Living A French Dream


There's nothing quite like a good holiday to remind you just how much travel is good for the soul, is there? The type of holiday that recharges your batteries and leaves you desperately planning your next trip.

We've just had that kind of holiday with our friends, thanks to Clio Wood and her family at, Manoir La Croix de La Jugie, inviting us to stay in their stunning large country house, nestled in the French countryside.

Talk about a pinch me moment the minute we drove up the private driveway, to be met with what I can only be described as an absolute dream of a house. Covered in sprawling ivy, with its beautiful white shutters, surrounded by rose bushes, lavender and hydrangeas; it was love at first sight before I'd even walked through the door. The smell alone from all the flowers was intoxicating and I literally felt all my stresses melt away, our holiday could now begin.

I feel like holidaying has been so low on our agenda since we had the boys, it just hasn't been a priority of ours. Now with the boys getting older I feel like that's finally changing. I'm excited to travel again, and we're excited to show the boys new places. Seeing how excited they were when they saw the house literally made my day.


If the outside of the house was impressive, the inside is equally so. It's full of French rustic charm, which I particularly love as it's the complete opposite to our new build home in Edinburgh. Here I could get my fix of all things old and full of character! That's one of my favourite things about holidaying, you get to dip your toe into a different lifestyle and way of living, and let me tell you, I can very much see myself living the French life.


The thing I loved most about the house, is even in all it's grandeur and size, it really feels like a home away from home. The décor is beautiful but relaxed and with the house sleeping up to 22 people in 8 rooms with 6 bathrooms, it is the ideal place for a large family or a group of friends. Children are very much in mind here too, they have travel cots and z-beds at your request, and there are stair gates to help keep all the little ones safe. Which also saves many a parent from the, Let's Play On The Stairs game, which let's be honest, no parent likes that game.


The boys shared a room (pictured above) which they absolutely loved. We were just across the hallway which was perfect if they needed us throughout the night, and a holiday miracle happened whilst we were there too. The boys slept past 9am, every day! I still can't quite believe it and have given some serious thought since as to whether we should up sticks to live in France permanently.


When it comes to holidaying with children, the word, 'holiday', can actually feel like a cruel joke, can't it? This is why I thoroughly recommend holidaying with family and friends that have children too. Our group total was sixteen, eight of which were children aged between 1-9 years old. The children all had an absolute ball together, and you know how that goes, happy children, HAPPY parents. It really took away any of the usual stress of entertaining little ones whilst away, as they all happily played together, making you question how eight children could possibly be easier than holidaying with only two!!


There's plenty of lovely walks to go on surrounding the house and they have a helpful guide left in each room with places they recommend nearby to visit. If however, you're after a truly relaxing holiday, my advice to you would to be to simply enjoy the house. Thanks to the pool, the grounds, a game's room and a selection of toys, the children were never once bored. In fact, every time we went out the first thing they would want to know was when would we be returning to the house! The pool itself, is a great size, and thanks to it being fully gated you can relax with the little ones running around the grounds once you know the gate is securely locked.


No holiday is complete without lots of yummy food! We chose to eat in during our stay which was so much easier for a group our size. The supermarkets are a short drive away with a great selection. French food, French wine, what is not to love?


The dining areas are so well thought out making this house the perfect spot all year round. There's options indoor and out, and you can make dining as informal or as formal as you would like thanks to the large dining area in the kitchen, or separate dining room in the house. Outside you have the option of a smaller table or the large table at the barbecue area.


The cooking and cleaning was a real team effort whilst we were away, making it never feel like a daunting task. We just happened to be away with the best cook too, Colin. I'll take dish duty any day, if it means Colin is cooking! The house also has a outdoor barbecue, which Ayman took control of whilst there and did a stellar job.


This holiday was very much made by who we were there with. Long time readers of my blog and Instagram will know I'm close friends with Lauren, Jules and Sally. I could gush about them for days on end, as most of you well know. I feel endlessly lucky that through this crazy world of social media, I've met true friends for life. Watching our children play together and our partners get on so well is the cherry on the cake. It's an amazing feeling knowing these eight children (and counting!!) will grow up and adventure together.


