The Babysitter

My kids with their lifelong companion

Number 9 Dream

So the mister and I recently marked our ninth wedding anniversary.  I know I know, I look too young right?! So it was off to the Lake District, one of my happy places, for a child free night in a hotel and some beauty chasing.  Here are a few quick snaps

 We visited Hawkshead for a spot of lunch and a walk about.  I love Hawkshead.  It's like a little Tudor rabbit warren.  I've blogged about it before here.  

There was a cafe with the biggest cakes I have ever seen

And the usual touristy Beatrix Potter gubbins

Of course I had ice cream.  I always have ice cream.  

Dress: Asos

Leggings: goodness knows

Shoes: Office

Jacket: Ebay

Scarf: charity shop

Bag:  gift from Ilaria

I know nine is one of those awkward inbetween numbers that doesn't constitute a particular milestone but, I'm firmly of the belief that a happy marriage is a huge achievement in this day and age and something to be celebrated.  I also quite like presents.  It didn't take me long to start missing the kids though.  By the second day I was starting to go cold turkey from that velvet soft skin and baby smell.

Such is life

x

The day is done for sleepy ones

Here I am bank holiday Monday in Vyrnwy.  I love Vyrnwy.  If you've ever been here you'll know why. I wrote about the history of the lake and my fascination with it here

It was a beautiful sunny day.  My Little Miss had spent the weekend in her grandparent's holiday caravan nearby and me, the Mister and Master L travelled up on Sunday to spend the night in the Vyrnwy Hotel and join up with them the following day.  I didn't get any photographs but I wish I had.  The hotel was beautiful and the views spectacular.  Didn't get to enjoy it quite to the full though.  Had about an hour's sleep.  Hence the sunglasses.  Just after these photos were taken I collapsed into the Mister's arms sobbing uncontrollably, so they also came in handy for the red eyes.  Needless to say I don't deal with tiredness very well.  Does anybody?  Seriously?

The aqueduct 

I'm a girl of simple pleasures.  I love to be surrounded by beauty and people I love, but I also long for solitude.  Being left in my own company.  Perhaps to read.  I consider myself a female Bernard Black but with different vices.  Switch the smoking and drinking for sleeping and eating and that's pretty much me.   I also get a bit angsty when my routine is disturbed.  What can I say, this childrearing lark has it's perils for someone like me.

As for Master L.  He's a heartbreaker.  He'll learn to love sleep as much as his mama and big sister do  eventually.  For the time being I'll settle for the coos and gurgles and the smiles he has at the ready for us.  Also for the soporific hour he and I spent in bed listening to this artist

xx

It felt good to be out of the rain

Hello there

Here I am in my back yard amongst the straggly (okay, dead) plants

It's the school holidays and my Little Miss has gone to Shropshire for a couple of days to visit her auntie and uncle.  Today, I was determined to actually get out of my pyjamas and out of the house, so the Mister and I took Master L out for breakfast. 

Cardi - Asos sale

Skirt & necklace - Dotty P's sale

Tights - fancy dress shop

Shoes - Ebay

Brooch - charity shop

About a month ago, just before the birth of my lil guy, I was sent the very bag I am sporting to review by a lady named Jocelyn at Sammydress

I call it my 'horse with no name' bag

On browsing the site I was struck by how many cheap pretty dresses and shoes I would be able to buy if I was a size 8 and had size 4 feet.  Unfortunately my post baby size 16-18 curves and size 7's are a stretch too far but if you are lucky enough to be all petite and doll-like then it might be worth checking out.  I love the bag apart from the fact that the shoulder strap broke the first time I used it, doh!

So how is everyone?

My Little guy is 4 weeks old this week and I could write a whole post on how amazing he is but you know that's not my style, right?!  Me and the Mister are in the 'not quite adjusted to the sleep  depravation' phase.  Your body does strange things during this phase, like shivers uncontrollably even in a centrally heated room.  I know there is a general assumption emanating from certain elements of the media that would have you believe that pregnancy, childbirth and life bringing up young children is a beautiful picturesque roller coaster ride to be celebrated and enjoyed like the healthy breakfast of granola and organic yoghurt, which is consumed each morning as part of a healthy, balanced breast feeding diet, which in turn miraculously makes your mummy tummy disappear and your figure snap back into shape.  Bah!  You know what, it is wonderful, but it is also horrendously emotionally and physically exhausting.  For my part, I am just taking each day as it comes.  Mainly surviving on quick chocolate hits and full sugar coke to keep me going.

