Attic24

Famlee

This little drawing was made by Little Lady (age 5) yesterday...I was tidying up a bit around here earlier this morning and came across it.

I've just about managed not to bawl my eyes over the complete sweetness of the picture.....

 

.....what really, really, really got me was the fact that she has drawn herself holding the baby look. I'm taking that as a good sign for things to come.

Oh, how I Love my Famlee !!!!!

Just to let you know, I am still in the process of climbing the Clutter-Mountain here at number 24. Still. It sure is a disgracefully Big Mountain, and is taking a lot of energy and time to get to the top. But I am slowly, slowly getting there and it feels Good.

When I'm done, I'll be able to spend more time at Attic24. I've got some lovely posts, photos and projects lined up to share with you, as well as the circle scarf pattern to work on for you, oh and the Granny Square tutorial too.

If time allows, and if I'm feeling stable on the slopes of Mt. Clutter, I'll try to find time to upload my bathroom photos for you tomorrow.

Its all Good.

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Rest:&:Recreation

Morning all! Ahh Monday morning and all is rather snug and content in my little world I have to say. It's the first day of our half term week and so far we are doing OK, even if the day is already (at 10.3am) seeming rather long. I've deliberately made no plans for this week, so we have five schedule-free days stretching ahead of us, and it feels good. After seven weeks of pretty full-on schooling, the Little People are really in need of some quality  Rest:and:Recreation this week, and I am more than happy to accommodate. Suits me just fine.

The weekend for us as a family was also very much about enjoying some quality R:&:R. We all really felt the need to stay close to home after what has felt like a long run of social engagements and planned activities/outings/arrangements throughout the weekends of September and early October.

There's something extraordinarily good about embarking on a day that doesn't contain a single plan or arrangement, nothing pressing that needs doing, no obligations to meet, no appointments to keep, no time schedule mapped out. Its not very  often that you get to go through a whole day in this way, and oh, I do LOVE it when it happens.

So these photos today were all taken at various times during our stay-home weekend of R:&:R. As you can see, the weather for most of the weekend was grey and wet, but in many ways that made it even better. It meant that we could concentrate on staying indoors without feeling that we should be going out anywhere. And Indoor Weekends, for me anyways, are always a Good Thing.

I start my weekend by spending as much time in bed as I can get away with. Tea and toast bought up to me by my lovely hubby, followed by some lengthy in-bed hooking. Quite a blissful start to the day, wouldn't you agree?

 

As you would expect, crochet is very high on my personal list of Things To Do during a weekend of R:&:R, and I did indeed manage to while away many hours with hook and yarn. I'm really enjoying working on my baby granny blanket. It's starting to become quite blankety now, even though it still needs to grow quite a bit more yet. I've decided I'm going to need 9 x 12 squares altogether to make this blankie the right size, and after the weekend's hooking activity I've done 60 so far, so 48 left to go.

Of course, weekends spent at home do not all revolve around me-me-me. Little People are also about and need to be occupied, although mostly these days they pretty much take care of that themselves.

There was lego construction taking place....

....and colouring too.

And there was quite a lot of snuggly blanket action on the sofas accompanied by TV/film watching.

The Little People weren't the only ones indulging in snuggly blanket sofa action either...

....I spent some really enjoyable time over the weekend reading and browsing and oohhing and ahhing my way through a couple of gorgeous and inspiring new books. Oh yes I did!

And to accompany my crochet and bookish activities, there was some rather indulgent (but completely necessary) chocolate consumption too. Oh yes there was!

Now before you begin to think that I spent the whole weekend lounging about reading, hooking, drinking tea and scoffing chocolates, let me tell you I did manage to carry out a few light domestic chores in the kitchen. Oh yes, really I did!

It's not all about idle laziness around here you know. Even during R:&:R weekends.

I baked a batch of fruity flapjacks....

....and made and bottled up some refreshing lemon drink.

  

So that pretty much sums up my take on our weekend.

It was simple and homely and pleasurable.

Much needed and much appreciated.

Yes, I can heartily recommend a weekend dedicated to Rest:&:Recreation time.

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Summery Days

 

Ahhhh hello one and all....I've been away from the Attic this past week, due to said Attic undergoing something of a miraculous transformation from rather messy hovel to simple guest accommodation, complete with Guests in residence.

