Sunny St Ives

Phill, Quinn and I have just got back from a lovely few days in St Ives, Cornwall with my Mum and Dad.

 

We have been going to St Ives for years with my Mum and Dad and we just love it there. It seems to have its own little climate and doesn't often let us down with the weather!

 

We arrived on Wednesday after a 6 hour journey (Quinn was an angel and slept through all the driving!) which included a few stops, the best stop being at Gloucester services and farm shop, they were lovely - much nicer than any other services I've ever been to.

 

This mirror was great on such a long journey

 

My tasty smoothie and pastry.

The lovely play area at Gloucester services.  

 

We stayed (as we do each year) at Channings Guest House which overlooks the sea and is such a lovely place. The rooms are all really light and spacious and the beds are huge and very comfy! The owners, Susan and Marcus, are so helpful and friendly and the breakfasts are ace!

 

The weather wasn't great on Wednesday so we left our cases at Channings then headed into town to have a jug of pimms and some snacks in the Hub on the harbour, even in the rain it was great to sit and watch the boats and people milling about.

 

That evening we had a lovely meal at Seagrass, Quinn had slept on the way to the restaurant and then was wide awake through the whole meal! She had everyone in the restaurant talking to her though and she was great.

 

Seagrass selfie!

Quinn wasn't really herself that night though and she ended up awake for a long time during the night which is very unlike her (she still wakes up often but has a quick feed and then goes straight back down) I think she had a bit of a cold as she was snotty, a bit whingy, more sleepy and was sick more than usual. Luckily, this didn't last and after about 24 hours she was back to her usual happy, smiley self.

 

Thursday was a beautiful day so we spent the day on the beach. We had a UV tent which was fantastic as we didn't have to worry about suncream and hats, we could just let Quinn play and roll as she wanted (it also meant she didn't get covered in sand!). I used a trick I'd seen on the Internet for getting sand off our feet -baby powder - it makes the sand come off really easily... Can you tell I'm not overly keen on sand?!

 

The beautiful Porthminster beach

Beach tent

Sand...

 

On Thursday night we had a meal in the Castle pub which is my Dad's favourite pub in the world! He loves the atmosphere and the range of real ales and beers. Quinn was a super star and slept through the meal.

 

The best beers in the best pub!

 

 

Friday was another lovely day so we had a wander through town and over to the Porthmeor cafe for an excellent tapas lunch, the food and setting are both fantastic. The cafe is so child friendly and welcoming for children with high chairs and toys.

 

 

 

On Friday evening we went to try a new restaurant on the harbour - Porthminster Kitchen - it was really different and really tasty. It has a great view out over the harbour too.

 

Delicious popcorn starter...

Mmmmmm!

Saturday's weather was beautiful so, after a walk into town and a cream tea, we went to the beach.

 

On Saturday night we ate in my favourite restaurant in St Ives - Porthminster Cafe on Porthminster beach. We had a fantastic evening with great food. We go every year and it is never anything less than delicious!

 

My bucket of pimms!

Phill and his lobster.

Amazing tuna starter.

Sunday was our last day and the weather wasn't great so we had a last wander round the town, a last cream tea on the harbour, a quick look at the seals and went to Blas for a burger before heading home.

The journey home wasn't quite as smooth as the drive there but still wasn't bad. Quinn was a little whingy for the first couple of hours or so but then fell asleep and slept the rest of the way home just waking up for a little feed at the services.

 

 

 

We had a great time away and loved showing St Ives to Quinn. She enjoyed Daddy, Grandma and Pops being off with her and being able to show them all her tricks!

 

Love Lisa x

Macmillans of Penwortham

Last week, Helen and I had a great lunch date at Macmillans to celebrate the start of her maternity leave.

My mum and I have been shopping at Macmillans for years as their cards and gifts are really lovely so we were really pleased when they opened up their own cafe next door.

The cafe is really nicely done, they are pram friendly and the food is great, we've been a few times and enjoyed it every time.

Helen and I both had the halloumi and fig salad which was yummy and then we both had a piece of naughty cake (you have it to do when you're on maternity leave!) I also had a sneaky glass of pimms as it was a sunny summer day!

I'm sure Helen and I will fit in many more lunch dates as our maternity leave continues!

Love Lisa x

Productions, parties and picnics...

We've had another jam packed, fun filled week...

