And just like that, our small but mighty tour was over. We were flying home today, back to Derry, back to normality, back to Pippin. Finally, we actually managed hotel breakfast. Alexander enjoyed fruit and pain au chocolat like a tiny European toddler, while Anna and I went for some avocado and eggs with coffee and tea. Bags were packed, room checked, and we were out the door by 9am feeling unusually organised. One of the blessings of our hotel location was that Gloucester R

Happy Valentine’s Day to all who celebrate. I woke up to the most romantic surprise imaginable: Anna, not in her best state and vomiting. Nothing says enduring love like a good old vomit in a boutique hotel bathroom in South Kensington. In fairness, I’m blaming the tofu from the night before. Possibly the wine also contributed but mostly the tofu… The morning was slow. Anna and Alexander were not functioning at peak performance. While I cleaned up and got myself sorted, I als

We woke just before 7am, which in holiday terms now counts as a lie-in. Anna took over morning Wiggles duty while Sophie attempted her lie in as she was working from home today. Not sure it worked though with what can only be described as a background soundtrack of fruit salad and toddler footsteps. We said our goodbyes to Kyle and packed up our now somehow expanded backpacks. We left to meet Steven and his son Miles at the Botanic Gardens — except the Botanic Gardens didn’t

Alexander very much enjoyed the novelty of all three of us being in the same room overnight and decided that personal space was optional. At some point in the early hours he joined us in bed, diagonally, like a tiny starfish claiming territory. No complaints though, his smile made it all worth it! He was up at 5.45am. Naturally. Alexander and I enjoyed a solid couple of hours of The Wiggles before anyone else stirred. There’s something deeply calming about sitting in a quiet

Alexander’s third trip overseas where he potentially is ticking off all means of transport except for a boat. This week we’re on what can only be described as a UK tour: two days in Edinburgh, two in London, visiting friends who have never met Alexander in person! Although we now consider ourselves moderately experienced at travelling with a toddler, we still live by the motto: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Every trip requires military-level planning disguised as “sure we

It was an earlier than planned start this morning as Anna told Erin and James to arrive for 8am instead of 9am to go to the market. They...

We checked the time this morning and it was nearly 9.30! We no idea how we managed such a lie-in, but it was great. Straight to the pool...

Alexander, having stayed up later than usual, woke bright and early and naturally decided the comfiest place to sleep was directly on my...

The day started off like most others — breakfast, pool, sunbathing. The usual. The morning was packed with fun in the water: breathing...

The day started with the usual routine — preserving sun loungers, breakfast, a quick pool visit — before we headed up to the bar for...

Another morning of work for me, though I was up and ready to take Alexander — only to find Marshall had already beaten me to it. A man on...

A busy day yesterday meant Alexander slept right through until 8am — a real lie-in for him — missing his usual morning walk and...

Alexander had a great sleep but was still up and at it by 6am. Marshall took him out for an early-morning stroll while the rest of us...

After a big trip to Australia, we’d planned to keep things low key this summer — just the three of us heading off to Vilamoura for some...

After many miles, trains and lifts, we finally made it to Terminal 2 for our last flight: London to Derry. But of course, we were too...

Technically, we touched down in Qatar in the very early hours of Day 16. Alexander, once again, was an absolute star on the flight. The...

Our last day in Australia began early like our first with a peaceful walk around the park while Aoife set off for another long-distance...

We woke early, packed up, and said our goodbyes to George, our faithful canine companion over the past few days. Our first stop was a...

We began our day with a visit to the Injidup Natural Spa, a stunning rock pool near Yallingup where waves crash over the rocks, creating...

We woke to the sound of rain on the roof and the wind howling through the trees - not quite the Australian summer we’d signed up for -...