Tossa De Mar - Spain

Now that we have our camper we are planning all our holidays for the next year. We worked hard over the summer. Two jobs meant I ended up working six days a week so there wasn't much time for fun and games. We did however managed a sneaky four night camping trip down in Spain between weekend jobs. Trying to book somewhere in the height of Summer was not easy but we managed to find this campsite on the Costa Brava, only four and a half hours drive from where we are in France.

Our previous camping trips have been during a quieter time of year and I was a little worried about how rowdy the campsite might be. The site hosted a range of nationalities, lots of families with kids of all ages, and it was all surprisingly quiet by 10/11 o'clock when we would have the kids in bed and be outside playing card games under the stars. The shower blocks were clean, there was a well stocked supermarket, and we managed to catch a flamenco show one night down at the bar and the most fun foam party for the kids on another.

We spent everyday down on the beach. The climb down and back up was pretty steep but so worth it. The day we arrived we found a little cove where the kids could splash in the water and we watched the sun go down before heading back to our tent. We took our camping stove to cook breakfasts and evening meals but for lunch we went out and found a couple of amazing restaurants right on the beach. Being right next to the sea meant only one thing...fish. The first full day we had we treated ourselves to sun loungers and set up camp for the day. We booked a table at the restaurant and watched the fisherman deliver fish fresh off the boat. We shared plates of sardines, squid, the softest fish of the day and prawns, and the kids ate everything. They're pretty good eaters and although Jacob is slightly more adventurous with his flavours, both are usually willing to try new things.

I love that Spain is so easily within reach for us. I can see us making yearly trips to different campsites exploring what the country has to offer. We're also looking forward to driving around Europe in our camper and discovering new countries, tasting new foods, and having fun as a family. Do pass on any travelling tips that you have!



You can read about our last trip to Spain here!

Tree Climbing - The Alphabet Adventures

The Alphabet Adventures continue...with 'T' for Tree Climbing! This was more for the kids as for the adults it was more of a hovering by the side to catch them when they lose their balance kind of experience. But this was an activity we will do again as there are different courses for different ages and levels of experience. As the boys are young they stuck to the smallest and lowest course but it quickly became apparent that Reuben could probably have done the next course up with an adult.

We went to the Parc Adventure in St Antonin but we also have this one near us in Najac. The kids were harnessed up and led away to the course where they stepped, climbed, swung and balanced their way around. It was the height of summer and it was a little busy for the little ones. But there was no limit to how many times they could do the course so they carried on until all the other kids had had enough! It was a little daunting having people climbing over your heads and parts of the bigger courses looked a little high (for me!) The course in St Antonin is in a nice spot next to the river which is good for picnics and paddling.

What adventures have you been up to recently?

Book A Month - March/April

Following the (semi!) success of my January and February book reading, here is the next installment of my 'Book A Month' challenge.

How Eskimos Keep Their Babies Warm by Mei-Ling Hopgood

When I was pregnant I read all the books (I lie...some of the books) about bringing up babies. Then when I actually had Reuben I ditched them all. As a new parent you get very bored of all the conflicting advice and I very soon realised that often what I needed most was to trust my own mothering instincts, after all, mother really does know best!
I find it so interesting to read about how different cultures around the world raise their kids. It makes you realise there is no right or wrong way of raising a child. There are cultures that let their kids stay up late, others that follow a more traditional approach (without the use of all those baby gadgets) and each manages to raise happy healthy children. I recommend this book to any parent, new or experienced, but especially those who have self doubt about how they have chosen to raise their child.

The Battersea Park Road to Paradise by Isabel Losada

I am a huge fan of Isabel Losada. Every time I have read one of her books it's made my think in depth about my life, where I am, where I want to be, and how I might be able to get there. She writes in such a familiar voice, like an old friend who has invited you into their home for a cup of tea and a chat. She's funny, she doesn't preach, but subtly inspires you to take a look at yourself and the world around you. She's the reason I have finally started adding yoga into my weekly routine (after having the DVD for months) and have even attempted meditation. The first chapter of this book had me clearing out my drawers and another had me googling 'meditation retreats in South West France'. (I found this one and Isabel said it's a good one!) If you haven't already discovered Isabel's books I thoroughly recommend them, especially if you're feeling like you're a bit stuck in life and need a bit of direction!

