Best year of my life

I love New Year. I love reflecting on the year gone by, and tomorrow I look forward to the year ahead. To say it has been the best year of my life would be an understatement. This time last year we had told our parents about Ali being pregnant and we talked about how life will change in 2018.

It has become a tradition on my blog to have a look back at the year:

• Reyka completing our family - We managed to keep her a secret to all but a handful of people, right up until the day she was born. Having spent 2 years and giving up, we didn't believe she was real until we held her in our arms. We can't remember what life was like before she completed our family. 

• Brownies - Starting the year with a weekend in Butlin with thousands of Brownies for Brownie Starburst. Dressing as Belle for the Brownie Holiday in May, then dressing as a Reindeer for Christmas Brownie holiday.

• Visits - Bristol Aerospace, Titanic Museum, cheering Ellie at London Marathon, Royal Albert Hall, The Shard, visiting Tim Peake's space craft at Peterborough Cathedral. 

• Cottage Holidays - Herefordshire, Kent

• Suffrage centenary - Way way way too many amazing things I've loved. A few key memories - Suffragette City and chalking the pavements outside Piccadilly circus and then thrown in jail, hunting suffrage Blue Plaques around London which saw me on the train at 6am to trundle around London seeking the plaques before work, seeing the suffrage post boxes, visiting the cupboard where Emily Wilding Davison hid for the 1911 census, seeing the unveiling of the first female statue on Parliament Square, sewing a banner which took an entire weekend (I can't sew!) and leading a group in Processions, hosting a workshop in the ballroom in Blackpool, visiting the suffrage tree in Glasgow, the volunteer team winning an award, visiting Emmeline Pankhurst's grave and then ending the year visiting the Pankhurst Centre in Manchester and buying sashes for friends Christmas presents, then walking from Hatfield to Holloway (this is not a common walking route).

• Votes for women day - Leading a day of activities for over 100 Rainbows, Brownies and Guides in St Neots to celebrate the Suffrage Centenary. They were dressed as inspiration women in history. 

• Afternoon tea - Carriages of Cambridge (twice), Fortnum and Mason, Bristol Patisserie Valerie

• Sienna being born

• Royal wedding  - 4am start to get a front row pitch to see Prince Harry ad Meghan. Early in the morning we were on BBC weather when Carol asked where we were from and I enthusiastically started by shouting St Neots. 

• Cakes - Baking every week for the community café and baking the Great British Bake Off bakes again. 

• Wimbledon - In the Debenture area! 

• Pride - marching in London Pride with Girl Guiding makes me so proud

• Baby shower - a joint baby shower for Ali and I including games and lovely afternoon tea at Emma's. 

• Witnessing the fly past to celebrate RAF100 in London. 

• Speaking at every Women into Leadership conference this year, including Glasgow and Belfast. My first day back after parental leave was speaking to 850 people in London. 

• MBE - I still pinch myself that this actually happened, it still doesn't feel real, even though I've been to the Palace and have the medal. Being awarded for something you love is the best feeling in the world, especially in this phenomenal year. 

Let's see what 2019 brings.

Bluebirds over The White Cliffs of Dover

Our last visit of a lovely week in Kent, and it was to the White Cliffs of Dover, a National Trust site. We parked at the visitor centre and walked the path to the viewpoint. Alas the pram couldn't get too far, but far enough for us to see the chalk cliffs and then back to the tea shop for National Trust tea and cake. I couldn't stop singing 'There'll be bluebirds over, the white cliffs of Dover'.

Canterbury Cathedral and Whitstable

I've wanted to visit Canterbury for a long time, alas it didn't live up to my imagination. We parked on the side of the cathedral walls and had a short walk through the lovely little alleyways and streets. I paid to go into the cathedral and we were abruptly stopped because of not paying. I explained that I have, and that I would take in the pram and Ali would sit outside with the dogs. We were informed that we had to pay full price for Ali to sit outside (£12.50) even though it's currently a construction site and you can't see anything in the grounds anyway. So Ali left. However, I was stopped again, with a lecture by security about not leaving the pram unattended because of security reasons. I can't imagine why I would leave my daughter alone anyway? This tainted the visit. It wasn't easy to find the accessible lifts and ramps, so after just 15 minutes, we had to leave because Reyka needed Ali for a feed. I've given the cathedral feedback after our visit.

