GLAM(PING) IT UP

Having spent most of the summer on the sofa on pregnancy-induced bed rest and the last 3 months adjusting to live with a 4 year old and a baby, I’ve decided that 2011 is the year of travel.

With family in both the UK and Australia who are all waiting to meet Billy for the first time, to a degree we have no choice but to travel next year.  So far we’re heading the UK  in August and Melbourne at some point too. 

But this year, I’m changing the rules somewhat. Previously whenever we’ve gone home (to either location) we’ve spent the time in our old neighbourhoods visiting friends and family. This is all well and good but there’s a whole world out there and if we’re not careful we’ll spend all our vacation time and money going to places we either grew up in, or used to live.  So, we’re combining our UK trip with a week in France with my parents and my brother’s family – we’ve booked a lovely place in the Dordogne area.  Here’s where we’re staying - http://www.manoirdegurson.co.uk/index.htm. I’m already having such fun teasing Jemima about how she’ll have to eat frogs legs and snails. Her response is ‘no mummy, I’ll have the bread and cheese, you can have the wine. No-one eats frogs legs.” It’s hilarious.

When we go to Australia I’m determined that we spend a week outside of Melbourne – my vote is for somewhere on the Gold Coast, or indeed anywhere where’s there’s guaranteed sunshine (Melbourne can be a bit touch and go and it’s rained every time I’ve visited).

But these trips aside, this is also the year of local travel – day trips, short breaks and weekends away.  I’m a frequent reader of Sunset magazine which is great at pointing out getaways in the Pacific Northwest.

In a recent issue I saw an article on Glamping – camping without tents.  I love the idea of camping, but quite frankly hotels were invented so I didn’t have to sleep in a tent.  So when I read about Lakedale.com which offers canvas cabins on the lake, I jumped at the chance.  OK, so I’m having to slum it slightly as there’s no electricity in the ‘tents’ and we still have to hike to a bathroom, but breakfast is served at the on-site restaurant and the ‘tents’ come equipped with a queen bed and all bedding provided. This is my kind of tent!  Today, I made the booking – we’re off in July, sharing a duplex with some great friends.  I’m already salivating over the fine red wines and the s’’moors round the fire pit (provided in case you’re wondering!).

I Say No to Snow

I’m going to contradict myself. In a previous post I stated that one of the reasons that we love living here is because most years we get snow.

I take it all back. I DON’T LIKE SNOW. Ok, that’s not quite true. Yes, it’s fun to play in, sledding, making a snowman. However, the reality is that before the fun, it’s a huge drag and bad things happen when it snows.

We’re currently experiencing what the news channels have dubbed an ‘artic blast’. In other words it’s freezing – in fact well below.  Today, it’s not set to rise above 22 degrees Fahrenheit. For those more familiar with centigrade, to put this in perspective I believe 32 degrees Fahrenheit is 0 degrees in centigrade.  And we have about 4 inches of snow – enough to grind much of Seattle and surrounding cities to a halt. Thankfully on Monday Ben left work early, but for many it was a 4 – 8 hour commute home as cars bumped into one another and trucks came off the road.

To add to the drama while I was driving home on Monday my low tire pressure light came on in the car. Last time this happened we woke  up to a flat tire. Keen to avoid this again, I wanted to get to a garage to pump up the tires. And I had to pick up Jemima from school. But as the snow was falling fast and the roads were beginning to clog up, the last thing I wanted to do was take Billy with me – just in case I got half way down the road and ended up with a flat and being stuck for hours waiting for a tow (I’m under no illusions about my ability, or lack of to change a tire, least of all in the snow).  And that was the reason why Ben came home early – he picked Jemima up on the way, stayed home with the kids, while I fixed the tire.

  This itself had it’s dramas – the pressure gauge wasn’t working properly because it was so cold, my fingers stopped working properly because it was so cold and then I ran out of quarters - before I’d pumped up the one tire that was low.  Thankfully, I nice man called John came to my rescue, gave me some quarters and helped me out of a bind. On a normal day, this would have been a hassle, but in the freezing cold and snow, it was hideous.

