The first few days of the month were rather quiet between work and Ellen at preschool, but did spend a good bit of time outside enjoying the garden.

Yesterday we decided to drive into town around Tower Bridge area and after a nice walk around there we landed up going for lunch at All Bar One Butlers Wharf. From there we headed back home and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon in the garden with Ellen.

Today we decided to head down to Brighton and Hove for the day and explore a couple of areas down there as well as some time on the beach.

A bit of a drive there and back in a single day, but nice to get out of London and always enjoyable having a bit of time on the beach and sea air before heading back to the big smoke :)

After getting back from Camber Sands at the start of the month, we arrived home to no boiler and an overflow leak from the roof dripping into the boiler room (most likely the reason for the boiler shutting off). So that was fun - trying to sort that and get the boiler area water tight as well as deal with the overflow leak.

The next weekend, however, was nice - with it being a rainy Saturday at home, we spent the morning indoors and then out in the log cabin in the afternoon with Ellen watching a movie on the projector. Plus I got the biltong box up and running again and started a new fresh batch :) On the Sunday we headed into town to Trafalgar Square, Victoria Embankment Gardens and then down to the Southbank to the funfare before heading home.

The following Saturday myself and Ellen headed down to Walton to see Greg, Kim and the boys and had lunch and the afternoon at their place. The Sunday was just a day spent at home around the house.

The following couple of weekends were fairly quiet, with us popping up to Nunhead Cemetery on both Saturdays for a walk around there and get pooch (and us) out the house for a bit.

The past few days from Thursday until this afternoon we've been away at Camber Sands having a really nice chilled out few days away. The days were spent enjoying a mixture of the beach, the playground, the mobile home and down at the entertainment center and venue.

Ellen had a great time there - definitely a holiday for the kids though :) But was good to get away from the house a bit and a have a few days away at the beach!

The start of this month was the Easter weekend. On the Friday we decided to have (another) little belated birthday cake celebration for Ellen as we were away for her actual birthday and had been rather busy the past two weekends, and since we were at home all day on the Friday, we decided to have a leisurely birthday celebration for her. The rest of the weekend we spent in the log cabin, a couple of trips up to Nunhead Cemetery as well as in and out of the house.

The following couple of weekends were just a mix of home, some braai, Telegraph Hill Park and meeting up with Kin Kay, Joanna and Ava both at their place and at ours.

Tomorrow we're off to Camber Sands until Monday which should be a nice break and a few days away :)

This month has been quite busy with a long weekend away as well as a few day trips out. We started off the first weekend of the month with me and Ellen heading up to Telegraph Hill Park for a few hours up there. And then on the Sunday we all headed out to Bushy Park and met up with Greg, Kim and the boys for a few hours which was great to see them all playing together!

The following weekend we all enjoyed a nice long weekend away down in Brighton and Hove - already posted about that separately :) On the Monday I had my first Covid vaccination shot, and thankfully no side-effects either, so hopefully this is the start to the end of Covid and the pandemic. Later that week we had belated birthday celebrations for Ellen - since her birthday was while we were away in Brighton, we decided to celebrate it properly with her at home which she thoroughly enjoyed :)

The next week we did another day trip down to Hove for a wander around and area scouting, and then on the Sunday we met up with Laura, Dennis, Theo and Jack over at Burgess Park playground for a few hours for the little ones to have a play.

The last few days of the month were mainly at home doing a good spring clean, sorting out the front of the house and fixing all those little things we've had on the list for ages, so the front is certainly looking a lot better now :)

This past weekend we decided to head down to Brighton for a few days to enjoy a long weekend away as well as check out the area as a potential destination for relocation.

On Thursday we left mid morning and drove down south and checked into our AirBnB early afternoon. We were very central, but it was super quiet due to lockdown which worked out quiet well for us. Once unpacked we walked down to the beach for sunset then back to the apartment for the evening.

On Friday we did a good bit of driving around, from Brighton through Hove and Portslade and out through to Worthing where we stopped up and walked out along the pier. After sometime along the pier in the wind, it was back in the car to King Alfred car park and a nice walk along the beach front there before heading back to the accommodation.

Yesterday was Ellen's birthday which we celebrated in the morning in the apartment with a fry up for breakfast and some presents, then a walk down to the beach and back in the afternoon for some birthday cake. Afterwards we took a drive around the neighbouring areas of Hove and Portslade to get a feel for the areas before heading back to the apartment for the evening.

This morning, after quickly packing up, we headed down to Brighton beachfront for a walk along there, followed by Five Guys for lunch and then the drive back home.

