Holiday hopes and giveaway goodies

Well, thank you to everyone who left a comment on the last post. I have been completely overwhelmed by the number of comments and your generosity and kindness. I have done my best this week to have replied to most of them and if I still haven't left a comment on your blog - apologies (things are mad during the holidays). I will try and catch up this week, thanks again! My daughters had great fun printing out the names, putting them into a bowl and arguing over who was going to draw the winning name. Finally we have a winner - Rowan from Circle of the Year (and Rowan you'll be pleased to hear that I've decided against giving away one of my daughters).



Thank you too to the lovely Betty at She's Sew Pretty and Marie from Wild Rose for both nominating for the Blogger Reflection Award. Congrats to both of you as your awards are well deserved. I'm very touched and flattered, thanks ( I am still at the "being surprised that anyone reads my blog" stage). In turn I think I have to nominate 6 other blogs for the award. Well, I think that all the blogs I read, on a regular or drop-in basis, inspire me and make me think and so I would like to offer this award to everyone who has visited.


On an average school day I must walk up and down at least 1,000 steps. There is a short cut that we take to school called the Cat Creep that is a very steep series of steps. We call it the secret steps. On either side are gardens and what use to be an orchard. We love the steps and the wildlife we see on our way to and from school. In winter it is icy and slippery and my heart is always in my mouth as my youngest pulls me down behind her as she hurtles to school. In the spring it's fun to see the leaves sprouting on the branches overhead and the squirrels jumping along the walls. It's cool and offers dappled shelter in the summer and in the autumn you can smell the change in seasons and the leaves falling to the ground. However, no matter what time of year it is, it is steep! During the months that we've lived here we've come to recognise the mums and children going up and down these steps and by last week you could recognise the look of relief on all our faces as the holidays loomed closer and the daily hike up and down could be avoided. After all that exercise you would think that I was very fit wouldn't you? Well most days this is all I'm fit for .....


Now that the holidays have started and the daily routine has gone out of the window - this is what I'm fit for ....


Discovering and walking through the local countryside. We took this photo from the train on Saturday as we decided we all needed a little day out. I love train journeys! Much prefer them to being in the car, especially when it's through the countryside. It was only a little journey across the countryside and along the coast but it did the trick! This is the Long Man of Wilmington - a hill drawing on the South Downs, centuries old. We once spent a summer's afternoon and early evening walking up this hill and it was beautiful, despite getting lost under the direction of our friend, who's a countryside ranger! A short walk turned into 3+ hours and very tired grumpy children.


Playing, paddling and lazing on the beach, have to be favourites too! My daughters are in their element at the beach and spend hours walking up and down the seashore. It's lovely to come home tired and faces tingling from the sun.


We'll probably have to visit the odd farm or five before the holidays are out. Animals, picnics, barns to play in, ice creams and cakes.
And, if we get more days like this -


- then this is what'll we'll be doing!


The sun looks like it's shining now so I'm off to spend the next hour trying to get all of us to agree on which one of the above we'll be doing today.