life lately - sunshine and smiles

I noticed a huge change in Hugo this week with lots and lots of smiles. Because of all of the groups we've been going to I had lots of new songs in my head so I was singing constantly! The more singing I did, the more smiles I got, so Hugo was incredibly smiley and responsive to me :)

It had been sunny all week but by the weekend the weather was incredibly hot and it was the first time Hugo experienced proper heat. He was a bit hot and bothered and over tired as we'd packed so much in but coped remarkably well.

Here's the other bits from this week:

My friend Frankie popped over on Tuesday evening with the new man in her life Tom. They are making plans to move to London this summer which is kind of odd, as we're switching places. I'm really envious at all the possibilities that lie ahead of her as she makes the move. London was home to some of the best years of my life and all the advice I could offer is enjoy it. It's probably not forever, so you just have to go with it while you can. It's a shame that one of my friends is leaving Leeds as I arrive back, but on the upside Frankie won the award of the most visits to our home (hotel) while we were in London, so I'm sure I can pay her back!

Adi was off on Friday and the sun was beaming so I took him along to St Aidan's for a picnic. It was his first visit and apart from lots of midges, I think he appreciated it like I did. Because of not working I've had the opportunity to do so much more than him which feels strange. I want to fill him in on all of my experiences and take him to the best bits. 

It was lovely having some quality time together, but it was short lived because we were heading off to help Adi's brother and sister in law move house. The weather wasn't ideal (sweat inducing) but better the sun than rain I guess. We emptied the van and cars pretty quickly and were able to use the van to move some garden furniture to ours which was a bonus before Friday night fish and chips.

Sunday was spent with my sister. It was so good to have some time just the two of us (well with Hugo too). Since moving away from London we do less as friends and more as sisters with other family members/ husbands around. While that's great too, it's sometimes good just to be the two of us. We went to Temple Newsam which you can read here, and came home for a BBQ with Adi. I also developed hayfever. I blame the beautiful blossom.

(16th - 18th May)

discovering Yorkshire - Temple Newsam

Auntie Layla came to visit on Sunday and it was a beautiful day so we headed out to Temple Newsam. It's probably the nearest large house and grounds from us, only about a 20 minute drive either up the M1 or through some prettier back roads.

The house itself isn't really much to shout about, (it's pretty industrial as Layla said) but the grounds were beautiful. We didn't manage to explore it all as pushing a pram in the sun is surprisingly hard work, but what we did see was plenty.

We parked (for free which was a bonus) in a shaded area by the lake, ideal for keeping the car cool on a really hot day. Although there was a map, it wasn't very clear so we wandered along the lake in the direction of the house. The most amazing walkway of blossom was in full bloom, with spring colours to the right and autumnal colours to the left (I only captured the spring colours) below.

To save money we had a sandwich from home (can't quite call it a picnic as it was a little pathetic) but we headed to the cafe for something sweet. It's in a lovely courtyard area next to the house which also has a gift shop and plants for sale.

On our walk we passed tree lined gardens, a walled garden, rolling hills of open grass and lots of secluded spaces but there's plenty more to explore next time - even a farm for Hugo to meet the animals when he's a little older!

Considering it was a really hot day it wasn't a problem to park and the grounds didn't feel overcrowded. The only downside of the day was noticing a huge area full of litter on the grass that a group had obviously left behind. A couple of girls had started to clear up and we joined in. It's so frustrating that people would ruin such a beautiful spot for others. Especially somewhere that is free for everyone to enjoy. Hopefully some people saw our combined cleaning up effort and will pass on a good deed.

It was so good to wander around somewhere new and put the world to rights. I'm lucky to have such a spot right on my doorstep. As we were chatting non-stop I didn't take many photos. I really want to start taking more but it's always the way, the more fun you're having the less chance to capture it!