Les aventures d’une famille franco-anglaise

I have friends who enjoy holiday in Norfolk. My husband drove me there on a day trip many years ago. I have only just got around to taking our daughters there, and was surprised to realise it is only a couple of hours away from our house, the nearest seaside resorts, that is. Hardly further away than Skegness is.  We decided to go camping again for a couple of nights. The campsite where we went was inland but lovely. This time I had the pleasure of pitching up in the pouring rain as the weather was very erratic last Friday.  Our first stop was Hunstanton, and the beautiful cliffs  Then we did some crabbing in the rain in Well next the Sea. The weather was very unpredictable to the point where we could see a rainbow but it was a brilliant crabbing afternoon. More about crabbing another time. Is that a rainbow? As I said, we were camping so I had the joy of discovering what it is like to pitch up in the pouring rain! The heat wave has definitely ended in this country and we...

"Miniature Scotland": my lucky husband went there for work, while I was away in France with the girls. Unfortunately, the weather was not good enough to see the eclipse, but he saw some splendid landscape and took a few photos He even tried some haggis! I am very much hoping to visit Scotland one day. 20 years in England, and I still haven't been there. However, some more adventures have been planned, watch this space! As for me, while in the Pyrenees, I went hiking and white water rafting like most summers, but I also had a go at Go Ape for the first time! I felt a bit dizzy on some wobbly bridges, but never let anyone tell you you can't do something! Whilst hiking, we saw some beautiful Pottocks over there.  

  “Is it Wales over there?” As the summer break has finally begun, before dropping off my little horse rider to a week-long camp, we thought a little hike in the area might be great to spend some time together. I already saw the lovely town of Shrewsbury last year but before we stopped there again we thought we could climb Pontesford Hill and Earl’s Hill and were not disappointed  How steep! “Very thorny down there” There were different ways to reach the summit and climb down but we went for the steepest which seemed quicker, even though I thought some bit were overgrown and thorny so I would recommend wearing trousers if it’s not too hot.  I understood the Earl’s Hill was an extinct volcano 🌋. It was really windy up there but the view was amazing. I do not think I would have had the idea of going there if it wasn’t for my daughter’s horse riding camp nearby but my husband and I really do not regret it. It is not pushchair friendly but is is not that high so little legs ...

 As the summer is well and truly here (!) with most UK schools off for summer, there is one activity that costs nothing but appeals to children almost any age: blackberry picking. That can get them off the iPad for at least an hour, so good to have in your bucket list for the long summer break! Blackberries are not normally ripe until August, but this year being particularly hot, I have already started to see people picking them where I live. It is welcome news after a tragedy that has recently hit a family of swans.   It’s possible on our doorstep, does not require fitting bikes on the roof of a car. We thought, why not have a go ourselves? I am glad we did this Sunday as we have even managed to pick enough for a blackberry crumble! The only extra ingredients needed are flour, demarara sugar and butter. Loads of recipes available online. One Little tip would be to add a sprinkle of lemon juice and cinnamon. Stick in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Enjoy!