Over May half term we had our first family holiday (just the four of us) abroad. When I asked Sam a week before we left what he wanted to do, he replied "just nothing" and that's pretty much how things panned out.

I know everyone holidays very differently but "nothing" for us means lazy starts, taking it in turns for a lie in, coffee and magazines/ top trumps and lizard spotting in our pyjamas until midday. With a pool in the garden, we really didn't have to venture far and the five minute drive to the boulangerie didn't bother us as we were too excited about the sweet pastries that awaited us. The mild disappointment at finding it closed mid week was quickly replaced by the joy of a fresh baguette vending machine! I KNOW!

We stayed in a gite owned by Sam's Aunty and Uncle in the Vendee, an easy hour's drive from Nante airport. As soon as we arrived, the 4am start quickly drifted from our minds and we relaxed into the house which felt like home straight away. As the week passed we learned where the light hit at different parts of the day, our room glowed in the evenings as did the back conservatory. Turns out the children's room was much the same at 6am which we discovered one day after forgetting to close their shutter! It was my turn to get up that day.

The kids loved the space in the garden, including a swing and dozens of giant fir cones to collect and line up. I'd better just throw a bit of reality into the mix though, they also enjoyed their own quiet time with an ipad, something we're waaaay more relaxed about on holiday!

Sam's Aunty and Uncle live on a farm just down the road from the gite so we had fun exploring and catching up over an obligatory (and always competitive) game of croquet.

 We're normally ones for exploring but now that we've got two water babies on our hands, when there's a chance they could be 'swimming' there's no place they'd rather be. So although we did venture further afield a little bit, the highlight for us was back here by the pool.

Turns out doing "nothing" together right here, has given us happy memories to last a very long time.

This gite is available to hire and, as you can see, it makes the perfect place for a family break. So if you're looking for a French countryside holiday you can find full details here. 

It feels so good to be back blogging again and in this brand NEW space. I've got some exciting things to share with you over the next few weeks (finally getting around to posting about Hong KONG!)  but I'd LOVE to know what you'd like to see and read around here. Do drop me a line and let me know below.