Our Holiday Diary 2015. The first 2 days.

We set off on the 30th of May excited, but sadly I wasn't feeling too good. I've had a bit of a sore stomach and it feels like someone has taken it, tied it in a knot and pulled the ends really tight. It didn't make for the most comfortable of journeys but we are here now and all is well. :)

This was us in the car on the way:

It took us about 5 hours to get here, which is, of course, about 2 hours longer than we expected.

We were greeted by the owner who is very lovely, and is called Barry. He showed us around and explained how to work things but he has also written a very detailed and helpful guide detailing pretty much everything you'd ever need to know, plus recommendations of places to eat and visit too!

There are 3 bedrooms, and this is the one we chose for us. It's a downstairs bedroom, with stone walls so it is a bit cooler in there, which I prefer for sleeping in.

It even has a teddy bear. :) I love the Cuckoo clock but I am quite glad it doesn't work as I'm sure I'd have had a bit of a heart attack in the middle of the night if it had gone off. ;)

It has a coal fire as I'm sure it gets cold in there sometimes.

And outside the room is an extended bit which makes a lovely little sun room. :)

It's very comfortable in there and has so much character.

Round the corner there is a wonderful little area with a table and chair and a bookcase, looks perfect for sitting and reading in peace.

The living room is cozy and snug without being poky and dark. There's an incredible dvd library in the unit and funnily enough, a couple of slightly obscure movies that we had just been talking about and really didn't expect to see here! How amazing is it when that happens? :)

The bathroom has the biggest bath I've ever seen, and I'm pretty sure I could swim in there.

The kitchen has plenty of units and every cupboard has nice things in it. There's no cheap and cheerful dishes in there... Everything is quality! But the main features of the kitchen are, this fantastic table which we shall be eating a Sunday roast at later, courtesy of Martin.

Please excuse our own clutter on the table, it looked much better before we dumped our stuff on it!

Our chicken is in this beauty. Not a true aga, but still pretty awesome!

And I just love the feature in the middle of the tiles. :)

So far, we've all spent most of our time in this last room, which is the conservatory. We have been listening to music, as they have a great collection in there which my mum is over the moon about, and talking and planning the rest of the week, and sadly, watching the rain. Now though, a few hours after I took these photos, it is beautifully sunny, but very windy! We are hoping to head out for another walk soon.

This next part has been written after being out in the sunshine and taking photos I'd not been able to before! (Scared of the camera getting wet!)

Outside is a huge garden with lots of space for kids and dogs to run freely about. There's even a little castle.

Here's the back of the house and outbuildings. I've not taken one of the front yet for some reason!

The care that has been put in to everything here is incredible; from the decoration to the consideration of everyone's needs, I think everything has been catered for.

We've been to many holiday cottages over the years, but this is by far the best one.

Last night, though we were tired, Martin and me went for a little wander and we met the owners 2 dogs, Rosie and Daisy, we also met 2 donkeys in one of the fields. I've not got a photo of Rosie and Daisy yet but here are the donkeys. This handsome chap is Hamish.

And the little lady is Heidi. She is a little bit shy but will come over for carrots. :)

The neighbouring people who own the donkeys are called Robbie and Marianne and they were so lovely and friendly. :) They've just today gone on holiday so we might not see them again, which is a shame. They told us that they had met again after 40 years through Facebook and got engaged last year. The donkeys were the engagement gift that Marianne bought for him. :) How amazing is that?

We met their dogs today. I think they said they had 3 rescue Chihuahuas but we only saw 2 and a Shih Tzu or Lhassa Apso type dog. The Chihuahuas were a little barky and territorial and didn't want to come and see us, but the other one came to say hello. :)

He/she was adorable and took the long way round rather than cross the wet grass and just as I was about to take a photo of Martin with it, it walked off. :D Such a wee character. :)

It's a shame about the weather as it's been a lot of rain and wind so far, but we'll be hoping to head off somewhere tomorrow and maybe we'll be lucky. :)

Absolutely loving it here so far: everyone is so friendly and the house is gorgeous. Maybe I need to reconsider what properties I've been looking at for our next home to rent... I'm always so focussed on coastal properties but the country is beautiful. Somewhere leafy and green could be nice too. I guess when I see our life with our little future dog I do see us walking on beaches and coastal paths, but that's not to say we can't ever visit another beach. Hmmm, food for thought.