Holiday in Corfu

Just got back on Monday after an idyllic week in North East Corfu. It is a heavenly place!

Hired a boat and pootled around to lots of different bays...

Also went halfway across to Albania and went round a tiny island with a lighthouse and loads of gulls and their young...

Villa Alexia, where we stayed, in between Barbati and Nissaki...

Sunset in front of Villa Alexia - we had a wonderful pool but an even more wonderful location right on the beach. It was wonderful and a couple of evenings we had a fire on the beach after having a yummy barbeque.

Oh and it was about 30 degrees all week.

All in all, a fantastic holiday.

Growing things!

Been very quiet as my mind has been opened and frazzled with the prospect of becoming a mother... we are expecting our first child on 2nd November.

Very exciting, absolutely petrifying - the one thing that is for sure is that this is going to be an adventure. So glad to be sharing this with Flyingpops - it's so good to have someone I can say - is this normal? to. I also have two very good friends; one with two children and one with number 2 on the way, due in June. I quizzed the two latter about labour earlier today, over lunch - it has to be said my timing can be truly lousy at times! However, it is so fascinating, this is what the female body is designed for and with our bodies, we accomplish miraculous things!
So here is 'Bob' making his/her debut into the world that is the web...

The vegetable patches are coming along well too! So we seem to have green fingers - well Simon does, hehe ;-)

Day off!!!

A day to catch up on personal stuff that always takes second place to work, and also a day to relax. It is sunny so it's perfect timing!

Pics of the garden to monitor progress...

Garden in the morning sun
Sunshine through our stylish plastic greenhouse

The shoots at the back are the garlic, the smaller ones in the foreground are onions

Popping into Reigate this afternoon to introduce Lucy to some ex colleagues. They allow the staff to take their dogs in - in some cases every day or often, and in some other cases just occasionally. I think it is decided on merit :-) I am sure Lucy will be delighted to have an office to explore. Lots of people to lick and bins to check out.

Anyway, must get on with relaxing...

Lack of inspiration...

Simon is sowing more seeds today - we decided to have meadow flowers and grasses to attract wildlife. That's if Lucy doesn't rake it all up by digging the hill over as she sometimes does!
This is about as far as the inspiration goes this week!

Have got my eye on caravans though... not a sensible idea as nowhere to keep one but I can dream....

Just got our Belltent, I know - never satisfied!

UPDATE: Since the heavens decided to open in a *big* way yesterday afternoon, I think most of the seeds will have been washed down the hill and will probably come up in a big clump which will look like someone with very special talents sowed them. Oh dear.

(Meat) and two veg

I just wanted a smutty headline, as actually there is no meat and there are more than two veg... What am I talking about? Growing vegetables! We now have tomatoes, potatoes, garlic, onion and carrots on the go. To be followed by lots of yummyness in the coming months! We have courgettes but they are not to be planted yet. Can't remember what else there is! I also have some chilli plant seeds at work - the latest challenge set to media buyers across town courtesy of Country Living. It's a classic growing competition - winners will be those with largest plant, most chilli's etc etc. I am going to grow mine at home - hope that isn't cheating! ;-)

We had much fun yesterday at Scats Country Stores, picking out the kit that we needed. As usual, it was a bit of "all the gear, no idea", as £100 later we were back at home with chicken wire, posts, growbags, a mini greenhouse, loads of seeds etc etc. I should never doubt Simon though as a couple of hours later we have a full greenhouse and one finished patch protected by chickenwire! Just the second to finish - suppose I should help really. One bad thing though. I have discovered this morning that Lucy is spooked by the little chicken wire fence. A little chicken indeed, she won't voluntarily walk past it, which is going to be a pain as there is going to be a small walkway through the two veg patches. She's going to have to get used to it!

So that's us - very Tom and Barbara! Shame we don't live in Surbiton!

Some pics below...


Potatoes going through a process known as 'chitting' I believe(?)



Number 2 patch - yet to be filled and fenced


Number one patch with garlic and onions snug as a bug

Our little greenhouse - home for tomatoes, carrots and potatoes for now until it gets a bit warmer which looking at forecast, may not be very soon....

Singing lessons

Had my second lesson last night, this time with Leon!

http://www.singing-lessons-london.co.uk/

It is so cool, he recorded the whole lesson and gave it to me on a cd at the end. And said I had a fabulous voice - what a compliment! Not sure it was deserved, but nice all the same.

All good fun. Going to do a 6 week group evening group class starting at the end of March. Better start warming up now...

La, la, la, la, la, la....!

Walking on the golf course last night

Just a couple of pictures from our walk last night. It was a beautiful evening and made more perfect by a large glass of Rioja at The Plough afterwards. Lovely!!

Planning our next trip and so glad it is Friday today!!

Thank goodness for Friday!

Am going to get planning for our next camping weekend so will come back with some thoughts next week.

Looking for somewhere that allows campfires no further than an hour from Redhill. Ooh the excitement. We need another adventure to look forward to.

Freebie at Charing Cross!!!

Following in the footsteps of Fink, who always makes me jealous with tales of his freebies at Canary Wharf, (I guess the inhabitants of the Wharf are deemed more attractive to brands! More cash in the pocket eh Fink? ;-)) this morning they were handing out Nesfrappe (see what they did there?!) at Charing Cross so I just had to have one. Very tasty it is too. Good old Nestle. Cheers! Sadly I am not technological enough to have taken a photo and uploaded it so you will have to use your imaginations.....

Camping calendar... when shall we go and where

Simon and I were talking about our next camping trip, which will probably be at Easter now. I figure if we can camp from April to October we'll be doing quite well - perhaps with a smattering of more extreme camping weekends depending on how daring we are feeling!

Simon is already dreaming of our next project which looks likely to be an Airstream caravan although it will have to be a long way off as a. they cost a lot, b. we have nowhere to put it and c. we have only just bought the bell tent!


I am keen to just get a bit more retro, so am thinking lots of Cath Kidston/Joules Clothing accessories, cute little picnic rugs, and a mismatched pastel array of cups, plates etc. Although that is probably far too girly for Simon and will be deemed unnacceptable I am sure!

A very snowy day in Redhill...

As it was so snowy we couldn't get to work so I worked from home, with a small extended lunch break (I did then work until 7pm so I don't feel guilty!) in the middle of the day for a fantastic walk in the white stuff. It was magical. We walked with Elaine from up the road and her dog, Amber. She is Lucy's official bezzie mate.

Lucy and Amber




Redhill & Reigate golf course / Earlswood Lakes... not quite sure, we had a fair old wander... ended up in the pub (for a v quick one) then home again!

Our beautiful bell tent


With muddy background!



Our comfy bed - now there's no need to slum it just because we're camping...




The warming fire

Lucy and the gnome

Hello!

Decided to start this blog to record the start of our new hobby... camping under canvas! We have just come back from a chilly weekend at Blackberry Wood, a site which Cool Camping reckons is one of the best in the country! It was good but we really didn't pick the best weekend to go. Anyhow, I will write more when I can, welcome to the blog!