Christmas 2020, Centre Parcs, Ireland

 We made it to Centre Parcs, Ireland! With all the changes due to COVID in the weeks leading up to Christmas, we were very unsure as to whether we would be able to go but I remained hopeful. It took us awhile to unwind, to put COVID and restrictions to the back of our minds, if that is really possible...but it was lovely to be away, a change of scene and no jobs to be done. Centre Parcs is not quite the same without the swimming pool and activities but it is still a beautiful place to walk, ride our bikes and chill out.

A week of beach days, Portstewart, N.Ireland

What a blessing! The sun shone for our week on the North Coast, Ireland. We stayed in a self catering house with my sister and her family, my Parents and Aunt. Our days were spent mainly at the beach, with the kids running in and out of the water for hours, digging holes in the sand and sliding down the dunes. 

Wednesday was overcast so we took a boat over to Donegal, to the Famine Village at Doagh. Even there, the kids ended up in the sea.

My Brother and sister in law have a holiday house in Portstewart so we were able to hang out with them and my younger brother and sister in law came to visit for an evening, bringing their new corgi, Diggy.

Portballintrae, N, Ireland.

Donegal, Ireland

Calvin surprised me with his love of the sea. He spent hours running in and out of the waves. I think this is the first year he has felt steady enough in the water.

NT Portstewart Strand, N.Ireland

Enjoying treats at Morelli’s ice cream cafe.

MJ wasn’t happy about having to come along and wanted to stay at home with M. Thankfully his love of the sea remains and he spent his time climbing the rocks and swimming too.

 

An evening in the park

It is so rare for us to be in the park after tea time. But tonight after picking up the groceries in Asda the boys were keen to go to the park. The weather was so warm and mild and burning off energy in the park sounded like more fun than heading home to kill a couple of hours before bedtime. 

It was warm, I was surrounded by foreign accents so I relaxed and imagined I was in Barcelona or some other Metropolitan city. I think it is the closest I’m going to get to international travel this year. Sob sob.

 

Ulster Museum and Botanic Gardens

Bank holiday Monday and possibly the hottest weekend of the summer so we decided to avoid the crowds and sunburn on the north coast beaches and go to the Ulster Museum and Botanic gardens.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised how much the kids enjoyed and engaged with the museum. Lj announced that when she is older she is going to come to the museum on her own so she can read everything and do some sketching! M and I always love a museum and gallery visit.

Last days of Summer

The weather was good to us for the last few days of the school holidays so we made use of the hot tub, which has now become an almost daily activity for myself, Ezra and Calvin (sometimes the older two join us but never at the same time!). When it is hot tub time Calvin appears with his shorts and Ezra declares 'let's go in the hot tub!'.

In other news, M took the three younger kids to the zoo in Belfast while I took MJ on his annual birthday trip to the Warhammer shop. This time we had phoned ahead and were organised for him to paint his figures and meet some other young Warhammer fans. Sadly, I didn't get a photo of him...all I got when I returned after 40mins to check that he was ok on his own was a 'do you mind, we are talking'...so I took myself off again for some child free shopping and lunch. M thinks I missed him and the younger three as I phoned to check he was ok, but it was more to give myself permission to chill and enjoy my own company (which I did).

Campbell College Cottage

Recently, we had a day out with my parents to Tollymore Forest Park. When M is at work I need adult help to visit Tollymore as the children love to walk the river there and I can't safely handle a 3yr old and a 2 yr old in the river by myself. My Dad had other ideas about how we would spend our morning and produced a rather old OS map with the notion of finding a little shelter where he used to hike to with friends in his school days. With the prize of a snack for anyone who made it to the destination we huffed and puffed our way there. The building is still standing 40 + yrs on, just, but looks like it is no longer used. Now we are dreaming of purchasing it, renovating it and using it as a beautiful off grid retreat!

Centre Parcs Getaway

We have just returned from a weekend at the new Centre Parcs in Longford, Ireland. We spent a lot of time on the slides and rapids in the pool. Calvin is fearless in the water, Ezra loves the slides but hates the water falling on his head. The rest of us loved the rapids and have all the bumps and bruises from racing each other. It is not a relaxing holiday but it is great that there is so much to keep the kids busy.

Our favourite restaurant was the Pancake House!
We are already considering when we can go again.

Portstewart hols

It was a last minute decision to book an Airbnb in Portstewart and I'm so glad we did. The weather was kind (for N.Ireland) so we spent a lot of time on the beach. MJ took to swimming in the sea which he hasn't done before. We also visited Musenden Temple and the Giants Causeway.
This is the third year in a row for us to go to the North Coast while M is at work for a few days...almost a tradition!

Nana and Grandad C time

We had a fun few days when Nana and Grandad C came to stay. We got lost in a maze, had ice cream by the sea side, sheltered from the rain, and celebrated Ms birthday with cake. We also visited Rowallen Gardens, The Argory, Castlewellan Gardens and Clare Glen. Holidays are easy when we all enjoy being outdoors!