Staying Home

I love going into London, I tried to go once a month when I could, sometimes for work and meetings, sometimes for visits and sometimes just because I love being in the big city, wandering the streets and people watching.  I love travelling to different countries, travel has always been a priority to us as a family and we spend so much time planning where to visit and what we want to see and do.  I love where I live, but I love getting away too.

I spend far too much time looking at holidays we will be unlikely to take, planning days out that may not be what we want to do once we are actually able to do it.  Trying to change the attitude of feeling trapped at home is hard work but it is the challenge I am facing.  We are limited to exploring only places within walking distance of our house and with some members of the family having littler legs than others, that doesn't take us far.  We need to get out though, we need to walk and breath the outside air and feel a part of something bigger than our household so we are getting out, mostly to the same place but it is out and it is beautiful.

This is where I live, a tiny corner of the UK surrounded by coastline.  Sandy beaches, colourful beach huts, chalk cliffs, little harbours, dramatic skies.  We can walk to several different beaches from our house, we all have our favourites and they aren't all the same. Whichever one we end up at though, I feel better for seeing the sea.  The children love climbing on the sand that is piled up to protect the buildings, they love throwing stones in the sea, they love planning which boat they would choose in the harbour if they had enough money to buy one.  They love having a hot chocolate in their tin mugs and stopping for a cone of chips to accompany us on the way home.  The beach provides their imaginations with a holiday, with a day out, with a different backdrop to normal and different possibilities.

  I love the smell of the sea, the feel of the sand under my feet, the sound of the waves, the warmth of a hot drink in my hands on a cold day, the sight of the sun setting behind the boats as we walk up the hill back home.  I love staring into the sea on a good day, thinking I could be almost anywhere looking out at the same view, I love shouting into it on a bad day, wondering where my words will end up.

This post is a way for me to try and write down a little bit of how I feel and share the beauty of where I live, because all in all, staying home is a good place to be. 

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Play Day

I knew that the place I grew up would be the same place that I bring up my own babies.  I wanted to travel, to see the world, to experience different cities, but I had always known that when it came to starting a family, this place is home.

My family live here, and everywhere I look, I have memories of growing up.  There are so many beaches on our doorstep, so many parks, schools and small communities.  Sure it has its issues, there are bad parts of town as there always are, and it does boast an incredibly high teenage pregnancy rate, but this was my home, and this is my children's home.

Bringing them up here, we have spent a lot of time at the Children's Centres, from antenatal classes, breastfeeding support groups and the health visitor to messy rock'n'roll toddler groups and courses.  The Children's Centre organises a 'Play Day' every summer for the community, a completely free event for families, and this year's theme was healthy.

All children received free water and fruit, there was bouncy castles and characters to meet, information about local services and healthy start incentives and the chance to make a smoothie on a pedal bike.  The mobile farm was there, letting the children get close to the sheep and pigs and there were displays from local groups like Judo and majorettes. The weather was sadly not what was hoped for in early August, but it was only the parents stood under umbrellas, whilst the children ran free, reminding us that being outdoors whatever the weather is completely healthy.

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