A trip home

As we pack up the car and get ready to head to my parents' house in Wales for Easter, I thought I would share a few pictures from our last trip there. We went at the end of February, just as spring was getting ready to arrive, the light was getting brighter, and green shoots were appearing, oh so gently, from the ground. 

My parents moved to their current house about 3 years ago. Before that, we lived on the edge of a small town, still very close to fields and mountains but rather more suburban. They now live along a tiny lane on the edge of a village and are surrounded by the most incredible uninterrupted views of stretching fields and mountains. This is the view that the house faces onto, and the main reason they fell in love with house. However many times I see it, I never fail to be amazed by it! 

Another lovely thing about where they live is that they can step out and immediately be in deep, unadulterated countryside, they can walk from their house to the river or up mountains without having to get in a car. 

There are certain gentle little walks that we usually do when we go home, and each time I notice the subtle changes in the light or in the hedgerows as the seasons progress. I think that is the single loveliest thing about living so close to nature - how even the slightest of changes throughout the year are noticeable, and the feeling of connected-ness to the earth that that creates.

Anyway, enough hippy trippy stuff. We were at home to celebrate my dear old dad's birthday (his 60th no less!) and so most of the weekend was spent preparing for his party, partying at his party and clearing up after his party! (With a little bit of walking and some lounging around thrown in too).

I was in charge of flowers and decorations (basically faffing duties). I kept things quite simple. I wanted it to feel warm and cosy on a late winter night, but with little pops of colour to remind us that spring was on its way. 

I made up lots of little posies running down the tables in pinks, mauves and greens, a little soft nod to spring, but not too bright. I mixed dusky roses, anemones, ranunculus, hyacinth, tulips, eucalyptus and beautiful frothy wild carrot. 

I decked the tables in antique linen and used the vintage tea plates that I collected for our wedding. I also strung up some festoon lights which twinkled prettily all night long and lit candles all over the house (long-lasting tea lights are basically my favourite thing in the whole world). 

I lined the path to the front door with lanterns to guide the guests in the dark. 

These were also a wedding purchase that I totally forgot to use at our wedding!

Mum and dad cooked up a feast for dinner which I won't go into in detail, suffice to say that it was absolutely delicious and we were all incredibly full by the end.

And my sister baked the most incredible gigantic four tiered chocolate and raspberry cake that was a sight to behold and kept us going for about two weeks! 

And we all sang happy birthday to my lovely dad who I can't really believe is 60, who is one of the kindest, most patient, funniest and silliest people I know, and who I hope will stay young at heart for ever more. 

The next day was, unsurprisingly, rather slow, fuelled with multiple cups of tea and coffee and a big slab of birthday cake for breakfast. 

The sun showed its face for the first time all weekend and we had a little ramble to clear away the cobwebs.

Just before we headed home, the sky turned all beautiful and I took a few pics of the fields and sheep, bathed in warm early spring light, moving clouds above, just as the sun went down. 

A very lovely weekend. And I hope you have a wonderful Easter break, whatever you are up to!