An Erinaceous Update 🦔

I’ve always been delighted by how much wildlife there is in our urban garden from bees and hover flies to sparrows and blue tits, but nothing causes quite as much excitement as spotting a hedgehog. Just over a week ago, we drew the living room curtains to find a little hedgehog hastily gathering leaves to make a nest under the pallet woodshed.

The very same day, I took the girls to the pet shop to buy some hedgehog food and my husband built a little hedgehog house out of spare bricks and a paving slab, and we were delighted to see the hedgehog shuffle inside just as dawn broke the next day. We also set up a little motion sensor camera to watch him without disturbing him, and spotted the mouse that also lives in the woodshed nabbing some food.

Small, shy and very skittish, catching a glimpse of our little Tiggywinks has been the highlight of my evening every night for the last week. We think it’s a male and probably born this year judging by his size, so I’m hoping between the food we leave out and all the insects in our garden, he’ll put on enough weight to survive the winter. Given the decline in hedgehog numbers across Britain, I’m happy to help any that find their way into our garden, but we try not to disturb him too much.

Leaving food and water for the hedgehog has quickly become part of our little daughters’ bedtime routine even though they’re both fast asleep by the time he emerges, and he’s usually in his own bed just before our early risers wake.

I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of watching hedgehogs snuffle and shuffle around the garden, perhaps because they’re nocturnal and increasingly rare, there is almost something magical about them. Have a lovely week. X

Summer of Sand and Sea

There’s been a slight crisp coldness sneaking into our mornings foreshadowing autumn, and after a very overcast and rainy summer, I’m ready for the change of season. Despite the weather, the highlight of my summer was our family holiday, when we returned to East Lothian again though a different caravan park this time around, right beside the seaside.

There’s something so wholesome and nostalgic about the simplicity of spending days at the beach paddling in the sea and filling our pockets full of shells then returning to a cosy caravan in the evening.

The weather was patchy with the best days on the days we arrived and departed, and mostly overcast with showers in between but it didn’t stop us from doing everything we had planned. We are none of us very good at relaxing and usually squeeze a lot of activities and sightseeing into our holidays, and this trip was no exception.

We enjoyed a morning in Edinburgh visiting the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, which exceeded all expectations and was really fun with so many interactive displays that the kids loved. Our favourite parts were feeling (and bumping) our way through the mirror maze and the Vortex, which is an optical illusion with a bridge through a revolving tunnel that had us all clinging to the barrier convinced we were going to be tilted and turned upside down.

We also returned to one of the beautiful beaches we’d discovered on our holiday last year. Coldingham Bay is a beautiful beach with colourful beach huts and crashing waves favoured by surfers and bodyboarders. My husband and our oldest daughter went splashing in the waves while I built sandcastles for our youngest to smash. We all took a wander along the hill and found a rocky little shingle where the kids entertained themselves stacking pebbles, before returning to the main sandy beach for one last splash in the sea before heading home. It was definitely one of my favourite parts of our holiday.

As much as I love our little family holidays and look forward to so many more as our girls grow, after a few days living in close quarters in a caravan, it’s always good to return home to be reunited with our cat Mara who stayed home with my dad pet-sitting while we were away. Now we’re looking forward to autumn and another wee break away. X

A stroll along Seamill Beach

Though I’ve lived in the West of Scotland for most of my life (with the exception of four very happy years as an undergrad in Aberdeen), I’m still exploring my country and finding new places.

When we found ourselves with a free Saturday that also happened to be gloriously warm and sunny, we decided to have a day trip to the beach that a former colleague had mentioned. Seamill is a lovely sandy beach peppered with rocky outcrops on the Ayrshire coast with an impressive view of the Isle of Arran across the sea.

As the tide was receding when we arrived, our daughters had a little splash and paddle in the sea but we spent most of our time exploring the rock pools as they became accessible. My husband was in his element ankle deep in the water, lifting to rocks to see what he could find underneath, and I’m always delighted whenever he finds a starfish.

A trip to the beach for a picnic, a stroll along the shore and a paddle in the sea is always one of my favourite ways to spend a sunny day, and always appreciate finding another lovely beach to visit. Have a lovely week. X

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

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

Halloween at Glasglow

Last week instead of taking our girls out guising for Halloween, we visited our second light show of the season, Glasglow at the Botanic Gardens.

It’s always fun to see somewhere so familiar where we’ve strolled and fed squirrels during the day all lit up at night. The theme this year was “Ghostbusters” but there wasn’t any jump scares or other spooky parts that would upset the kids.

Our favourite part was actually inside Kibble Palace, a glasshouse home to the national fern collection, which had been filled with lasers for the event, it was spectacular.

Having been to a few different light shows over the years, and regular visitors to the Enchanted Forest in Pitlochry, Glasglow is one of the few that is worth visiting with a clear theme, making good use of the space, and conveniently located for us.

We’re disappointed that Elfingrove, the other winter event Itison hosts, will not be on this year as we all loved ice-skating and the ferris wheel but I’m sure we’ll find some other festive fun at the Christmas Market instead.

Have a lovely weekend all. 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.

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.

