m not sure I ever imagined we’d be so lucky when we adopted her without knowing her age, but I’m so grateful for her companionship.

In November, our youngest daughter turned one and started walking. She is quite petite for her age but smiley, quietly determined, curious and mischievous; she loves musical toys, games of peekaboo and snuggling up to read her lift the flap, and touchy-feely books together.

Christmas at home

This last month has been an emotional one starting and ending with funerals for two very different women but both of whom were much loved and who lived well. Despite the grief, we’ve managed to enjoy trips to the Christmas Market with rides on the carousel, ferris wheel and waltzers, snowball fights on a snow day and a lovely few days with our extended families for Christmas itself. We are now enjoying a few quieter days at home just the four of us and Mara, of course, with a few playdates to tide us over until nursery and work resume, and I’m feeling incredibly grateful for my little family.

Wishing everyone the very happiest New Year. X

Into the Embers

We’re into the embers of the year, which for us are always a balance of wrapping up warm for walks to feed the squirrels and ducks at the park, kicking our way through crunchy leaves and splashing in puddles before heading home for cosy evenings of warming meals, cartoons, crafts, bubble baths and bedtime stories.

We’ve been making an effort to get outside as much as possible whenever there’s a break in the rain to feed the squirrels and birds, or to play at the park. Our local park is particularly lovely at this time of year when all the leaves turn, and the fallen leaves create a colourful, crunchy carpet. I love the Scottish seasons and how they remind me to pause and pay attention to nature and the world around me.

This autumn has been filled with little adventures, time with our extended family and so many of the ordinary little moments that we often take for granted that make up the fabric of life. Reading the news lately I’ve been struck by how lucky I am to be able to play in the park with my girls, take my oldest to her football class and my youngest to sensory group, read bedtime stories together and tuck them in every night, it’s easy to take our relative comfort and safety for granted when it’s all we’ve ever known.

As autumn treads towards winter, our calendar is filling up with festive plans and we’ve made a few small preparations for Christmas, buying a few new baubles and decorations, baking our Christmas cake and picking out presents for people.

Have a lovely week. X

A Little Big Birthday

This week has been a big one in our little family as we celebrated our youngest daughter’s first birthday. We had a little party at home with her grandparents, she needed a bit of help to blow out the candle on her cake, but enjoyed chasing the balloons, unwrapping her presents and playing with her new toys.

In many ways she still seems like a baby, but in other ways she’s grown and changed so much in such a short time. In the last couple of weeks, she’s taken her first wobbly, wide-legged steps (though she still prefers to crawl most of the time), and shouts “Mara” whenever she sees our cat (and sometimes at dogs and squirrels too). She’s a curious, little explorer, who is usually into every unlocked cupboard and drawer while I try to keep up with the housework, and she’s covered in bumps and bruises from tumbling around, but she loves anything noisy or musical and playing peekaboo.

Our youngest adores her big sister and follows her around trying to join in with whatever her sister is doing, often wrecking the game in the process. For her part, our oldest has also taken the adjustment from only to oldest in her stride with only the odd wobble, and we’ve been so proud to see what a generous and fun big sister she’s become. It’s not always easy juggling the needs of two young children, but it’s definitely worth it, and I’m so grateful for it all.

Have a lovely week. X

Returning to the Enchanted Forest

This weekend we finally got to experience something I’ve been looking forward to all year – our long overdue return to The Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry! Strange to think that the last time we visited the Enchanted Forest was in 2019 I was pregnant with our oldest daughter, and we’re finally back in 2023 with our two little daughters in tow.

Jellyfish

The Enchanted Forest has been such a long standing annual tradition of ours and it’s hard to believe that it was ten years ago this month here in the forest that my then boyfriend asked me to marry him; our lives have changed so much since then, we’ve celebrated so many milestones, overcome so many obstacles and shared so many adventures together, and it’s wonderful that this annual event is still part of our story.

Stepping Stones, Kelp Forest Tangle and Slinkies

The theme changes every year and this time around it was ‘From the Deep’ which I thought would appeal to our mermaids and Octonauts loving three year old. Unsurprisingly, visiting The Enchanted Forest with kids was a very different experience than we’ve had before, they loved the interactive sections like the Kelp Forest Tangle that we walked through twice and the stepping stones that changed colour when stepped on, but our oldest found the Jellyfish and the Beastie in the Boathouse a wee bit scary, and neither had enough patience to stand and watch longer visual displays.

The Beastie in the Boathouse

We were fairly lucky with the weather which was mild and clear for the most part, though it was raining fairly heavily by the time we trudged back to the hotel, my husband and I each carrying a tired child. Back at the guesthouse, we all slept together in one big bed in the family room, which was very cosy.

I’m so glad we were able to return to the Enchanted Forest after such an unexpectedly long hiatus, to revive old traditions and start new ones with our daughters too. Have a lovely week. X

Bittersweet Changing Seasons

Autumn is upon us once more, a transitional season that reminds me of the inevitability of change, and this year feels particularly bittersweet. At the end of July, my blog turned seven. I originally named my blog ‘Lovely and Grateful’ because I wanted it to record all the loveliness in my life that I’m grateful for and even the not-so-lovely parts that remind me not to take anything for granted, but I’m not sure if the name still fits. I’d love to know what you think in the comments.

