I’m back… back!
We had 10 amazing days travelling around New England, followed by a characteristically hectic return to school, work and the chaos real life, hence the prolonged and unusual quiet here on the blog. In the days we were gone, the seasons definitively turned; frost is in the air, Christmas is in the shops and we seem to be racing towards December already. At home we’re in the midst of our latest building project as we gradually restore and update the house, so plaster dust lightly adorns every surface, and more treasures are being discovered as we open up fireplaces and lift floorboards – but more on that next week.
Till then, a whistle-stop tour through the very best of our time in the US, guided by your fantastic suggestions of where to go and what to see. We booked a car and the first night’s stay, but then plotted only a day or two ahead, going where the fancy took us. Temperatures swung from 70-40 degrees, often from one day to the next, but the relentlessly blue skies and amazing colours compensated for the blasts of arctic chill. We had a ball…
We began in Connecticut and caught the last of the brilliant fall colour; Harry took to diving into the giant leaf piles that were all around, and also discovered the joys of bagels and cream cheese, pancakes for breakfast and a myriad of other culinary delights. We pottered through beautiful villages where all the porches were decorated for Halloween, and created the Pumpkin Watch game to see who could spot the most as we drove.
Inspired by all this seasonal decoration, we tracked down a local farm and discovered pumpkin patches, tractor rides, hay-mazes and apple cider…
Despite living on an island, we can never get enough of the sea, so regularly headed out to the coast to claim the deserted beaches as our own. With the weather bright and breezy and local kids in school, we shared the sand and rocks only with friendly dogs and fishermen.
We spent two days near Newport, and spent hours hunting for beach treasures, walking the cliffs and running, running, running along the sand. Again; hardly a soul around – it reminded me of Where the Wild Things Are as Harry raced along the seashore in his new bear hat; his own private kingdom, at least until the turn of the tide…
Ten days of amazingly beautiful places and lovely people; ten days without a schedule or alarm clock or a need for early nights and military-level organisation – it was perfect, and came at just the right time for us to decompress. We came home with hundreds of photos, wonderful memories and – remarkably, even now – a renewed sense of calm. Also, alas, with a few extra pounds in weight. Obviously all that beach running didn’t quite offset all the pancakes…
Have a wonderful weekend, whatever you’re doing. We’re starting preparations for Harry’s 4th birthday in a couple of weeks, which inevitably will be pirate-themed (just what is it about little boys and pirates?!).
Kate x
Dear Kate,
Welcome back!
Sounds like you had an amazing time. Holidays for us at the moment are quite non existent as we are currently in baby mode with my seven month old comprising of sleepless nights, teething and the like. Speaking of Harry’s 4th birthday, we have just celebrated my little Evie’s 3rd birthday. After your wonderful inspiration and much sourcing we opened a franchise here in Melbourne, Australia to Harry’s “Paris Market Store”. Evie was beside herself with excitement and has taken to Harry’s idea of charging outrageously high prices. Thanks so much for your marvellous ideas and creations. We so look forward to reading your blog each week so please keep it coming.
Thanks again, your avid fans
Michelle and Evie
Michelle, how lovely to hear from you …and Happy Birthday to Evie, whose entrepreneurial skills seem to be evolving beautifully! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the blog and finding some inspiration
Here’s hoping you get to reclaim the nights before too long (I remember just operating in an exhausted blur for the whole of the first year; given your creativity with Evie at the same time I think a medal is due!). Kate
Welcome back Kate, we missed you! So glad that you all had a lovely holiday though, it looks like a beautiful place to visit. Looking forward to some of your inspirational seasonal posts soon….
Hello Kate,
Welcome back!
So glad you had a wonderful time, your holiday photos are great
and we look forward to seeing and reading about the inspiration you brought back
from New England.
Welcome back home–nothing like returning to your nest after a long trip. I love pumpkins farms especially when their are boys in the family and they design racing slides for fun!
So glad you enjoyed your holiday! As an American, it’s always lovely to see one’s own country through someone else’s eyes. It reminds us of the novelty and wonder that surrounds each of us every day! I would guess that you probably feel that way too when foreigners prose on about the wonders of England.
Welcome back and so glad you enjoyed New England! Did you end up making it up to Vermont after all? If not, perhaps it’s for the best… while we have a very charming fall, I think you may have missed it by a week or two! It was quite cold and dark up here that week.
I used to live down in the Rhode Island/Connecticut area – good choice! Glad you had a good time.
Hi Jen, oh that news about Vermont weather makes me feel better; we discovered (the hard and projectile way) that Harry gets car sick after a couple of hours, so after a messy day we decided to roam around the Mass/RI/Connecticut area and play safe – it worked, thank heaven! Living in a country as small as England means it can be a surprisingly long time before things like long-distance car-sickness come to light
So good to see you back here, Kate! I’m glad you had such a great time. You’ve basically been on my perfect holiday – I dream of one day going to that area during autumn. Gorgeous beach photos. x
Gorgeous images! New England is one of the loveliest regions in America. ~M.
So glad you had such an amazing time and thank you for sharing photos! I would love to go
Be still my heart you have described my home which I have not seen in too many moons and your love for it made my heart yearn and ache at the same time. Clearly a trip home (and soon) must be made.
So glad you had such a lovely trip. Harry has grown all of the sudden, it seems! Looking forward to seeing the new projects on the house and for the holidays
Oh, your photos are gorgeous. I love New England in the fall . . . and Harry running on the beach in that hat IS “Where the Wild Things Are.”
Welcome back. We missed ya!
Yippeeee you’re back! Looks like you had the bestest time!
Jones x
Ah Jones, we did; the bestedly-best EVER! Such a crashing bump back into real life though, alas.. adjustment is all the harder after a great time away!
Weekend Rituals: Cake in the House
[…] weather, and are dreaming and scheming about our next big adventure for later in the year – New England will take some beating but it’s a challenge we’re looking forward […]