From A to B and fun in between

We have had a great couple of days in Essex, a packed long weekend. There has been lots of food and drink and we have caught up with family all over the county. Time is flying by!

The Friday lunchtime traffic was worst than we had hoped, with lorries and caravans slowing everything down on the motorway. The thermometer in the car rose to 30℃ as we sat and baked, and that was just Lincolnshire, how hot is Catalunya going to be!?

Today we visited the northern part of Essex, quiet countryside with nice scenery, as painted by artist John Constable. With my Dad and Julia we walked from Dedham to Flatford along the River Stour, looking forward to an ice cream when we got there.

We hired a row boat for an hour and the four of us rowed a mile and a half down the river and back. It was good fun and my Dad enjoyed being the powerhouse of the boat while I played Leo DiCaprio at the front.

Messing about on the river.

There is a National Trust café where we had our lunch, and an RSPB reserve with nice gardens, our spot for a well earned ice cream!

Jenny with a bug at Flatford Mill RSPB reserve.

Salut and Hola!

We are all packed, hopefully, for our long awaited summer adventure. Ryan has spent hours and hours planning a super road trip. The route we will take travels through France, first to the forests and magic of Forêt de Fontainebleau and then on to Limousin. We will be visiting family in Provence, enjoying the French countryside along the way. Then to Spain to gatecrash my parent's villa holiday.

Now that I've finished work for the summer I have now joined Ryan in all the excitement! As we both have blogs, Away with the Fairies and Everyday Good Living, we decided that it would be fun to share our travels through a joint blog. So here you have it, Suitcase Dates! A place for us to write about, post photos and keep track of the adventures we have together.

I have packed some art supplies as I hope to do some sketching while Ryan is off foraging, climbing or trying to cook something yummy on the camping stove. During the summer I get through loads of books so I have made sure my Kindle is stocked with exciting new stories. I am also taking a book journal and travel journal, that were bought for my birthday, to hopefully fill with ideas and notes along our journey.

 

Keep a lookout for our next blog post!

Jenny x