I've written about my love for Southbourne before. But as I sit in our flat, typing this post, I feel more at home than ever. In our home away from home.

I look around and there's photos of all our weddings, photos of the Grannies when they were 2 and 4 years old, reprinted family Christmas tradition photos, where we all crowd round a makeshift tripod and hope for the best! There's a photo of my parents, in happier times, my Auntie and Uncle before they parted ways too and photos of my grandparents.

We owe this wonderful to them. My Grandpa saw an investment opportunity over 35 years ago and every year since I was born, I've pulled up at the concrete steps leading up to the 60's square block of flats that on the outside, couldn't look more ugly, but on the inside are bursting with love, warmth and memories. 

The westies know we are near a few miles away. Mabel starts whinging, clambering out of their dog bed and onto the suitcases squeezed in around them and the boys start an incessant "Are you nearly there yet?!" line of questioning. 

It's kind of become our test of true friendship, as silly as it sounds. That when we bring our lovely friends to stay at the flat, we know those who love it as much as we do will be friends for life. As soon as you step in the front door and open the balcony doors and let the sea air flood the flat, you are home. A seaside home for everyone.

All of us have had our first holidays here, me at 6 weeks, Ollie at 4 weeks and Sammy learnt to walk here. Precious times with photos and videos I pour over all the time. Last times and first times. All of which evoke the most powerful emotions, just like your home does.

I can't wait to wake up in the morning, walk the dogs down to the bakery, buy a cottage loaf and a poppyseed plait, as we have done every visit, and pile the wagon with goodies for the beach hut. We say it every time we come down to Southbourne, but we will never ever sell this place. It's not just concrete blocks and mortar, it's the history of our family.

On Friday our friends who are here with us will head back to Somerset and a new set of best friends will arrive for the Easter weekend. We've been counting down the sleeps over text messages, wishing the time away until we are all reliving last year's fun down at the hut. Laughing at the Dad's braving the sea, watching the children have the freedom to play on their own on the stretch of sand beneath the beach hut, and trying to take a hundred mental pictures of simple happy times.

It's not always sunny of course, but it feels sunny. Does that make any sense?

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It's been a pleasure to work with Hive and talk about their #cominghome campaign. I guess it's made me realise how lucky we really are to have this home by the sea. That those same overwhelming, incredibly powerful feelings when you step through your front door, that hit you like a tidal wave of nostalgia. And you are home. 

What makes you feel at home? Hive would love you share your coming home moment for a chance to win an amazing competition. A coming home experience like no other worth £1500!!

All you have to do is comment on their Facebook page. Check it out! Full terms and conditions are available here. 

Tomorrow we are packing a picnic, exploring Christchurch and dragging the bbq down the zig zag path, armed with pjs for the wagon ride back up. Because that's what Easter holidays are for. Sandy toes in sandy beds. Wonderful.

I have always been a person who has a hundred things on the go. I seem to wear many hats and every time I try and and give one of them up, my heart just won't let me and I start a new to do list! 

I see nothing but opportunity at the moment. Every new connection I make seems to lead to another and whilst life is still as busy as it's ever been, I can feel a seismic shift in finding a source of constant and stability to anchor us down. And that is our home.

We spent over a year searching for our beloved "forever house", somewhere with potential to outlast our boy's time at home, somewhere to enjoy when they fly the nest. A project. And although it's going to be a long journey, every little mark we make on this 300 year old former dairy farm house, makes it feel more and more like home. We have barely touched upstairs, bar me pulling off a piece of the ceiling by accident in the bathroom (This did not improve it!) and decorating the boys' attic room. Our priority was always to get a family space to eat and live in warm for the Winter, and now we can see the garden coming back to life, the trees are filling up with blossom and sunny days flood the house with a warm golden light. 