The day my Dad and his Lady arrived (Weds of last week) it was hot and sultry and thundery. In the afternoon we experienced a terrific thunderstorm with huge great ploppy droplets of rain pouring from the skies, yet by evening time when it most mattered, it was balmy and summery and very thankfully suitable for my intended outdoor plans. We did indeed enjoy a lovely, simple al fresco supper, and stayed out till midnight chatting by candlelight. Oh I do love it when a a plan comes together, makes me feel quite accomplished (not a feeling I am used to).

 

Its been a lovely week actually :: relaxed and summery and outdoorsy for the most part, and having folk staying was really enjoyable. We did indeed spend a lot of time outside in our little back yard and most meals were eaten outdoors. My recently planted up pots of flowers looked  beautiful, and during last week, the first of the lilies bloomed.

I have two lily plants, and they are planted in some troughs that sit on top of our boundary wall to give a little extra height and a minuscule amount of extra privacy. But although they are proving very effective up at this height, its not possible to get really up close and personal with the blooms, which I have found frustrating. So one day, on the spur of the moment I strode out with a pair of Little Man's craft scissors and snipped a flower off :: snip :: just like that. No hesitation. I'm confident like that sometimes. And popped into a little glass jar of water, this gorgeous flower could then be admired by all. It looked stunning against the blue of my outdoor table runner I thought.

 

I continue to adore my flowers, I step out each and every morning to check on them and marvel at their unfurling petals.

 

Such intense, saturated colours....

 

....and such summery prettiness!!

 Talking of flowers, I made this little lot yesterday morning at the cafe during my weekly Knit and Natter get together. The patterns came from Lesley Stanfields book, but I ended up tweaking most of them to make them a little more compact. I'm using up my Rowan Cotton DK yarn, and  have an idea to use these flowers for something....not a cushion, nor a bag or blanket, nor a garland. No, none of those usual things, but this is going to be something decorative and creative, which will be completely useless, but nevertheless very pretty I hope.

Yeah, you see I needed a new small and portable project to tote around with me cos BB quite frankly is getting too damn hefty to take out and about. In fact, BB is looking marvelously Blankety these days, very foldable and drapeable and stackable. I am three-quarters done with joining the blocks :: 28 joined in harmony, and only 8 remaining loose. It's really looking veeeeeeeeeeery handsome indeed. And yes, we are still in love, me and BB.

 

Ahhh but crocheting time has been limited to the odd hours of evening time of late, because when one has Guests in residence, one has to be out and about doing things you know. Can't sit around crocheting all day when family have traveled 300miles to visit!

However my lovely Dad and his Lady are the most undemanding of guests, content to potter, read and take it easy. But we did have a few outings, dodging between the thunder claps and lightening bolts :: we had a lovely day at Bolton Abbey, taking in the lush greenery and ancient scenery, and even paying a trip to The Money Tree (more about that soon).

And there was a trip to Salts Mill too, to take in the wonderful works of David Hockney. His paintings of the Yorkshire Landscape are stunning (postcard above is of an oil painting simply titled "North Yorkshire 1997", and I love it very much)

So my Dad and his Lady went home the day before yesterday and have left a bit of a gap and a distinct lack of routine in their wake. It's been difficult to get on and do the things that need doing, but this morning I donned my pinny and got stuck in to necessary domestic duties.

It's hardly been a chore mind you, as I've been joyfully zesting lemons and making a lemon drizzle cake as part of my contribution towards a PTA fundraising event that I'm involved with tomorrow. This afternoon, there will be carrot cake production, followed this evening by chocolate/caramel shortbread manufacture (I'll give you the recipe for that next week, you won't believe your luck, it's utterly divine I tell you).

 

Earlier this morning, before the zesting of lemons and the creaming of butter and sugar began,  I sat outside to drink my morning coffee and agonise over the latest copy of Country Living magazine, which landed on the doormat yesterday. It is, quite frankly, driving me crazy with desire. I have had the quickest of necessary flick-throughs and oh-oh-oh, what an issue this looks to be! But for now, all I can do is stroke the cover, because, as you well know, I am not permitted to immerse myself in the pages Properly and Fully until the Perfect Moment presents itself. I have a busy and potentially stressful day ahead tomorrow, yet I am hoping the Perfect Moment might arrive smetime during tomorrow evening. Or possibly early Sunday morning....and I will be ready.

