Yearly Archives: 2017

Our next stop on the “commonwealth tour” was Bath, where Tom and Fleur live in a beautiful village called Batheaston on the outside of town. They have a festive terraced garden with a view of exceptionally green British farms and hillsides. Fleur set up Lucille with bubbles, toys and a bucket of water to splash in.…

We spent our last few days in England on a sort of “commonwealth tour” –making visits to guys from Rob’s team around the country. Our first stop: Brighton! Anyone familiar with Pride & Prejudice knows that Brighton is the end all. A gem where a little sea bathing would just set you up forever. We drove in…

We spent the weekend in Lymington celebrating Josh’s 40th birthday and having fun with Rob’s work team. Josh is an amazing vegetarian cook and I jumped in to help with my party-planning expertise. Together, we cooked delicious dinner and brunch for 22 people.  The weather had been sunny and hot all week, but turned rainy…

Lymington is right outside the lush New Forest, packed with oak trees, ferns and wild ponies. It was a must see during our two week stay in Hampshire. We approached it two different ways with Lucy in tow. Balmer Lawn by Rail A £4 return ticket takes you from Lymington to Brockenhurst on a train line that…

A trip to a National Trust estate is an absolutely must-do for me when in England. The closest house to us in Lymington was Mottisfont – a historical priory, garden and country estate in Hampshire on the other side of the New Forest. We had absolutely perfect weather for our day trip there. We had absolutely…

Rob and Josh had a lunch meeting in Portsmouth last week. Lucille and I tagged along for a couple hours to explore. The island city is a famous navy port and full of old brick military buildings. Also famous as the birthplace of Charles Dickens and the site where Arthur Conan Doyle practiced medicine. It is…

Lymington is a seaside town in Hampshire on the south coast of England, facing across the Solent to the Isle of Wight. It is a very quiet spot, popular with retirees and nearby locals “on holiday” at the nearby New Forest (which was declared “new” in the year 1079). It is the home of our good…

The upside of a spouse who works for an international non-profit is that you get to travel a lot for his work. The downside is you sometimes have to get there on your own, with a baby in tow. Lucy and I flew to London last Friday to meet Rob for this latest European trip. I planned…

Our sweet girl! Your eigth month was full of big mobility and personality developments. You have four teeth now, a taste for blackberries and a love for lift-the-flap books. You are now very fast at “army crawling” – where you drag yourself around on your belly with your legs kicking behind you fruitlessly. It must be exhausting.…

You are working so hard to become your own person! It is so fun watching you watch the world. There were so many big “firsts” this month: first beach, first swimming, first “mama,” first skiing, first camping! We started this month in San Luis Obispo while your Dad was in Boston for work. Always nice…