Southend

We like to get away from London and we are in a perfect position to drive to the coast from where we live. Unfortunately, so do a lot of other people too. Which means a lot of traffic. But it's worth it once you get to breathe a bit of fresh sea air. We also went to a a butcher near by who we'd heard a lot of good stuff of. So with the boot full of goodness, we managed to find a beach, not wild, not pretty but it had sand and sea, pools of water to jump in and lots of sea shells and a stand selling hot cups of tea. Oh, and the first photo is from breakfast. Pancakes, soaked the night before. Makes a change from porridge.

This photo will be framed and given to dh from Clara. He never looks here so it's not spoiling it.

Holiday in France

Our holiday seems like another lifetime now Autumn has arrived in London. It was about three weeks ago and it's a very distant memory. Today it got dark at 7 and I lit candles in the kitchen. We stayed in Mirabelle Gites in south west France. Pretty fabulous. Perfect for families as everything you could possibly want was there, and large grounds to roam around and explore. Including a bunch of chickens.

As it was raining quite a few of the days we went to the zoo. After, we ended up on the beach where it was sunny. Both kids ran wild, just loving being so free in the open space. This holiday was again a testament that kids just love their own home space. Unless they are on a beach.

Clara with her little buddy A

Eating chocolate waffles and being photographed by an adoring French lady.

A day by the sea

A sunny Sunday recently, we hopped in the car and drove down to Whitstable. A lovely small sea side town about an hour's drive from our house. It's not too big, has a stony long beach and plenty of lovely little shops. It's the perfect day out.



Flying his new kite which he got as a birthday gift. A lot more difficult than it looks.

Alvar loves being on the beach and near the sea. He runs, collects anything worth collecting, swishing his new net, 'fishing'. I think why don't we live near the sea, after all, we live on an island. It shouldn't be so difficult should it? Now, if we only could work out how to make a living outside of London. The perennial question.

The obligatory fish and chips on the beach. I like it with an Orange Tango. The only time i would drink this stuff. Chips.....i have yet to meet a child how doesn't like chips. I seem to remember growing up, chips (or pommes frites in 'swedish') was this unobtainable and extemely desirable food in plastic bags in the freezer section in the supermarket. We were never allowed to have them, including crips unless it was your birthday. I think I was about 10 the first time i had them. Imagine waiting that long now? People would think you were mad.

Allotment

The bounty from the allotment is fading. We still have tomatoes, sweet corn and loads of raspberries. For the first time we have enough for actually freezing them and making jam. The kale is growing fast and i can't wait to have my favourite kale salad of all time from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair


Treasures left by the 'alottment fairy'. Gifts we have had so far include, bouncy ball, scooter, a plastic knight, a Bob the builder crane.

Carrots, finally. The reason for keeping an allottment.

The kids love sweetcorn Also raspberries as you can see from her cheek.

Real Butter

Clara is getting to that age where she will pull up a chair and get stuck in to whatever is happening. Especially butter. She will take a spoon and just eat it straight. I let her. up to a point.

We use Kerrygold butter as it's from grassfed cows and it doesn't contain any vegetable oil. Since I've read Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon and Real Food by Nina Planck I'm totally converted to this way of eating. Basically the way everyone used to eat about 100 years ago. In the 30's a lot of food processing was introduced and with that came a lot of health problems that are now very common. It's about eating food that is as unprocessed as possible, for example dairy and beef from grassfed animals, good fats such coconut oil and olive oil and butter. After reading these books I just can't look at food in the same way again. Growing up on a farm it comes quite natural to me but somehow, re learning this as an adult has made my eyes wide open about food and cooking. Especially since I've had kids. I have yet to read Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston Price. This really is the bible of Real Food.

Clara is not afraid of getting up and about in order to explore. I believe after i took this photo, she put her hand in the toaster. Luckily, it was unplugged.

Quiet concentration....

Summer in the UK

Barbeque at the allotment. Man tager vad man haver...basically you just use what you've got and at the alottment we have all sorts of stuff that we pick out of skips. The bbq itself was made of 'found' things. Worked perfectly. The roll up beach mat was another. Warm evening, smoky sausages, cold beer, being together enjoying picking raspberries straight off the bush for dessert. Lovely summer memories to treasure.

Clara off to the water trough as usual.....it's a bit of a worry as she runs up there in the blink of an eye....

Chard, chard and more chard.

Grilled marshmallow. yum.

Sweden in the Summer

A few pics from our July holiday. Glorious sunshine, lots of fun with cousins, swimming in the lake, celebrating A's birthday and raising the bar with English strawberry jelly which unfortunately didn't really impress as the fridge wasn't cold enough.

With the obligatory swedish flag of course...

Simple pleasures of fresh water lake and sand.....

Sweden in the Spring

On our way to the airport...his Trunki is brilliant. Yes, you can manage to pack and travel without it but makes that hassle that is air travelling a lot more fun.

The snow melts, the streams are gushing and the warm spring sunshine makes the cold water tolerable. In fact, the weather was so warm and lovely my dh will never let me forget i scoffed at his question to pack shorts and sandals ' In April? you must be jo-king'.

Easter, when all the little children dress up as old men and women, go around begging sweets. this is based on the myth that all the witches fly to Blakulla the blue hill where all sorts of shenanigans are meant to take place at Easter. No wonder my dh raised an eyebrow. And I don't blame A looking so very suspicious in this photograph. Really in the end, it's all about dressing up and getting bags of sweets from your neighbours.

Wanted to post these photographs even though are a few months old. I have so many photographs that I save and dont' really look at I just felt that posting them here at least they are lovely reminder of our lives and days. We had such a wonderful time this Easter Holiday we decided to go back for a longer stay. Which we did. From where I have..um, exctly five photographs. As my battery decided to die on our first day. So, those days are just images in my memory I'm afraid.