So our blogs have been in short supply of late. It’s not that I haven’t had a thousand ideas and a hundred false starts, I have just not got round to finishing any that I started, so I thought a blog mash up would be perfect.
A great start to the year
Half way through & so far 2016 has been kind. The day job means that January is generally a “helluva” month, but I came out the other side and rounded it off with a gorgeous stay with all my family in a Hygge Dartmoor hotel. Brisk dog walks blew the cobwebs away and brought back perspective.
We also met up with extended family and the children hadn’t seen their second cousins for far too long, so it was a great reminder of what Hygge is really about; Being in the company of your loved ones, enjoying some great food and just… Being.
Centre Parcs
We’d never visited Centre Parcs before and we seemed to be the only ones so we bit the financial bullet and booked up for February half term.
Now we did have a great time and the kids loved every minute. We had a great view from our cabin but there is a but… It costs so god damned much! I really felt like they were after the shirt on your back. There are plenty of less costly ways to create great family togetherness times and that’s what’s so great about Hygge. Hygge is a state of mind. It’s about what you’re doing (or not) in a place that makes your feel at ease, which can be anywhere at all, even a private hideaway under the stairs!
Springtime showers & Celebrations
Fast forward through what was officially meant to be spring and whilst we grabbed a few sunny days, one of which was spent with my eldest baby chasing fairies and mindfulness through a Cornish glen, the persistent rain meant another reason to stay cosy indoors. We’ve kept the home fires burning a long into this year.
We shared love and opened up our home to a feast for family and friends to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary. No marriage is easy and it was an honour to show them how proud we are of them and what a role model of family stability they are.
A Van named Betty
And then late spring we invested in Betty. You can learn more about Betty, a thirty five year old lady VW van @veedubbetty . Betty brings us Hygge family time, away from screens which as my children get older is becoming increasingly important. And we’ve had a series of mini adventures, watching sunsets, bbq feasts, spontaneous escapes into our Hygge space for four.
And now we embark upon summer which for me means camping, being outdoors, candle lit card playing, beach adventures & sunsets. And I can’t blooming wait.
Thanks for your comments! Hygge at home (in my opinion) is something that I hope I can frequently create for my children and that they in time will do for their own families. A bit of a cocoon!
Oh this all sounds absolutely brilliant. Your parent’s party looks wonderful, I love the marquee set up. And you look so happy in the back of the van – we had a T25 when the kids were small and I miss it now, it really was the best adventure. You are so right, the hygge of a camper van is like nothing else! Thanks so much for joining up with #happyandhome, I have given you a mention and added you again this week as I had a lot of wifi issues last week, as I have explained in the post!
Thanks for the mention. The thing I love about Hygge is it can be anywhere. It’s a state of mind more than anything and it’s had a massive impact in my life since I discovered the name for “it” last October. If only all problems could be solved by Hygge eh!?
Oh that cake is epic! I want to bake now – there’s something about a proper victoria sandwich with fruit that induces a satisfied sigh in me!
I know what you mean! I’d love to say I made it myself but that wouldn’t be true! It’s very British isn’t it?! So perfect for a garden party with people you love. It went down a treat!
Wow 40 years thats an epic achievement for them isn’t it … can i just say that cake is amazing!
I am so loving your Betty what a super super van! i always wanted one
It’s an amazing achievement! And you can follow Betty @veedubbetty I have an itch for travelling for a loooong time. Betty hasn’t made it go away completely but we can at least snatch small pockets of travel here & there!
Family celebrations are the best – but I agree, the centre parc ones are expensive! Lovely photos #happyandhome