Tuesday 29 October 2013

oct, 29th - portugal: roadside shopping....



day 1357 / 456:

on a drive along the coast in Portugal, we stumbled across a roadside stall selling amazing pieces just begging to be shipped home and restored. the shop owner and i communicated via sign language and the calculator......i really wanted the sewing machine table and chair above....the rocking cradle below was just beautiful (if only I had a baby to put inside it).......and even the doors and windows propped up against the building, we just perfect for a renovation project.....
i could have spent ages there but we had two hot and cranky kids with us so I settled on a pair of rusty scissors and vowed to come back one day with my van.....




Sunday 27 October 2013

oct, 27th - portugal: the beaches.....










day 1355 / 454:

i might feel differently if i visited Portugal in high season......but i loved the beaches in our area......they were wide and sandy (not always the case in Europe) and all seemed to have wonderful restaurants right on the sand......

on our very first, full day in Portugal, we went to the beach in the afternoon and then just wandered up the wooden walkway to sit on couches and beanbags, on the sand, for drinks and snacks....

such a great way to start a holiday with friends....

Wednesday 23 October 2013

oct, 23rd - portugal.....





day 1351 / 450:

last month, we visited Portugal for the very first time......our destination was all about the house that we had hired. we went with two other families and all three of us had stumbled across the same property and fallen in love......

the place is called Casas Na Areia and is an hour and a half South of Lisbon.....it's in a rural spot near the beach and captivated us with its rustic and relaxed, yet chic, beauty. 

the land used to belong to fishermen and rice farmers and you are still surrounded by rice paddies and sand dunes......

the layout reminded me of going to game reserves in South Africa where there are individual sleeping huts and one main communal house for cooking and relaxing......





  


each family had there own thatch roofed hut, with a gigantic sandpit in the middle....the main hut, made of reeds and wood has a kitchen, large linen covered chairs for lounging in and a big communal table........the main feature of the main hut is that it has a fine sand floor table....made cosy with underfloor heating.....

in the sleeping huts, there are king size beds, slick bathrooms and cement floors.....this is rustic living with serious style.....

 




 the kids were obviously blown away with being able to play with buckets and spades in the living room and it has to be the first and only time that I will ever say.....'try and keep the sand inside girls'.....

i will share some more of our trip (and the area) over the next couple of days but we came for the house.....and certainly, it was a big part of what made our visit to Portugal so spectacular.



Sunday 20 October 2013

oct, 20th - henley show......





day 1348 / 447:

a few weeks back we headed off to the Henley Agricultural Show.....having done it last year, it's becoming a bit of an annual thing.  this year there seemed even more for the girls to enjoy....Limi milked a (wooden) cow, ground some wheat, made a biscuit, played in a cubby made from hay bales, sat in the cockpit of an old aeroplane ....and went down a slide on a doormat........Claya was mostly happy walking around making the sound of every animal that she came across.....





i overheard one gumboot clad gentlemen suggesting that they go back to the car for some Champagne....if that's how the locals do it then we have much to learn......we'll be back next year with the ice bucket in the car, to pick up some more tips.....







here's Limi grinding her own wheat.........







Sunday 13 October 2013

oct, 13th - 41/52....



the 52 project: a portrait of the girls, once a week, every week in 2013

day 1341 / 440:

we spent a week in Portugal recently (more of our trip on the blog soon).....

Claya: this was the week that she stopped crawling for good and walked Everywhere!
Limi: our last day at the beach was wet and windy and we got caught by a surprise wave.....despite Limi's face in this pic....she was slightly damp but so, so happy

Friday 11 October 2013

oct, 11th - tourists in our own town....


day 1339 / 438:

we're planning on being tourists in our own town this weekend......we've had a flurry of visitors lately and been enjoying London with them so this weekend, we're inspired to do a bit more......

i hope that your weekend is lovely..... x

p.s. London in a bag from Muji

Tuesday 8 October 2013

oct, 8th - park life.....




day 1336 / 435:

these pics are from a few weeks ago.....but it was such a beautiful day full of laughter, rolling down banks, birthday cake and tired, but such happy children by the end of it.....that i wanted to record it here on the blog......








 Limi's outfit: une belle époque playsuit and april showers top.

p.s. i know that i've been a bit slack on the blog lately but i do really love your comments.
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