There are not many things better in life as a single parent than spending a week with your teenage daughter in the sunshine, I actually can't think of anything better actually, I mean I could have taken them both along but this doesn't work because Looby likes pool, Abigail likes exploring and never the twain shall meet!

I was lucky that I got an absolute bargain with lastminute.com and we payed less than £340 for our hotel, the lovely Isla Del Sol apartments which are quiet, beautiful and set in a residential area, with Can Pastilla being only a couple of miles away from the airport it's a short transfer time, something I was pretty grateful for after travelling as it always makes me tired!

I had been to Mallorca previously but only for 5 hours, that might sound slightly odd but it wasn't an OAP bus trip, it was just the final day of a cruise so I saw a tiny bit of Palma de Mallorca and instantly fell in love, the city of Palma itself actually reminds me of Barcelona in many ways, maybe a touch less busy but still a big bustling and beautiful city, when you get away from the city though, there are miles and miles of beaches, you can walk 15k along gorgeous coastland paths and around small bays of sleepy villages with azure blue clear water from the Mediterranean Sea.

I'd always thought of Mallorca as a beach resort kind of a place but it is so full of cyclists and walkers, particularly at this time of year and there's plenty of things to do, places to see, you can quite happily spend a week there.

It's true we packed a lot in, the little train to Soller, Palma Aquarium, Palma Cathedral,  the caves of Drach, a 12.5-mile walk from Can Pastilla to Palma and back, it really was the most glorious adventure, even on the day when it rained and was so cold I had to wear a jumper, cardigan and an emergency hoodie which cost more euros than I care to admit but I was very much a sitting target and in need, the shop in Soller I noted was doing a roaring trade in umbrellas, ours lasted approximately an hour before being so broken we had to throw it away!!  Mallorca only gets 65 days of rain a year, if you're going soon, don't worry, there are only 64 to go and yes, you're welcome!!

We never really had what you would call a hot day, there was always a pesky breeze although we didn't mind too much and I did come home a much healthier colour than I was a few weeks ago and yes, I used my P20 every day, I am good at sun protection, I wore factor 20 and Abigail wore factor 30, all day every day!

I'd love to go back to Mallorca again, mostly to go to Soller in the sunshine, it was the most beautiful place with an awe-inspiring train and tram journey and I can only imagine what it looks on a glorious sunny day.  I think though with all of the walking we did we definitely went at the right time of year, I can't imagine doing a 12-mile walk in 30-degree heat!

Dog Friendly Accommodation at St Mary's Inn, Morpeth

Let me take you back a couple of weeks when the weather was warm and sunny and the leaves were still mostly on the trees, the whole of the North East was basking in unseasonable gorgeous warm sunshine and I felt glad to be alive!  I mostly feel glad to be alive but it was half term week and I had a few days off so when the lovely people at St Mary's Inn asked if we wanted to come for a night with Holly the Beagle to check out their dog friendly accommodation I jumped at the chance for this was time I could not only take out of my busy schedule but also that I could freely embrace the quality time spent with Looby and Holly, something which doesn't happen as much as I'd like right now with our increasingly hectic schedules, Looby is of course a social butterfly and goes out to things more often than I do, don't let her tell you any differently!

The St Mary's Inn is based just outside the centre of Northumbrian market town Morpeth on a private estate in Stannington Village, Morpeth is one of my most favourite towns as as well as being beautiful in all seasons it's also one of the most dog friendly towns you could hope to visit up in the North East.  The St Mary's Inn with it's dedicated dog friendly room for those wishing to have a night away with their beloved pet fits in brilliantly as the perfect dog friendly destination. The colourful history of St Mary's Inn is that it's been converted from the administration centre of the former county asylum though these days you're more likely to find relaxed tranquility than 2000 patients which is housed at it's peak.

The dog friendly room we stayed in was so lovely and new and sparkly clean that I was a little worried about letting Holly off her lead to start with, she really loved it and I'm pleased to say that after a couple of hours running around in the surrounding fields she was super quick to settle in, especially when she noticed that her needs had been catered for, a smart dog bowl, blanket and some tasty gourmet treats made this room fit for Queen Holly of the beagles.  We humans were also spoiled with the extensive selection of Aaron Aromatic toiletries, a company I adore.

On the afternoon of our arrival after bounding through the long grass I decided to treat Looby to her most favourite thing ever, an afternoon tea, can I just say that it was possibly my favourite afternoon tea of all time, not expensively priced and available every day I can't recommend you go highly enough.  I'm not even sure how we managed to fit in dinner later in the day but we did, I had the Cote de Beouf and well, there are not enough delicious words in the English language to accurately describe a dish which was more of an experience than a main course.  If they have it on the menu when you go please do try it!

