I’ve seen a couple of cross stitch pendants and thought they looked fun to stitch. The only place I could find them was from the workroom, a Canadian sewing shop, so I duly ordered a couple and waited for them to arrive. I was really pleased with the laser cut cross stitch pendants, both wooden, one with a scalloped edge and one circular, which measure just over 2″. I wanted to stitch something to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee so I found some free Jubilee motifs from CrossStitcher. The motifs included a union flag (which I stitched for the God…
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I can’t quite believe it’s 5 years since we stayed in a lovely cottage in Dawlish. I have a real soft spot for the town having also stayed there on family holidays as a child. Funny to think in the last 5 years we’ve got married and had two children. So it was great to re-visit as a family of four. The toddler loved the amusement arcade, having a ride on Thomas, and was given a bowl of 2p pieces to play on the slot machines. He even had a little step so he could reach the machines and amazed…
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It’s been a while since I’ve come across any gingerbread biscuits worth writing about it. Whilst we were away in Devon we went to as Asda which was quite exciting as there are none near us in London. I was buying some snacks for our loong car journey home and found a box of gingerbread bites. The full name was Let’s Celebrate with 14 Gingerbread Bites and the biscuits were in the shape of a union flag – we’ve just finished them off whilst watching the Diamond Jubilee Thames Pageant. We all really enjoyed the biscuits which had a lovely…
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The main reason for us visiting Babbacombe was the Babbacombe Cliff Railway for my train-mad toddler. Every day of our holiday he constantly shouted ‘choo-choo’ and we began to worry that we would run out of train-related places to take him. The Cliff Railway was another of those places we’d been meaning to visit for a while. The Babbacombe Cliff Railway is a 1920s jewel, transporting visitors to Oddicombe Beach. The railway and ticket office at each ends have been restored to their original glory so it really does feel like you’re stepping back in time. The railway only takes 90 seconds…
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We were lucky to have time to visit the bustling fishing town of Brixham. We’ve been meaning to visit for years and finally found we had a couple of hours spare. It’s a really lovely town, some great independent shops, brilliant charity shops and lots of cafes so you can sit and watch the boats in the harbour. Although our primary purpose wasn’t to look round the charity shops my poor daughter gave me a very good reason. She had a nuclear nappy explosion which resulted in my throwing away the clothes she was wearing. Now when I go charity…
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My daughter has recently been trying out her first pair of shoes. Starting out in Australia, the SKEANIE brand – loved by little feet around the world – has come to Europe. Its eco-approach only uses off cuts of leather to create stylish shoes that nurture and protect children’s feet. If this sounds like your kind of brand I have a great giveaway so you can win a pair of shoes of your own choice. I ordered a pair of the adorable Infant Mary-Janes in pink for my daughter. SKEANIES are shown in European sizes but the website has a really handy measuring chart…
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I had a wander round Paignton today whilst the husband, toddler and grandad went on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway to Kingswear. We go on this beautiful heritage line every year and I always get left in the carriage looking after the bags whilst they rush to take photographs at every halt and stop. This year I decided I would have some time with my 6 month old and explore the shops. The station at the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway has recently been restored and is a great place to start a visit to Paignton. We walked to the sea…
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Our holiday was going quite well until my husband slipped and twisted his ankle. This meant that yesterday I had to entertain the children whilst my husband went to A&E. After exhausting the possibilities of the play park, beach and pier I thought I deserved a treat. Teignmouth is brilliant for charity shops and I never leave without some bargains. There are at least 8 charity shops which is pretty good for a small seaside town. They are all within easy walking distance of each other and can be visited in under half an hour. I started off by visiting the Rowcroft…
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Today was the first full day of our holiday and my husband kindly agreed we could go to a car boot sale! I was really excited about this as there are never any near us in London and I always hear about people picking up great bargains. The car boot sale was at Newton Abbot Racecourse and opened at 9am. The children never sleep well when we’re away from home so we were all up and out the door and arrived at the Racecourse just after 9. I was surprised to see people were already leaving with armfuls of stuff…