So before I go and begin carrotty-bakey things in the kitchen, I leave you with another picture of my Beloved Blanket......ahhhhhh so scrumptious it makes me go weak at the knees ;o)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone, and I'll see you next week.

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Sunday Lunch

:: wake up to the bluest of blue skies ::

 

:: pack a picnic lunch and head out for a walk ::

 

:: a family outing to climb The Crag ::

 

:: Follow the track as it winds it's way upwards ::

 

:: pause for breath and look back to see how far we've climbed ::

 

:: steeper now, rocks to scramble over as we near the top ::

:: ahhhhh we made it to the top! Sit by the warm rocks to eat our lunch ::

:: remember the last time we came here, in snow and ice ::

:: a cup of tea and a well earned rest ::

:: begin the descent, down the other side across moorland and pasture ::

:: loving the cow parsley flowers, frothing in the hedgerows ::

On the way back we pass one of our favourite pubs, whose beer garden conveniently sits right next to the footpath. We sit and drink beer/lemonade and look across the field to The Crag, and marvel at the fact that we ate lunch up on the very top there today.

Sunday Lunch with A View.

And how lovely it was too.

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To The Sea @ Heysham

Me and the Sea, the Sea and Me, we are very good friends. And like all good friendships there is sweet sorrow when we are parted. I think of our friendship often, and cannot stay away for too long or else a sadness sets in. A sort of melancholy which can only be lifted by a reunion.

The last time the Sea and Me got to hang out together was on my Birthday last year, the 12th October. So more than a third of a year ago, cripes no wonder I've been pining like a love-sick teenager! No wonder I've been feeling slightly deranged and desperate for a reunion, it's been far too long!

So last week sometime, I decide I can take the separation no longer and I hatch a plan. I have a little looky on the internet and try to figure out where I can persuade my family to go which won't involve hour upon hour of car travel and won't deliver the type of kiss-me-quick rundown tacky English seaside resort that I am not keen on. And I hit upon the little village of Heysham.

From internet-information it looks like just the thing :: quirky, quaint, ancient, small village shops, a large expanse of beach, an ancient ruined church, no amusement arcades, no candy floss. I can ignore the fact that there is a huge, ugly power station nearby. I can ignore the fact that there are huge, ugly commercial shipping docks nearby. I can ignore the fact that it is only a hop and a skip down the road from Morecambe (which I have visited before and found depressing)

So on Sunday the first day of March, ten am and we set off. We estimate one hour and twenty minutes to drive to Heysham. It rains as we drive, it is grey, cold and not very nice looking as the rain spatters on the windscreen. Yet miraculously, as we get nearer to the coast the sky clears and sunshine appears as if it has been ordered. We cheer, well I do any road, J and the Little People are quite non-plussed about the whole trip but I am jubilant and quite over excited.

There is always going to be a slightly tense moment when one arrives at an unknown destination with such high hopes. Will it be OK? Will it provide us with a top-notch family day out? Will it delight, will it provide joy and happiness? Will it make us some Good Memories?

I am delighted to report that yes, Heysham did all of the above.

It was fabulous! A near deserted, picturesque, charming little village. A loooooooong sea front with a promenade stretching as far as the eye could see. And  a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge stretch of sandy beach, also pretty much deserted except for one or two couples and a dog.

Onto the sands we go, it's breezy and fresh, chilly even, but bright and energising, and oh just perfect! I can't tell you how happy I am to be beside the sea again.

The boys go off to search the rockpools for fish and crabs. Us girls are slower, scouring the sands for shells.

I am so blissed out. I turn my face up to the sun, out to the distant horizon, along the shoreline, down to the ripply sands. I hear the cry of gulls, the lap of waves and the shouts of my children as they run, discover, share, enjoy.

The tide comes in fast in Morecambe Bay. It literally races in like a horse. So when J notices quite suddenly that the tide is indeed racing towards us at quite an alarming rate, our playtime on the beach is cut short. But no matter, it's pretty much lunch time anyways.

Now usually we are a family of picnickers. We set off on any outing with a bulging rucksack containing all the food and drink we might possibly need for the day, with the exception of ice cream. But for this trip we decided to Splash Out and instead of slightly squashed sandwiches and an apple, we go for the Pub Lunch option. Such luxury! Luckily for us, Heysham has a most delightful pub, an exceptionally old (many hundreds of years) building, with low beamed ceilings and a large open fire. And very, very good food. It was quite simply a delicious lunch.

