June 2017 Round-up - Summer has arrived

Here we are again with our June round-up. Where has that last month gone? Time just seems to be galloping along, doesn’t it !? That old saying is so true – time really does fly when you are having fun.

June has been another busy month for us. I feel like we are really making the most of our weekends this year and getting outside to enjoy the fresh air and explore this beautiful country that we live in. We started off at the beginning of the month with half term and a visit to Pembrokeshire with our dear friends. Pembrokeshire offers outstanding scenery and blue flag beaches, and we were lucky enough to have a sunny day or two during our break. We visited Tenby and admired the beautiful sorbet coloured buildings while we enjoyed fish and chips on harbour beach. We rambled along the coastal path, navigated the 140 steps down to Church Doors Cove to explore the cove and watch the sun go down.

The girls jumped the waves at Manorbier beach and we stumbled upon Pendine Sands where we could take the camper on to the beach – a treat when you have little ones and a coffee machine and a kettle to hand. Finally we spent the day at Hilltop Gardens where we sipped coffee, ate icecream and wandered around the beautiful gardens to explore the enchanting Woodland houses.

I feel so lucky to have the campervan. It has always been a dream to own one and I feel privileged to be able to see my children growing up enjoying the outdoor life and to spend some time ‘unplugged’, away from screens and wifi. We get to see so many wonderful places. If the weather forecast is good, it’s great to be able to head off somewhere for the weekend at the ‘drop of a hat.’

Equally, every month we love to spend time at home and enjoy those places that our right on our doorstep. Our firm favourite is Trentham Gardens. We have annual passes and I never tire of visiting on a weekday during my maternity leave, when it is a little quieter. This time we headed out for a picnic and stumbled across the ‘secret garden’. I have been visiting for months and didn’t even know it was there. Magical.

The weather has been particularly lovely this month, and I spied the chance one evening after school to take the little ones fruit picking. I always feel fruit picking is the epitome of summer, don’t you think?

June also saw my Dad’s special birthday, so we have enjoyed some quality family time…a birthday BBQ and a family gathering. I even made him a cake 🙂 It’s great to get together and see all the cousins enjoy each other’s company. Happy birthday Dad – my hero.

And finally last week we visited Ullswater in the Lake District. It is a part of the Lake District that I have not visited before – have you ever been? We stayed with friends at a campsite in Pooley Bridge, and spent a day on the lake, taking the Ullswater ‘Steamer‘ over to Glenriddig where we enjoyed a picnic by the lakeside. It didn’t take long before the kids enjoyed the lake a little too much…fishing nets, clothes and all. So we headed back on the steamer with soaked kids, weathered cheeks and big smiles. Next time I’ll try to remember those spare clothes:). The following day we headed to Lowther Castle. I was sceptical that there would be enough there to entertain such an age range of kids, but, wow, what a fab day out. We spent most of the afternoon at ‘the Lost Castle’ but eventually managed to pull the kids away from the adventure playground with the promise of cake….