The week started with Quinn and I watching my niece playing Dorothy in her Stagecoach production of The Wizard of Oz, she was fantastic and Quinn sat really well through the whole show. I was a very proud Mummy and Aunty.

Quinn and Dorothy!

To celebrate their 40th birthday, Phill's high school was having an open day so we spent the afternoon looking round Phill's old school. It was great to see where Phill had spent most of his teenage years and he loved seeing some old friends and how his school had changed since he'd left.

On Sunday, Quinn and I went to Ma Bakers near Blackpool to celebrate a 90th birthday with family. We had the afternoon tea bench. It was lovely spending time with our family and the afternoon tea was excellent. The jam roly poly in a Kilner jar was my favourite!

Ma Bakers afternoon tea

90th birthday celebrations

We then went to visit more family at my parents house and had a great evening in the sunshine.

Fun in the sun!

Cousins

On Monday we had lunch at Barton Grange with my Mum and Grandma.

Four generations

Tuesday was baby yoga day which we both love; the classes are always good fun and relaxed. As always, it was great to catch up with the girls and babies as we really have become really good friends and a fantastic support network for each other. Before our lesson, we went for a brew in the very lovely Grand Hotel in St Annes. It is a beautiful hotel and we'll certainly be going there again! Quinn loved the yoga session and also the sensory play afterwards. She especially liked the bubbles so I got us some to play with in the bath at home!

On Wednesday we decided to make the most of the sunshine and go for a picnic with my friend. It was a little bit cooler than we'd thought and we were glad we had jumpers with us! Our picnic seemed to be very interesting to all the dogs of Preston, we had five of the four legged visitors during our time on the park, some were a little more cheeky than others and managed to get their noses in our sandwiches!

Cuddling to keep warm!

On Thursday evening I went to watch the KS2 end of year play (Quinn had a lovely evening with her Grandma and Pops). It was lovely to see the children and staff at school and watch their version of Robin Hood. Well done to all the children and staff for a great show.

In other news, Quinn has really mastered rolling this week. She's been able to roll over from her back to her front one way for a while but she's finally managed to get from her front to her back this week and she can now roll both ways. Her play mat with sides has been invaluable this week as it means I can nip out of the room and find her where I left her rather than find her half way across the room!

Also, we really seemed to have turned a corner with sleeping at night too, she is going down much more consistently at around half seven and then only getting up twice on average through the night (which is much better than a few weeks ago when we hit the record of six wakes though the night!!) it really is amazing how you manage with much less sleep than you had before you had a baby and how you get used to waking in the night and going straight back to sleep (sometimes before your head has even hit the pillow!).

Love Lisa x

A British heatwave...

What a fantastic, sunny few weeks we've had recently. Quinn and I have made the most of the lovely weather with some great days out with family and friends.

Last week started with a fab day out at Blackpool Zoo celebrating my sister in law's birthday. It was years since I had been and I really enjoyed it. Quinn seemed to enjoy looking at the animals too especially the giraffes as 'Sophie the giraffe' is definitely one of her favourite toys... Although, we did very nearly lose Sophie at one point but a friend had recommended a pram strap for her so I ordered one that evening!

Mummy had to have her face painted like the other children!

Meeting a real life 'Sophie'!

Phill, Quinn and I then went for a few days in The Lakes staying at the Newby Bridge Hotel. While we were there the weather was amazing (it reached 32° at one point!) and we really enjoyed having a wander around and some family time. Quinn enjoyed having the time to perfect her rolling with both Mummy and Daddy watching!

Cream tea at The Newby Bridge Hotel

Just checking out the hotel information with Daddy

The Swan Hotel - Newby Bridge

The Swan Hotel - Newby Bridge

You can see Phill's YouTube video here:

This week, Quinn and I have been out for a pub lunch (after the rain stopped the picnic we had planned) with my friend from work and her little boy.

We also visited The Chocolate Rooms in Tarleton with my best friend and her growing 'bump'. We had a lovely meal and delicious chocolate dipping pot. The Chocolate Room was very baby friendly and had the nicest baby changing room I've seen (and I've seen lots!) with a cute mobile and bunting above the changing table and a little basket of wipes and nappy bags-we'll definitely be going back there.

The Chocolate Rooms - Tarleton 

The chocolate dipping pot... Yum!

What a busy few weeks we've had, just how we like them!

Love Lisa and Quinn x

I had a little helper with my blog today!