cambridge

Last week we took a little journey back east to my hometown. We were staying the weekend for my dad's 60th birthday party. He planned a garden party with a marquee, and it was forecast to snow all weekend, and snow it did. But all turned out well in the end and a good party was had.

We drove over on thursday night as I always prefer driving in the evening and then at least it's done and we can wake up the next day already there. My sister was flying in from Barcelona for the weekend too, and I was excited to see her. My other sister joined us on Saturday and according to my dad it was the first time he had seen us all together in one room since about 2009 or something! (We were all together last summer at my Mum's wedding, but it is a rare occurrence these days).

She arrived late Thursday night so when we awoke in the morning we were both there. After a lazy morning catching up we drove to Cambridge. Even though I've been back to my hometown of Saffron Walden a few times recently I haven't had the chance to visit Cambridge in those visits, and I miss it dearly. It's always such a treat just to walk around and admire all the grand buildings, little side streets and sweet cafes and shops.

We arrived and parked where we always used to park when we were small, and walked through the common along the river like we used to when we were small. The wind was so bitterly cold though that we didn't stop for long or play at the park, that yep you guessed it, where we used to play when we were small.

We stopped for coffee and hot chocolate at the sweetest cafe to warm up and sat watching the people go by infront of the colleges. Theo napped whilst we peeped in shops and looked round the market.

 

Theo continued to sleep all the way through lunch but managed to wake up when we popped in to meet Ivana for the first time at the lovely cafe she works in. We ate her homemade lime and coconut cake (which was delicious!). I wish we could have stayed for longer so we could have hung out properly, and chatted over some drinks, but it was lovely to see her in her natural environment (like on safari) and taste some of her wares that I've drooled over from my computer screen!

 

Even though Theo slept through a lot of it, it always makes me so happy to see him treading on the same pavements I did when I was little, to look at wonder at the buildings and to run through the same park where I had my front two teeth knocked out when I was a little older than he is now. Because we live in Bristol where Rob grew up I feel that Theo is constantly shown pieces of Rob's childhood, whereas I have to savour the moments that we are back on my turf and end up telling everyone pieces of information over and over again because I have forgotten what they already know as it's so long between each visit. But I hope as Theo grows up he will come to learn and love some of the places I used to visit as a child to, and perhaps we too can have some shared memories of them.

p.s my sister also spent the weekend redesigning my blog header, what do you think?! There's a little more work to be done on the whole blog as I feel it's time for a change, but I like this start!