After the pub, we set out to explore a bit of Heysham Village. We walk up past St Peters Church perched precariously on the cliff top, it's grounds smothered with purple crocus.

The path winds up through some trees and emerges out on the open cliff where the ancient ruins of St Patrick's Chapel look out to sea.

I love cliff top scenery. Love the yellow of the gorse flowers against the blue of sea and sky. Love the way the grass always seems so green and springy on cliff tops, love the open-ness and breeziness, the views of the horizon, the expanse of it all.

There is a little wooden bench up here, so J and I sit a while with a flask of coffee and some chocolate and watch as our Little People explore. They run, they shout, they hide and seek amongst the chapel ruins. Its joyful to watch, it expands my heart, makes me feel full-to-bursting.

From the cliff tops we meander down through a small woodland. I love the light here, the play of sunshine and shadows. And I love the fresh greens of newly emerging bluebell shoots and mossy rocks.

 

Down from the little wood and back to the village, we stroll around the lanes....

....admire the little rows of cottages....

....the beautifully planted and decorated seaside gardens....

 

....ancient buildings and beautifully coloured front doors.

Heysham is turning out to be everything I hoped it would be, and I find myself delighted by it all.

Even the benches are quirky and charming in Heysham.

Yes, there is great spirit here in Heysham. You can feel it in every nook and cranny. In the wide open seascape and the intimate little lanes. In the ancient buildings and the quirky details.

We shall be returning soon, I can already hear it calling to me. And the Little People demand it too. There's trouble persuading them it's time to go home, they simply don't want to leave. They clutch their found shells and ask quite matter of factly if there's a hotel where we could stay, so we can wait for the tide to race back out again and return to the sands for more.

Soon, we will surely be back again soon.

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Walking as Four

Hello! Ahhh back to school for the kiddiwinks today, and I am missing them actually. We had a lovely, lovely half term week together, I really enjoyed it. It was relaxing, laid back and enjoyable, and apart from the Left-side-of-the-sofa drama, oh and some Barbie-related friction, my two Little People enjoyed each others company and enjoyed being at home together.

Yesterday, on the last day of the holidays we decided we wanted an outing all together as a family, and as we've recently purchased child-sized walking boots for the LP, a days walk/picnic was planned. It was the very first time we've all been walking together as a family of four :: Little Man came with us on this same hike last spring, but back then Little Lady's legs were just a bit too weeny to tackle five miles of hill and dale. 

Not so any longer. She did brilliantly, well both children did, with only a teensy bit of tired complaining just before our lunch stop. It was a pleasure to make this familiar walk as Four, as a Family. So different to walking as a Couple. Slower, more stops, more observations, more excitement, more running/jumping/climbing, more games. Walking as a Foursome was altogether More in many ways.

Here are some pictures from the day :: the walk is in the Yorkshire Dales, a five mile circular route beginning and ending in the picturesque village of Grassington.

:: big grey skies and cold winds as we start the walk ::

 

:: looking down the Dale as we climb up ::

:: these "squeeze" stiles allow us to pass through dry stone walls ::

:: the sun begins to shine as we cross the high moorland ::

 

:: walking down through Grass Woods to reach the River Wharfe  ::

 

:: a "moss hedgehog" becomes a new friend ::

 

:: the grey skies change to blue and we feel the sun on our faces ::

:: down at the river side to stop for a picnic lunch on the flat rocks ::

 

:: we watch a local canoe club sail down river ::

 

:: steaming hot tea with lunch ::

 

:: further down river is this beautiful river beach ::

 

:: we stop to play in the afternoon sunshine ::

 

:: selecting stones to throw into the water ::

:: selecting stones to put in pockets ::

:: selecting stones to carry home and decorate ::

:: the stone-decorating in progress before breakfast this morning::

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When I was tucking the Little People in bed last night, I asked each of them in turn if they had enjoyed the day, if they'd had fun on the walk. Because I had really, really enjoyed it enormously.

Little Lady said yes, she had enjoyed it very much because I had bought her a packet of fruity sweets at the end of the walk.

