It’s been a while since we ventured to Cornwall and it’s even more beautiful than I remember. We were down for POD’s Great Uncle’s 70th birthday which took place in Perranporth. The week leading up to it was certainly eventful as POD developed the red face associated slapped cheek syndrome. She then got poorly with an unrelated virus. That said we arrived in Cornwall on the Friday evening, bound for our Airbnb cottage in St Agnes.
It was only this January six year old POD secured a place at the local primary – it’s been a long wait! The 18 months prior to that were spent driving to another school which was a two hour round trip on some days. While this time in the car enabled POD to perfect her colouring skills, it was also a great environment for chatting. We’d have the usual kind of discussions with a bit (a lot) of silliness along the way. Sometimes though the conversations we had about school were actually quite revealing.
The Doves love blowing away the cobwebs in the great outdoors. It’s one of the reasons we upped sticks from London to Surrey back in 2010. That and POD’s impending arrival on Christmas Day the same year. She might seem like she’s a ‘girly girl’ but don’t let that fool you. She’s been a climber since before she could walk and she’ll be the first to scale a tree. I love that POD enjoys being outside as much as we do and has the same adventurous spirit. She even climbed a mountain while we were in Cantabria last year, great going for a five year old especially in the Spanish heat.
Bags packed we left the Surrey countryside bound for Center Parcs in Longleat. All three of us were really excited as we were heading there with friends. It meant more of a celebration for my husband, whose birthday it was, and six year old POD was thrilled she’d have chums to play with. Although the idea of Center Parcs has always appealed what with being outdoors types, this was our first experience holidaying with them.
Six year old POD loves animals so she was thrilled to hear we were off to Paradise Wildlife Park over the school holiday. She was especially excited to discover the award-winning park has launched Penguin Falls as she’s been learning about penguins at school recently. As it happens the state-of-the-art enclosure at Paradise Wildlife Park is new, created for critically endangered African penguins.
Whether it was the warmth of the sun on my cheeks, the sound of the waves breaking or mile upon mile of soft golden sand, it was a glorious morning to be at West Wittering. Located in West Sussex, this is normally a popular spot with people travelling there from far and wide. Not today though, the beach was deserted with the exception of a few dog walkers and a handful of surfers. What a perfect day for taking some more photographs with the Fujifilm X-A3 (do read our review here).
Much as we relish living a stones throw away from the Surrey countryside, we’re lucky in that we can reach the coast in an hour or so. Sometimes it’s nice just to feel the wind in your hair and listen to the sound of the waves isn’t it? A favoured beach is West Wittering, located less than 10 miles away from Chichester. It’s a premier Blue Flag beach but did you know East Head, located walking distance from West Wittering, is also one of the best beaches in the country?
We recently escaped to Center Parcs for a weekend at Longleat with friends. As if being in the forest wasn’t exciting enough, six year old POD was thrilled to have one of her chums and his brother to play with too. Her new Berghaus jacket arrived from Blacks just before the trip which was great timing given she’s outgrown her waterproofs. What a great location for its first outing – not that we aren’t spoilt for choice in Surrey of course!
One of the things I love about the street art in East London is that it’s diverse and continually changes. It keeps the area fresh and means fans of street art the world over will continue to return. That said it’s always a relief to see the most well known or largest pieces stand the test of time. Work by artists such as Banksy, ROA and Stik for example have remained intact for years.
POD has always been a climber. If memory served me right, she climbed before she learnt to walk. I’ll never forget the time she scaled a chair and pulled herself onto the kitchen table all ready to launch herself off it. She’s always been a fan of climbing trees and she asks if she can do Go Ape at the Alice Holt Forest every time we go there. Last weekend we were at Center Parcs in Longleat with some friends, a prime opportunity we thought for a treetop adventure.
