Stockholm 25-27 August

Philip and I snuck off on our second (unaccompanied) trip of the summer. We spent two nights in gorgeous, grown-up Stockholm while Philip's folks took their turn babysitting Ben and Anna. Highlights included a morning spent at Skansen, the world's first open-air museum, showcasing life and traditions in Sweden and (if we're honest) watching the many beautiful blonde/blond, blue-eyed Swedes whizzzing by on their bicycles.

Typical Swedish building style.

Meatballs, lingonberry jam and potatoes-just like Ikea!

And the Swedes also like a braai, it seems.

View over one of the city's many lovely waterways.

Philip about to tuck into his (very delicious) smoked reindeer steak while I was in heaven trying a traditional Smorgasbord - who knew herring could be presented in so many different ways?!

Lunch in the medieval quarter, Gamla Stan.

The view of Stockholm city hall as seen from our porthole (we thought that as the city is built on islands, it would be appropriate to stay in a sweet boat hotel on the water).

Watching the world go by while having a traditional morning coffee and cake at Stockholm's oldest bakery-cafe, dating from 1785.

Philip at a typical street food stall buying a grillad korv med brod (grilled hot dog).

View over the Old Town.

Camping - North Yorkshire Moors Coast 10-13 Aug

On our way back south after our Northumberland adventures, we met up with the "Thompos" (Philip's colleague, Robin, his wife Michelle and daughter, Frankie) for more camping at Robin Hood's Bay just south of Whitby. The campsite had the most incredibly panoramic views but we paid for this in howling wind!

We visited the local towns and drove through the pretty heather-covered North York Moors to check out Nunnington Hall, a Yorkshire manor house, Ampleforth College and views of Rievaulx Abbey, one of the most "romantic ruins in Britain". We even tried traditional Yorkshire curd tart, which was featured on "River Cottage" (UK cookery programme) but pretty much tasted like bad cheesecake to us. Another spectacular area and lots of braais and "Chinger beer" (long story - details to follow) cocktails...

Cutie Frankie enjoys her meal (view from the front of our tents).

We managed to convince Anna that washing dishes was fun and she just couldn't get enough.

Morning on Robin Hood's Bay beach below the campsite.

The little gals with their buggies.

Having fun on Scarborough beach with Martin Doe, Philip's cousin, whom we met for the first time.

We popped past York on the way home and took a walk around the Roman walls, York Minster (above) and one of Europe's best-preserved medieval streets, the Shambles (although the kids seemed more taken with the dough balls at Pizza Express).

Camping - Northumberland 6-10 August

We spent four nights camping on the stunning Northumberland coast. We based ourselves at the Alnwick rugby club campsite (pronounced "Annick" and home of Alnwick Castle: "Hogwarts", in the first two Potter movies.) The weather was not always as glorious as these photos would suggest, but we did manage to squeeze in a corker day on Bamburgh beach (first five pics below). The area has spectacular white beaches and castles aplenty. It's much quieter (and cooler) than the Cornish or Dorset coast, but definately just as gorgeous and (perhaps unexpectedly) has become one of our top British destinations ever.

Heading to Lindsifarne Castle on Holy Island.

Visiting "Cragside", Victorian home of Geordie inventor, William Armstrong (we didn't have a clue who he was either, but his was the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectricity - don't ever say we don't know how to show our kids a good time).

Adventure playground at Cragside (perhaps just a bit more interesting to Benanna than the hydroelectricity bit).

This week...

We went punting - again! This time in Oxford with Benj and Amy Hector.

Philip watched the first day of the test at Edgbaston (thanks Benj for organising such great seats - just above the Proteas' box).

Ben lost his first tooth and was very chuffed to receive £1 from the tooth fairy (although he seemed even more delighted that there was a picture of the Forth Rail Bridge on the back - clearly spending too much time in Scotland!)

We discovered http://www.wildswimming.co.uk/ and went off in search of some local swimming spots (ok, not so wild, just the Bloxham stream).