Little Man said no, he had not enjoyed it because his legs got tired.

Not quite the answers I had hoped for, but still. You can't have everything can you?

xxxx

Lakeland Weekend

Hello, good morning, I know, I know, I am late and I do apologise, so sorry to keep you waiting. I was meant to be here yesterday, but yesterday turned out to be a busy, muddly, Snowy-white day and time for blogging was nowhere to be found.

So only a day late, I have made a cup of frothy chocolatey coffee, baked some lemon and apricot cookies (a variation on the orange and raisin recipe here), and we can sit on the sofa in the morning sunshine and chat a while.

Here in North Yorkshire we have had quite a bit of snow the past two days, with more set to follow. It has been hugely exciting :: flinging snowballs onto the frozen canal has been the most fun ever ever as far as the Little people are concerned. I've been taking photos of the snowy goings-on around here, and I'll share those with you another day :: today I really want to share my Lakeland weekend with you, as promised on Monday.

So :: on with Weekendy stuff, make yourself comfy now.

On Saturday morning when we set out to drive north to the Lake District, there was not a lot to be seen. A thick, freezing fog had descended like a cold blanket wrapping itself around every single thing. But luckily we are not a family who minds the weather, we were very excited for our weekend away, regardless of the fact that we could not see very much.

Some of you may remember that we had our first ever Youth Hosteling experience in the summer, you can read about it here. We really enjoyed ourselves that weekend and had been meaning to do it again, but it had taken us until now to get round to it. We chose to go and stay in the Lake District again, at a fabulous looking youth hostel a few miles out of Windermere.

This is Lake Windermere, down at the lakeside at Bowness. We had a camping holiday near here one summer, when the Little People were very much Littler. I have fond memories of Little Lady, a  little over a year old, taking very wobbly but determined steps along the side of this lake, in hot persuit of ducks and swans. It had been July then, and extremely busy and crowded and I cannot remember liking the area very much. In fact, I think I declared that I would never ever go back there. Ever. But ho-hum, I changed my mind and on a November weekend, in sub-zero temperatures, it was very much nicer. Quieter. Quite deserted in places, which is hugely unusual for this part of the Lake District.

As you can see, the predominant colour on Saturday was grey. Various shades and tones of misty, freezing, foggy cold grey. It had a certain beauty, a certain stillness that I found appealing.

The dense fog prevented us from taking a boat trip ON the lake, but there were other delights to be found in Bowness. Some beautiful shops all decked out for Christmas, a little quartet of street musicians playing Christmas carols, a fabulous deli where we got freshly made sandwiches and big chunks of home meade flapjack for our lunch.

And there was The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction.

Now my two Offspring adore the Tales of Beatrix Potter, just as I did as a child. Little Man (age 6) is really beginning to enjoy reading to himself, and his BP books are often to be found under his pillow after he has sneaked them into bed for some pre-sleep reading.

It's hard to describe this tourist attraction. It's not exactly a museum, but more a celebration of the characters that Beatrix Potter created. 

The blurb on the website had told us that the attraction "includes all 23 Tales by Beatrix Potter, brought to life in a magical indoor recreation of the Lakeland countryside, complete with sights, sounds and even smells. So you can meet Peter Rabbit in Mr. McGregor’s garden, discover Jemima Puddle-duck in the woodland glade and visit Mrs. Tiggy-winkle in her kitchen."

And that is exactly right. The models (which were much larger than I expected, as large as the Little People) were beautifully made, and the scenery and backgrounds magical.

It was a delight to see the all our favourite characters acting out scenes from the story books, my favourite being Mrs Tiggywinkle busy doing the laundry in her little kitchen. Awww, she was so cute!

By the time we did a Hop Skip and Jump out of there, it was beginning to get dark. So back to the car to drive out of Bowness, two miles up and up into the thick foggy hills above the lake where the Youth Hostel was situated.

We love staying in these Hostels. Well I know this was only our second experience, but we are honestly so thrilled by these places. There is so much warmth and character in the old buildings, such a lot of fun to be had in exploring the rooms and grounds, in finding our family room all warm and clean and ready for us. And there are Bunkbeds. Crikey, I cannot begin to explain the excitement of the Little People, faced with the prospect of climbing a ladder to get into bed. It is huge. Enormous.

