Silent Sunday

Day Trip to Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple

Spending time together and having fun...that was our Saturday in a nutshell when we had our monthly day trip to Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple.

Mussenden Temple is one of those famous Northern Ireland landmarks that you always see on TV and even though its quite close to home this was our first visit.

The day was beautiful and sunny despite the chill in the autumn air it almost felt like a summers day.

Our first stop was Benone Beach giving you seven miles of golden sand and spectacular views of Donegal and the mountains in the backdrop. 

I was surprised at how many people were out surfing, walking and just taking in the scenery. There was even an ice cream van. 

We didn't have any ice creams this time but I will look forward to coming back here and trying one in the warmer weather.

Downhill Estate is mostly in ruin but the gardens and walkways are beautiful. You can tell from the remains of the very large castle that the Bishop of Derry and Earl of Bristol who built it was certainly a flamboyant character.

There is so much space here to just roam about and I really enjoyed watching the older two take an interest in their surroundings and using their cameras.

Our Little Fella is happiest when he is outside and he loves watching his big sister and brother mess around with each other.

The highlight of this visit has to be the breathtaking views and Mussenden Temple which the Bishop built in honour of his cousin perched proudly on the edge of the clifftop. 

The Temple was once a library and as a book lover you can imagine it would have been the most idyllic place to sit and read for hours and hours with no disruptions apart from the view.

The family pass into Downhill also gave us entry to the nearby Hezlett House, a beautiful old thatched cottage which dates back to the 17th Century. 

It's great that the National Trust have maintained it and we really enjoyed our visit there. 

Our Inbetweener was quite horrified on the tour to find out that in the 1700's the owners of the cottage would have hired boys as young as 9 and 10 years old from a local fair to work as farm hands and they would have slept in a tiny room together.

What a different world we live in today.

Being out and about with the wind blowing through our hair works up a healthy appetite so we drove on to the Bushmills Inn for a late lunch and simply the best bread and butter pudding.

A perfect end to a perfect day out together.

September's day trip left us with lots of fun memories. These monthly day trips do seem to make the year go in even faster as we are always planning our next trip and have something to look forward to. I can't believe that three more trips will take us to the end of the year.

What outdoor fun have you been up to?

Joining in with Country Kids from Coombe Mill Blog.
Please head on over to read up on some of the other wonderful outdoor adventures.

  

September in Pictures

September pictures from my iPhone...

Highlights from the month have been...

Having time to enjoy breakfast and relax in the mornings with the older two back at school. Loving the time I have with our Little Fella and watching him go through all the kitchen cupboards on a daily basis. Swanky new shoes a birthday treat from his auntie J. Having a delicious late lunch with the family at The Bushmills Inn. Rainbows on a wet September evening. Vibrant autumn berries. The best bread and butter pudding I've had in ages. Playtime with his big sister on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Beautiful white lilies. Watching the harvest. Long walks when everyone else is at school or working. Cinema date night with Mr P. Admiring my three lovlies in black and white. New winter boots for everyday. Birthday preparations for our Little Fella's first birthday. Having fun at bathtime - love this baby. A wonderful family day trip to Downhill Demesne and Mussenden Temple. Birthday celebrations Teddy Bear's Picnic Style and the cake made by my own fair hand. School uniforms nice and new. Finally getting our laundry basket empty.

I hope September was wonderful for you and don't forget you can follow our adventures on Instagram we would love to follow you back.

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Weekend...

As if by magic the leaves on the trees have turned a fiery red overnight putting on a spectacular display. The night skies have been graced with a beautiful full harvest moon and tonight there is a sky full of stars.

I love star gazing and I'm really looking forward to spending some time outside with our three just watching the night skies - theres always a shooting star or two if you keep a careful watch.
This is definitely one of my favourite times of year.

Things have been busy around here to say the least with our Little Fella's birthday celebrations last weekend (post to follow), lots of sports activities with our Inbetweener and sickness as I have caught a nasty cold and have been feeling rotten for the past two weeks.

With a crispness in the air and dry weather forecast we are heading off on our monthly trip this weekend. I'm looking forward to getting outside, exploring somewhere new and spending some time as a family. I can't wait to get my camera out.

I hope your weekend is fun.

XXX

Happy 1st Birthday

One year ago today at 06.24am we welcomed the fifth member of our family into the world weighing a whopping 9lb 3oz. 

The day had finally arrived, ten days over your due date and we were so excited to have our baby safe and healthy.

365 days of unconditional love, smiles, happiness and the best fun ever have passed. 

You have turned our lives upside down and back round again and our little family is now complete. 

We have watched you grow from this...

to this in what feels like a blink of an eye.

Wishing you our Little Fella a magical 1st Birthday with all our love.

XXX

Our Last Summer Picnic

We had our last picnic of the summer just ten minutes drive from home at the beautiful Gortletteragh Waterfall. 

I have really loved being at home during the summer holidays with the children and having our little days out. 

After the older two had a lie in we packed our picnic of sandwiches and juice before we set off. On the way there we decided to stop off at the village cafe for some homemade chips to have with the rest of our food - not very healthy I know but totally delicious and well worth the stop.

After eating we did some exploring. 

Our Little Fella loves being outdoors and being pushed about in his buggy. When we were climbing up to the viewing point though I must confess I put him in the sling because I wasn't feeling fit enough to push him up the steep hill.

There is lots to see here, we couldn't resist throwing in a few pennies to make a wish in the Wishing Well and our Teen and Inbetweener took a great interest in the Murder Hole and Priest's Rock which date back to medieval times.

We had a great time just chatting, eating and laughing. The best things in life really are for free.

 It is such a lovely quite place to spend an afternoon and it's days like these that you just don't want to end.

Joining in with Country Kids at Coombe Mill Blog. Please take some time to check out the other adventures and outdoor fun by clicking on the badge.