Expat Life Lately: Baby Bump!

6 months ago now – shortly after we said ‘I Do’ for the second time – I called J into the bathroom at his auntie’s with some exciting news. 3+ weeks it said on the little digital screen. It’s such a mix of feelings when that little message appears: excitement, uncertainty, panic, happiness.

Within another four weeks we’d have the pram, the car seat, some tiny clothes. My Pinterest boards of food, travel, weddings were suddenly replaced with nurseries and baby things. Facebook swiftly switched from showing me ads of wedding venues to ones of breast pumps and nursing bras.

Before we knew it we were moving around the corner to a bigger house, painting the nursery, DIYing shelves together for the bump which we could now both feel moving about each day, filling in the Peter Rabbit baby book his mum bought us and assembling the crib my mum sent us.

I really thought we were going to have a girl. J changed his mind after a few weeks and decided it was a boy in there so we made a bet that the winner would be treated to a free breakfast. I didn’t get a free breakfast. J was awfully smug that day. But he did say, while he enjoyed the sweet spoils of being right, that we could name him Hudson. The name I most loved and which is also a bit of a nod to my Canadian roots.

The first thing I bought, before I even knew what we were having, was a penguin pram suit and a Peter Rabbit bedside lamp. J came home one night from the mall with a white blanket for the pram and a fluffy Peter Rabbit housecoat with bunny ears on the hood. It’s such a precious feeling the first time your SO buys something for the little one and seeing him spend hours playing with our five month old nephew melts my heart a lot. And when he sends me sweet texts out of the blue to say he loves us.

We are so excited to meet this little guy in June but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that every now and then I have 2 minutes of panic thinking ‘what are we doing!’ and ‘everything is about to change’ and ‘will I ever have a full night’s sleep again?’ But I know J will be the best dad in the world as he’s already the best husband I could ever have asked for and he’s been so supportive throughout our whole relationship and the pregnancy. There’s no one I’d rather have babies with!

He even brought me a card and some fresh squeezed orange juice Sunday morning for British Mother’s Day 🙂

All of a sudden things you always knew about but never really thought about, I mean REALLY thought about become all you think about. It is such an amazing but strange experience knowing you are growing a tiny human. And perhaps even stranger, is the thought that this is the beginning of the next cycle – we are no longer the children in our family, we are the next parents. The new tear-wipers, cheerleaders, taxi cabs to friend’s houses, Christmas dinner makers, teachers, tooth fairies, Santa Clause’s, dinosaurs (in my day we had dial-up internet – I could make a sandwich by the time msn loaded – you don’t know what msn is??).

And one day our little one, who at this moment, knows nothing but his warm, squishy existence will grow up and maybe have children of his own and we will become the grandparents. I suppose until we became pregnant it never really sunk in that we will grow old. It seemed very distant and far away that growing old thing. But the white hair I found a few weeks back (“J is this attached to my head!?!” – it was) is a sign that we are in fact growing older and things are changing.

Thoughts of the upcoming baby shower I was planning, and summer trips to the seaside with our new bundle and to Canada all seem so far away at the moment with everything going on. Everyone and everything is in limbo. But in these moments I must remember that I have everything I will ever need – J is here with me and that’s what matters. And soon we will add another musketeer to a household filled with love.

What are you doing at the moment to keep busy and stay positive? And if you have or are expecting a little one – what was the first thing you or your SO bought for them?

“I Do… Again!”

As some of you know, J and I met quite some years ago now on Plenty of Fish while I lived in Canada and he lived in the UK. Skype dates quickly turned into the sort of whirlwind romance Taylor Swift might sing about. Many Skype calls, flights and letters later I moved to England to be with him, and it was the best thing I ever did.

Two years after moving here, 3 days before Christmas, he took me to the place I had declared the most beautiful spot in the world – the top of Winnats Pass in the Peak District and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I said “of course I will!”

