I Heart Copenhagen

Well, it's sure been a while. I think I'll just start all my blog posts like this now! I'd like to say I've been super busy or engrossed in something new and exciting, but actually life around here has been the norm. Some fun things have been happening too of course though. Like my wonderful husband surprising me with an anniversary weekend away to Copenhagen last month! Pretty awesome surprise I'll say, and somewhere I've been wanting to visit for ages. I've been meaning to share my trip on here since our return a couple of weeks ago, mainly because I just want to tell everyone how great Copenhagen is, but it's taken me until now to get my act together.

Here are some photos from our trip if you'd like to see.  I found the whole place just so cool - the buildings, the people, the food, the bikes. The street style was ridiculous - effortless, minimal, cool... But of course it was the one thing I couldn't really photograph without approaching random strangers.  But I did take lots of other pictures which hopefully give you a sense of the place. And sorry, there's quite a few, did I mention I loved it all!?

The streets and buildings around the Indre By area were great - a mix of apartments, businesses, and shops, this was probably my favourite area of Copenhagen.

Bikes everywhere!

Watching parents biking their children around in big bike carts was so interesting - some kids had cushions and blankets in there and were just snoozing! 

The shopping was so good, especially for homewares, obviously! This homewares shop was full of lots of things I liked and we ended up buying some neon orange flex for our dining room light fittings at home - snazzy :)

Just a few of the things that caught my eye - a whole department store for design-led homewares and interiors, I didn't know what to look at first! The HAY shop was fab and I loved the DLM tables and the wall loop hooks. 

On the saturday we found a little cafe for breakfast, it was so cute - we wanted to take this teapot, below, home with us!

By the canal that runs through the city to the river

The Black Diamond building, and below, the view opposite across the river

The harbour - too touristy unfortunately but still cool to see the iconic buildings along the harbour

Another pit stop for coffee & tea - my cake doesn't look all that appetising, but it was good - chocolate and nut rye bread. Quite bitter but nice with tea (and a few mouthfuls of Mec's super-sweet coconut volcano-type cake thing!)

On sunday we headed to the Design Museum - do you think I could find room for this chair at home?!

The ceiling in the entrance to the Design Museum

Danish open sandwich - rye bread, sliced beef, salad and peppers - so good!

We rode bikes around town one afternoon - loads of fun but not as easy as the Danes make it look! 

Dotted all around town, Joe the Juice was a great pit stop - this is strawberry, apple and banana, yum!

Finally, we couldn't help but smile at the sockets, like little happy faces! This one looked like he was wearing a hat!

I'm definitely planning to go back to Copenhagen again sometime, only an hour's flight, easy peasy! Have you been? I highly recommend it :)

My Week/Weekend

Well another week has rolled by (and then some!) and it's been a bit quiet on here, but without sounding like a broken record the kids have been full on and life has just taken over as per usual! Mec has been working overtime with some major project at work (something techy, I don't ask, just try to be supportive as a I can!) so we've barely seen each other this week and it's meant I've been in charge of the kids all week and over the last weekend. I actually took them for a short break down to Bexhill to see Grandma Seaside which was really lovely, and they had a great time jumping waves and running along the promenade.

The view from my deck chair! Nice :)

The De La Warr Pavillion - and yes, I did look round the design shop, again!

There's love between these two sometimes!

My mum and I also took the kids up to London during the week, for fun and frolics along the Southbank.  It's so easy on the train it was a no brainer, and there's just the right amount of stuff to do along there, and more really, to fill a long afternoon in the sun. We couldn't help but hop on the bright pink bus for frozen yogurt, it was really delicious and the view out across the Thames from the top was fab! Tabby and Sam got romantic on the top, so cute when they want to be!  

Pucker up! 

I have a photo just like this from last year when I took the kids along the Southbank so couldn't resist a double take to see how much they've grown up! 

We checked out the view from the Tate restaurant - I felt weak at the knees as the kids crouched up against the floor to ceiling windows, eek!

I hope you've been enjoying the summer, whatever you're up to - kids or no kids, summer hols or not! 

Here's hoping for a restful weekend ahead and hopefully feeling a bit more pulled together next week!

x

Wedding Anniversary Getaway!

It's taken me a few days to get around to posting about this but I just wanted to share a few photos of our wedding anniversary getaway on the weekend! It was soooo nice to snatch a bit of time back for ourselves (God knows I love my children, I really do, but some time away was long overdue!) and just remember what it was like to do stuff together without all the 'baggage' that goes along with going anywhere or doing anything with small kids.

We ventured to the New Forest, and to The Pig, near Brockenhurst specifically for our getaway, and I couldn't have asked for a nicer, more peaceful backdrop to our celebration. The hotel is basically a lovely, posh country pad with a fabulous restaurant which prides itself on fresh, seasonal and very locally sourced (mostly onsite, or if not certainly within a 25 mile radius) produce for it's ever-changing menu; as well as a handful of lovely, shabby chic bedrooms with heavenly monsoon showers (and if you get a really fancy room with a roll-top bath in your room - note we didn't but hey, maybe next time!).

We were so lucky with the weather - brilliant sunshine both days - and so on arrival we decided to take a stroll around the grounds. I wanted to see the Kitchen Garden where the chef and his team grow and pick all their own veg, etc, and just generally take in all the peace and quiet!

The front of the hotel

The side, including the restaurant conservatory and terrace

Overlooking the Kitchen Garden

The Kitchen Garden (and a view of the "potting shed" where one could get pampering treatments and massages if one desired it!)

How not to pose for a photo!

Who's that cool dude?!

Hello Chickens!

Mec ventured down to see the Pigs but apparently they were quite smelly and totally disinterested in visitors!

This is an awful photo of me, but at least you can see I made an effort for dinner, dressing in my new pretty pink blouse (and you can see my anniversary present, my Bee necklace). And more importantly, you can kind of catch a glimpse of the beautiful garden conservatory which is the restaurant. As the sun went down and it grew dark, it was lovely dining by candle light).

A big swing in the garden - and yes, Mec is flexing his biceps in the photo below (boys eh!)

***

The next morning after a lazy and very delicious breakfast (I'd read that the breakfast was good, it didn't disappoint!), we headed into the New Forest and took a few walks and spotted some ponies just going about their business. We saw a beautiful foal and it's mama too, but they were just too far away to photograph and I certainly didn't want to disturb them. 

A leisurely drink at a local pub, enjoying the view before it was time to head home and rescue my parents who were on childcare duty. 

The lovely Alex Monroe Baby Bee necklace Mec got for as an anniversary - I know I dropped a large hint about it on here so no surprises really, but I definitely wasn't certain and so I was very chuffed to receive such a lovely present. I bought Mec a Bellroy leather wallet which I'd seen on his Pinterest board and which he loved also so smiles all round.

All in all it was a wonderful break and I would definitely recommend The Pig for a indulgent little get away! I only hope next time we don't wait another 7 years before we treat ourselves again! :)