Postcards from Dorset

Our holiday home for the week in the little village of Loders in West Dorset:

Gorgeous hydrangeas in the village – I couldn’t resist taking some photos of these!:

Relaxing morning walks with our dogs along the nearby disused railway track:

Dorset Sheep:

Wildflowers:

Making crocheted pebble cosies (see some tips and a link to a great tutorial at the end of this post):

The perfect beach day at Burton Bradstock (my fave beach and home of the wonderful Hive Beach Café):

Beach crochet in Rowan’s handknit cotton’s best seaside colours (a square from the Made with Loops Homely Blanket Quest):

Paddling and having fun in the waves:

Beach windmills at the Hive Beach Ice Cream Parlour:

An awesome evening trip to Eggardon Hill Iron Age Hill Fort:

Amazing 360 degree view of the county:

Gorgeous views of the countryside in the evening light:

Walking back along the footpath from Eggardon Hill:

Finishing my crocheted scarf made using Rowan Kidsilk Haze Glamour and a pattern from Churchmouse Yarns (more about this in another post):

Driving though the village of Wool (great name for a yarn addict!) on the way to Lulworth Cove:

Purbeck Ice creams at beautiful Lulworth Cove:

Looking down at the famous Durdle Door from the cliff tops:

Admiring the jaunty boats at West Bay:

Super scrummy wood-fired pizza at the amazing Watch House Café:

A spot of evening mackerel fishing:

Beautiful evening light down at West Bay:

Dorset Cream Tea at Mangerton Water Mill:

Sweet little ducklings discovered by the lake at the water mill:

And free range hens:

A trip to West Dorset wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the wonderful Bridport Yarn, where some small purchases were made (more about this in a later post)!

A little bit of knitting with a morning coffee in the garden:

Something sweet for the journey home!

Goodbye Dorset, we’ll visit you again soon!

If you’re interested in making your own pebble cosies, there is a great tutorial here.  Alternatively you can just crochet your own motif, measure it against the pebble to ensure that it is roughly the same size using increases to adjust the fit, place the pebble inside, then decrease in, gathering the cosy around your pebble.

Happy Holidays! x

Walled Gardens and Lavender Fields

Last week, we decided to grab a much needed day out before the end of the school term, just the two of us.  Its amazing what you can find on your doorstep for free without really travelling very far…

First we stopped off at the Walled Garden in the village of Mells.  I LOVE cottage gardens and would so love to have a garden like this.  Sadly, my garden seems to be a little overgrown with a few too many weeds at the moment!

We stayed for lunch – wood fired pizza from the Walled Garden Pizza Oven.  Soooo delicious! (Make mental note to research building a wood fired pizza oven at home!)

On the way home we called in at the local Somerset Lavender Fields.  We’ve driven past the sign for the Lavender Fields many times on route to other destinations and I had no idea what gorgeousness lay hidden a short distance away from the main road.  With the heatwave that the UK is experiencing at the moment, it felt like we were in Provence! The views and the scent of the lavender was amazing:

There were even some lavender coloured sweet-peas!

Just enough time to enjoy the Lavender before a quick dash off on the school run.  A fab day out!

Do you love cottage gardens and lavender too?  Do you have a favourite flower?

Happy Holidays!

xx

A Lido Day Out

To celebrate my husband’s birthday yesterday we decided to treat ourselves to a Lido day out.  We’ve known about the Lido for a while now but rarely get a whole day to ourselves (work, children, pets etc.!) so a birthday on a beautiful blue skied February day seemed like the perfect excuse to check it out.  Look at this pretty pink blossom that we passed on the street: Spring is definitely in the air, don’t you think?

We were very excited about our day out, having looked at lots of pictures of the Lido on the internet and having been inspired by Kate Rew’s book Wild Swim.  We planned our visit to include the swim and lunch package. You can read about the history of this once abandoned very special Victorian pool if you are interested here.  The Lido is tucked away from view, a hidden gem in the City.

 

Doesn’t this water look inviting?

 

There were outdoor changing rooms for those who wanted the authentic Lido experience and some lovely natural body washes to use : the Lido runs a strict policy that requires all guest to wash before using the facilities and by ensuring that all swimmers enter the pool squeaky clean, the need for chlorine has been greatly reduced.

 

 

Are you ready to take a dip?

 

There is something very special and exhilarating about swimming in an outdoor pool or the sea….

Time for a warm up in the outdoor hot tub, then shower and change.  There was a lovely little boudoir room upstairs where you could dry your hair, overlooking the pool:

 

Next, a much appreciated cappuchino to warm up (!) and a fantastic lunch in the restaurant overlooking the pool:

 

 

We savoured every moment and hoped fingers crossed for the chance to return another day soon….

xx