As we had to be married to live on the barracks of his next posting we had a small, tweed affair at the registry office in Cambridge with close family and friends that spring. Two years later, after saving loads of pennies, having our original venue fall through 6 months before and arranging for all my Canadian family and friends to fly over we got to re-live one of the happiest days of our lives – this time with the white dress and all the trimmings.

I wrote a very personal ceremony which his cousin delivered and we said our handwritten vows to one another surrounded by all those who we love and who love us while sheep grazed on the wet, Derbyshire hills behind us. It rained the whole day in British fashion, and yet it was wonderful. I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

My dad lead me down the aisle and handed me off to ‘the only man he’s ever approved of’ to the song ‘Then’ by Brad Paisley. Seeing J standing there, and the emotion we both felt is something neither of us will forget as we continue onto new adventures together, forever by one another’s side as husband and wife.

The ceremony encompassed hearty laughs, family jokes, heartfelt words, many a proud look from parents and was sealed with a triumphant kiss and a refrain of ‘Circles’ by Jana Kramer.

After the ceremony surrounded by our best friends we trudged up a slippery slope in stiletto heels – armed with brollies and laughter- and didn’t let a few raindrops stop us making the most of a magical day. In the climb I must have put my heel through the lace of my dress causing a rip a few inches wide near the bottom but no matter. My dress now bears the stains and wear of a wedding day well spent.

 

We spent the next part of the day enjoying the company of all those who had travelled so far to celebrate our love with us – some having driven hours from different parts of the UK and some having flown from Ontario and Nova Scotia – while we shared a toast, some ord’oeuvres and the children roguishly helped themselves to chocolates off the too-tempting-to-resist cake.

I had to ask our photographer to snap a quick pic before all the chocolates mysteriously disappeared! Someone asked me afterwards if it was meant to look like we were sitting on a snowflake in a bowl of Poutine – the fact that the chocolates kind of look like fries, gravy and cheese curds is completely incidental!

This is also the point in the day when I began to rethink my choice of a mermaid style dress as after a 1/2 hour trip to the loo with determined bridesmaids in tow I decided I would not be tinkling for the rest of the evening. And though we didn’t go to bed until nearly 2am – I was resolved in my decision and stuck to it!

We managed to tell parts of our story and ourselves through all the little details – from leather suitcases and love letter table numbers tied with string (which included Hogwarts, Cambridge United FC, London and Maple Leaf themed envelopes) – to the personalised plane cuff links I surprised him with on the morning of our special day.

Our sweets table featured Canadian treats like: Jolly Rachers, Oh Henry bars and butter tarts and British Rosy Apples, Tangfastics and a giant Bakewell Tart – as we were so near to the pastries’ namesake town the day wouldn’t have been complete without a Bakewell.

The butter tarts lasted about ten seconds!

Sprinkled on the tables were plane confetti’s cut from maps and hearts made from Florida travel brochures. Florida being where we met for the first time and where we have spent many happy memories together.

Milk bottles sat on aged books at every table and each held a handful of gypsophelia and sunflowers – my favourite flower – which our auntie Pauline thoughtfully arranged for us.

We stole a few moments to ourselves before dinner to take in the postcard-perfect landscape and our superb photographer duo preserved these loving seconds for us to keep always.

Our flower girl (whom we’d forgotten to send down the aisle earlier) ushered the bridal party into the Orangery with her basket of dried rose petals – where a very British afternoon tea and some equally touching and hilarious speeches awaited from our best man, our maid of honour and then J and myself to one another.

When I watch back his vows, and the speech he spent hours upstairs writing one night I can’t describe the sense of sheer love and respect I have for him. When I see his cheeky smile, how he talks with his hands and the way he looks at me – everything about him just makes my heart happy.

Following dinner were times of merriment, conversation and cocktails until the clock struck seven and the father daughter dance begun.

My dad, who lives back home in Canada, who truly is my biggest fan and cries at every single airport goodbye – even after I’ve lived here for 4 years – swayed with me to Carrie Underwood’s ‘Girl You Think I Am.’ And the words You think I’m brave. You think I’m fearless… I wanna be the girl you think I am… really hit home.

