The house sitters arrived at the start of the week. I would like to say that it has been lovely but, again, they have eaten us out of house and home ;-). I am fully expecting to arrive back home to find our mini-bar drunk dry and several valuables broken. They are making the most of this house-sitting as it could be their last. Plans are afoot to change our guest room into my office/gym. Yes, really. The house-sitters aren’t happy, we may return to find them staging a sit-in.

 

Later today we will be flying to England. As soon as we land we will be meeting up with my Nan in a restaurant/pub. This is always a slightly tense affair. She has very high expectations and expects her food to be cooked to Michelin standard. The chef at the local Vintage Inn is rather bemused by this. She is also insists that her beef is cut like a net curtain. Basically, if she can’t see through her beef curtain, then she sends it back. No messing with my Nan, especially if she has had her normal double shot of whisky.

 

 

Following the meal, we will be driving down the A14 to Suffolk where the kids will have a lovely weekend with their grandparents. In the meantime, Mr C and I will be children free!! 3 nights. Yes, three! Who wants to bet that I will still wake up at the crack of dawn? Then after a glorious three day break we will be picking up the little darlings and heading up North!

 

We will be staying in Ilkley. Ilkley was where we always wanted to live but couldn’t afford to. Well, I once lived there and a boyfriend moved in (he soon became an ex). The less said about that disaster, the better! I’m extremely excited by the fact that we will be back in Yorkshire. I have not been running round the house all giddy, shouting

 

I am going home.

 

OK, there might have been a little bit of giddiness. Expect Instagram photos of me galloping across Ilkley moor. Think Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music -

 

“The hills/moors are alive with the sound of music”.

 

There will be visits to Bettys, and a visit to my favourite chippy where they do proper mushy peas. I am also hoping to squeeze in some window shopping in Leeds. Then there will be lots of art galleries and lunches with friends. It is going to be glorious. Mr C is slightly nervous. He has already caught me looking at jobs for him in Leeds and perusing the Right Move website. One can dream, right? However, I’m joking really. I just enjoy winding Mr C up by threatening to move home. Really, we are very lucky to live in such a glorious place like Jersey. You don’t get Jersey beaches in Yorkshire! It is going to be a very busy week of catching up with family and friends. It has also been a long time coming.

 

 

Then, we will be finishing up at Manchester. Mr C will be staying with family. The children will be delighted as they get to catch-up with their cousins and their other grandparents. I will be delighted as I will be staying in a very fancy hotel with friends. I will miss Mr C and the children dreadfully. However, I am a trooper and I will persevere with the champagne, fine food and cocktails.

 

As we will be away I have decided not to blog. I may change my mind. We all know that I am very good at changing my mind! However, I want to make the most of this family time as on our return Youngest starts pre-school. Argh, where has the time gone? I will still be popping in on my blog though, from time to time, and I will still be sharing my adventures on Instagram. I will also blog about our adventures/misadventures when we get back.

 

Hope you all have a lovely week and just remember absence makes the heart grow fonder, right?

*Screeches* Please don’t forget me 😉

Ps - I have written a guest post for Mumsnet. You can find my thoughts on the Olympics and sexism here.

 

Whilst we press on with decorating our new home I have been thinking about what is it that makes a good house for a family. At the moment we have two young children so our needs will change when they get older but this is what we think makes the perfect family home for us, right now;

 

• Open plan living. Before we bought this house we had never had open plan kitchen/dining and living room but I have to say that we love it. It is very practical when you have two young children as it means that you can get on with cooking the dinner whilst still keeping an eye on the children.

 

 

• Lots of natural light. We don’t have lots of this and this is something I miss as our rental before was very light and bright.

 

 

• Access to the outdoor space from your living space. Again we don’t have this as we are in a townhouse and our living space is on the second floor. It would be nice to have open doors leading outside so the children could run in and out.

 

 

• Utility room. We have this on the groundfloor for our washing machine and tumble dryer and it is fantastic. It means we can put a wash on without worrying that we won’t be able to hear the tv over the noise of the washing machine.
• A boot room or cupboard. We have a cupboard with all of our shoes and it is perfect as it means that we can hide the many boots away and they aren’t littering the hallway.
• An adult only living space. Sometimes it might be nice to retreat to our own little of sanctuary away from the toys.

 

 

• Playroom. Or to have a playroom so we can shut the door on the toys would be lovely too.
• Bathrooms. We have one bathroom per bedroom which is perfect as there are no queues for toilets or showers in the morning.
• Location. For us we have the perfect location. Walking distance to the shops, beach and parks. You need to consider what would make the perfect location for you.

 

A garden that is big enough for the children to play in. We had to compromise here and we just have a small balcony and a small patio, but it’s better then nothing and there are plans afoot to change it into a lush paradise.

What do you think makes the perfect family home?

Sunday is our day for enjoying a leisurely walk and today was no exception. In between rain showers we bundled up warm and headed out. We are extremely lucky to live somewhere very beautiful and most weekends we can be found on the beach watching the waves crash or searching for Mermaid’s Purses amongst the rock pools. But much beauty can also be found away from the beaches and in the capital of Jersey, St Helier. Sunday is the perfect day for a leisurely walk around the capital as most of the shops are shut. This means that you can meander down the streets at your own pace whilst savouring the pretty sights.

I’m a firm believer of looking upwards and this is why, it’s such a stunning building that many people walk past everyday, unaware of the beauty that looms above their heads. With the sun starting to make its slow descent in the sky we hurried towards the marina.

The marina is a fantastic place for a walk. As well as fantastic views it has a hotel and a range of cafes that try to tempt you inside with their delicious looking cakes. This time we ignored our rumbling stomachs and carried on with our walk.

Admiring the impressive yachts we argued over which one was our favourite. I’ve always fancied a life at sea and I’m sure that I would be more than happy with one of these lovely little yachts. Small problem might be the price tag.

With the sun basking everything in a golden glow we soaked up the view of Elizabeth Castle on the horizon. The castle is a must visit for families coming to Jersey.

We then stood on tiptoes looking over the harbour wall towards the castle and down the bay to St Aubin. The sea mist rolling in covering everything in white mist, shrouding the houses from view.

The air took on a magical and ethereal feel that left us feeling calm. However, our growling stomachs reminded us that it was time to head home to cook dinner. So rather begrudgingly we peeled ourselves away from the harbour wall and started the walk back home. On the way we stopped to admire one of the many pieces of art that are dotted around the marina.

Looking up rewards us with yet more glorious sights.

How lovely are those apartments? I would love to live on the marina but rumour is that the ones facing the marina can fetch prices of 1 million and over. I’d better get saving.