A visit from my lovelies

This weekend five of my very dedicated friends made the long trip down from London and across to see me on my small island. Although it was October that we were last all together, as soon as I met them from the boat it was like we'd only been hanging out the other weekend. I've known these girls since I was 14 and the familiarity we all have when we meet up is a sign of true friendship. I feel very lucky to have such lovely ladies in my life!

We spent LOTS of time talking and catching up. In between the gossipping we made time for walking...

..eating (cream teas of course, we are from Devon after all!)

.. and relaxing on the beach whilst Tamsin and Keira decided to go for a dip!

The girls had even arranged a surprise baby shower for me and I felt very spoilt. I had some lovely gifts and we played some fun games, some of which got a bit competitive! Finally we decorated some baby grows with fabric paints, such a lovely idea.

The girls left on Monday afternoon and although it was short, we certainly made the most of our time together. I miss them all and I'm already looking forward to arranging our next get together. To cheer myself up I brought these Belladonna lilies for the princely sum of £1.

Belladonna's are always a sign to me that the season is drawing to a close so seeing them out already has thrown me somewhat!

Finally....

31 weeks

Chatting, relaxing and more chatting

Last week mum and dad came to stay on St. Martin's. It is always lovely to have them here as they are so enthusiastic about the islands and love getting out and exploring. Whether is was watching seals from a bay on Bryher or walking the St. Martin's flats, they always came back with a story to tell from their adventures. Sometimes it is easy to get swept away in the day to day goings on so it is great to have a reminder about the special place where we live.

Of course the most important thing about them coming to stay is the chatting, and plenty of chatting there was! Although we speak regularly on the phone it is not the same as in person and there always seems to be things to catch up on. There was lots of talking about the baby and it was great to be able to share with Mum and Dad all the things we have have prepared for our new arrival. Mum even got to feel the baby moving which was pretty special.

It is also just to do the nice things that we can't do living so far away, the little things I really miss like having a coffee and gossip with mum.

Watching dad read in his chair (he has one here as well as in his own home!) and sitting on the beach, you guessed it, chatting. 

Saying good bye wasn't sad, it was strange though. When they next visit will they have a grandchild or will I be lying like a rather grumpy beached whale waiting for the baby to come? Time will tell! And I am sure it will be fly by and before we know it we will all be together again.

Catching up with the baby bump...

29 weeks

30 weeks

Poor dad was a little shocked by my bump but seeing these photos I'm not that surprised!

We are approaching the last week of August and I still can't believe what a fantastic summer it has been. Mum said she has never seen the agapanthus in such full bloom across the islands and she is right, they are particularly vibrant this year.

The moon has also been spectacular the last few nights, I took this photo at a friend's BBQ but it really doesn't do it justice!

So this weekend I have five very important ladies coming to stay, I am just a little bit excited! But before they arrive let the cooking marathon commence...

The Nursery

Yes I know the baby isn't going to be sleeping in the nursery for a good few months but how could I resist? I have always had an interest interiors and love making homely spaces so it was inevitable that I would want to create a nice room for the baby- even if it is just home to all the 'stuff' at the moment.

The room that is now the nursery has traditionally been a bit of a dumping ground, mainly associated with sorting piles of paper work. Apart from the bathroom it is also the only room that isn't south facing meaning it has always seemed a little dark. However we began the mammoth task of clearing the room out a few months ago and last weekend I was able to start painting, we choose a soft green colour- supposedly calming! I finished the second coat during the week and provided Barney with moral support last night whilst he put up the cot (notice the bottle of Carlsburg, an essential for such a task).

After that the room came together quickly and we are both really pleased with how it has turned out. Having spent some more time in there it has also been nice to appreciate that actually it is a lovely space with a nice view of the garden (how had we never noticed before?) and gets the gorgeous evening golden sunshine. Ta dah..

The pictures on the wall are Barney's old birthday cards that turned up. 

These fabric baskets were a bargain from Mothercare, reduced from £20 each to 50p!

This is my old bookshelf and a few of my favourite kids books, along with some new books Barney and I picked up after each scan. I still associate going into a bookshop and choosing a new book as a special treat. I remember doing it with Dad when I was younger.

Before I was pregnant we were given this cute wardrobe and it fits perfectly with the nursery.

It smelt a little musty inside so I thought I would make some hanging lavender hearts but apparently we have 'too many hearts' in this house. So to please Barney and try something a little different I decided to make lavender elephants. It was a fun project using up scraps of fabric and mostly being done outside in the sun.

I am very pleased with the end result and thanks to a tip off from my sister I was able to afford some baskets to help organise the clothes.

The problem with decorating a room is it then makes you look at other areas of the house. I am already eyeing up the hallway thinking of light and airy tones, sail stripe roman blinds, maybe some wicker hampers? But NO, this isn't a project for another day, it is a project for another year! For now I am concentrating on the nursery curtains...

28 weeks

This my 28 weeks photo taken earlier this week.

And boy am I beginning to feel big! A few people said to me that the second trimester is the best and I think I now know what they meant. This week I have begun to struggle more with tiredness and general moving about, I hadn't thought about the implications of a bump when I started cutting the curtain fabric! Although we have time yet I am glad the nursery is sorted as I can see that in a few weeks I certainly wouldn't have fancied moving furniture around or applying a quick coat of paint before work!

A peek inside the bakery

So the school holidays are here, the islands are filling up, tripper boats are ferrying people around and there is a gentle hum of industrious work as islanders are beavering away. It is hard not to look at visitors with a slight pang of jealousy, I really can't think of many better places to spend a relaxing holiday, enjoying stunning scenery.

These are the busiest few weeks at the bakery and I am pleased to say it is all going well so far! My Mum showed my Grandma my blog and she had never seen a picture of the bakery until then. I thought I would post some pictures of the inside of the shop for you Grandma for the next time you look!

Just a little snippet of what we do, although I realise I haven't taken a photo of the pasties which are one of our best sellers! Anyway here is the main man himself, although this is a joint venture Barney really does do the vast majority of the work and very proud of him I am too!

 27 weeks
My 27 weeks photo taken earlier this week in the theme of this post, at the bakery. Officially the last week of my second trimester.

Aside from working there really has been a lot going on this week. We has the annual St. Martin's fete, a big day on the island calendar. There was also time for a sneaky ladies night out to Tresco, it was a fab night and lovely to catch up and have a laugh with everyone. In the summer holidays everyone is so busy working you realise you haven't seen each other for ages so this was a well deserved break.

The weather has been typically British with some rain, wind and sun. It is still very warm though and there was the most amazing light over the campsite as I walked home the other evening.

The light was also shining on our house, not a bad place to live...