We want to be at home. To potter at weekends and even though our calendar has more weekends away, family celebrations and lovely day trips with friends on it than quiet weekends in Somerset, it makes those all the more important. Lazy Saturday mornings to cherish, the bed full of boys taking us through their latest card board creation, that has to stay by my bedside table, not making the bed until the afternoon, leaving the playroom floor littered with Lego, because the boys are going to play with it again later. No rush to tidy up. 

Over the past couple of weeks it has felt as though I've been away more than I've been at home, Rich has taken on the lion's share of school runs, bath times and bed time stories and I've had an overnight bag permanently packed ready for the next adventure. I left on Monday morning this week, watching 3 males waving me off, to head for London.

I was speaking to a lovely group of students at the Judith Blacklock Flower School in the afternoon, taking photos for Judith's book and magazine and brainstorming lots of ideas to work on together in the future! I left Knightsbridge at gone 7pm and literally lugged an enormous suitcase full of props back to Hatton Cross where my lovely taxi (aka my Mummy) was waiting to take me back to her house, feed me and force me to bed! 

I was up early again on Tuesday to head back into central London for The Brand Stylist's Colour for Creatives Workshop (That deserves at least one post of it's own!). I left Brixton station feeling like my head was going to burst, I was spinning with ideas and felt a million miles away from our little patch of the countryside. It's a balance being a working mother, investing time into your own business and sacrificing the pre school trip to the farm, an assembly or those precious seconds when every single day at pick up, Sammy's eyes light up and he runs into my arms. 

As I was on the train Rich text me, "Just come home." 

We are used to spending (almost) 24 hours a day together. We work together, sit at opposite ends of the dining table, bounce ideas off each other, so it feels alien to be apart overnight. 

I always feel such a sense of relief to be home, to hear the crunch of the new gravel under the tyres, to see the westies faces through the gate, their tails wagging so fast they might just fall off. And this time I came home to a Mama's Assembly. A nine page performance complete with a winking portrait and completely off his own bat, an appreciation that I "woke rily hard" for them. 

I love that we are creating a home for them, somewhere which I hope will have that same feeling of relief when they are grown up boys. To be back home. 

And when Hive got in touch with me about their new #cominghome campaign it felt like the most natural thing to share with you. This beautiful video captures the essence of what we are building for the boys. Such sentiment and warmth. See for yourself.

Hive are also offering a very lucky reader the chance to win a coming home experience like no other! Do you deserve a real treat? Do you know someone else who might? Head over to their Facebook page and leave a comment about what #cominghome means to you. The prize is worth £1500!!!!!

What makes coming back to your home special? Share it over on the Hive Facebook page and be in with a chance of winning. Good luck!

In collaboration with Hive, the UK's no. 1 connected thermostat giving you control over your heating and hot water system on the go with a beautifully designed app.  Full terms and conditions of the competition can be found here.

I recently had the great pleasure of a whirlwind 24 hour visit to the fine city of Edinburgh. Having visited only once before for a sunny hen weekend back in 2008, I could only remember snippets of this cosmopolitan city. 

Edinburgh has all the bustle of London but with a sense of fun. And that's what this trip was, from start to finish. I was invited to stay at the centrally located Ibis Styles Hotel at the foot of the famous George Street in St Andrew's Square and was thrilled to be part of their #captureibisstyles campaign to learn more about their commitment to design led interiors and their celebration of this hotel's Scottish heritage. 

Arriving at Bristol Airport armed with just my handbag and overnight bag felt like such a treat! No wet wipes, no mountain of non perishable, non sticky snacks to appease the insatiable hunger of a young traveller, no panic when the flight was momentarily delayed. Instead I relished those few extra minutes, with a cup of tea, a magazine that I got to read cover to cover, and soon I was settled into my seat.

Edinburgh is an ideal city break destination, especially from the South West. It feels exciting to jet off on a plane, even though it seems as though the pilot starts the decent as soon as you reach a cruising altitude! I chatted away to the lady next to me and before we knew it it was time to head out onto the metal steps and breath in the fresh Scottish air. 