What's on your reading list at the moment?

We Bought A Campervan!

You know when you have those dreams that you're not sure will ever actually come true? A bit like when we first thought about moving to France...it started as an idea that we slowly managed to turn into reality. Owning a campervan has been on our dream list for such a long time. Where we used to live I used to regularly pass a gorgeous little VW Camper and spend hours daydreaming about one day owning our own, packing up and going on long adventures to who knows where, setting up camp with fairy lights and bunting.

Well last week we turned our campervan dream into a reality. We are now the proud owners of a very old, but very well looked after, Citroen C35! We found it on the Bon Coin (think a French version of Ebay where you can find pretty much anything) which we had been trawling for quite a while. When you start searching you realise there are so many on offer. From the rusty-left-in-a-field kind to the way-beyond-our-budget-state-of-the-art kind. None of the ones we clicked on seemed worthy until I saw this one, there was just something about it. Maybe it was the retro paint job on the outside. Or the fact that you could instantly tell it had been so loved by it's one owner. It was compact, but we weren't looking for anything too big for our first camper. We contacted the owner to book a visit and as soon as we saw it we fell in love.

Andrew and I are not the type to mess about if we like something. When we bought our first house we spent a day looking and bought the last house we looked at. So after agreeing that we liked it we negotiated a price and last week went to pick it up! The owner spent a good couple of hours showing us all the quirks of the van, how it all worked, and going over paperwork. Then it was down to Andrew to drive it home, a good hour and a half journey in the dark and on the back roads to avoid the high speeds of the motorways. I'm happy to report he, and the van, made it home in one piece!

And now the real adventures begin! We have plans to add our own touches and take it out on our first trip before the campsites all close for the winter. We will of course inundate you with pictures soon and there will be blog posts of all our renovation work. In the meantime if you have had any campervan adventures do tell!

Citronella Candles - Eco Living

With the sun out and the flies buzzing earlier this summer I got little creative, this time in the kitchen. Mosquitoes are a pain, one that we didn't have when we lived in the UK. That moment when you're just falling asleep and you hear that little whine in your ear...so annoying. So I decided to have a go at making my own citronella candles.

I used soya wax from Baldwins and citronella essential oil which I bought from my local Bio shop. I recycled glass yoghurt pots, melted about 100g of wax and added 15 drops of essential oil for each candle. To finish them off I cut scrap fabric with pinking shears to top and tied with string. So simple...but so pretty don't you think! They're pretty strong smelling and seem to be doing the trick. I think I'm going to have a go at some wintery scented candles next. Something like pine, or cinnamon, or cloves, and maybe experiment with different waxes.

What have you been making recently?

C'est La Rentrée

Wow what a Summer that was. I can't believe it's over already. I'm a little relieved that it is, but also a bit sad. I don't think I realised just how much I would be working over the Summer. It ended up being 6 days a week so I'm not sorry that's over. However working that much meant I spent most of the time exhausted, didn't get nearly enough time with the kids, and missed out on so many music festivals, markets and vide greniers. Now that's it's September again and the kids are back at school I'm taking the time to plan Autumn carefully. I'm making sure we get some outings with the kids before everything shuts up for Winter. There are still some vide greniers on at the weekends and seasonal harvesting to be done (come on you figs!) We're planning a trip away in the October school holiday and we will be revealing something very exciting very soon!

How was your Summer? Are your kids glad to be back at school?

Freshly Laid Eggs - Keeping Chickens

No matter how many times I make the trip up to the garden I'm still thrilled everytime I open up the hatch on the chicken house and find freshly laid eggs. Our chickens are well into the swing of things now. After a slow start last year we are now regularly getting three eggs a day and it's been a while since I've had to buy any from the shops. I think all of them are laying. I've been told to look at their crests and if they are all bright red then they are producing.

We had major problems with our last batch of chickens and I'm pleased to report that this lot seem happier. There was a bit of feather pecking going on towards the end of last summer so we let them have run of the garden over winter. They are now back in the run as we have started to plant veg and don't want the chickens eating it all up before we've had a chance to pick it!