Relax, breathe and Zentangle

We have been trying to make the most of the lovely weather we are having here in Wales, we have mainly been lazing around the garden and in the hot tub. Playing a bit of badminton or basketball or just running around with the dog.

It was our 19th Wedding Anniversary yesterday so after a Buck Fizz Brunch we packed a picnic ans set to Clun Castle for a few hours.

Apart from loads of eating and drinking, we have done little else so far, just loads of time together relaxing-bliss.

I have tried to keep myself occupied with some Zentangle, but as much as I enjoy the actual basics of drawing the various "tangles" I do struggle and severly lack confidence when it comes to composing a design. Hopefully, I will gain more confidence with a bit more practice.

This also feels very self indulgent, I am not making anything of any purpose or use, just me doodling in a note book! How selfish!

xXx

It's holiday time, Wales, the chaos has arrived

We started our journey on Friday morning, expecting a very long and stressful journey. The children don't get along well at the best of times but being stuck in the back of a car together for several hours is normally a recipe for disaster. This time we also had our little, fluffy, four-legged friend sat between the children on the back seat in his new doggy seatbelt/harness!

Well, things really could not have gone any smoother, the children slept on and off and little Brucie Boy must have had such a positive influence on them. Considering it was his first ever long car journey he behaved amazingly.

The cottage is lovely, very quiet and relaxing but I have struggled to keep myself occupied. Yesterday I decided it was time to do a bit of Zentangle and I was ashamed to say I opened up my drawing book only to discover it has been almost a year since I have done any! But who wouldn't find inspiration and motivation in this little haven.

It was hard to just pick up and carry on with One Zentangle a Day after so long but I soon got into the swing of it again. I lack confidence in my ability, but that's something I have never really had so I don't miss it! LOL

I still have a long way to go, but enjoying the journey. 

xXx

A sneaky little break!

It's been a stressful weekend one way or another and I had wondered what on earth possessed me in booking this short break. Being that it was only for a few days and fairly local, at times it all seemed just too much stress to be worth it. BUT I am so glad we did.

Weather was awful when we arrived but the lodge was warm and welcoming, bottle of bubbly waiting in the fridge, welcome basket of scrummy goodies. It really didn't take us long to feel at home!

Chris checking out the kitchen!

Amelia checking out her bunk.

Then checking out the top bunk! 

Our bedroom overlooks a wildlife park, so peaceful!

 The cinema screen and surround sound will definitely be put to good use tonight 

watching Game of Thrones! 

 The Rainfall shower will be put to the test tonight too.....

 ....after the hot tub of course!

 Amelia loves the tree house.

and Jack loves the games consoles! No surprises there Jack, eh?

 I am just enjoying the peace and quiet as I sip a glass of wine and gaze onto the open field!

Cheers everyone!

Adele 

xXx

Our adventures in Devon!

We are already half way through our holiday, the weather has been hit and miss. One minute we have
 had our feet up, drinking cider and sunbathing...the next curled up on the sofa under a throw and watching the flames on the log burner. Whatever it throws at us we are trying to just make the most of it and relax.

The cottage is lovely, the garden gate opens onto a little wooden area, over a little bridge and out onto the farm land where Chris and Jack have been playing Chess while Amelia and me have been saying hello to the chickens. Once passed the Chess and chickens it open out onto a field where we play cricket or take a leisurely walk alongside the stream or around the lake.

We are eating and drinking far too much, but hey ho, what are holidays all about?

Reality will hit us far too quickly.

Adele 

xXx

Our arrival in Melton Mowbray!

The journey was good, we stopped off for a bite to eat at Rutland Water to pass some time and then settled in to our "home" for the next 2 weeks! The Old Guadaloupe Farm House is gorgeous!

We unpacked the car, got accustomed to our new surroundings (running around like lunatics as we investigated the rooms and views) then set off for the sunny sights of Tesco's where we spent a small fortune!

Once back we did some unpacking then tried out the pool table!

We finished the evening off with a nice curry and a bottle of wine, we felt really at home as we sat around the huge farmhouse table. Later on we just had to try out the hot tub and relaxed in the bubbles to watch the sunset over the hills.

I didn't mind being woken at 7.30am, especially when you can open the curtains to views like this!

Weather forcast is not that great today, not really sure yet what the day will bring but I am sure scrummy food, wine and family fun will play a big part in it all!

x X x

More Waffle and walks in Wales!

