a weekend jaunt

We took a little trip down the coast to Rye this weekend. We only went for one night but it was just enough to blow away the January blues and have a little break.



We wandered around the village, explored the bits of the countryside that we could without getting too muddy, ate great food, played pub games, and generally just pottered about.

It was grand!

Oh, and the rain held off long enough on Saturday morning for us to climb up the church tower and take in the views. I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who doesn't have a problem with heights (for those that do it might be a bit much).



I think one night holidays might be the way forward. I like the minimal planning involved, and it makes the weekend seem much longer.

hello 2015

Happy new year! I hope you all had a lovely cosy Christmas break.

I had a really lovely festive time, although I have been a bit under the weather for most of it which has left me feeling a bit sorry for myself.

2014 was a grand year though! I had lots of fun, went lots of places and put some wheels in motion for the year ahead.



Ben and I picked up this decoration at Art Junky in Brighton just before Christmas.

It reminded me of the church we saw in Reykjavik when we visited early last January. One of my favourite ever holidays.



I haven't really had the brain power to think of any clear resolutions or plans for the year ahead yet but I want to set myself a few goals so I'll give it some thought and maybe start the new year a week or so late. That's ok right?

I do have one plan though: Move house!

The best plan (with the best man).

a cottage in cornwall

Unfortunately I've been feeling pretty under the weather this week. To distract myself from the lurgy and to cheer myself up I've been looking back at photos from our summer holiday in Cornwall.

We had a great time last year, and this time was no different. In fact, I think it probably surpassed last year (not least because we went for an extra day this time). We booked a great place to stay through Airbnb in a little village called Charlestown.

Daisy Cottage was like a dream home - such a sweet little cottage with a sea view from the bedroom and beautiful interior decoration. Oh, and Rudy the cat - who made our stay even better. What a nice one!



I haven't spent much time on the south coast of Cornwall so it was nice to explore the area around Charlestown. Luckily we were staying near the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden Project so we paid visits to both - I have so many photos of interesting flowers and plants that I could be here all day uploading photos (maybe another time?) They're a really good drawing reference so maybe I will share some botanical sketches too.



We also visited the Seal sanctuary in Gweek which was a real treat. My favourites were the big sea lions, whilst Ben liked the Humbolt penguins and the otters. The sanctuary is nested in a really peaceful location along a river estuary which made it a really nice day trip.

We also popped into Falmouth, Mevagissey and Fowey during our stay. I do love Cornish harbour villages and towns.



Happy faces all round.

south west coast

Today we booked a cottage for a few days in Cornwall next month. If it's anything like the mini holiday we took last summer then I'll be very happy.

Oh, and we will have a pet cat for our short stay - what a treat!

Amsterdam

I'm off to Amsterdam for a few days tomorrow - an incredibly wonderful birthday present from Ben.

I'm looking forward to it very much!

The desk calendar above was a nice gift from Simon, made by the Rifle Paper Co. It is my goal to visit all of the cities illustrated in it. I'm almost halfway - after this week, my tally will be five.

new year trip

In January we packed all our thermals and headed off to Iceland for a few days - a perfect way to start the year!

Everywhere you go in Iceland is a treat for the eyes. I wanted to take pictures of absolutely everything. The colours and the landscape are so different from anywhere I've ever been before.

And I'd love to live in one of their sweet houses with a colourful roof. Cosy and calm.

When can I go again?

digitalis

I've been spending a lot of time thinking back about nice trips recently.

Exactly one year ago tonight I landed in Melbourne for 3 week dream holiday - it doesn't seem that long ago at all.

In July we went and stayed in an old romany caravan surrounded by poppies and foxgloves in a very sweet garden in Cornwall. It was a perfect summer weekend.

Although we could have done with a tiny bit more leg room.



I do love to holiday.

A bank holiday in Bruges

From top: The view at Rozenhoedkaai; Benedictine nuns in Begijnhof; A horse we met by Damme windmill; On the way to Holland; Waiting for the boat tour; Stork nest in Sluis; Begijnhof bluebells; Cycling along the canal to Holland; Resting in Minnewater park.

A good time.