He then put my hand in J’s – knowing that near of far, I would always be in good hands. J held me close while Brad Paisley’s ‘Then’ said all the things I feel every time I look at him. Because somehow, when I think I couldn’t possibly love him more, I do.

We enjoyed an evening of dancing, pizza, sparklers and kisses. Later in the night I even ended up doing an impromptu rendition of ‘Circles.’

At 1:30am we finally said goodnight to our guests knowing that we had made memories that will last us a lifetime of drinking tea together, and travelling to new places, and dancing in the kitchen and couch snuggles. Memories that in 50 years, 80 years time we can look back on and say ‘And I thought I loved you then.’

 

Throwback Tuesday: London Photoshoot

Tower Bridge

I honestly don’t know how the weeks, months and years escape me but they manage. So much has happened this past year; nearly all good things but one wonderful week seems to roll into the next and I find myself wondering where the time has gone.

I was thinking today about this lovely day in London – not last October but the one before it already. My favourite photographer in all the world Kaypea Photography happened to be travelling from the USA to London and snapped some beautiful photos for us to treasure always.

She really captured our love for each other and for this magical little island I’ve called home these past four years.

Tower of London

He makes me so happy ❤

What you can’t tell from these photos is that it was a frigid October day with some rain (luckily I had my man to keep me warm!) so I had my yellow rain coat and flower patterned wellies on between locations; this matched very well with my pink skirt (not!).

One of the highlights was when we were near Westminster and a little girl pointed and said “Look mommy – a princess!” It was so sweet. All was worth it for the memories and the photos that now sit on our bedside table, in the home we share together.

What is your favourite London spot or spot you must see if you ever visit? x

Expat Life Lately: Autumn & Rustic Decorating

Even with the unseasonably warm days, the cooler nights and raining leaves have brought with them the promise of autumn. That cozy transition between summer sun and snowflakes -made for leather boots, scarves, hot drinks and cuddles- is my favourite time of year.

While the colours might not be quite as bright as a proper Canadian fall I’m definitely seeing some pops of autumn around me especially last week when we visited the Hampton Court gardens for a screening of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

 

The cool evening was a perfect excuse to snuggle under the stars – as if I need an excuse to squeeze up next to this handsome fellow 😉

We also took a jolly little jaunt to Canterbury; a city neither of us have ever visited before. Besides the beautiful (though scaffolded) cathedral, cobbled streets and tea shops I was excited to find so many candy stores with Halloween looming.

I was doubly excited to find a pumpkin spice cookie at a market in Canterbury which was the pie on top of our thanksgiving weekend.

We’ve also been in a new rented house for just over 2 very busy months. While there is still a long to-do list we have accomplished a good amount in a relatively short time and the place is beginning to look somewhat like a home.

We’ve taken our bookcase out of storage which I’ve filled with our trinkets and board games. I love my two autumn pumpkins I brought over in my suitcase from Home Sense in Canada which make a seasonal appearance.

As we had too many dvd’s to fit in our tv unit I ordered this quatrefoil box to disguise them and it matches beautifully with our pillow from Next.

Quatrefoil Storage Tote

Since our coffee table was taking up the whole of our very tiny living room we picked up a much smaller second-hand coffee table and because it didn’t have drawers I found this adorable hessian bag to put all our odds & ends in.

Hessian Etc. Tote

I also needed some apple crates for decoration for our wedding next year as well as for the Halloween Harry Potter display I’m planning. Rather than stuff them in our already-over-stuffed shed I used 2 of them to make a shoe rack and the other four I stacked for a shelf in our spare bedroom.

While our downstairs is rustic our upstairs is decidedly nautical. I am a huge fan of the seaside so I could hardly pass up this lovely little sailboat for £5 at a gift shop. The fact it lights up just makes it that much more enchanting. They are also available for the same price at the Range.

 

Have you spotted any signs of autumn? What is your favourite season and why?