Just keeping it real

Having Netflix also helps with the crazy hours

Sweet Baby Blue

Image source

Well, I'm officially a second time mummy.  My sweet little 3 day old bundle of sheer perfection, henceforth to be known as Mast. L, is sleeping contendedly in his bouncing chair while I undercoat my nails, Mr N watches the match and the Little Miss is in and out of the room by the minute to check on her little brother, stare at him, give him a kiss and stroke his face.  We're all besotted, exhausted but walking on air.

Normal service to be resumed once we float back down

xxx

Red Boots & Golden Years

Before I begin I should quickly state that yep, I'm still pregnant.  Due this Saturday but as you know time and dates mean nothing to the littluns.  Just trying to enjoy my last days of relative freedom and sleep.

On Saturday afternoon I went to a vintage 50's tea party in celebration of my parents' 50th wedding anniversary.

This is me trying to discreetly pose for some outfit shots with my cloudy lemonade while everyone mingled around with their Pimms punch.  I kept getting collared.

As you can see I didn't go with the 50's theme.  This dress has been seen on the blog before because I have practically lived in it these past few months.  It's about as much effort as I can muster at the moment.  Plus I wanted to wear my new babies which match it perfectly...

These bad boys

I got them for a song on Amazon.  I think it was a pricing error as they were advertised as a size 7D as opposed to a standard size 7, which were about £25 more expensive.  I took a gamble and it paid off.  I handed over my £46 and they arrived at my house the next day, a standard size 7 not a 'D' in sight.  Turns out Dr Martens don't even make a 'D' fitting.  Go figure.

I also lacquered my nails with several layers of turquoise glitter

Dress - Asos Maternity
Boots - Dr Martens
Owl bag - Ebay
Cardi - supermarket
Brooch - charity shop
Typewriter necklace - Etsy

My niece organised the party and it was held in the very pretty house she lives in with her mum and step dad.  She stepped in and organised it within a few weeks after the idea we'd had of a big kick butt rock n roll themed party fell through due to my health issues and inability to organise it.  She did a stellar job.  A relatively small affair with close friends and family.  Everything looked so dainty and charming that I couldn't resist walking around snapping a few pics before everyone got there

I really wanted to play in this outhouse but it was temporarilly home to an old bathroom suite

The weather was glorious, spring was in the air.  The music ranged from The Andrew Sisters to Little Richard with a little bit of The Inkspots thrown in for good measure.  There were sandwiches with no crusts, tea and fairy cakes - perfect.

Gonna try and blog again before I pop but if I disappear for a while you'll know what's happened

xxx

Different colours made of tears

I recently spent some time in the sprawling New Galloway countryside.

Just down the road from our deserted rustic cottage was a 17th century church 

Spooky dancing children on these crumbling tombstones

The weather was wet and overcast for most of the week

It was the perfect place to contemplate the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and the major life changes ahead

I love tombstones that look like sacrificial tables

5 months in I am weary, tearful and distinctly lacking in glow.  Impending motherhood this time around has manifested itself as an all out attack on my equilibrium.

But this part of Scotland at this time of year presented a welcome break and an ideal environment for gathering one's thoughts and spending treasured time with loved ones.  Photographs couldn't do justice to the miles and miles of unkempt and unspoilt countryside and vast rugged landscapes.  Pretty it certainly isn't, but it is so wild and beautiful

For a fire will consume your hair... and your eyes will turn to glass

Do you agree that sometimes life is just too real?

Reality is both my best friend and worst enemy

Sometimes it's nice to escape to a place where the everyday is intensely beautiful

The Wordsworth family plot

We spent yesterday in Grasmere wandering lonely as clouds and spent some time telling Miss 5 all about it's most famous son.

It's kind of a family tradition

Pics are somewhat blurry due to incessant drizzle but not even that was enough to diminish my enjoyment of these surroundings

Of course, time spent wandering around graveyards is time well spent.  Everyone knows that.

I know there is a lot of Lake District love out there in blogland, and I don't have to tell anyone that's ever been there how beautiful it is, right?


A few weeks ago I was so desperate to get out of routine and see the autumn in all it's glory, before there was nothing left but bare branches.  So my man, practically perfect as he is (I said, practically!), booked for the 3 of us to spend the weekend in a little country house hotel in Kendal.

 This is me in the bar enjoying a malibu & pineapple with my extra chin.

Not the comfy chair!

The end of a charming day spent with my gorgeous family, chasing beauty and of course, scouring the charity shops.  I found some great stuff.

I'll show you soon

In the meantime, here is a cover version I like very much 

Enjoy your Sunday.

Go and give your loved ones a big kiss.  Go on, do it now!

Lucy xxx