We crammed so much in during our time in Amsterdam, I hardly know where to begin. After the drama of our arrival, we woke up on Monday morning raring to go.

  • Museumplein and a Cruise

We kicked things off by walking to Museumplein, a public space that’s home to three major museums – the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Stedelijk Museum. It’s also where you’ll find the famous I Amsterdam letters. Naturally, we paused to take a few photos…

Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights

I love a good museum and could have happily spent the day wandering around all three, but travelling with kids means considering their somewhat limited attention span! In the end, we spent just over an hour in the Van Gogh Museum where the children loved searching for their favourite paintings.

After a quick snack and a drink outside in the sun, we made our way to the Diamond Museum. Although the small exhibition was fairly basic, the kids absolutely loved this place and were fascinated by the information on display. Go figure! We grabbed lunch from a kiosk outside before heading to Coster Diamonds to witness the polishing process up close.

Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights

As our legs were feeling a little weary, we opted to spend the afternoon exploring the city by boat. Our I Amsterdam City Cards included a free canal cruise, so we hopped on board behind the Rijksmuseum. The trip lasted 75 minutes and it was a great way to take in the sights. Although the heat was a little stifling at times, the children’s audio guide was a real winner.

After some downtime back at the apartment, we visited Happyhappyjoyjoy for dinner and drinks. The meal was fairly expensive, but the food was great and the decor incredible. I’d definitely recommend it if you enjoy Asian cuisine.

  • Artis, the Jewish Cultural Quarter and NEMO

The following day was a little overcast, so we packed our rain coats for a trip to Artis, an incredible zoo in the centre of Amsterdam. We travelled there and back by tram which the kids adored and we ate lunch at Borrl Kitchen, a gorgeous little eatery opposite the main entrance.

As we were in the area known as the Jewish Cultural Quarter, we decided to split into pairs so Izzy and I could visit the Holocaust Museum and Memorial. As morbid as it might sound, I’ve always had an interest in this dark period of history and even studied the subject as part of my sociology degree. I was really keen to explore this side of the city and I was thrilled when Izzy expressed an interest too. The museum is fairly new and still a work-in-progress, but we found the exhibitions very thought-provoking and informative.

Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights

We caught up with the boys at NEMO Science Museum. If you’re travelling with kids, this place is not to be missed. It’s packed full of interactive exhibits and the views across the city from the roof terrace are pretty breathtaking.

On the way back to our apartment, we popped into Pancakes Amsterdam for a sweet treat. I sampled the Apple Crumble version which was delicious.

Later that evening we took a short walk to De Foodhallen, a relaxed indoor food market in Oud-West. The level of choice was impressive and there was also live music which created a fantastic atmosphere. We had a great time.

  • De Hortus, The National Maritime Museum and Anne Frank’s House

The following morning, the weather was much warmer and brighter, so we headed to Hortus Bontanicus. I have a serious weakness for greenhouses and gardens, so this was a real treat. The Butterfly House was particularly magical.

From there, we made our way to The National Maritime Museum. For Jesse, this was the highlight of our entire trip. He was completely captivated by the audio tour. Rather than racing through at a frenzied pace,  he strolled slowly from one exhibit to the next. We also had a really good lunch in the museum cafe. After picking up a few souvenirs in the gift shop, we made our way back to the apartment for a rest.

Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights

Having failed to bag online tickets before our trip, I had begrudgingly accepted we wouldn’t be visiting the Anne Frank Museum during our time in Amsterdam. Four hours of queuing just isn’t my thing.

However, checking the website on a whim, I discovered two tickets had become available for that very evening. Izzy and I went without the others and it was a mother/daughter moment I’ll never forget. The whole experience was incredibly moving and we spent the slow walk back to Oud-West reflecting on so many things.

Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights

Izzy read Anne’s diary a while ago and has long understood what the holocaust was, but the full horror of it seemed to hit her after our visit to the secret annexe. ‘She was just a teenage girl like me,’ she said.

Meanwhile, Mr L.A. took Jesse to meet an old friend for dinner and drinks at Dapper, a trendy bar and restaurant less than a minute from our apartment. Izzy and I joined them just in time for cocktails. As I sipped my large G&T, we planned our itinerary for the following day, opting to venture out of the city in search of windmills.

Love Audrey xxx

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Love Audrey
Our Amsterdam Adventure – Seeing The Sights
Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights
Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights
Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights
Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights
Our Amsterdam Adventure - Seeing The Sights
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May in photos 🤳

1. Finally, some Franky weather. One of the best things about this month has been dusting off my summer dresses and being able to wear sandals ☀️

2+3. Coronation weekend. So many thoughts 💭 But the food was good! I made a vegan version of my mum’s famous coronation chicken and it was delicious.

4. Jesse staying upbeat during yet another trip to hospital. That steroid buzz though. IYKYK.

5. Some of the food served at the first meeting of Bristol Cook Book Club since 2020. It felt so good to get this going again. I can’t wait for our next feast!

6. Me among the cow parsley, snapped by Jesse.

7. I’ve been thinking about creativity a lot this month while working through the ‘The Artist’s Way’. 

8. Breakfast outside.

9. {Still} scrapbooking December. Fingers crossed I can finally wrap up this project in June 🤞🏻

10. Izzy’s final show at The Tobacco Factory. After tonight, she’ll be done with college {and compulsory education} forever 🤯

We packed a lot into this month. Enough to fill two carousels! This might explain why I’m so tired! I’m looking forward to June though. Everything’s better when the sun shines ✨
@_charlieswift has been raving about ‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron for years. I finally caved, ordered the book and agreed to work through the course with her and some other artists. 