Monday 1st August

The weather looked rather ominous so we decided to take another walk directly from the cottage. The start of the walk was on road and was hard going with Amelia moaning that her foot hurt, her legs, her tummy, her arm......I considered that we might be expecting too much of her but we weren't exactly climbing Snowdon! LOL

We got to a small clearing, had a quick "refuelling session" with a few snacks and some drink and then the "real walk" could begin! The woodland path was lovely and shaded and we stopped almost immediately to watch a little rabbit hopping around in the undergrowth. Not long after that, Amelia's moaning started again as the path suddenly took a steep incline! With constant encouragement Chris and me took turns with her, supporting her up the hill. After a few twists and turns, the path markers sent us on a small detour and the terrian became rather rocky. ( It was at this point Amelia told us she didin't like rocks! Hmm, perhaps Wales wasn't a good choice after all!)

My mountain goatof a son, Jack swiftly scrambled up a very steep bank of rock, somehow I followed with Amelia clinging to my arm, leg, neck...basically anything she could...and Chris stood behind in case we needed help in the form of a shove!

Once at the top of the ridge, it took our breath away. We stopped for a while and admired the view of the Conwy Vally, nearly 500 feet below from where sat, "Cadair Ifan Goch" or Red John's Chair! It takes its name from a legendary red haired giant who is said to have sat there to bathe his feet in the river, Afon Conwy!

Stunning, but sorry the pic just does it no justice at all!

More catch up waffle and some crafting to come.

XXX

Snowdonia catch up, day 2

Sunday 31st July

My first night in the cottage was rather unsettled. It suddenly dawned on me that we were (in my opinion) in the middle of nowhere with no way of contacting anyone if needed- our phones are all on hte same network and we have no service available, not even the convenience of the "World Wide Web" seems to work in this part of wild Wales!"

Once asleep, I slept as snug as a bug but was rudely awoken at 6am by the walking alarm clock we call Amelia. As I made Amelia's breakfast one of the sheep greeted me loudly just outside the kitchen window and I watched two pheasants make their way up the field as I drank my first cuppa of the day. As the men of the house slept, Amelia coloured and I took in more of the scenery from the comfort of the little conservatory.

After a nice cooked brekkie we decided to try a 3 mile circular walk from the doorstep of the cottage. It was lovely to see the cottage from a different perspective. The weather was cloudy but the scenery was stunning, shame the full beauty is just not captured in my photgraphs.

Our walk took us passed a lovely little chapel, Capel Salem, and we spent a little time chatting to some of the locals coming out of their Sunday service, so glad we did ponder for a while as this was followed by a rather steep hill...which Amelia moaned about all the way up!

The children seemed quite relieved when we were nearly back at the cottage....

.....and Chris was quite relieved to find that he briefly got phone reception at the very top of the lane!

At the bottom of the lane we stopped to say hello to these little ladies.

Then the children discovered a nice little step just outside the cottage, perfect for sitting on waiting for mum and dad!

Playing "Snowdonia holiday catch up!"

We are back from our hols and I am now playing catch up on some blogging and sharing a few holiday snaps!

Saturday 30th July!

After an early start we set off on our journey to Cae Llwyd, a cottage near Llanrwst, nestled in the Conwy Valley and on the outskirts of Snowdonia National Park. The children struggle to sit for 5 minutes without bickering, so a 5 hour journey was not something we were looking forward to. In anticipation of this we decided to get some in car DVD players to keep them both occupied but instead we should have just got some travel pillows!

We made very good time so as we drove through Llanrwst we detoured across the bridge and stopped off for our first cream tea! We followed with a short walk along the river and a quick pit stop in the park for the children to let of a bit of steam!

On our approach to the cottage my heart went into overdrive several times as we encountered some very steep, narrow and winding lanes. (Please remember I am a Peckham girl originally!) Perhaps following the SATNAV route was not such a good idea! Once at the cottage we were not disappointed, in fact I was rather overwhelmed by the views of the surrounding countryside!

The inside of the cottage was lovely too!

The neighbours are rather noisy bleaters though!

Later on we opened a bottle of wine and sat in the garden watching the sun go down and the housemartins zooming around above our heads.

And to finish a very long day we lit the wood burner and chilled out feeling totally relaxed!