one week ago

we were trying to make this space that once had multi-coloured, paper layered walls and black concrete floors our own. just the bedrooms and the living room have been painted so far. white with a subtle greyness that hopefully compliments the light sunniness of the place. and now the three of us are here. cosy carpet underfoot getting used to feeling that we are home.

sarada

April fools

we had a birthday in the cottage. francisco is now 3, and as i am informed 3 years old is very old indeed. his party was a great success but after a never ending week of baking and sewing and cooking i have decided to enjoy the sunshine and take you for a stroll through my wakening garden.

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