The book focuses on ‘guiding you through the process of recovering your creative self’ to ‘help you unleash your inner artist’. It’s early days {I’ve only read as far as week two and I haven’t even started my morning pages yet - IYKYK}, but I’m enjoying the process so far. 

Today I took myself on my first Artist Date - ‘a block of time… especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist’. I decided to treat myself to a solo cinema trip to see ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.’ The film was brilliant and taking time out midweek to do something just for me felt… kind of naughty? And fun! It definitely filled my creative well {again, IYKYK}.

Have you read ‘The Artist’s Way?’ Where would you go on a date with your inner artist?!
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Franky weather ☀️🌅🔆🌻✨

That’s it, that’s the caption.
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April in photos 🤳

1. Our trip to London over Easter was a definite highlight this month. Here’s the obligatory ‘flowers outside Liberty’ shot.

2. Finally! Some sunshine! More of the same please, Mr. Weatherman ☀️

3. Dressed for a day of sightseeing in my new favourite pink jacket. It’s Boden and I bought it in the sale 💖

4 + 5. Scenes from a trip to the big Waterstones in Piccadilly. This poem by @charlycox1 floored me. Crying in a bookshop. Not awkward at all.

6. I was proud of these steps, so I’m posting them here for posterity 🚶🏼‍♀️🥄

7. The Easter holidays also featured lots of lazy days 🎮😴

8. We bought a nutribullet and I’m officially in my smoothie era.

9 + 10. Dinner and drinks at @thecoconuttreeuk with our IzzyBee. Taking your daughter out for cocktails is a season of parenting I’m very much enjoying.

Not pictured: a family funeral and the chest infection I’m still getting over 🤒 How was April for you?
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Easter weekend in my hometown 💃🏼

No trip to London is long enough for me to see all the people and do all the things I want to do while I’m there, but we always manage to pack a lot in. It’s 17 years since I moved away, but somehow it still feels like coming home. Here’s some of what we got up to…

1. Being tourists.

2. Shopping at Westfield.

3 + 4. Hanging out and eating at Southbank.

5. Refuelling in Chinatown.

6. Enjoying the big Waterstones in Piccadilly.

7. Admiring the spring flowers outside Liberty.

8. Visiting the Imperial War Museum for the first time since I was a child.

9 + 10. Seeing Elton John at the O2 with my mama 👓🎹🎤🪩✨

I hope you’ve managed to enjoy the long weekend, whatever you’ve been up to! That sunshine though!☀️🤩
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March in Photos 🤳

1. How it’s going…

2. How it started.

3. My in-laws were involved in a terrible car crash earlier this month. They’re very, very lucky to be alive. It was a horrible time, so I’m grateful there was a happy ending.

4. My husband sent me this photo of a photo from our wedding day while he was visiting his parents. Turns out his mum carries it in her purse ❤️

5. While I was waiting for news from Derby, I took myself out on a walk and ended up in @thesmallcitybookshop. It was like my feet knew books would bring me comfort.

6 + 7. Just spring things.

8. Vegan lemon and almond loaf and a green smoothie from @theorchardcoffeeco 🍰🌱

9. I bought it 🌸

10. Other music? I don’t know her. 

How’s March been treating you? Personally, I’m ready for April and spring PROPER!
There is a past version of me who cannot believe I get to do this every day 💭📝💻

She’s around 12yrs old, working on her first novel in a little ring-bound notebook, dreaming up stories, devouring books and trying to imagine a life filled with words. Everything that makes my business possible now barely existed then, so even she’d struggle to conjure up  an image of what my life looks like now.

I’m grateful that I get to do this, for the clients who trust me to find the right words, and I’m grateful to that past version of me too. Without her, I wouldn’t be here now. Sure, she’d probably want me to hurry up and get back to that novel, but I think she’d be proud of the business I’ve built and the way I’ve managed to create a life filled with words.

What did you want to be when you grew up?
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Lockdown memories, three years on 🦠⏳

Very little of my life made it on to the grid in 2020, so this is the first time I’ve shared these images. They’re all from the first lockdown and most were taken between March and May. I think the arrival of spring will always remind me of this strange time.

When Boris made his announcement on the 23rd, our children had already been out of school for a week. Jesse, who was initially deemed clinically vulnerable, spent the next 6m shielding. He left primary school one day not realising he’d never go back. He did not see another child his age until the summer. Like many kids and adults in the same situation, the experience had a deep impact on his mental health. 

Izzy was in Year 10. As the pandemic raged on, she did most of her GCSEs online, celebrated her 16th birthday via Netflix Party, finished secondary school with minimal fanfare and missed out on prom completely. When she finally had a normal night out with friends in the winter of 2021, I cried quietly in the kitchen when she got home. Seeing her so happy and animated after a simple ‘cheeky Nando’s’ only highlighted everything she’d missed out on in the previous 18 months.

It’s easy to forget how little we knew about the virus in the beginning and how frightening that was for everyone involved. We had it easy in comparison to some, but I still marvel at the way we coped with it all. The way we isolated, home schooled and kept our businesses ticking over. My goodness it was hard! As my children often joke, I hope we’re done living through major historical events for a while.