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

Sun, Sea and Sand on Holiday

When it was just the two of us, my husband and I used to love city breaks, but for our first proper holiday with the kids, we decided to have a different type of adventure in a caravan for a few nights on the East Coast of Scotland (we’ll save our more exotic destinations for when the girls are old enough to remember them). It was very reminiscent of camping and caravan holidays from my own childhood, and my husband’s too, before the era of cheap flights abroad. We’d toyed with an island break, but opted for somewhere that wouldn’t mean too long stuck in the car for the little ones but further away than we would travel for a daytrip.

My husband and I always like to explore on holiday, but with kids in tow we found a good balance between using the amenities at the caravan park like the playpark and swimming pool (which was a first for our 8 month old daughter but she was perfectly content floating in her inflatable seat), and travelling a bit further afield to visit beaches around East Lothian and the Borders. We were incredibly lucky with the weather and only had one evening stuck inside the caravan playing games of Animal Snap and Little Bug Bingo, reading stories and watching cartoons while the rain hammered on the roof.

The caravan park turned out to be a great base for exploring the area, and we found some lovely beaches from East Beach at Dunbar, and Yellowcraig with views of Bass Rock and Fidra Lighthouse in East Lothian to Coldingham Bay in the Borders that we enjoyed so much I’m hoping we can return some day.

Our oldest daughter was in her element exploring rock pools with her dad, splashing in the sea and digging in the sand; while our youngest daughter is a bit more cautious than her sister but happy enough digging her hands and feet in the sand and letting us dip her toes in the sea.

We ended our holiday with a wander around Dirleton Castle, originally built in the 1200s and remarkably still in tact. A few sections had been closed off to the public but still lots to explore for those willing to brave the remnants of medieval staircases, and there was a playpark just outside the castle walls too.

We squeezed a lot of fun in the sun, sea and sand into our first family holiday, and I’ll treasure the memories we’ve made together. Back at home on the rainy West Coast again, we’re happy to be reunited with our cat Mara, settling back into our routines and surrounded by all the comforts of home. Have a lovely week. X

An Oasis in the Urban Desert

Last summer, my interest in environmental issues peaked during the heatwave and I was alarmed to learn that the UK is one of the most nature depleted landscapes in the world. I’ve always been someone who believes that small actions matter and we gardeners have the ability to make a real difference to support wildlife and biodiversity.

One suggestion that came up again and again was adding a water feature to the garden. I have fond memories of watching tadpoles, frogs and dragonflies in my best friend’s pond as a child, and thought a pond would be a lovely feature to add to our own garden.

We decided to put the pond in the front garden as it seemed safer for the kids as they’re never out the front unsupervised. We (or rather my hubby and father-in-law) dug out the pond, put in a liner and part filled with the hose, and then cemented crazy paving around the edge. It’s about 60cm deep at the deepest point with a shelf at 30cm and a gradual slope up to a wide pebble beach to prevent any animals from drowning.

I’ve been filling the pond with plants, Hornwort and water crowfoot as oxygenators, then water forget-me-nots, flag iris and Marsh marigolds as marginals. We’ve also submerged a couple of water lillies in the deepest part of the pond, but I’m prioritising native plants to attract wildlife.

Cranesbill or hardy geraniums are my favourite perennial, so they were my first choice for planting around the pond to soften the edges, provide shelter for critters and food for pollinators. I relocated dragonheart from the long border in the back garden to the edge of the pond, along with a blue geranium I picked up years ago that has been living in a pot while I tried to find a permanent home for it, and added a few more that I bought from a local nursery.

I’ve always taken a “build it and they will come” approach to coaxing wildlife to our garden, and been rewarded when birds, insects and animals have found their way here. We all trooped out in our Pyjamas one evening after I’d spotted a pond skater, and my husband found diving beetles a few days later. It made my day when I spotted a pair of goldfinches bathing in the shallows as we’ve never had them in the garden before.

We’ve had a prolonged spell of dry, hot weather, leading to water scarcity warnings (very rare in Scotland!) and we’ve seen the pond water level dropping, and algae spreading. Nevertheless, I hope that over the summer our pond will be a little oasis in the urban desert for wildlife. Have a lovely week. X

High and Low Tide at Lunderston Bay

We’ve had a couple of trips to Lunderston Bay, a little beach in Inverclyde, at high and low tide this spring, and it’s rapidly becoming one of our favourite places to visit.

The first time we visited Lunderston Bay this year, the tide was in and there was a fairly strong breeze that made it ideal for trying out our 3 year old daughter’s new kite.

We spent a lovely afternoon strolling along the shore, splashing in the waves and looking in rock pools for crabs. It’s amazing how much fun and how memorable such simple activities can be. After that we meandered up to the new playpark for swings, slides and climbing fun before heading home at dusk.

Our second trip was on a sunny morning when the tide was low. My husband and oldest daughter wasted no time in making straight for the rock pools to search for crabs and other aquatic critters, and we found lots of little crabs, sea snails, a sea gunnel and even a couple of starfish clinging to rocks. The sea was too cold for a proper paddle but we waded in wearing our wellies and I found a little sea urchin shell to take home as a souvenir.

A trip to the seaside is always one of my favourite ways to spend a day and I’m looking forward to lots of picnics, building sand castles, beachcombing, rock pooling and paddling in the sea over the summer. Have a lovely week. X

Lovely and Grateful

Surviving on coffee and catnaps

Tag: Scotland