There have been other milestones too, our youngest daughter started crawling at 7 months, then pulling herself up and crabwalking around furniture, she is just so desperate to join in with her big sister’s games and to see what we’re doing. We’ve had a fair few disrupted nights because of teething, but she has taken to weaning with great enthusiasm, willing to try anything and enjoying most of the same meals we eat (without the salt or stock). At nearly 10 months old, she’s still petite and cheerful, but curious and determined too. Over the last few months, we’ve been getting out to bookbug sessions at the local library and baby sensory, which we’ve both really enjoyed. As her first birthday draws near, I’m already feeling the nerves and guilt about returning to work but she’ll have her big sister to look out for her at nursery.

As for our oldest daughter, she is as boisterous and independent as ever but also surprises us with her caring and generous side. We’ve finally started getting to know the parents of our 3 year old’s nursery friends and have had a few playdates together, that we’ve all enjoyed and that I really felt we’d missed out on because of Covid19.

There has been a big change in the garden too, and I’m still getting used to the new view. When our new neighbours in the house attached to ours moved in they asked to replace the privet hedge that separates our gardens with a fence, we politely declined citing the wildlife such as nesting sparrows and hedgehogs passing through. Unfortunately, we’ve had to reconsider recently as they now have a dog that regularly strays into our garden, and he’s a large, reactive breed that scares our kids.

As it happens, I suspect the sparrows had already abandoned the hedge, and we haven’t seen any hedgehogs this year, but it does make me sad that we’re making our garden inaccessible to any that try to visit in the future, but we’ll find other ways of making the space wildlife friendly.

It’s been a summer full of family trips to beaches and playparks, our first family holiday together and lots of time in our garden, and I’m a little sad to say goodbye to the season. So many of the summer highlights have been the pure and simple joy of gardening and watching our daughters learn and grow, and the ordinary moments playing, dancing, reading stories, crafting and swimming together that is the fabric of our family life. As the weather cools and the nights draw in, we have a couple of autumnal light shows to look forward to, as well as our youngest daughter’s first birthday, and all the seasonal loveliness to be found in nature at this time of year. Have a lovely week. X

A Rainy Walk in the Woods

We’ve had a fairly quiet weekend as both girls have been poorly with fever, coughs and runny noses. After a few days recuperating at home, playing with playdough, potting up seeds in the greenhouse, plink plonking on the piano, reading stories, watching Sea Beast and How to Train Your Dragon, and having some epic afternoon naps, we were all feeling well enough for a little trip out.

We decided to visit Rouken Glen so we could buy some seeds at the garden centre and then took a wander around the woodland paths to see the waterfalls after a few days of rain.

It was overcast with drizzle but the trees protected us from the worst of the weather. I carried our youngest, while my husband gave our oldest daughter piggybacks when she complained about tired legs.

It was lovely to see the waterfalls flowing and the forest looking so green and leafy, but the unexpected highlight was spotting a little duckling nesting in a tree hollow. We were very quiet and after lifting the kids up to have a quick look, we returned to the path, then it was time to head home for cheese toasties for lunch and the girls’ afternoon naps. Have a lovely week. X

Spring Moments and Milestones

I feel like blogging has fallen by the wayside; time seems to be slipping through my fingers and I can hardly believe that we’re a quarter of the way through the year already – life is just so busy and full at the moment.

Our oldest daughter moved from nursery to pre-school at the start of the year, which has generally been a smooth transition. We still go to our sensory group together almost every week (which we’ve been going to since she was 6 months old), and I’ve also been taking her to playgym where she can play and experiment with gymnastics equipment. There have been regular trips to the swimming pool with her dad while I usually have a coffee and cuddle with the youngest. We bought her first pedal bike for her 3rd birthday, and with her typical determination she mastered pedaling, steering and braking in just a few days so we’ve been spending lots of time at the park while she practices cycling.

Our youngest – now 5 months old – is also hitting new milestones every day from giggling and rolling to teething. She’s still very petite, but a bright, cheerful and curious little baby. We’ve been going to Bookbug song and story sessions at the library (something I missed out on with my oldest during the pandemic) and we’ll start baby sensory soon but most of our days are still spent at home reading stories, singing nursery rhymes, playing and snuggling. Our daughters are fascinated by each other, and it won’t be long until they’ll become little playmates and friends.

Our senior lady, Mara, has spent most of winter hibernating, but she’s been a bit more active lately, wanting to play, snuggle up and curious to see what we’re up to. I’m so impressed with how well Mara’s coped with the upheaval two noisy little interlopers joining the family caused. Mara really is a very special cat, we’re lucky to have such a gentle, playful, affectionate and stoic family pet to teach them about caring and handling animals, and our little daughters adore her.

I’m so enjoying this period of family life as the baby and toddler stages are so brief and the girls’ milestones come thick and fast as they change and grow. I love having my blog to record all the details of daily life, and always enjoy looking back at older posts when I’m feeling nostalgic. Have a lovely week. X