Our Day Trip to Enniskillen

This month we ventured outside Donegal and headed off for the beautiful Enniskillen in Co Fermanagh for our monthly day trip.

The sun was shining and it was a fabulous day out with my favourite people.

Our first stop was the stunning Castle Archdale Country Park which is situated on the shores of Lough Erne. This really is a fantastic place and if we had known what exactly was contained within the park beforehand we could have spent the whole day here.

But that's the beauty of our days out we just drive and see were we end up, we can always come back to somewhere we really like.

There are woodland walks and trails, boats for hire, bicycles for hire, picnic areas and our Little Fella enjoyed the ducks. We have planned to go back very soon and stay at the camping site because I know we will just have the best fun. 

In the main courtyard there are lots of exhibitions and one of Mr P's favourite things was the WW2 exhibition highlighting the role of Castle Archdale as the most westerly flying boat station.

For families this is just the greatest place and I can't wait to come back. 

You can see about Castle Archdale Country Park here.

Next stop was onto Enniskillen Castle which is right at the edge of the town. The castle is situated on the river Erne and the location is simply stunning.

We really enjoyed the exhibitions here and the military display is one of the best I've seen. There is also a very interesting display of artifacts that were found in a nearby Crannog in Drumclay.

A Crannog is an ancient artificial island built on a lake or river and in Drumclay carbon dating has confirmed that some of the site goes as far back as 670AD.

I've always loved history and for me this was my favourite find of the day.


There were decorative pins, combs made from bone, bowls, knives and it's amazing that all of these things have survived down through the years.

What a great way to spend our Saturday together creating lots of lovely memories.

I wouldn't have it any other way. 

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Our Weekend

On Saturday our Teen and myself met up with some family and friends to celebrate my aunt's 60th birthday at Castlemurray House Hotel.

We had afternoon tea in the most stunning of settings on one of the hottest days of the year. 

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday afternoon with great company, lots of laughs and the sun shining. 

I can't wait to come back here, it's definitely one to put on our list of favourite places.

Hope your weekend was just as wonderful.

XXX

Photo of the Week

It's the weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. 

We are celebrating two very special birthdays this weekend as my aunt and godmother turns 60 and my mother in law turns 70.

Tomorrow our Teen and myself are having afternoon tea at the beautiful Castlemurray Hotel with my auntie and some family and friends, a girl only afternoon.

I do love a good afternoon tea, what a great way to spoil ourselves on a Saturday afternoon.

My husband is taking the boys to watch some football and spend some time with them.

Then on Sunday we are having dinner with my husband's family to celebrate his mum's birthday.

The weather here has been totally amazing all week and today the tar on the road was completely melted. 

It feels like we are on holiday. 

We have been out and about during the week making the most of this beautiful sunshine and I have a few posts to finish about those days but in the meantime this photo was taken on Monday with my favourite people at a little picnic area and waterfall not far from our home.

I hope your weekend is great whatever you are doing xxx

10 Months New

A whole 10 months old today.

Yet another month has flown in and I can't believe how fast the time is flying, I keep saying this and I'm starting to sound like a broken record but it's true.

Our Little Fella is getting extremely independent and we crawl at great speed. Only this evening I was met at our patio doors by him coming along smiling as always.

I have never seen a child that smiles so much, he is such a happy little soul.

He is getting more cheeky by the day and I just know he is going to be trouble. Already he knows how to get his own way and has us all wrapped firmly around his little finger.

He does this funny little thing with his mouth showing off all his teeth, there has been no more since but six is a good number.

I love the way he gets shy when strangers look and talk to him, he cuddles into to me and puts his fingers in his mouth. It doesn't take him long to come round though.

He is eating loads and have finally accepted that its ok to eat food that is a bit more lumpy.

He has also developed a wild attachment to my Dad. 

When he sees him he gets really excited and just has to get over to him. It's lovely to see that he is just as mad about him as the other two are and he's going to be every bit as spoilt.

I think that over the last two days it has clicked with him to smile for the camera and look at it instead of turning every way but the right way but what can we expect from a little trouble maker.

XXX

Braised Chicken Thighs

I love comfort food and this dish definitely falls into that category. 

A few weeks ago I was watching the fabulous Donal Skehan cooking this dish and had to give it a go.

This is my version of the recipe because I wasn't feeling too well when I was shopping and forgot the vegetables but I can say it is a dish that everybody in our home really enjoyed and have asked for it to be done again. That's a sure sign that this is a great little recipe to have up your sleeve for those days when you don't know what to make or are in a complete hurry. You can check out the full recipe here along with some other great recipes at the Donal Skehan Blog.

Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think. I served it with some plain boiled rice and a little glass of wine for myself.

Ingredients

1 tblsp olive oil

100g streaky bacon, chopped

6 boneless chicken thighs

1 tblsp butter

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Glass of white wine

Thyme 

50ml chicken stock

6 spring onions, trimmed and sliced

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the bacon pieces and fry until crisp.

2. Add the chicken thighs and fry on each side until golden and crisp.

3. Add the butter and allow it to foam, then stir in the lemon zest and fry it in the butter.

4. Pour in the wine and then add the thyme and chicken stock.

5. Add the spring onions.

6. Cover with a lid and simmer for about 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with boiled rice or fresh crusty bread.

I'm Still Here

So, things have been a bit quiet here for the last few weeks. 

My life has been hectic to say the least - our two oldest are on summer holidays, we've been running here and there, I've been sick and feeling a bit fed up and then to top it off I have only gone and got myself a part time job. 

It wasn't planned at all because I wasn't looking for anything at the minute, it just happened by chance and I believe that everything happens for a reason. 

It's two days a week and it really suits me and our lifestyle and I'm happy that I don't have to miss out on all the little firsts that our Little Fella will encounter in his first year that you just don't get to go back on.

I've been looking back on the blog since I started it in February and I'm so glad that I have it as a record of our Little Fella's first year and the little things we've been up to as a family and I don't want to let it fall by the wayside.

I have loads of posts sitting in draft that I hope to get sorted out in the next few weeks, we've been out and about enjoying the beautiful summer weather that would normally be associated with the Mediterranean.

This lovely photo is taken of our roses, one of the only things to grow in our garden. I love it because I took a few slips of this rose bush from my grandmother's garden and just stuck it in the ground hoping for the best about four years ago.

Finally, thanks to my husband's green fingers we have a beautiful mass of these fragrant roses and they remind me of my grandmother every time I look out at them. When you open the back door the smell of them hits you and it feels comforting.

So please stay tuned and I can't wait to get catching up on all the blogs I love to read xxx