Tag Archives: nature

Conspicuous by my absence

20 Jun

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I have just logged into my blog account and realised that I haven’t written anything useful for three weeks! Woeful behaviour. I read another mummy blog the other day where a similar absence was put down to being “a bit sad”. Whilst this certainly rang a bell with me I have in reality been mostly very busy and away from the office where I often write these posts whilst pretending to work.

Over the last three weeks I have been:-

Camping with the babe and hubby in the rainy lakes,

Spending three lush days with my best bud and her babe doing child centric activities,

Looking for a new house,

Forgetting that I have to work for a living and,

Seriously thinking about babe no 2.

When I say camping I really mean glamping (if any form of holiday with a young child can be considered glamorous). We went to the Lake District in a camping pod provided by the National Trust. Whilst it rained it was very relaxing to be away from all things electronic and its only after the event that I realise just how much iPad and iPhone distract from the business of being a family.

The babe delighted in having both mother and father’s undivided attention and made the hubby’s year with her wide eyed smiles as he pitched his tent in the rain. I should note that the hubby has military roots and made a living out of adventurous training in his younger days. He has spent much of our courtship and marriage trying to get me into walking boots and gortex, largely unsuccessfully. He must have been overjoyed that lack of cash and reluctance to fly with the babe got me as close to nature as he could hope for. My new walking boots are fashionably purple but still fundamentally ugly.

The camping pod was really just a glorified shed. It had no light or power but the solid floor meant that the babe could have her full size travel cot and mum a camp cot on the floor. I can’t say daddy was disappointed to be squeezed out into his tent. Whether or not a two man North Face expedition tent intended by the manufacturer as suitable for making Everest base camp was needed is however debatable….

Like all good Mummy shoppers I did take the opportunity to find the babe wet weather kit so that she could get stuck in despite the weather. She is an infant size 3 so finding wellies was a nightmare! So much of a nightmare that I thought it only fair to share what I found. The shop is on my local high street but stock is all available online. Jump Shoes

The waterproof jacket and trousers were procured from JoJo Maman Bebe and are pac a mac style so they take up little to no room in a bag. They also come in a variety of girl and boy friendly colours and are available mail order. Pink and purple Polka Dots are all a girl needs to look stylish in the rain. That and purple walking boots…. Jojo Wet Weather Gear

NB. For the next few weeks I have made a commitment to myself to post something every day. A couple of days a week it will be extensive but mostly it will be a pic of something I am lusting after for myself or the babe (under the Barbie My Baby tagline) or an observation on something that has touched me during that day. Fingers crossed it’ll be entertaining.

Flowers & photo shoots

18 Mar

Well I write this whilst drinking wine and tucking into a massive box of Hotel Chocolat Serious Dark Fix. Although the day did turn into a bit of a tour of the countryside seeing mother, mother in law and godmother I was broadly very well looked after by the hubby.

He’s very good on gifts for major birthdays and Christmas but he’s never really gone in for valentine’s etc so I only really expected a card. Instead i got a huge bunch of roses delivered yesterday just as I was about to burst into tears from sheer knackeredness, then today the chocolates and a lovely card that he’d had the babe hand print. Bless.

I am deep in the comfort zone of my second of four days off work and the babe has just about realised that I won’t be leaving her for a while. Saturday was spent with her almost entirely on my hip as she began shrieking as soon as I so much went to the loo….not good.

Daddy was at the football tonight so we had a nice tea and bath and a little photoshoot for a giggle. I have recently redecorated the kitchen and wanted a big canvas of the babe for the wall. We were given a little cooks outfit when she was born so I dressed her up and got shooting! The result was a lovely shot of her in nothing but her nappy, apron and chef’s hat brandishing a spatula – perfect for the kitchen wall!

No top tip today but a bit of a lust item for the little ones. My best mate’s little girl was sporting her new Barbour gilet when I saw them yesterday. Not cheap but very cute and I’m assured will last for at least a year….. They are £40 I believe if that’s your thing.

I am also sharing a pic of the gorgeous mirror I just purchased for the babe’s room. My blog is not really about interiors but this is so gorgeous it’s worth a shot. The butterflies are magnetic which is lovely for the babe and the cage style bars open and close. I buy lots of baby stuff from this site. http://www.vertbaudet.co.uk It’s lovely for clothes and nursery stuff and you never see other kids in it. Always a bonus.

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