It was only a Wiltshire tale...

The last couple of weeks have flown by and it's been too long since I've been on here. I seem to be like a stuck record talking about how manic life is at the moment - but it really is a constant theme! Juggling pregnancy with selling a flat, buying a house, a busy full-time job and trying to get a novel published is certainly keeping me out of trouble...

However, amongst all the madness the Boy and I have just had a very relaxing week in a cottage in the tiny village of Hindon in Wiltshire. The week was bookended by a wedding each weekend either side - one at the Larmer Tree Gardens near Shaftsebury and another at the Star and Garter in Putney, London. Both weddings involved very close and important friends so they were lovely, special occasions, and the Boy and I enjoyed them very much. And our own wedding anniversary was on St George's Day - the last two years of married life have gone very quickly, and while they have brought some sad times and losses amongst the abundance of joy and happiness for the Boy and I, we couldn't be any happier or closer together than we are. I feel very lucky, happy and blessed. Long may this continue!

The week in the countryside did us both a lot of good. I'm not a huge fan of the 'staycation' or British holiday. For me it brings back memories of windy beaches, sandy sandwiches and constant rain. But while we did have a few April showers, that was thankfully where the similarity to the holidays of my childhood ended. Quite simply, we had the best time together and I will remember this trip as one of our most special holidays.

Days were spent waking up to bird song and church bells (the bells at the church in Hindon rang all day long on St George's Day!) and after a leisurely breakfast we would mosey around in our hire car and explore local sights and pretty villages - and there are certainly a lot of those in Wiltshire! Too many highlights - but Lacock, Caste Combe, Mere and Marlborough were all treats and we enjoyed a spa day at Woolley Grange hotel on our anniversary.

The days were peppered with cream teas and pub lunches, with a few excellent evening meals to boot - I can't rave about the Lamb in Hindon enough, a couple of the best meals I have had in a long time were enjoyed there. And there was a lot of time for laughing, for cuddles on the sofa, for completing jigsaws (a small obsession for the Boy and I!) and playing scrabble in front of the fire...

I suppose in essence there was time to just 'be' - which with everything that has been going on lately has been in pretty short supply. It was bliss!

A few pics below - including the Boy enjoying his steak at the Lamb, Gold Hill (where the Hovis ad was shot) in Shaftesbury, the church in Hindon, our little cottage - and the magnificent Salisbury Cathedral!