Cheerio eh!

Expat Life Lately: Metal Detecting Finds & British Blunders

Metal detecting is a somewhat recent hobby we’ve taken up. Having been a Time Team fanatic for the past 5 years and declaring when I’m an old lady I’ll live by the sea and spend my days detecting I thought, why wait?

After a fair amount of research and deliberation I purchased the Garrett EuroAce last June. So far I’m really impressed with it!

While still in Wales we had permission to go detecting on my man’s base which was quite expansive. Though we spent quite a lot of time pulling up Coke cans and fragments of aluminium foil, on our first venture we also dug up some bullet casings, what we believe may be an arrowhead, and some coins!

 

Unfortunately these coins were only about as old as my man which (even though I tease him about being old) is not very old.

The next trip out started much the same but ended in us finally finding an old-ish coin! We were really excited.

George 5th penny. 1936

Translation: “George the Fifth by the Grace of God King of all the Britons Defender of the Faith Emperor of India.”

 

We also did some detecting in Nova Scotia, Canada… while we didn’t find any coins we did find some odds and ends, the most interesting of which was an old pick-axe head. It would have belonged to King Seaman so we left our little treasures behind for mum to donate to the museum.

What’s the best treasure you’ve ever found?

Now for the blunders…

Do you ever just have one of those weeks where things just don’t seem to go right? For one, I am sitting here waiting for a ticket in the mail for illegally driving through a bus station last week. Not just a bus lane but a whole BLOODY station!

Even though I knew I probably shouldn’t go down there my DIM-WITTED GPS insisted that it was the correct way and having just moved here (having no idea how to get anywhere) and having to get to a dentist appointment I wasn’t sure what else to do. The bus drivers started pointing at me to turn around which I tried and failed to do… it was a bloody fiasco.

This week I went grocery shopping then realized at the check-out I’d left all my money at home. I wish I could say that’s the first time…

Being between jobs and therefore short of funds at the moment I was however quite proud of myself for organizing a nice little surprise birthday present for my wonderful other half. I got the two of us tickets for paint-balling but covertly arranged tickets for all of his friends who would meet us there as a surprise. My man comes home for lunch after my no-money shopping trip and having no idea I’ve arranged a birthday treat casually mentions he’s on a course during that weekend. *Cue balloon popping sound*

The cherry on top was probably the next day when I drove an hour (and baked homemade brownies) for an interview as a junior content writer at a hip, young company and NO ONE WAS THERE. In the end I finally got a hold of them and they’d sent me an email the day of the interview (which had gone to a junk folder I didn’t even know I had) to say all interviews were cancelled because everyone in the office was off sick.

All in all it’s been a magical week.

At least there were some highlights which included my brownies turning out (more for me!), visiting Scotney castle on a sunny day and playing Badminton in the garden with the man who makes my life amazing even when everything is going wrong.

What’s the last thing that went totally wrong for you? How did you deal with it?

Cheerio! x

 

Expat Life Lately: Making Memories, Even If You Won’t Remember

I’ve really come to love my husband’s hopeless-romantic grandad. I don’t think ever a visit has passed that he hasn’t sung a song from the 50s or asked “hows your love life?” He is such a funny, charming character and I’ve always seen just a little of myself in him. In the past year or so his health and his memory have deteriorated. He’s had to go into a home because his nan with a broken hip and back just can’t look after him.

It’s been hard watching a couple who’ve spent their lives together be separated this way at the end. Even though his nan goes to see him nearly everyday she feels so much guilt in keeping him there and he keeps packing all his pictures away, ready to go “home.” He remembers who we are and can recall things from long ago but the day after our wedding he couldn’t really remember attending. His short-term memory is a bit like recalling dreams; sometimes he can and sometimes he can’t.

I know my man has found it hard as have I. Every time we visit home -Cambridgeshire, where my man is from- we go to see him in the home but it gets depressing sitting in his stuffy room, alarms buzzing and beeping always reminding you of where you are.