The LP allow us to do a quick tour of the hostel :: we discover the wonderful cosy sitting room with its huge wood burning stove, the little kitchen where we are free to make ourselves a cup of tea, the dining room with it's picture windows over looking the terrace and the valley (which we can't actually see of course because it is dark and the fog is sooooo thick by now). Then they demand to go back to the bedroom to play on the beds. What fun!

Later on, after a delicious meal of freshly prepared local and organic produce, we went to the sitting room which by then was beautifully cosy and warm with the wood burner lit. J and I sat and read while the Little People made friends and played with other children staying in the hostel.  It's very sociable, friendly and we enjoyed our evening a lot.

Breakfast the next morning was at 7:45am, and we were in for a treat. The view that was not to be seen the night before was slowly revealed as the light crept in, and it was absolutely breathtaking. It was incredibly cold, well below freezing,  and a thick white sparkly frost had settled on the landscape. We could still see the fog laying low over the lake in the valley, but up above it was becoming a gloriously, bright, sunny winters morning.

While eating breakfast right next to the big windows, we were able to watch the sun rise and light up the distant Lakeland fells...

...it was just incredible.

Beautiful.

A little later in the morning we drove to Coniston Water.

It was also very beautiful and peaceful here, but oh so cold! We had a short walk, but the fog and mist soon came rolling in and we were suddenly unable to see very much again.

 

The Little People loved this wintry weather, loved the sparkle and drama of ice crystals and frost on grass and leaves. But there was no denying it was absolutely freeeeeezing. And a certain amount of tired, persistent whingeing was beginning to take place. So after a short family conference we decided to abandon any idea of walking in the countryside and head back toward home, stopping en route at the delightful village of Kirkby Lonsdale. Beautiful shops, lovely cafes, pretty streets. Old fashioned toyshops to explore and giant strawberry milkshakes to drink. Or in my case, this shop to browse, followed by cappuccino and carrot cake. That's better, smiles are back again, hands are warmed.

A delicious end to a fabulous weekend.

It's been great fun sharing it with you, thanks so much for stopping by. Right, I'm off the PC now and across to my sewing machine. I'm stitching a banner for my soon-to-be opened Etsy Shop. Excited? Moi???? Oh, you cannot begin to imagine!

xxxxxxx

Adieu, farewell, auf Wiedersehn, goodbye

Just a quick little post from me this morning to let you know I'm off.
Yeah, see-ya!! So-long!! Byeeee!!
Me and my sky blue crocs and my Cath Kidston/Tesco bag are away this morning on our summer jollies. Not solo I might add, nope it's a family affair. The Attic24 house is going to be oh-so-quiet for a week while we all scoot up north for a spot of holidaying.
Yippeeeeeee!
We're going to stay in Northumberland, a place I love dearly :: we've holidayed there for the past three years and adore it. Wholeheartedly. 
We are staying in the small coastal village of Craster, renting a cottage called Driftwood, which we know we're gonna love because we stayed in this exact same cottage last year. We remember the spectacular sea views, the sunrises, the early morning walks down to the sleepy village shop for fresh bread, the late afternoon walks along the clifftops, the fabulous pub, the smell of smoking kippers in the air, searching for sea glass on the tiny beach.
Its a wonderful place to return to year after year :: its one of those places that creeps into your heart and soul and puts down anchor.

I took this photo of my wonderful Attic view yesterday at 7.55pm. I shall miss my home a little while I'm away, I always do. But I shall be back to you all next month with the breeze in my sails and tales to tell.
See you soon my lovelies xxxxx

A Weekend Away

Hello! Here I am, back under the Attic24 roof after spending the most wonderful weekend away with my little family. I do very much like to arrange Weekends Away. Enjoy looking for places to visit, somewhere to explore that takes us out of our lazy At-home Weekends and off into a short mini adventure. This particular weekend away was booked on a whim about a month ago :: it was a visit to a part of the country we've never been to before, so it was all new and exciting, and as it was only forty-seven miles away it was very do-able for a one-night weekend jaunt.
The building in the photo above is where we stayed on Saturday night :: its a rambling old Edwardian building which is owned by the Youth Hostel Association. Its the first time we've stayed in a youth hostel, and to be honest we weren't quite sure what to expect, but oh it's fabulous! This particular youth hostel is a real gem of a place, and if it looks full of character from the outside, then you can imagine what it's like on the inside. It's old and quirky, lots of high ceilings, big wide corridors and sweeping staircases. Slightly faded and old fashioned, but we immediately feel it's our kind of place :: cosy, welcoming, down to earth and unpretentious. We love it as soon as we walk in.

