When we relocated from London to Surrey in 2010, one of the first things we did was to knock down the wall between our kitchen and dining room. I was pregnant with POD at the time and we needed a space that worked for us a family.
Does anyone else feel like the weeks are just flying by at the moment? It doesn’t seem five minutes since we were lapping up that outdoor sunshine and here we are only a few weeks away from Christmas. Nice to see everyone is continuing to get out and about in a quest to blow away those cobwebs. There are some wonderful images in the #UKExplore community this month.
If you’re looking for delectable chocolate, Hotel Chocolat provides exactly that. From boxed chocolates, sleeksters and H-boxes to selectors, batons and slabs, you can expect melt in the mouth chocolates that are simply exquisite. We’re especially fond of the salted caramel, coffee chocolate and boozy chocolate varieties. But the Hotel Chocolat range is broad spanning from chilli chocolate, caramel chocolate and cookie chocolate to fruity chocolate, cocoa gin chocolate (yes really) and raspberry chocolate. Plus there’s a choice of scrumptious milk chocolate, deliciously dark chocolate and silky smooth white chocolate. We’re delighted to give one lucky reader the chance to win a Hotel Chocolat Christmas Luxe gift box worth over £35.
How glorious is the colour out there at the moment? We’re loving all the autumnal hues even if it has been a little on the chilly side recently. We were in Italy last week though so it was bound to be a shock to the system wasn’t it? We’ve been loving all your half term adventures, it’s brilliant to see everyone making the most of the great outdoors.
When POD was asked if she’d like to go on a litter pick, her immediate response was “are we doing it for the environment?”. Even at the age of seven, she understands we all have a responsibility to look after our planet. POD has seen videos at her school of islands with more ocean waste than fish. She’s seen litter discarded on the street and wonders why it’s not been put it in a bin or taken home.
The Blue Planet effect and the subsequent war on plastic have made everyone aware of the damage we’re causing to our environment. Its currently estimated around 12 billion tonnes of plastic waste will be in landfill or our natural environment by 2050 if we don’t act now.
Winkworth Arboretum is somewhere you can visit all year round but it really is spectacular in autumn. Created back in the early 20th century by Dr Wilfrid Fox, who used plants to paint a picture in the landscape, the best views can be found on the edge of the Magnolia Wood, at the top of the Azalea Steps and the eastern Meadow. Not forgetting my favourite place, the lakeside boathouse.
The light might be fading earlier and it’s getting colder by the day but I do love this time of year. There’s something rather magical about spotting conkers on the ground and admiring those autumnal hues. If you saw our post about the best places to find autumn colour, you’ll know one of our favourite spots to visit at this time of year is Winkworth Arboretum. Somehow the clever planting there seems to make the season last much longer and it’s such a beautiful place to wander around.
If you’re a regular reader of our family travel blog you’ll know our overseas travels are typically based on discovery, adventure and exploration. Before POD was born we’d travelled extensively. From South East Asia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to the Caribbean, South America and Australia where I lived for two years. Not to mention sun, ski and city breaks in Europe. When we became parents, we didn’t stop travelling we just went about it in a different way. POD loves being an adventurer and there are huge benefits to showing her the world. Here are just a few of the reasons we believe it’s good for kids to travel in whatever guise that might be.
Just over a week ago we were enjoying thirty-degree temperatures in Sardinia – even hotter in Venice the week prior. Our return to the UK seemed to be marked by the arrival of autumn. Gone are the maxi dresses, sandals and sunnies, replaced with long sleeved tops, trousers and boots. Even the favourite leather has made an appearance. While we acclimatise ourselves to these cooler temperatures, I can’t help get a little excited. You see autumn is one of my favourite seasons and I relish capturing those red, orange and gold hues.
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We lived in London for many years before relocating to Surrey when I was pregnant with POD. Much of our time was spent in South London and we have fond memories of the decade or so we spent there. Those pre-parenting days seem such a long time ago, given we’ve been a three for 7 years, but we had some great times. Borough Market was only a few miles away from where we lived and a fairly regular haunt so it always feels special heading back there. That said, London’s oldest food market IS special and one of the most well-known food markets in the world. It’s also famed for being the location of Bridget’s flat, located above The Globe, in Bridget Jones’s Diary. Continue Reading…