Three weekends ago, as we were taking his nan and his elderly cousin (who we lovingly refer to as our aunt) to see him on a particularly glorious summer day I decided that the sunshine was just too spectacular to miss. We packed them all up: his smart & thoughtful cousin with her walking stick, his hilarious and feisty Irish nan with her walker and his charming, forgetful grandad in his wheelchair. We all squished in our truck for what was a very cozy ride. I knew just the place a summer’s day would be best enjoyed.

We unloaded everyone (it was a bit of a military operation) and had such a laugh in the process. There were jokes about us being their carers and them looking like the three wise men. In time we made it to a round picnic table overlooking the river at the No Hurry Inn near Ely. It’s hard to describe how I felt as we spent the afternoon chatting, eating and reminiscing together except to say that I felt privileged to have been able to spend that time in such good company.

Near the end of the afternoon as we sat in a shady spot under a great willow tree he kept saying he wanted to go to Ely; on and on he went; he really had his heart set on going to Ely. When we finally asked him why he wanted to go to Ely he said “because it’s warmer.” We had such a chuckle over that and wheeled him into the sun to watch the boats drift by. “That’s better,” he said. I think he’d have liked to stay there forever.

It’s a memory I will always cherish -one I wouldn’t trade for all the world- and even though his grandad might not remember it for long, I know that in that moment he made a happy, new memory with those who love him.

 

Expat Life Lately: Breaking Up With Teaching, Wedding Dress and Bunk Beds

Warning: this starts off as a bit of a downer but it gets better I promise!

Teaching… Or Lack Thereof

While on the PGCE (teacher training program) about a year and a half ago I wrote this blog: An Open Letter: My Frustration with Teaching in the UK I finished the program (somehow with a shred of sanity left, more or less). Did supply for 6 weeks (lost all sanity). Had my own reception class for a year who were wonderful and I’m so happy I had the opportunity  to teach them; I’ll always cherish the time I had as their teacher however the crushing workload and a list (a LONG, LONG list) of bureaucratic factors have left me angry, frustrated, gob-smacked and just plain done.

The UK has lost yet another passionate educator; I’ve become one of the 44% of teachers who leave in their first 3 years in the UK and while I feel like I’ve been failed and I’m sad I won’t get the chance to do my utmost to inspire another class of amazing individuals, I feel like the system has lost more and quite frankly, deserves to.

I tried to write this blog a few days ago and it just kept turning into a furious rant which is exactly why I had to leave teaching. I don’t have any fight left for the particular battle that is fighting to be treated as a professional, and fighting to do what is right for the children in a robotic, data-obsessed, broken system. I am tired of ranting. So I did the hard thing and broke up with a job I loved because when a job starts to feel like an abusive relationship it’s time to leave. That is all I will say about that.

The up-side is that I feel like a new person, or rather, I feel more like the person I was before I signed up for that soul-crushing experience called the PGCE. I feel like my optimism has returned and feel like I’m falling for this little island all over again. No idea what I’ll be doing with my life so job-hunting, filling in applications and living without a pay cheque is its own challenge but I know I made the right decision for me. I’m thankful my husband has been so supportive throughout my decision to undertake teaching and also my decision to leave it to take care of my well being.

Maybe he’s just glad our living room no longer looks like a bomb went off in a library!

Art we did in the last week of school that a parent framed for me as a leaving present. Adore this. Gorgeous flowers from another student. The next day I was given so many thoughtful things and enough booze and chocolate to last a whole summer. I know those little ones I got to know will go on to do amazing things 🙂

Moving/Wedding Dress

In other news we also traded in Wales for Kent (due to my husband’s job). I’m sort of getting used to calling him my “husband” :). The summer was super busy getting everything moved, deciding to go veggie, realizing this house is even smaller than the last (if that’s even possible), getting rid of way more stuff to the charity, spending 2 weeks on the East coast of Canada with mom and family, finding/buying my wedding dress, stuffing said wedding dress in our already-stuffed suitcase, according to our photos did a lot of much-needed napping, and came back to realize this place still looks a massive mess!

