At the weekend we really fancied a retro trifle - the sort of thing we remember from our childhood. No fresh fruit, garish colours and lots of sprinkles. If you fancy having a go too, here's how to make one... 1. Use some leftover cake to line the bottom of your suitably retro bowl. We ...
Seaside Treasures
I can't believe how quickly this half-term week has flown by! We've been away for a few days on the Isle of Man, more of which here. My word of the week has to be seaside. Or, if I'm allowed two words, seaside treasures. There's something so magical about searching the beach for shells, fossils ...
A few days on the Isle of Man
Hello, we're just back from a few days spent on the Isle of Man for half-term. James' parents moved to the island about seven years ago, so we've been to visit them on several occasions. This was our second time flying there, which makes the journey much more straightforward. Flybe are now running ...
A picture a week: shells and glass
There's no painting this week as we're away on the Isle of Man. Paints and crayons may be at home, but this week I've been inspired by the beautiful shells, driftwood and weathered glass we've found. On today's walk we filled our pockets with nuggets of soft glass. What will we do with ...
Review: My Little Provence Box
A few weeks ago I spotted an advert for My Little Box. It's a monthly subscription box, with a French twist. For £11.99 (plus £3.95 postage) you receive one box a month. As they put it - 'My Little Box is a hand-picked and beautifully designed box of fashion, beauty and lifestyle ...
My Week
My word of the week has definitely been perseverance. Half term is very close, we are so nearly there...but there have been a few tears this week and a general lack of enthusiasm. There have also been a lot of dull appointments to keep, and an awful lot of rain and hail. I think April and May got in ...
Town or country? Part one: Small town living
We spend a lot of time thinking about the best place to raise our children. For the last nine years we have lived in Ely, a small market town. Technically, it’s a city because it has a cathedral, but this is in name only. In reality, it’s a provincial market town: safe, quiet and predictable – all ...
Our Sitting Room
We're lucky enough to have two matching reception rooms - we use one as a play room with all the toys, and this one is a slightly more grown-up room where I like to relax away from the Lego. It's not the sunniest room, and like all Edwardian and Victorian terraced houses it can feel a little dark ...
A painting a week
This post is the start of a new weekly series. Just recently I've felt the urge to start painting again. I always loved drawing and painting as a child, and studied art to GCSE level. After that though, in the whirlwind of A-levels, university and life that followed, I hardly ever picked up a ...
Word of the Week: Purple
My word of the week is... It could just as easily have been mess or clutter. Thanks to two small children, there are areas of our house which haven't been cleaned properly since we moved in four years ago - hello, jam-packed kitchen cupboards and the heap of filing that's fallen behind the ...
My Week
Last weekend, James was away. After a long week, we needed a bit of company, so we headed over to Castle Acre with my parents for the day. We started with a look around the ruined priory, followed by a pub lunch in the village. The boys had a lovely time racing round the castle after lunch - lots of ...
Home birth – my story
When it comes to birth stories, mine are a little unusual as I had my first baby at home and my second in hospital – it’s often the other way round for many people interested in home births. Gabriel was born at home in 2009 and we planned to have Tom at home, but he ended up being born in hospital ...