Other useful details

  • Car Hire. You will need a car whilst you're here, and if like ourselves, you feel nervous about driving on the opposite side of the road, go with an automatic. As Michael would say, it's literally like driving a go kart and changing gears is one less worry. Also, make sure you take out car insurance whilst there. We didn't and due to a small scrape on the bumper the car rental company we dealt with are holding 1200 euros until the repair amount is confirmed and only then will we be refunded the difference. This is common procedure in France and could have been easily avoided if we'd just taken out the insurance. Lesson learnt.

  • Airports. The nearest airport to the Manoir is Limoges, which is a 35 minute drive away. However, we flew into Bordeaux as there was a better selection of flights. Although this is a two and half hour drive away from the Manoir, the roads are great and it is pretty much a straight stretch. There's tolls on these roads which require a small fee that you can pay by cash or card.

  • Retreat Programmes. The Manoir also has a retreat programme which you can read more about HERE.

  • Weddings. They also host weddings at the house too. I didn't even realise at first that the house had a huge barn area. It would be absolutely magical for a wedding in France, you can find out more details HERE.




I'm so pleased to be able to share an exclusive code with you all for a stay at Manoir La Croix de La Jugie. They have generously offered a 10% discount with the code: TheFrenchEdition.

I'm happy to answer any questions or queries you might have if you're thinking of booking, just shoot me a message here or you can email me by clicking on the little envelope at the top right hand of my site. We certainly cannot wait to go back.




*this post was sponsored by Manoir La Croix de La Jugie, as always all thoughts and opinions are my own.


Friday, 13 July 2018 Comments: 0
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FINDING MY CONFIDENCE


If you'd told my younger self that at the age of 37 I'd be prancing around yellow fields having my picture taken and then posting them on the internet, I would have told you, you were straight up crazy.

Yet here I am, and let me tell you, it feels good to prance around in a field of yellow.

I've been in a reflective mood this week after turning another year older, and it struck me just how much has changed in the past 12 months, for the better. It's been a year of regaining my confidence, but mostly a year of letting go.

Letting go of fear. Letting go of self-doubt. Letting go of what people think of me.


All the above didn't happen overnight, the progress has been slow and steady, but it's only now I feel like I'm reaping the rewards, like a huge shift has happened. Cue running through yellow fields singing the hills are alive ;)

36 was definitely a year were I discovered 'me' again. Being a mum is a huge part of my identity and I'm really proud of that fact, but somewhere along the way I lost a true sense of self, and the repercussions that had on my confidence (although I didn't realise it at the time) were huge.

This was largely why I went into panic mode at the idea of the boys starting school and nursery, because without them who was I? What was I going to do? Where would I find the confidence to be anything else other than their mum??

Now it's true what they say about timing is everything. I'd been working away at my blog and Instagram for years, for no other reason than it filled a huge creative void. Then as the boys went to school and nursery I found I could really dedicate proper time to these spaces that I'd built from scratch. I suddenly found myself with my own business. 

Is it silly that it's taken me a year to feel comfortable saying that? That I have my own business. I actually feared for a while that if I said it out loud it would evaporate before my very eyes. Impostor syndrome has been strong and is somewhat an ongoing battle for me. Then there is the anxiety that came along with my new found business. I've never really dealt with anxiety before so that's been a huge learning curve for me too. I'll talk more about that in depth in another post.

So here I am at 37, and I can honestly say I'm excited for the year ahead. I'm excited to challenge myself, to continue to step out of my comfort zone. I'm excited to grow my business and I'd love to share that with you along the way. To share the highs and lows, my dos and dont's, my own personal experience with it all. There's so many blog posts I've shied away from sharing before now because I literally haven't had the confidence in myself. That stops now at 37. I'm claiming back this space from my negative, self-deprecating self and sharing more of myself here. I finally have the confidence in my abilities and what I can bring to the table.



