A Family Easter

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Wasn’t the Easter weekend gorgeous?

At risk of sounding repetitive/like I had short term memory loss, I kept on saying to whoever would listen, “it’s like it’s the August bank holiday, not April!” But it was true - as we sat in the sunshine, slapping on sun cream, buying ice creams and swatting away wasps, it definitely felt like mid-summer.
Mr MM and I were very lucky in that we got to see loads of family over the 4 days. We headed up to Derbyshire on the Thursday evening to see my parents in law, and proceeded to spend a beautiful Good Friday in the sunshine at Hardwick Hall.

Hardwick is a spectacular Elizabethan manor owned by the National Trust {and you all know how much I love being an NT member}, created by the formidable-sounding Bess of Hardwick - the woman behind the creation of famous Chatsworth. She sounds like quite a feisty, ambitious and go-getting kinda gal - the Beyoncé of her time, you might even say. Joking aside, she sounds like a pretty incredible lady, and definitely an inspiration and driving force behind early feminism.

^ This was Bess' muniment room, where all of her documents were stored methodically. It made the organisational me so happy, as well as quite envious.

We arrived at lunchtime and enjoyed a delicious picnic in the grounds before my husband, sister-in-law and I headed into the hall to have a look around. Despite getting lost in the sprawling rooms once or twice, we had great fun admiring the antiquities and gazing at the impressive decor.

We then retreated into the gardens to meet my in-laws again, joined by my husband’s aunt, uncle and cousin, and proceeded to all catch up over an ice cream {the first of the season}. It was the perfect way to spend a bank holiday.

^ Cheeky

After a deliciously long lie in on the Saturday, we set out to Tissington, a cute village in the Peak District famous for the Tissington Trail. My husband had visited as a child, but I had never been, and although we left the trail itself for another day, we spent a couple of hours lounging in the shade of some trees, with a second picnic followed by a short excursion to the nearby old-fashioned sweet shop. Another blissful day!

^ A surprised door handle

Having travelled back to the Cotswolds on the Saturday evening, we woke up on Easter Sunday to be greeted by my parents, who were ready to take us to Warwickshire to meet up with my side of the family. My sister-in-law’s family hosted an amazing barbecue, with some of the most delicious salads I have ever tasted, while we sipped on prosecco and watched my gorgeous nephew play in the garden.

Meanwhile my other nephew, who is 8 weeks old, spent most of the day snuggled up against me, as I couldn’t bear to leave him alone!

In traditional Easter fashion, I spent that evening gorging on Easter eggs while we played a family board game {Ticket to Ride - it was one of our wedding presents, and is excellent!}

Easter Monday rolled around - another day off? - and we spent a lazy morning sitting in the garden and eating hot cross buns. Mama Maggie May and I then finally plucked up the energy to cook a roast, with mum preparing her traditional lamb. We feasted until we could eat no more.

It felt like a proper break for all of us, and Mr MM and I were saying how it was almost like we’d been on holiday. Good food, lovely company, plus a generous helping of Easter biscuits was just what we needed, and the healthy dose of vitamin D and baby cuddles was a beautiful bonus. Whatever you got up to, I hope you had a very happy Easter too.