  

We  had booked a family room which contains two sets of bunk beds, a comfy chair and a little wash basin.  Each bunk comes with a pillow and duvet and a set of  beautifully starched cotton bedding which we put on ourselves. There's much excitement amongst the Little People over the allocation of bunks, the thrill of being allowed to sleep on top. And I get my thrills from the view, out across the terrace and garden to the estuary beyond, it's beautiful.

Once the excitement over the beds/view subsides, we go off to explore the rest of the hostel. We locate the bathrooms, the upstairs lounge where there is a tv (not necessary), book shelves laden with books, puzzles and games (useful) and a sink/fridge/kettle for making brews (most definitely essential).

We go downstairs and out onto the terrace, breathe in the fresh air. The Little People are waaaaay beyond excited by now, they go haring off, then come back at intervals to breathlessly report a bird box, a nature pond, a giant wooden chair with a grass seat, a woodlouse and a slug.

We go back inside and discover a wonderful sitting room with squishy comfy sofas, a wood burning stove and more books, puzzles and children's toys. There is a dining room with views out over the garden where we will be eating dinner later on, and breakfast in the morning. We feel at home, could quite happily squidge into the sofas and stay there all afternoon. But we prize ourselves away and set out to explore :: ten minutes walk down a sloping track and we emerge at the edge of the estuary.

This is the Kent estuary which eventually leads out into Morecambe Bay, and the little village we are staying in is called Arnside.
Technically speaking, it's part of the Lake District, but it's one of those off-the-beaten-track kind of bits that most tourists over look. It's not easy to explain where it is in the country, you need to look at a map to get it. See, it' is sort of up near the Lakes, but doesn't feel like it. It's part of Lancashire but feels more like Cumbria. It's quiet, genteel, tranquil, scenic, open. Wide water which feels like the sea but is actually a river. Cute little shops, a deli and craft bakery, two fabulous pubs. We buy some pasties and a huuuge chunk of chocolate tiffin and eat it sitting on the pier, gazing out across the water.

We marvel at the viaduct which carries the little train line over the estuary to Grange-over-sands. We take in big wide skies and the ever changing tide, currently on it's way out.

Later we stroll along the beach eating ice cream.We paddle in the riverletts which flow down from the woods, we draw in the sand, we find fossils. Eventually we choose a lovely spot on some rocks to sit in the sun and enjoy the warmth of the afternoon . Then it's back along the beach and promenade to the village for a pint of beer in Ye Olde Fighting Cock (yes, I know it sounds rough, but its far from it).

At 6pm we are sitting down to eat dinner at the Youth Hostel and we are hungry. We are served homemade organic bread while we wait :: then follows a three course meal which is utterly delicious. Even the Little People are seriously impressed by the homemade organic wholemeal pizza whilst J and I mmmmm our way through three courses. We end with a very large pudding each (Eaton Mess for him, lemon syllabub for me) and retire to the squishy sofas to rest/play. We are all in bed by 9pm, reading/crocheting/drawing/gaming in our bunks. We are tired and happy, we sleep soundly.

Next morning. we enjoy a most scrumptious buffet breakfast  :: fresh croissants, homemade bread and jam, fresh fruit, then manage to squuuuueze in a cooked breakfast with a cup of freshly brewed coffee. I eat with abandon and enjoy it enormously. The dining room is busy :: a group of cyclists, some other families with children,  couples and singles. Old and young. We are not the noisiest table, but we come very close so we finish up and take coffee outside on the terrace. Assess the weather and decide to take a walk up above Arnside to a viewing point called Arnside Knott.

It's a climb up through woodland to reach Arnside Knott, and you know what, we don't actually make it. No, we don't actually officially reach the summit, but we do end up high on the hillside where there is a fabulous Mountain Viewing Point, and we spend a good long while spotting the various mountains and hills of the Lake District. We also watch the weather change minute by minute as the clouds roll in. The Little People request food and so we spread out a blanket and sit a while to eat chocolate buttons and biscuits. More clouds roll in and the little patches of sunshine on the surrounding hills get smaller and smaller. J says he can smell rain in the air. I feel I could walk for miles and miles, but by now I have to admit that J might be right and rain begins to fall. So we say goodbye to the view and head back down the hillside to the car.
We suddenly decide that we might actually be ready to head homewards, perhaps via a gallery/cafe for mid morning coffee and a slab of carrot cake.
A detour for carrot cake is always a Good Thing in my opinion.
As are Weekends Away.