My dress is Zara and can be found here, and my favourite bag for summer is from The White Company and can be here.

Thursday, 31 May 2018 Comments: 0
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CLEANING MADE EASIER with DYSON CYCLONE V10 ABSOLUTE REVIEW (AD)


It's funny how your age and circumstances can can totally change your perspective on certain things. In the past I've always been baffled as to why anyone would part with a lump sum of money when it came to a vacuum cleaner. Surely a bog standard vacuum does the same job, why the big price tag??

Then I had kids.

What I never really full appreciated until I was knee deep in dirty nappies was how these adorable little beings were going to increase household chores tenfold. My corded vacuum that was used to its fortnightly outing (ahh vacuuming only every two weeks, those were the days!), was now being dragged out of the cupboard daily, just what every sleep deprived mum of two wants. You can insert eye rolling emoji in here.

I thought the answer was a £20 handheld vacuum, because the cordless prices still seemed ridiculous to me then. I laugh now when I think about that, as I literally parted with £20 to spend more time on my hands and knees picking up after my children. A dust pan and brush, which I already had under the sink, was just as effective.

Before I lost my mind at the idea of pulling out my vacuum after yet another snack time, I decided it was time to put my money where my complaining mouth was. I bought the Dyson DC44 Animal (no longer available, I think the V8 is it's predecessor), granted I didn't have pets but I had a toddler and a baby. What I didn't have in pet hairs I made up for in crumbs. If I was going to part with my hard earned cash I wanted the big guns.

It was a game changer. I was blown away, my most hated chore now just seemed like second nature. After any meal or snack I could give a quick blast of my Dyson and it was job done. The joy this brought one sleep deprived mother can't be measured. I was now that loser who talked about their vacuum to friends, to anyone who listened for that fact. That was four years ago now, not a single problem with it and still going strong. I use my cordless vacuum for all my hard floors and my corded one for all my carpets, but I've dreamt of the day I could ditch my corded vacuum for good.

So you can imagine my delight when Dyson asked me to try out and review their Dyson Cyclone V10 Absolute cordless vacuum, I'm not even ashamed to admit how excited I was. This is the cordless vacuum that has only gone and made Dyson STOP developing plugged in versions. My cord free prayers answered!


First impressions.

It certainly looks the part, and considering it's packing the power of a corded vacuum, it's still lightweight. It comes with various attachments, but most importantly, two main heads. One for your flooring, and the other for carpets and rugs. I first tested out the floors, I only did the area surrounding the breakfast bar and I literally couldn't believe my eyes. I expected the crumbs and usual breakfast debris, but not the amount of dust! The suction ability that Dyson promised cannot be denied, it was there for my own eyes to see. You can see below in this short video, if anyone thought I always have a clean and tidy house, it turns out I'm just tidy!


 After doing the floors in my kitchen another thing I was impressed with was how clean the head was afterwards. Usually I expect to see hair tangled up in the head and just general dust and dirt. The head was spotless. The suction is clearly that powerful everything is going straight into the chamber when you use the hard floor attachment.


In the video you can see I move onto my rugs. As most of you will know I'm a big fan of a gorgeous rug, usually throughout the spring and summer months I go old school and hang them outside and give them a good beating. Obviously with the time of year that's not been happening. After seeing the dirt picked up from my laminate floors I knew the rugs were going to be grim. The Dyson V10 boasts that it deep cleans your carpets, and they have reason to boast. I was shocked by just how much dust and dirt was pulled up when to the naked eye the rugs looked relevantly fine.


I loathe vacuuming stairs, I actually blame living in a flat for all my adult years until we moved into our house two years ago. I find it's the point in the house that is the most awkward to vacuum, but could actually do with it daily as it gets the most traffic. By simply unclicking the pole that makes the vacuum upright, it turns it into a hand held vacuum. With the various attachments it makes it perfect for stairs, those hard to reach places, dusting and for cleaning the car too.