To perk us up after the bad visit, we went further north to Whitstable, mainly because of the series 'Tipping the velvet' which talked so highly of Whitstable. It didn't disappoint. We walked along the promenade, saw the Oyster stalls and shells piled up on the beach. A glorious quiet walk.

Blown along the beach in Broadstairs

I always wondered what Margate was like. On EastEnders you hear them talk about visits to Margate so I was intrigued. We took a drive through on our way to Broadstairs which I've heard about because of TV programmes too. We parked and then walked down to the harbour wall. Alas it was a bit nippy so Reyka's nose was bright red. It's the first sandy beach we have visited, so while Sailor, Penny and I walked along the sandy beach back to the car, Ali took the hilly way. While walking, we saw a group of French teenagers strip and run into the sea and then quickly run out again. What were they thinking. The beach huts are built into the chalk cliffs and really reminded me of traditional seaside hols.

Hythe Beach - a great find

A day for the doggies. They love a country park so that was our destination today. I chose Brockhill Country park which looked a sunstantial size on the map but alas was a tad small when we got there, especially for as the pram needs paths rather than going through the woods. So instead we walked around the lake and then drove on to find somewhere else to visit. Purely by chance, I typed in beach into my found and found a real treasure - Hythe beach. A really long promenade that you can imagine Victorians walking along. People passed us an said hello or asked to seek Reyka or the dogs. We stopped for a coffee in a converted horsebox and then walked back. A real treasure, but has the ugliest beach huts I've seen. Would love to return to this gem.

Deal - Reyka's first visit to the beach

Reyka's first visit to a beach and it was a corker - Deal. It's a seaside town that id love to live in. It was a pebble beach so no chance of getting the dogs or the pram onto the beach but we had a lovely walk along the promenade, on the pier and then bought fish and chips. The pier was full of fishermen which made me wonder, you never see fisherwomen.

Dover Castle - not great for dogs or babies

Our first day of exploring in Kent. As English Heritage members, we chose Dover Castle for our first stop. It's huge and has lots to explore. However, not with a pram (because of the cobbles) or with dogs (because much of it is in the tunnels). I'd of loved to have visited inside the tunnels and the underground hospital used in the wars, but alas dogs aren't allowed. It was a nice sunny day, and I enjoyed seeing the people in costume and in character when they greeted you, but glad we didn't have to pay because we didn't see most of the castle. The stories were interesting, about Operation Dynamo and WW1 but alas, I had to read it online instead. We were able to see a roman lighthouse, saxon church, statue of Ramsay and a gorgeous view over the bay of Dover though. Something that did put us off was that we were constantly asked to see our wristbands, as though we just happened to walk in an not pay.

Horseshoe Cottage, Alkham, Kent

We love a cottage holiday. This time our destination was Kent and Horseshoe Cottage, Alkham in Kent. An enclosed garden which is perfect with the doggies. We were welcomed with milk in the fridge, coffee, tea and some cookies. Two double bedrooms with huge ensuite rooms, underfloor heating and a woodburner. We also had a lovely Christmas tree which was a nice touch. Let the exploring commence.

RAF 100 - a tear jerk moment in history

I'm so pleased Ellie and I decided to spent our lunch heading over to St James Park to see the RAF 100 flypast. We hadn't anticipated so many people, you couldn't move. The atmosphere was amazing. People looking up at the sky and cheering as every plane went by in formation. The planes in the shape of 100 created a huge roar but oh my gosh, when the Red Arrows soared through the sky and painted it red, white and blue, the crowd cheered so so loud.

In the fly past - Puma HC2, Chinook HC4, Juno H135, Jupiter H145, Dakota, Lancaster, Spitfire, Hurricane, Prefect T1, Tucano T1, Shadow R1, Hercules C-130J, A400M Atlas, C-17 Globemaster, BAE146, Sentinel, Voyager, Rivet Joint RC-135W, E-3D Sentry, Hawk T1, Hawk T2, Tornado GR4, Lightning, Typhoon FGR4 and Red Arrows.