A CHRISTMAS WALK

Which started pretty well but ended not so great! Ben got given a pub walks book for his birthday and keen to test it out with friends we set of the other day around half 2. We set out from the Half Moon pub in plumpton. The weather was beautiful - a low, warmish sun and pretty winter light. All was well with the babies snuggled and warm in their backpacks.

Yes it is true - we have matching backpacks we both bought off eBay! (Vaude, if you are interested...) the walk was only 3 miles long, and although it was uphill for a bit of it, it was totally worth it for these views.

Everything was fine until right after I took these photos of the cows. Then both kiddos decided they'd had enough at exactly the same time and without any real warning just decided enough was enough with the walk and they started to cry. Pretty loudly, and would not be comforted or bribed with snacks. Both myself and and my friend had to remove babies from back packs and wobble downhill carrying them in our arms with cries of "mummy mummy" still coming from them!

To add insult to injury the pub kitchen closed 10 mins before we got there. Still, what we learnt from this experience was to go a little earlier in the day when it was warmer, no further than 2 miles, and always check pub kitchen timings! At least we enjoyed a swift ale and some warming up time by the open fire before heading home. I now more than ever though want to move to the country. Around where we walked is ideal, such beautiful countryside, nice pubs and lovely little villages. Money is stopping us move for now, so the farm dreams will just have to wait a while. At least it is only a few minutes drive from our house at the moment to experience this stunning countryside....and I can keep dreaming of course ;)

FUN IN THE SUN! part one.

It feels like an age ago now but I thought I'd share photos with you all from our little mini break. So our trip was a total success! Stanley really was the best baby. A super good traveller and flyer...I feel very lucky I had such an easy time. We left the house, me, him, the buggy and one small backpack and off we trotted to the train station. We arrived at Gatwick with plenty of time and got through all the security faff. I had timed the flight with his nap, and there was a nasty moment when I thought we were going to be delayed but luckily he was amused with maize snacks as our flight got back on track. Boarded happily and settled down in a window seat and he fidgeted for a bit and then he SLEPT THE WHOLE FLIGHT! All one and half hours of it - including the landing. I actually had to wake him up! Easy peasy! Phew. We had two hours to kill at Nice airport while waiting for my friend but that was no problem with a lunch and a seriously good fish tank to keep him amused. My sweet friend picked us up and we went back to her cute little flat, bathed and changed Stanley and went out for dinner. He was awesome and stayed up until 10pm when he feel asleep in his buggy as we walked around looking at fancy power yachts! We got back to hers and popped him in the travel cot and he slept right through to morning. Excellent!

Saturday we went over to one of the Lerins Islands, Ile Sainte Marguerite with Donna's friends for a picnic. We crossed by ferry (Stanley missed the boat trip as he was napping!) and trekked buggy and all to find a secluded bay. Beautiful picnic and the warmest little cove waters all day. It was blissful. Stanley got quite brave towards the end and went into the water with me for some plunging and waded in holding hands with Donna too. We left the island again on the boat and stopped for dinner at Juan Les Pins. Stanley was in his element flirting with people on nearby tables and playing in the sand. He really embraced staying up late and being a 'continental baby!' We got home, bathed him and put him to bed again no trouble while me and my friend stayed up gossiping! Such fun.

footnote: part two up tomorrow

WE'RE BACK!

We are back. Holiday blog post coming soon when I've sorted out photos. All was lovely though. the weather was glorious and Stanley was a superstar traveller. Now back to the reality of washing all the clothes and a rainy England. Hope you all had good weekends.

♥ S & s

HOLIDAY!

We are off! Well, just me and Stanley. We are going to see a friend for the weekend that lives in Antibes. I am so excited, but also nervous about the flight and how well stanley will adjust to his new {hot!} surroundings. I guess we will just have to see. He such a happy content little mister most of the time that I'm hoping he will take it all in his stride. I have taken flying tips from this blog and this one, and along with a new sticker book and some serious cheesy maize based snacks i'm hoping we will be ok! I have flown before with him by myself when he was just one - to Stockholm and back and that was ok. I have tried to time the flight with his nap too so i'm hoping my mama planning will pay off.... In a way though I guess you have to try these things. Go on little adventures now and then. It is a shame Ben can't come with us, but I am also excited (with an equal dose of fear!) for our little trip, me and him.

I've tried not to take too much. Yes, all that stuff is supposed to fit into that rucksack - I'm thinking I'll need to remove a few bits. I have everything I think I might need for Stanley, and probably more...and the absolute bare minimum for me! I'm hoping to borrow an awful lot off my lovely friend! So there you have it. Travelling light with toddler in tow. We have a buggy and that is it. Wish me luck people and see you on the other side!

See you when i'm back for hopefully a French 'Stanley Style'!

♥ S & s

footnote: Stanley's amazing new shades came from dinky vintage. I am seriously in love with that shop!

LATELY....BEEN AWAY

hello. so sorry for the lack of blogging recently. very unfair to ask you to vote for me every day when i don't keep up my side of the bargain! anyway i'm back to it. so if you could clicky click for me that'd be great. i'm mid 100 and something......so thank you so very much!

last week me and stanley flew to stockholm to visit one of my very best friends that lives out there. she is swedish so it's fair enough she lives there but i miss her so much. we were pregnant at the same time and our boys are 6 weeks apart but they could have been so much closer in age if she wasn't early and me late! it was a lovely trip and i survived it! flying my myself with a baby on my lap - which at times felt like travelling with a small dog on my lap...wriggle wriggle! felt good to achieve it though. i was very proud of me and him. we were like a little team together and i loved it.

i did pick the flight times to fit round his naps/sleep and it seemed to work. he slept for an hour on the way out so all good there. then on the way home he slept the whole way until he woke just as we began the decent and SCREAMED BLUE MURDER the whole way down. i think his ears were really hurting him but i couldn't get him to sip water/drink milk/take a dummy/play with a toy/eat anything or take his mind off it all all. poor lamb i tried everything but he was just so beside himself. i got a few dirty looks from other passengers. but hey no surprise there. i WAS trying to make him feel better obviously. so i just shot them one back. some people really enjoy making you feel even worse in an already bad situation. i assume they don't have kids?

the up side was that they have free wifi on board! amazing! i went instagram crazy! so exciting!

anyway it was a lovely holiday and so nice to see my friend and see the boys play together. they were so good. played well. had a few fisty cuffs over toys. but nothing major. all very cute. very sad to leave them both :(

hopefully we can visit again in the summer....