Great for dusting
With a retractable brush head this is great for hard to reach places and ceilings

We find living in a new build the dust is unforgiving. I think due to the amount of natural light we get, our many white walls, and new build straight lines, every speck of dust shows up. As you can see in our video, cleaning the ceilings and all those cobweb corners is made super easy. It also shows how Dyson have still managed to keep this cordless vacuum lightweight even with a chamber that's 40% bigger than their other cordless vacuums. Another feature I love is how to empty the chamber, you point and shoot into your bin, which means you don't need to get anywhere near the delights you've just vacuumed up.

The Dyson V10 lets you know when you need to empty the chamber, if there's any other issues with vacuum, and how much charge you have in the battery. With the charge time I found I could vacuum my entire house on the medium setting. If the vacuum is on the high setting you don't get as much battery life, but I can only see me using the high setting occasionally, and when I do, for a short amount of time anyway.

Overall I am completely impressed. It's time to finally retire my corded vacuum. I'd like to say I have fond memories, but I don't. Lugging around a heavy vacuum and constantly de-tangling the cord whilst having two children underfoot is not my idea of a good time. I was sold with my Dyson cordless four years ago and it's safe to say my love affair will continue. Yes, the price tags are enough to make you wince, but when you use something as often as a vacuum, I honestly think it's an appliance worth saving for and making that investment.


*this post is proudly sponsored by Dyson, all thoughts and opinions are my own.


Friday, 6 April 2018 Comments: 6
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MUM'S THE WORD with NOTONTHEHIGHSTREET (AD)


There's nothing quite like becoming a mum that highlights just how much your own mother has done for you, is there?! It's safe to say I've learnt to appreciate my mum on a completely different level since having my boys.  

All the things I took for granted growing up are now majorly mirrored back to me in my own life. It makes me love my mum even more, and I honestly didn't think that was physically possible. It also makes me think what goes around comes around too. I'm now the person stood with the little person rolling their eyes at me! That will bring my mum joy no end, I'm sure!!

But in all seriousness, I'm so lucky to have my mum in my life. A woman who at a young age gave up so much to have me, who has always supported me, and even when I absconded to Edinburgh, she wore a smile on her face and told me to go.

That very thought makes me tearful now, as since becoming a mum myself I realise that decision, however happy she was for me, broke her heart in two. Funnily enough, it's now me that struggles with the distance. The teenager who skipped off happily to Edinburgh is now a mother of two boys thinking she must be straight up crazy to not have her mum living near by. When we see each other we have amazing quality time together but I miss the little every day things with my mum. The popping in on her for a quick cuppa, or going over for a Wednesday night tea. I miss her in my day to day, weekly life.

This Mother's Day, I wanted to get my mum something a little bit different. Flowers have become my default gift, which is lovely as I know she loves flowers, but not for every Mother' Day. So I decided to peruse one of my all time favourite sites, notonthehighstreet, who are celebrating all those who 'mum'. I've been a fan of them since they first launched their site and they still today remain my go to for that special, thoughtful gift.

I don't know about you but I try not to repeat gifts too often, says the girl with flowers (!!!), but you know what I mean. I've bought her lots of jewellery, clothing and accessories over the years, so I knew I didn't want to go in that direction.


When I found these beautiful Botanical prints that you can personalise I instantly knew I'd found my gift. I fell in love with the vintage vibe of the flowers and the elegant lettering, so much so I couldn't resist getting one for myself. I mean, I am a mum after all ;).



I always find, notonthehighstreet, always provides those gifts that you are always so excited to give. My mum deserves an all expenses paid trip around the world, but while my budget doesn't stretch to that, I hope she likes this gift and the thought that's been put into it. She's one in a million and if I don't tell her that enough, this is certainly one day when I should.

I love you, Mum.

Now please move up to Edinburgh, already?! ;)



*this post is proudly sponsored by notonthehighstreet, as always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wednesday, 28 February 2018 Comments: 2
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