Was a good weekend away and think Ellen enjoyed her birthday and the couple of days away from home :)

Other than it being super cold at the moment, had a good month here with a mix of keeping busy (and warm) as well as in and around the house. The first Saturday this month we headed into the MyspacerSenspacerse office to go pick up a few things there. We decided to make an afternoon of it, with Ellen running around and enjoying herself there. Afterwards we took a brief walk along the river, grabbed a coffee and then headed home. On the Sunday it was meant to be a snow day, was super cold outside and landed up having a bit of sleet but that was about all. However, on the following couple of days we did in fact have some snow outside which made the walk to and from nursery a bit more interesting :)

Later that week was nursery inset day which I had decided to take off and spend the day with Ellen at home which was good fun. Then on Friday, we all popped through to the office again to grab some equipment from there to bring home. The weekend was really cold and we all just spent it at home and indoors - too cold to venture out! On the Saturday night we had the hot stone raclette as part of our at-home Valentines dinner.

The following weekend was slightly milder so made sure we got out the house, with Saturday being out at Nunhead Cemetery in the morning, following by an afternoon of me tinkering with the RC car and then followed by a braai for dinner. On the Sunday, Ellen enjoyed the afternoon running around the garden outside. Earlier in the month I had decided to get back into my biltong making, so after hanging it the previous week, I had been patiently waiting for it to dry and this week it was ready to slice and enjoy - even though it never lasts very long in this house :)

The last weekend we decided to head into town, started off with a walk by Tower Bridge, then along the river down to Borough Market which was incredibly busy, so turned around and headed back to Five Guys for lunch and then finally home. On the Sunday we stayed at home just around the house.

And that brings us to the end of February, hopefully also the end of the coldest month and next month is slightly milder :)

First of all, happy new year everyone and hopefull 2021 is good to everyone, and looking forward to an end to this pandemic at some point this year... fingers crossed! The majority of blog updates from last year were prefixed with "Coronavirus Lockdown" but decided to avoid that for this year, and hopefully if all goes well that'll be all behind us before the end of the year, so just naming these future posts by their month names from now on :)

This year we started off with the first few days around the house and in the log cabin. On that first weekend we drove over to Greenwich Park for a wander around there and some time playing in the bandstand, followed by a visit to Peckham Rye Park on the Sunday for a walk around the lake until the rain starting to come down pretty hard so decided to rush back to the car and head on home.

Towards the end of last year, we had decided if COVID cases in the area were super high at the start of January, we would keep Ellen at home for at least the first week. So I took the first two days of January off and Una took the Wednesday off. On the Tuesday, Lockdown 3 was announced which was a national lockdown (again), one step futher than the Tier 4 restrictions that London was already under. Thankfully, nurseries weren't affected by it, so they would stay open, but still pleased we kept her at home for the first week. At least my first day back to work on the Wednesday wasn't as much of a hassle with only a few steps commute to the "office" at home instead of the trek through in the chilly January weather :)

The next weekend we spent most of it at home, with a brief visit up to Telegraph Hill Park on the Sunday for a bit of a run around and some fresh outdoor air. We're pretty limited where we can go and what we can do, but good to get out when we can. That Friday was my birthday and we had originally planned to go away for the weekend, but when Lockdown was announced, we postponed it to later in the year when hopefully we do get to go. But we had a nice day at home, with hot stone raclette for dinner that night - as good as any restaurant meal :) That weekend was another one spent mostly at home, with it being pretty cold outside, but did mange a visit up to Telgraph Hill Park for a walk around and a bit of time on the playground.

Last weekend was fairly sunny on the Saturday morning, so not to waste a nice day, we headed over to Nunhead Cemetery for an easy walk around there, and on the Sunday we had our first bit of snow fall, more than I expected to fall, so after the first part of the morning at home watching it come down, we took a walk over to St. Mary's Frobisher Park for a bit of play in the snow and some very small snowman building, which Ellen really seemed to enjoy!

Yesterday was a miserable rainy day here, so had a lazy indoors day at home all day. Then today, with it being nice and sunny, we decided to head into Tower Bridge and walk over towards St Katharine Docks.

It was super windy and cold, so after our walk over the bridge and around the Marina, we decided to return to the car and head on back to a nice warm home :)

We've now come to the end of 2020, and what a year it's been - one dominated by Covid and Lockdowns :( But we managed to make the best of it when possible - trying to get away for weekend breaks when we could. December started off well with a long weekend away at the Cosy Farmhouse Cottage in Pembury which was nice. Then the next weekend we had our annual Jukka's Christmas get together, this year via Zoom which wasn't nearly as good as previous years, but still good to catch up with everyone best we could. We also used the call to announce our exciting news to everyone... we're expecting #2 in June next year, so that's very exciting :) Then on the Sunday we decided to head out to the O2 Arena for a pub lunch at The Observatory.