Canada

  

The upside though is we have a garden! *Hallelujah plays* I’m so happy that we have a garden again and already can’t wait for next Spring to get in the dirt. There are also some gorgeous seaside towns nearby that I can’t wait to check out; Kent is totally new to J and myself so that’s quite exciting.

Yes, I’m the last human on Earth to still use a button phone.

Also, now that I actually have time for myself I’ve made some friends and we’ve been meeting up for tea once a week and going on little shopping trips. I’ve even had time to work on writing my latest novel and am hoping to pick up some of the many hobbies I’d put down for the past 2 years (guitar, singing, genealogy, ect,.) And I can now add metal-detecting to my list of odd hobbies. Yay!

Bunk Beds

As we’ll be having a lot of family and friends visiting next summer for our official wedding we’ve been trying to work out how we can stuff as many people in our hobbit house as possible. One great idea I had was to purchase a bunk bed for our spare room and I found this double-double bunk bed! At a great price and made-in-England!

4ft 6 Double Double Bunk Bed – Strictly Beds and Bunks

Now I use the term “made” lightly as I expected a flat-packed bed and a few screws however what came was a million pieces of wood and some marriage-testing instructions. It took us 3 evenings and about 8 hours in all but… ta-da!

I also ordered their foam mattress which is surprisingly comfy! We decided to stay in here for a night to be guinea pigs to test out our engineering skills and loved it so much we stayed in the guest room for a week. I always wanted bunk beds as a child and let me tell you – they are just as fun as adults! I don’t know if it’s the smell of the wood and the close quarters but it reminds me of being on a cozy ship. It’s like having a holiday yacht in our spare bedroom. Yes, we’re easily pleased.

What did you all get up to during this sweltering summer? Also, for those working, what do you for work and do you enjoy it?

Goodnight all! It seems like a perfect night for another trip on our pretend ship.  🙂

 

The Big Things and the Little Things

While I still enjoy leaving little surprises around the house for my better half, I’ll admit that since becoming a teacher a lot of my creativity and energy goes into the classroom. After long days, hours of planning and preparation and out of pocket expense (to put a smile on my 26 children’s faces) I feel like I don’t plan quite as much magic for my man as I did before and don’t always have the funds to treat him to things I would like to.

Although when I slow down and take a look back I realise how much we actually do for each-other. I’m not really slacking as much as what I sometimes think. But there’s always room for one or two more surprises isn’t there?

Some of the things we’ve given each-other in the past year have been quite expensive; like engagement rings, whisking me away for our engagement in Derbyshire and wedding clothes, but the small things… flowers, notes, small gestures mean just as much.

 

The Big Things…

We’ve been talking for a couple years about tweed suits and I told my man a couple years back that when I got a job as a teacher I would buy him one. He supported me in every way all through the brutal teacher training year and I wanted to say thank you. As his measurements are hard to fit off-the-rack I bit the bullet and had him a suit tailor-made which he wore to our wedding.

I love that because it was tailor-made we could have it embossed with our names and future wedding date, and picked everything from the type of tweed, to the lining to the pockets and cut. It took 2 hours to make all the decisions and afterwards we had no idea what it would look like. Thankfully, it turned out better than we’d hoped. We would highly recommend Aidan Sweeney and will treasure this suit for many years to come.

The Little Things…

The past month or so I have started to visit all the websites I used to love perusing for romantic and fun ideas (especially pinterest and the dating divas) and thinking about what I can do to surprise the man I absolutely adore and now get to call my husband :).

One small surprise (thankfully costing much less than the suit) were a burgundy tie and a lovely green bowtie which I found for a good price on Etsy.

 

 

He has also brought home flowers “just because” on a few occasions lately which is something I always love!

