What a way to welcome in the New Year !

We were so lucky to be offered a friend's villa in Martinborough for a week post-Christmas. It The property is very special and lives up to its name of The Secret Garden - it sits on 1/2 an acre of expansive lawns and garden full of box hedges, topiary and olive trees. It is bounded on all sides by a 12-foot hedge so once you step inside you truly feel like you have escaped into your own private paradise.

We had visitors every day, either friends who were also holidaying in Martinborough or friends who came over from Wellington for a visit. Days lingered on into long evenings with many barbeques and sitting outside to catch every last second of the day's sun.

Josh simply loved having so many friends to play with and the games on the lawn were endless - soccer, rugby, running races, hide & seek, beyblade spinning, scooter races, dancing competitions and whatever else we could come up with.

There was also a great local pool to cool off in as temperatures were hot, hot, hot ... and for Mummy, a large deep bath to soak in at the end of the very long days - oh bliss!

We welcomed in 2011 with a glass of wine laying in the hammock in the garden - how special is that ?!?!? Thank you Mike & Lisa for a glorious holiday ... we will be back for sure !

The Secret Garden

What Daddy will do to retrieve the ball off Josh !

Both boys are down !

Both boys are pooped!

Mummy & Josh sneak a cuddle by the hammock - look out, Hudson is watching!

A fun game with Mummy in the local pool

Daddy Crocodile lifting up Josh & Tallulah

Mummy was talked into showing Tallulah & Josh a ballet leg - mmm, it was a wee while ago now and I used to be very good Mummy cried

Fionn & Ciaren and Josh had endless hours of fun in the pool

Josh LOVES his scooter and is amazingly fast on it!

Soul and Josh having an outdoor shower !

Daddy & Josh competing at swing ball

Mummy relaxing on the swing seat in the garden with her 2 boys

All 4 lined up and were given instructions on what they had to do from one end of the garden to the other ... sometimes they had to do as many as 4 "lengths" of the garden to get a lolly! This particular 'length' was called free dance - look at Josh !

Huddy thought he was in doggie-heaven - sticks galore to chew on !

Tallulah and Josh are only 3 weeks apart in age and really 'clicked' this holiday

Josh & Tallulah playing beyblades and also swing ball

Us 3 on the hammock - a glass of wine gazing up through the trees to the stars made an ideal way to see in the New Year (although Josh had gone to bed way before!)

This was very funny - we were packing up the car to leave and Hudson 'disappeared' with one of the bags ... his way of saying "please let's stay" - says it all really!