Yesterday was slightly more fun. Jemima’s school was closed so it was a snow day.  In theory fun – an opportunity to sled down the hill, build a snowman and generally frolic around in the powder. And it was a beautiful day – not a cloud in the sky, albeit freezing. However, have you every tried helping a four year old go sledding with a baby as well. Or indeed building a snowman. For starters, Billy thought being bundled up in a snowsuit (that is too big for him if I’m honest) was less than fun. And being put into a Baby Bjorn and practically tipped upside down whenever I gave Jemima a push on the sled, was more than he was happy to handle. And I can’t say I blame him.  Then the cold finally hit Jemima – and at one point I had both of them screaming.  A cup of hot chocolate inside did solve that but not before a good amount of complaining.  And of course, 2 hours later she wanted to got out and doing it all again. And it takes a long time to get Jemima, Billy and myself rugged up for this weather.  Needless to say, after two plays in the snow, hours of arts and crafts inside, I finally gave in and resorted to the worst of parenting tools – the TV. I got 45 minutes peace while Billy slept and Jemima watched the Wiggles Christmas Movie.

Thankfully today, Jemima’s school is open.  I’m unsure who was more excited – me or her!

Whale Watching

It was this trip, back in September, that first gave me the idea of this blog and made me realize that the natural beauties that we regularly see in this part of the world should be shared with a wider audience.

I’m ashamed it’s taken me two months to bring my idea to life.

We were up on Orcas Island for a long weekend with Mum and Dad. As well as cruising round the island, we took a day to go whale watching. Last time I did this, was back in California, with one of my best friends. On that day, it was cold and wet and I didn’t even get the tiniest of glimpses of anything resembling a whale. This trip could not have been more different:  clear blue skies and whales in abundance. Seeing a small pod swimming towards us and then directly under our boat was a truly magical moment.

Here are the highlights:

A Picture Says a Thousand Words

I first started blogging back in May when I was put on bed rest while pregnant with my now 3 month old son. I loved blogging and it became quite addictive. And I vowed that once Billy was born, my blogging would continue. Well, that didn’t last long. I think I managed a couple of posts in the early weeks after he was born but then life with two children and the sleepless nights got the better of me.  Three months on, I’m a little less exhausted, we’re into more of a routine and I realize that I miss my blogging days.

So I’m back.

Like my previous blog, Ramblings of a mum on bedrest, I will continue to wax lyrical about my life – my life in the Pacific Northwest of America. We love living here. Many question our love of this part of the land, wondering why we choose to live in such a wet corner of the globe. Yes, it rains, sometimes it rains a lot. But we’re surrounded by mountains and lakes, when the summers are good they are very good and most years we’re pretty much guaranteed snow - rumor has it lots this year. And to top it off, I get to see deer wandering around the local neighborhoods more often than not.  It’s a beautiful part of the world. To bring this to life a bit more for those not familiar with the area, on a good day when the sun is shining and the skies are clear, when I drive down hill to the freeway, I get a stunning view of Mount Baker and when I drive home from downtown Seattle I get a spectacular look at Mount Rainer. It’s not a bad commute really!  This image was taken on a recent trip to Orcas Island and to many, fully represents life in the Pacific Northwest. Mount Baker is in the distance.

My aim with this blog, is not to bore you all intensely (although I’m sure at times this will happen and I apologize in advance) but instead to share elements of my day to day life – amusing things that happen, things that make me smile and excite me, our vacations and day trips.  And I also know that I’ll use this as a soapbox to vent my frustrations with the world – and on some days I have many. You have been warned. Read if you want to, don’t if you don’t. I ask for no praise, I expect I’ll get some criticism but I hope that on occasions I’ll make some of you smile, and at the very least give you a flavor of my life in Washington.