10 things i love about living on a boat

being 5 minutes from the beach, so nice for exploring and finding treasures

the beautiful sunsets

being rocked to sleep

the wildlife including our beloved swans

sitting on the roof with my love and a glass of wine on a beautiful still night

our skylights great for star gazing and cloud watching

being so in tune and in awe of the weather, snuggling down on a rainy night and watching the giant waves crash over the harbour wall

our wonderful neighbourhood, there's a few salty seadogs in there

the sense of adventure we feel on a regular basis

the sea air; it's so much fresher, saltier and bracing when your home is on the sea

don't get me wrong, there are a few things i don't enjoy about living on our boat; not having running water; not having a proper toilet; fitting 2 people on our single bed and the lack of space with an energetic toddler...

but all in all it's been a wonderful 3 years and i feel that the sea has embedded itself into me. i wonder now if i could ever stray too far away from it without feeling homesick. but the time has come to move onto land, at least for the moment. there's no getting around it, the three of us have just gotten too big for this place. so with a mixture of excitement and sadness we have taken the plunge and are moving into a flat, which will seem like an enormous palace to us!

sarada

granny

granny took the train to cornwall, and stayed with us for a week.


we had so much fun that i forgot to take any photographs, despite having my camera with me at all times.

we found treasure on the beach, visited the moors, made garden ornaments and played so hard, that we were so tired, we fell out of our bed and didn't even wake up.



thank you for such a lovely time mum, it was great to see you.

Ambika x

fiep westendorp

last week i found some great puzzles in a local charity shop. first of all these little cubes that came in their own wooden box and make up six different scenes.








then a few days later i found this puzzle in the same shop. they are all by the danish illustrator fiep westendorp. i really think she captures the essence of toddlers in her sweet pictures. they are unbearably cute!

see you soon,
sarada

the hurlers

i should really be doing this post about the amazing amounts of snow which have, not only engulfed our small island, but made it slide to a standstill. the problem is we are feeling a little left out, when i look outside of my window all i can see is very wet and rainy weather. we had a small sprinkling a couple of days ago and were inspired to head up onto the moors for a little sledging action. armed with some old plastic water tanks cut to size and a flask of hot chocolate we hit the rather bumpy slopes. a great day was had by all but my bottom remains a little bruised and sore.


dylan the dog has finally left us and we miss him a great deal. saying that i am still finding black hairs everywhere. one of the last walks we had with him was up on bodmin moor near the hurlers, a stone circle.


there is a legend which states that the stones were once men who were playing the ancient game of hurling on the sabbath. thankfully we didn't get turned into stone for taking a walk on the holy day.


all around bodmin moor the skyline is full of crumbling tin mines which create stunning silhouettes. It really is a magical place and i am looking forward to going back again soon.


ambika

pure handmade goodness

here's a peek at a couple of handmade gifts we were lucky enough to receive at christmas. first of all this gorgeous gnome arrived in his very own spotty suitcase. he was made by a friend of my sister-in-laws for baby stan and i love him. such sweet little stomping feet and what a cute hat! baby stan seems very interested in pulling on his beard so i have had to rescue him a couple of times! but i'm sure our little gnome doesn't mind one bit.


and another sister-in-law (i luckily have lots of very nice sister-in-laws!) made me my very own ideas journal and i really love it so much.


i was more thrilled than anything to receive these handmade gifts. to see the work and concentration that has gone into them, makes them feel so special and unique. and there is nothing that makes you feel so good as someone who has taken the time to think of something you might really especially like. it has really inspired me to try and make next christmas a much more handmade affair.

sarada

dogs and bikes

it has been such a long time since i visited this place, and so much has happened that i am not sure where to begin. let me start by introducing dylan.


dylan will be living with us for most of january and i can guarantee that there will be some tears when we have to finally say goodbye. dylan and franc have become firm friends and partners in crime. only yesterday i caught franc trying to open a door by standing on dylans back, and franc is always sneaking dylan some of his dinner under the table.

having a dog has been great, we have been out walking rain, wind, shine,frost and snow. the weather of late has been very varied but at times i can smell a hint of spring. it truly is just around the corner and i am very excited about finally getting our hens, planting up the vegetable patch and just getting a little bit of warm sunshine.

christmas at the cottage bought another new addition to the household...


a shiny bike and with it a very happy and excited little boy.

the new year so far has been jam packed. i finished my christmas temp job but so far have found little extra free time. potty training is going well, but as many of you know, not without its own limitations. sometimes i feel like i have cabin fever and its only been 3 days. thankfully i can escape with dylan, and i know it wont last forever. also i have been thinking up grand schemes of crafting, all i can say is watch this space because so far it has been just that, all thinking, and not much doing.

ambika

the happiest of new years

the holidays were full of laughter, smiles and relaxing with loved ones. we had a wonderful christmas. and now a new year is ahead of us. i love this time of year. it's like a clean slate laid out before you. so many plans to be made and so much to look forward to. it's very exciting.

i would like to get more organised with my time. do more crafting. move onto dry land. read more books. eat more healthily. and that's just for starters!

what are your plans for this year?

Sarada