31 Oct 2023
To The Pumpkin Patch!
I do love a tradition, particularly during the colder months, and I am on a pretty stubborn path to fill Alfie's childhood with lots of little seasonal traditions. Our second year at the pumpkin patch only cemented this because there was genuinely something a little emotional about being back in the same place and seeing how much Alfie had changed (and quite frankly, how much mine and Gary's eyebags have decreased) in a year. Not to disparage the baby years but I can't help feel that this parenting gig gets a whole lot more fun as they get older. The amount of things Alfie could now engage with - we climbed the tire tower, crawled through the tunnels, had a ride in a wheelbarrow, pushed the wheelbarrow and, let me tell you, the rideable tractors and enormous inflatable tractor went down an absolute treat for our tractor-obsessed kid.
I mean, okay sure, he refused to wear wellies and had a tantrum when Mummy wouldn't give him her full attention because she was ordering churros (priorities ya know?), and we did have to make a swift exit when he jumped into the biggest swamp of mud in his trainers and, surprise surprise, did not enjoy the feeling of mud seeping into his shoes but you gotta take the rough with the smooth. We picked a pumpkin and felt like we were providing our child with wholesome childhood experiences. And I got to eat churros. Everyone's (sort of) a winner.
18 Oct 2023
Bookshop Hopping & Wedding Planning Day In London
THIS WAS A GOOD DAY. A combination of stopping breastfeeding, Alfie’s sleep improving and him finally allowing his dad to do bedtime means your girl suddenly has more energy and a fraction more freedom to go and do adult things. Tumble Tots is great and all but good lord, so is a day without pushing a buggy and not spending two hours teaching a toddler to say tractor (yeah okay, him saying ‘tacta’ is officially the cutest thing in the world but that’s not the point right now).
I boarded a train into London with just my book for company, and there was something so freeing about knowing I wasn’t on any kind of deadline. It was one of those journeys where everything worked in my favour; arriving-on-the-tube-platform-and-an-open-train-door-right-in-front-of-me kind of vibe.
This was a day of quality time with my favourite sister. Okay, she’s my only sister but she is my favourite. I was well overdue seeing the flat she moved into over a year ago so that was my first port of call. I sort of already felt like I knew it because I’d seen a lot of pictures, but I will never not enjoy nosing at all the little nooks and crannies of someone’s home. Cue lots of discussions about the contents of her bookshelf.
She showed me round her local area, and we stopped for lunch at a café that had an excellent array of sandwiches and smoothies. And then it was officially wedding-venue-viewing time, and I was very excited to see them in person. We started at the pub where she is having her reception (which I loved), had a leisurely drink in the garden and discussed bands, speeches, cakes etc before making our way to the ceremony venue. We couldn’t go in, but it was great to see it in person and visualise the day, even more so when a just-married couple walked out – the bridesmaid dresses were the exact same shade we will be wearing, and they had a red London bus to transport the guests which is a theme on my sister’s day. We made lots of undignified squealing noises (at a safe distance from the newlyweds who did not need two weird women ruining their moment).
We then wandered over to Marylebone high street and into Daunt Books where there were more squealing noises because we are book nerds and not afraid to show it. I have wanted to go to Daunt Books for a long time and it lived up to all expectations. The travel theme, the mezzanines, the arched window; what a gorgeous little spot for a book lover. Whilst we were discussing the merits of a good bookshop, my sister realised I had never been to Foyles and decided this had to be rectified immediately.
4 Oct 2023
Recent Happy Things | September Edition
Talking about the importance of the little things in this post got me thinking about how I used to regularly note down all the day-to-day loveliness and it’s really nice to have those memories to look back on. So, here’s a few from the last month, remind me to keep at it.
Hey there!
