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1. I bought Edward a lovely pair of walking shoes today. He hasn’t noticed he’s wearing them yet which is a good sign as he kept taking the last pair off! As he was such a good boy at the shoe shop (getting his feet measured and walking around the shop in a couple of pairs of shoes) I spoiled him by buying him some new toys even though he doesn’t need any more. There are lovely independent shops in Crouch End and I bought him a set of wooden animals and an activity book. 2. I have an annoying…
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I’m not sure who coined the phrase gramping but I love it! It sums up our holidays perfectly since the arrival of Edward last year. Apparently three quarters of families with young children intend to go on holiday this year with the grandparents in tow, according to a survey by netmums. We had our first three-generations holiday when Edward was a few months old. The extended family of us, my mum, my sister and my niece all headed to Cornwall for a week. It was great, perfect weather, perfect accommodation but I don’t remember negotiating leaving Edward with a family…
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1. I’m currently in Bruges, my favourite European city, with my husband, son and mum. I’ve spent the last two days drinking beer, eating yummy food and doing lots of sight seeing. We’ve also been on a horse and carriage ride around Bruges and a canal boat trip. 2. Edward is 1 year old tomorrow and I am so very happy to share the day with my husband and mum. I’ve had an amazing year and loved every second since he was born. 3. I’m cheerful because I have a friend to share my thoughts, worries and fears with. She…
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Last year we stayed in our favourite hotel when we visited my father-in-law who had fallen from a ladder. Fortunately he was fine but our hotel stay wasn’t so good. Since we’re been together we’ve always stayed in the same hotel whenever we go to Exeter. It’s an old-fashioned but modern boutique hotel in the heart of the city. Pre-Edward we shopped, lunched and stayed up drinking in the hotel bar. It was our obvious choice when we wanted to visit the in-laws. However, post-baby all the quirky features we loved became obstacles. The rickety old lift, the changing floor…
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Today it felt like summer had finally arrived in the UK. It’s no joke that we’ve had constant rain, overcast skies, and dismally dreary days so far this year. Luckily we woke to blue skies today, which was just as well as we had been planning on joining a guided walk to the sound mirrors at Denge, Kent. After the walk we pottered around Dungeness, looking at the miniature railway, cottages made from old railway carriages and lighthouses. I was really pleased to finally visit Derek Jarman’s cottage, Prospect Cottage. The garden really is amazing. Beautiful flowers spring up between…
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Thiepval Memorial, France, originally uploaded by Jennifer Young. We’re just back from a few days in France where we went to participate in a memorial service at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the First World War. The weather was beautiful and we were surprised how many people attended the service. My great uncle died somewhere near Thiepval in July 1916 and we think we’re the only family members ever to visit the spot. We left a photograph of him at the memorial, as other families, schools and associations did for their lost men.
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It’s just such strange weather for June, windy, windy and windy, especially on our little island off the south coast of England. I spent the morning trying on wedding dresses, which was both traumatic and strangely fun. I’ve been adamant all along that I don’t want to wear some white meringue monstrosity. Sure enough the first dress shop I went to tried squeezing me into dresses which I hated. The second dress shop was the opposite and let me try on what I wanted. Altogether I only tried on six dresses before I found the perfect dress. Hooray. We spent…
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I spent the weekend enjoying the sunshine on the Isle of Wight with my family. My youngest niece was particularly cute, although she didn’t really want her photograph taken.