The taxi service from the airport was incredibly efficient, a dual manned kiosk system and a friendly driver helped me with my overnight nags and we set off for the city. You are hit with a sense of history and tradition when you arrive at the St George's Square hotel. Proud of it's location, the hotel is beautifully decorated with contemporary tartan light fittings, exposed brick and furniture with sleek lines, a world away from the comparative "budget hotels" in a city centre that I have experienced before. There is nothing that feels budget about it, despite the very reasonable all inclusive price (Yes that's right no extras for breakfast!) from £62 a night, their stags and thistles aim to make Nessie whistle! I loved the sense of fun and humour within the mix of interior styles.

It exudes contemporary cool without a manufactured look. Original vintage books stacked between modern table lamps. Simple but stylish chairs and an inviting bar. This is not a hotel to use just as a bed for the night like so many other of their competitors. This is a hotel to enjoy. 

My room was decorated with giant water-colour thistle paintings spanning each wall, shades of calming purples and green and clever etchings of Scottish slang built into the wardrobe doors on giant friezes. The whisky barrels are a clever touch as rustic beside tables and the bright and cheerful chequered tiles in the pristine shower were a wonderful wake up call. Little details like the traditional telephone mixed with the smooth wood wood furniture appealed to the modern heritage style I love. 

We were treated to locally inspired cocktails in mason jars, (A big hit with a bunch of Instagram obsessed bloggers!) the most fabulous dinner in the hotel, and were all widely impressed at a menu that would rival any of the restaurants in the city. Beautifully presented, this was not chain hotel pub type food. Elegant dishes, gaelic inspired courses and a team of staff who are obviously and quite rightly, proud of their part of the Ibis empire. By the end of the evening, after one too many wines, we all said our goodnights and headed back to our rooms for a much needed, uninterrupted night's sleep. There is something almost magical about slipping into cool, crisp white hotel linen!

The morning started with a buffet breakfast, hot Scottish potato cakes, pastries, yoghurts, cereals, meats and cheese, and a coffee and tea station (That is available for use all day.) as well as juices. We enjoyed a tour of the larger penthouse suites, complete with stunning balconies overlooking the city. Cue the perfect opportunity of a wind/white hotel curtains moment to snap a new profile picture! Armed with packed lunches for later we headed out in an open top bus for a whistle stop tour of the city! Ibis and Gray Matter came up with a great way to engage all of us in a set of fun games, all sharing our Instagram snapshots in a series of challenges using the hashtag #captureibisstyles. I even won a prize for the most liked photo so thank you to anyone who liked it! We hopped on and off the bus, raced up the cobbled streets to the castle, met colourful characters and even managed a cuddle with the famous Bobby. 

I headed straight off the bus and to the airport to make my afternoon flight home and spent the journey pouring through my photographs. It was a pleasure to make some new blogging friends, Kate, Mandy, Emma, Clare and spend some time with the very lovely Zoe who I met at the MAD Blog Awards 2 years ago. I even got a cuddle with one of her gorgeous twins Harry and shared an ice cream with the adorable Ruby! 

The whole experience made me even more sure that we had made the right decision booking an Ibis hotel for our family trip to Paris this Summer. Ironically, we had booked our rooms for my Mum's 60th celebrations in July before I had the invitation to visit Edinburgh. After lots of deliberating and trawling through boutique and independent house share websites, we all came to the same conclusion. That when you book an Ibis hotel you are assured of quality, value and style. 

And that's exactly what The Ibis Styles at St Andrew's Square has in abundance. Tradition, heritage and Scottish wit, all beautifully packaged.

Thank you to Gray Matter and the Ibis team for their splendid hospitality. And if you ever want to take your family to Edinburgh I couldn't recommend it more. Perfect for families, with little ones who could be entertained by the toys in the lobby and couples alike. You can even take your dogs!