On the following weekend, London got plunged into Tier 4 restrictions, which forced the closure of all pubs and restaurants, so we managed our pub lunch at The Observatory in the O2 just in time. That evening, Una had organised a delivery of the "Hawksmoor @ Home" ready to cook food kit, which was a nice surprise. So after Ellen had gone down for the evening, we started to prep the dinner, but with the rain coming down, it did mean braaiing the steaks in the wet and rain, but worth it in the end :) A really delicious home meal from Hawksmoor! The following day we drove over to Burgess Park for a walk around there.

The few days leading up to Christmas were exceptionally busy at work, trying to get everything done before finishing up for Christmas, so was rather glad when the 24th came around to finish up and have a bit of a breather over Christmas. We had always planned to have Christmas at home this year, even though Greg and family had originally invited us down to theirs for the day, we were always aware of possible restrictions so decided against it early on, which was just as well with London in Tier 4 for the Christmas period! Christmas Day was fairly quiet this year, but a really nice day with Ellen's excitement at all the festivities. After the morning's excitement and a feast for lunch, we took a drive that evening into central London to check out the lights and a walk around there.

The days following Christmas were fairly leisurely, enjoying a visit up to Nunhead Cemetery, a drive into Tower Bridge for a walk down to Hays Gallaria and London Bridge, as well as a walk around the block to check out the Christmas lights.

And that brings me to the end of the blog updates for 2020 - it certainly has been a year with a difference, and a lot less updates per month than I have been doing over the past years, but here's to a happy new year and a good 2021 xx

This past weekend we spent out in Pembury (near Tunbridge Wells) in Kent, in a cosy farmhouse cottage for a couple of nights. We had booked it in ages ago, and had hoped we'd be able to go with all the current restrictions, so rather glad we were able to get there for a nice weekend break. We left home on Friday afternoon and arrived there just on sunset, checked-in and settled down for the evening.

On Saturday morning we took a walk down to the nearby woods, and in the afternoon decided to drive into Tunbridge Wells to see the lights and possible a bit of a stroll around. We headed into Calverley Grounds and noticed a sign for tickets for Santa's Grotto and thought that would be our best (and only) chance for Ellen to meet Santa. Even though it was a very social-distance and Covid-safe Grotto, it was still better than nothing, and missy got to "meet" Santa and tell him about the black unicorn she wants for Christmas :)

Then yesterday, after packing up and checking-out, we drove over to Cinderhill Wood which wasn't too far from the house for a nice leisurely walk around there.

After our walk around the woods, we headed over to Tonbridge to grab some lunch in the car, and then made our way back to London, getting home around mid afternoon.

November started out with us heading out to the O2 Arena for a walk around there and a pub lunch at The Observatory. It was all very quiet, granted we were there at midday before any rush, but figured it would be best to get in and out while it was still quiet.

A few days later on the Thursday, Boris announced Lockdown 2.0 for a month, so rather glad we managed to get out for a pub lunch when we did. At least for this lockdown we're a lot more prepared than we were for the first lockdown - we're already all working from home, all our deliveries are online, we weren't and still aren't meeting anyone, so nothing really will change much for this lockdown for us I reckon.

The evening on the 5th we did have a small Bonfire / Fireworks night at home with a few sparklers and lighting the firepit, and Ellen seemed to quite enjoy the sparklers :)

That next weekend we headed into Tower Bridge for a walk around there and down to London Bridge and Hays Gallaria. On the Sunday we popped up to Nunhead Cemetery for a stroll through the "woods" with Ellen and the pooch.

The following weekend we decided to drive into Battersea Park for a walk around the park, which turned out to be a lot busier than we thought it would be, but still managed an enjoyable walk around there, despite the crowds and it being rather chilly. On the Sunday we just had a lazy day around the house and in the log cabin.

On the Monday morning we got a phone call from Monkey Puzzle to say they had had a positive Covid case amongst one the teachers, so unfortunately Ellen's class would have to shut for two weeks, which meant we suddenly had to change our working week plans.

The next weekend we did some Christmas tree decorating, popped up to Nunhead Cemetery for a walk and then headed into London to see the Christmas lights in town.

Even though we're in Lockdown 2.0 - we've managed to do a few things (within the rules) to not make it feel too much like lockdown... obviously still not seeing anyone in person or being socialable at all, those days will return but for now making it work as best we can :)