Farewell February...

Farewell February.... its been a bit mixed, I've had some lovely moments in the month and also a few challenges. With the 'beast from the east' due to arrive imminently I am sure that March is going to be a little challenging too.

• February saw me take a lovely winter break with M to the gorgeous Tuddenham Mill.
• Spent a lovely afternoon with Emily and the Makelight ladies talking photo's instagram and all sorts of  lovely over tea & cake
• Flowers at the beginning of the month and for Valentines both as gorgeous as each other
• M and I went to dinner in Paris for Valentines Day.
• Friday night date night of Film & Fizz with Churchill, Prosecco & Popcorn.
• Snowdrop hunting for the Spring season and another friday night date night with Burgers, cocktails and a walk through Soho and Chinatown.

Looking back February you weren't too bad, caught up with a few friends and family at a Quiz night and over curry. Looking forward to catching up with a few more in March....

Paris is always a good idea!.....

So says Audrey Hepburn!...... and that's exactly where we headed for Valentines Day. Yes I know that its a little twee but trust me you would never have known it Valentines Day in Paris in comparison to how OTT the UK does Valentines.
M has never been to Paris so when Eurostar sent me their £50 return deal I never expected to be able to book Valentines day but we did and that's where we headed. Starting off in the gorgeous station of St Pancras is always lovely and even with a 4am alarm call I was still greeted with roses and a card (definitely a keeper!)
We were booked on the 7am train and we left on time and started the journey with prosecco strawberries & cereal, arriving in Paris just after 10am. I had planned a small itinerary to give M a whistle stop tour of the city. The day was quite foggy and misty to begin and grey clouds loomed for most of the day, however this didn't deter us from having fun. A hike up the steps to the Scare Coeur was our first stop where we stopped to view the skyline of Paris. The walk down was easier which lead us past Galleries Lafayette and into the square of Paris Garnier the stunning opera house. We both said that we would come back for a few days and try to see the ballet there. Next stop was the Louvre which was packed, I think everyone was looking for options to escape the chill. Our escape was via Angelina chocolate shop for Hot chocolate which is just like molton chocolate! With this warming us up we headed towards the Champs Elysees to window shop and have some fun at the Arc de triomphe watching the cars avoid crashing.

With time running away with itself we headed across the Seine for our pre-booked time to ascend the Eiffel Tower. We only visited the 2nd level and didn't go to the top as it had sold out (everyone pre-booking for proposals!) this was fine with us as it was freezing by this stage.
We enjoyed exploring the side streets around the tower and look forward to returning when all the re-generation around there is complete.
Our final stop on our whistle stop tour was to see the Notre Dame which we managed to get to just before dark and before the rain started.
After walking the best part of 12 miles it was time to find a quaint French restaurant which we did along the river and have dinner before heading back to Gard de Nord for our 8pm train home.
Both of us loved the day and will look to go back for longer in the Spring.

Winter retreat...

Thank you to those of you that messaged me following my last post, I am feeling a little brighter and better now. February has been a mixed month and a time to refocus and recharge the batteries. With some time off work, M and I had a couple of days away for a winter break in the gorgeous countryside of Suffolk.
Our winter retreat was in the gorgeous Tuddenham Mill between Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds, it has been on my bucket list for some time and we secured a fantastic deal with the mill for February which was perfect.
With very little surrounding the hotel it allowed us time just to relax, unwind, talk and just chill, something we both knew that we needed.

Our room was one of four that overlooked the water meadow and with floor to ceiling glass windows / doors it was lovely to watch the sunset and sunrise.
Tuddenham Mill offers a wide range of rooms; including some very cute nooks (look like large luxurious pig sty's!)
As you can see we had glorious views, blessed with the weather which enabled a lovely walk around the village road testing my new Hunters!
As well as luxurious rooms the hotel houses a 3 AA rosette restaurant which we dined in for the evening.
M opted for the lamb which was cooked perfectly and he said it was the best lamb that he had eaten. I chose the pork belly with baby beets, which was absolutely delicious. For dessert M had baked croissant with brandy soaked currants & apple with ice cream and I chose the rhubarb, lemon and ginger meringue which was amazing.
A delicious Merlot for dinner and then coffee with dessert it was a deliciously relaxing evening and the perfect way to celebrate 18 months from our first date.
With complimentary champagne and sloe gin as a nightcap I think it was the most alcohol that I had drunk in about 15 years.

With the watermill features still in place the restaurant and bar are housed around them and make a lovely feature of them.
We had a gorgeous stay here and would definitely make a return visit.
It was the perfect place for a winter retreat as it was so quiet but I am sure it looks equally as lovely in the summer.