As I haven’t planned a proper date in ages and inspired by the most incredible sunset we saw driving home the other night I decided to surprise my husband with a cost-effective but still sweet sunset date. Unfortunately cloud rolled in and we didn’t really get to see a sunset but it’s the thought that counts! It was still lovely to just spend some time together snacking on our favourite snacks and looking out into the distance. Although next time I would bring a flask of tea rather than a cold drink! He thanked me afterwards for doing something like that; those little words mean the world.

Something I absolutely adore him for are all the crazy things he agrees to do for me when it comes to my job. From teaching an army-style PE lesson with me last year when I was on placement in Year 5, to pretending to be Dumbledore for a Harry Potter lesson, to cutting out resources and cooking dinners when I’m working late, to last week agreeing to play Prince Harry in a dance skit with us teachers for our school’s talent show complete with his uniform.

We actually had the best time. Those kids are seriously amazing and we loved watching them show off their talents. Plus it was such a hoot doing our ridiculous royal wedding dance. I always know I can count on him when it comes to asking unorthodox favours! Just one of the many reasons why I love him.

We did a re-enactment of this video plus a bit of the “floss” and the “dab.” It was brilliant!

From the big things to the little things and everything in between, it’s been a wonderful adventure and I can’t wait to see what surprises our summer has in store.

Will you be watching the royal wedding today?
Cheerio old chaps!

 

Expat Life Lately: My Birthday, Tough Mudder & Sunshine

It’s been a very long spring and the constant cloud and cool temperatures were definitely starting to get us down. So much so that one evening purely to get out of the house and cheer up I agreed to go to the gym with my man and as it turns out blaring a bit of T. Swift and dancing around (there were only us two in the gym) was a perfect antidote to the weather. We had so much fun together acting complete fools. It reminded me of how me and my best friends from back home used to dance around in our living rooms. Music is such a great pick-me-up.

The sunshine has been a long time coming but we are so lucky to be having a gorgeous May long weekend here in Wales! It arrived just in time for my birthday. My other half brought me some lovely red roses home on Friday and on Saturday (my birthday) we woke up at the crack of dawn to go to his tough mudder event. It was a lovely, hot day and I enjoyed watching him in his element. Afterwards we sat out in a beer garden with friends, grabbed pizza and played Harry Potter SceneIt and Cluedo.

 

I’ve been wanting to go on this murder mystery dinner on a steam train for ages and my man managed to book us in for one as my birthday present so I can’t wait for that! He also got me a lovely birthday card; the first card addressed to ‘my wife’ 🙂

With money I received for my birthday I just booked us tickets to see HP and the Philosopher’s Stone through Luna cinema which does outdoor movies at all sorts of cool locations around the UK. Can’t wait!

 

We’ve taken advantage of the sunshine by climbing Sugar Loaf mountain (for the 4th time… every time I say never again but there you go), having a barbeque in the park with friends and splashing around in the river. I’m hoping for an impromptu beach day today to wrap up a smashing long weekend.

Hope yous are all enjoying the sunshine! What are you looking forward to this summer?

Cheerio!

 

Snowed in with my Love

10k run. He came 20th out of 584. Very proud ❤

It’s been a busy few weeks. We’ve been back to England visiting my man’s family, my athletic man ran a 10k while I drank hot chocolate and tried to keep warm and both of us have been very busy with work; report card writing was nearly the death of me!

On Wednesday those broad, fluffy flakes began to fall and having had a tough day at work last Wednesday was so relieved to have a snowday on Thursday and Friday making it a 4-day weekend! Wooo!

Other than getting some much-needed planning done for lessons and observations next week I also had some lovely downtime with my man. We played boardgames, snuggled, played videogames (which we haven’t done in about a year), took everything out of the fridge and had a toastie -making contest (he says I won, I say we tied!), had a glass of wine together and on the third day finally ventured out into the white wonderland for a little walk.

 

I upped my toastie presentation in the third round :p.

It’s been such a great chance to re-charge and spend some valuable couple time together. I’ve just ordered a bunch more board games so here’s to more cozy nights in!

Do you know of any fun board games for 2 players?