Dorset Jollies :: day 4

I absolutely adore this part of the Dorset coastline, the stretch between my little familiar bit at West Bay, all the way along through Eype, up over Thorncombe Beacon to Seatown, then up over Golden Cap to Charmouth and finally along to Lyme Regis. The whole lot has been designated as a World Herritage Site, you can read more about it here. In the years BC (Before Children), J and I have walked many times along this coast. Oh I adore coastal walking, it absolutely thrills me to the core. I love walking with countryside on the right and sparkling sea to the left, love the scent of it, love the exhilarating climbs up what are sometimes very steep stretches of cliff, love the colours, the light, everything. Absolutely everything (with the exception of sea mist which has been known to ruin a very good walk).

The bit of the cliff with the flat top that you can see in the above picture is Golden Cap, which is the highest cliff on the South Coast of England. It's high, and a hard climb to get over it. J and I have walked it, and yes, it's a tough one. But the views :: Oh!! So very worth the effort of the climb. We're very much looking forward to future years when the Little Peoples legs are longer and stronger and we can take them hiking up here. But for now on the last day of our hols, we choose to sit and admire it from further down the coast. We choose a delightful spot called Stonebarrow Hill which I remember very well from my own chidlhood. I have fond memories of picnics up here in summer, and blackberry picking expeditions in autumn. The views are breathtaking and as this bit of land is owned by the National Trust, there is a delightful little NT shop selling gifts and maps along with icecreams and coffees, and most important for the likes of the Little People there are WC facilities too, with running water and soap for the horrendous, sticky, chocolatey, icecreamy mess that followed the shop visit.
Yes, Stonebarrow Hill is very convenient, you can drive up and park the car direct on a little patch of grass with stunning sea views and the only strenuous thing you have to do is haul the knitted blankets out onto the grass.

It's hot on this day, don't be fooled by the cool blues of sea and sky. There was a haze over the landscape to begin with, which gradually lifted to reveal the hotest of summer days.There was no shade. J and the Little People alternated between playing football and flopping on the blanket panting. More football, more exhausted flopping to eat icecream/read the paper. I sat in the heat and rippled. This was my penultimate stripe, appropriately enough in a sky blue. I was rippling as fast as my hot fingers could go, very excited to be finally so very near the end. But the heat was relentless and eventually I had to admit defeat and join my family on a short stroll.

There are miles and miles of pathways up here, some snake through tall bracken and follow secretive, sunken old Smugglers tracks, while others wind down across open meadows.

There are the most beautiful wild flowers in the meadow pastures and the fluttering of many butterflies.

I show Little Lady how to hold a yellow flower under my chin to reflect the yellow. We used to do this with buttercups when we were children and it's supposed to show if you like butter, do you remember that?? Little Lady loves this idea and we walk and stop and walk and stop and walk and stop about twenty times to see the Butter Effect. Ahhh the little things that please little minds, so well remembered from my own childhood.

I take in the scenery, listen to the Little People chattering away as we slowly head uphill back to the car. I breathe it all in and try my hardest to trap the memories. I think of my ripple blanket, so nearly complete with one and a half sea/sky blue stripes to go. I think to myself how glad I am that in winter when those soft ripples are wrapped around me I can look at those final stripes and think of this time and place, of these colours, the ripply blues of sea and sky on a hot summers day.

The photo below is the view from the bedroom window where J and I sleep when we stay in Dorset. Its my old childhood bedroom, and that view is so familiar to me it makes me incredibly nostalgic when I look out. I took the photo as I was packing up the suitcase in the afternoon, ahhh the end of holidays are so bitter sweet aren't they? In one way I never want them to end, but I also suddenly long to be home.

And one final picture, taken at 9.04pm. We are driving into the sunset up the M6, about two thirds of the way home.

Home sweet home, we were very glad to be back. Such a wonderful time away but oh so good to come home again.