I have to say that I had a great nights sleep, it's so lovely being in the middle of the countryside when you live in the city, there's a calm and peacefulness about the location of the St Mary's Inn and when Holly and I went for morning walks it felt like we had the whole of the Northumbrian countryside to ourselves.  All too soon it was time to come home back to real life and work but not until we'd eaten a splendid full english breakfast full to the brim with locally sourced produce.  We had our breakfast and evening meal in the bar as the restaurant is dog free and quite rightly I feel as not everyone wants to sit next to Holly whilst having a quiet dinner, especially not Holly, a hound known for her expression and shall we say conversation.  

we did meet several other dogs in the bar, all friendly and all seemingly enjoying the cosy comfort, Looby said she felt so relaxed she wanted to come down for breakfast in slippers and pjyamas, I think we may have been taking it a step too far to try that though, oh well, there's always next time!!

Caravans, Bell Tents and a bedroom in someones house, holidays Airbnb style

Being a travel writer and blogger of course you're never really on holiday but this week is quite an adventure for Looby and I.  We are currently in Hereford spending some time staying in Ugly Betty an 80's caravan which has been given a delicious makeover, click on the link to see her transformation.  I booked this last week on Airbnb (if you use that link to sign up and book a holiday you'll get £15 credit) and I recommend you come and stay here as soon as you can because the whole house and the caravans are delightful as are the wonderful children (one of whom is now Loobys new best friend and they've spent a lot of time jumping up and down on the giant trampoline) and the gorgeous animals, Pollys house is an artists house and as such if you are looking for clinical, minimalist and unmarked then it's probably not the experience for you but if you love people and animals and a beautifully quirky experience as well as some gorgeously delicious food then do come and stay, it's one of the most unique experiences I've had while travelling!  On Friday we'll check out and then we're off to Weston-Super-Mare to stay in someones spare bedroom, and we've already been informed they have a dog and five cats, I can't wait!

Although I am photographing any cities we go to for my book Postcards from the City, the UK Cityscapes project, I'm also looking forward to experiencing new places, visiting the zoo in Bristol or the aquarium and maybe going to Weston Super Mare for fish and chips on the prom.

Today we went to Abergavenny in Welsh Wales, a place I can remember visiting on a family holiday when I was a teenager (so, so long ago) and it's just as beautiful today as well as being a thriving market town with a market that spills out onto the streets, I think that's something quite unique in these times and actually the whole town was so busy today, busier than some of the cities we've visited.

If you want to keep up with our adventures I shall of course be active on Instagram at least and I'll tell you something, I am really missing my doggy, hubby, Abigail and Iain, luckily Paul, Abigail and Petunia are off to a husky retreat next weekend and Iain, well he's staying home to look after Pyracantha, Poppy and Cupcake the cats.

Caught this quick shot of Looby last night as we wandered around Hereford, oh my how she's growing up.

Yes I do live in a menagerie!

Happy Holidays everyone.

Spring is on it's way

Well atleast I'm hoping it is, the snowdrops were out in force when we were out walking in Jesmond Dene this afternoon. It was a little on the nippy side but no one seemed to mind as we enjoyed the afternoon sunshine. I'm trying to get new portraits of the children for the livingroom wall at the moment, I already have a plethora to choose from but I'm going to keep shooting for another week or so and then make the final choice.

I rather like this one of Iain, he's just had his haircut and so is looking particularly smart, even so he doesn't usually like posing for photos so I'm inwardly thanking him for the 5 or 6 great shots I got of him this afternoon.

Abigail is my most eager poser, she's always on hand for a plethora of shots and I got around 10 that I loved, I do like this one of her posing on a wooden pig, she's certainly providing me with lots of great poses of late!

Looby of course is always a joy to photograph if you can catch her inbetween all the bouncing, usually we have smiley happy Looby, but I do love the look of concentration on her face here!

Hubby was in an awkward mood and mostly refused to have his photo taken, even though it was he who announced we needed new portraits for the wall, I did get one which turned out not so bad and I'll share that one later in the week, I didn't want to upload so many photos that anyone got bored or blogger threw a huff!!

Can I just throw my arms up in glee for the wonders of the Canon 350D and RAW, love it, makes me want to take photo after photo after photo because I know each one is going to be fabulous, time for me to invest in a large external hard-drive quick!