A SPECIAL STAY AT THE BEDRUTHAN HOTEL & SPA CORNWALL

Just over a week ago I waved goodbye to Bristol and the kiddos, for a much needed night away and headed to the beautiful Bedruthen Hotel & Spa Cornwall. It’s not often us mamas take time to recuperate, let alone use the bathroom alone (*toddler alert! if you know, you know) so when I was invited to enjoy the Sensory Spa Garden experience sans children, I jumped at the chance to treat my mam to the beautiful beach views and the outdoor hot tubs Bedruthen Hotel & Spa has to offer.

STYLE IN YOUR CITY // ISLAND LIFE

It's that time again for another Style In Your City, which showcases your life and creates a community celebrating all the things you love about where you live. I think this is definitely my favourite image from Instagram from the last fortnight due to breathtaking views captured by Amanda. My post pick was by Marmalade Pie, I really loved hearing how this link up inspired Lizzie to pick up her camera and see her city through fresh eyes, even in the rain.

I have had a few people ask me whether they can join in with this link up even if they don't live in a city, so to embrace the wild and prove that even nature has it's own amazing style I thought I would share a glimpse of Island life.  

Click to read more

LOST BEACH DAYS

Lost beach days and endless hours of youth. How the sparkle of the sea and glint of the sun, kissed my hair and set it off in a fiery glow against this towering limestone cage. A younger self played with exposed knees, tainted blue with the impressions of curiosity and courage, as I climbed amongst the rocks, steadying myself, sometimes tumbling. My adventurous appetite untamed as I reached ahead to touch unexplored stones. The whitewash slowly pushed between those toes which gripped fast to the shore, the cold biting while the pulse raced. These simple days where laughter was the soundtrack to summer and the only concearns were collecting glass stones, once jagged but now smooth from the constant touch of sand and sea, swirling to erase the offensive edges, as it creates the perfect discarded jewel.

WEEKEND DAY TRIPPIN'

After a fun-filled saturday with friends at Bristol Zoo's open-air film night and some well deserved mama time checking out Something Else with the lovely Oyster & Pearl and Little Green Shed, we decided to end the weekend on a high note with a bit of day trippin'.

Ever since our dear friends have mentioned their adventures in Woolacombe, I've been eager to discover it for myself. Only two hours down the motorway this beach promises stretches of white sands, cute colourful beach huts and hearty fish 'n' chips – how could I resist – we bundled in the car and headed south. 

As we negotiated our way through the bikini clad masses we found a small space at the bottom of a sand bank, in the hopes we might find shelter from the blazing sun. F was delighted and I felt myself unwind in the sea air. We spent the whole day digging holes, fetching sea water, jumping waves, spotting jellyfish, eating ice creams, squashing sand castles, catching up with a friend and watching the older kids body board.

We set off late back to Bristol, with an exhausted boy snoring from the back seat covered in a mixture of suntan lotion and sand. I lifted him out of the car and he wrapped his small arms around my neck and I nuzzled his salty hair, glad to have given him this day.

THE NOT SO GREAT BRITISH WEATHER

Being born and brought up near the coast as a child has left me needing the occasional sea air and a glimpse of blue waters fix. So yesterday we made plans to escape the city and head to the coast with a bucket and spade in hand. However we soon encountered a few problems;

1. Any really decent sandy beaches are at least a two hour drive from Bristol (no offence Weston-Super-Mare).

2. It wasn't really proving to be the sunny day I had envisioned.

We picked what looked like the suggestion of sand on our map and headed along the coast towards Burnham-on-Sea. After 20 minutes of "where's the beach? is it here?" coming from a slightly hyperactive F, we arrived at a booth and handed over a pricey £4 to be directed to the car park (note said car park was actually the beach). Now I'll be honest, I'm the first to complain about the weather if there is more than two consecutive days of rain/grey skies and after 15 minutes on a very cold, blustery, wet and somewhat littered beach, I cursed the not so great British weather and admitted defeat. Feeling a little deflated we bundled back in the car and headed home only for the sun to come out in full force as we neared the city. Spring sort it out!