If I were to describe November in three words they would be: festive, fun and ouch. Yes, Christmas did start early for us here in Devon with lots of seasonal events towards the end of the month.
All-in-all November was a fun month, and not overly busy which gave me plenty of time to reflect on a lot of our adventures from earlier in the year, much to my to-do lists’ joy!
And as for the ‘ouch’… I’ll come to that.
Here’s how our month looked:
At home
We spent most of this month at home in anticipation of a busy December. It meant we (I mean Mr Tin Box) could focus on clearing out the garage and getting some jobs done around the house.
However, we did get a weekend away with Tin Box Grandma and Grandpa to celebrate a special wedding anniversary. See our Travels below.
Towards the end of November Tin Box Nana and Grandad came to visit and we had a few lovely days out with them in Devon.
One of the biggest (and most traumatic) events of the month was Tin Box Tot having one of her front teeth out – ouch! She knocked it in the splash park during a cruise last year and it has been a bit wonky ever since.
This month our dentist said it was time to whip it out. She’s dead proud of her gap now, but Mr TB is still having flashbacks to the moment of extraction!
Our travels
We started the month with our final caravan adventure of the year. In fact it may be out last for a long time as Mr Tin Box – the one qualified to tow a caravan – will be away a lot with the Royal Navy in 2018.
So our trip to Ross Park near Newton Abbot in Devon was bittersweet. Its a great site though, and both family and dog-friendly. I will get round to writing a full review soon.
The other trip of the month was a solo night away for me in Bristol. I was there for an annual awards bash with work and loved the new venue – the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel. Got the briefest of wanders through the city and hot mulled cider at the German Christmas Market.
Adventures
During our weekend away in the caravan we visited Totnes Castle in South Devon. The 11th Century castle was originally built following the invasion of William the Conquerer.
It started off as a timber construction but this was replaced with stone at about the turn of the 14th Century. It’s now one of the best preserved Norman motte and bailey castles in England.
Back in our home town of Dartmouth we joined in celebrations marking the start of the Christmas season. Candlelit Dartmouth sees hundreds of people walk through the streets of this historic maritime town with homemade lanterns.
It’s a wondrous sight and a great way to kick off Christmas. Here’s a taster of the event:
The very next day we travelled north past Exeter to the Killerton estate where we toured the Wind in the Willows scenes and Christmas trees in the house.
This National Trust property also has a festive activity trail in the garden live music on selected dates throughout December.
To round off the month we were invited to a preview of the Coleton Aglow illuminations at Coleton Fishacre near Brixham in Devon.
This was one of our favourite festive events of last year and we loved it just as much this time.
Blogging
My most popular post of November was a round up of 2017 Christmas events in Devon.
I’ve also written about: UK Christmas events not to be missed; our stay at Moorland Garden Hotel on Dartmoor; the Festival of Light and Sound at the Eden Project; reasons to visit France in 2018; hiring a boat on the Norfolk Broads; our day out at Buckland Abbey on Dartmoor; a visit to Pendennis Castle in Cornwall; my night off mum duties at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel; days out inspired by Cornish myths and legends; and the Wind in the Willows Christmas activities at Killerton National Trust.
On Youtube I published videos, some of which I’ve already inserted above, plus this:
This month I’ve written about my top tips for Christmas days out for Land’s End and been featured in the Britmums family days out round up.
In December we are looking forward to more Christmas events, a weekend in a yurt, and spending lots of quality time with family in Devon and Hampshire. Whatever you are up to I’d like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and happy travels in 2018.
Catch up with my diary from November 2017 or skip ahead to January 2018.
As ever, thank for reading and don’t forget to follow me on Bloglovin’, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube and LinkedIn.