March 26, 2024

A weekend at the old Rectory

Easter couldn’t come soon enough this year!

I have been yearning for time to work in my wilderness of a garden in the countryside, drinking coffee outside and seeing which flowers are coming out of the soil. Easter is one of the best breaks of the year, most of us have time off and can spend joyful days with our loved ones. Many of us go away to a warmer climate, some even go skiing, a staycation is also a treat and a great time to explore our neighborhoods.

Whether you are spending the Easter holidays away from the comfort of your own bed or not here are three tips that will help you get a good night’s sleep during your break:

Try not to eat too many delicious chocolate Easter eggs too late in the day.

It is generally recommended to avoid consuming chocolate or any other sources of caffeine at least 4-6 hours before bedtime.

It’s this caffeine, as well as the sugar and saturated fat content, that can prevent us from getting that restorative sleep our body needs.

So enjoy your yummy Easter eggs and coffee no later than in the early afternoon if you are sensitive to caffeine or have trouble sleeping.

Open the window and let fresh air into your bedroom.

The ideal sleep environment is dark, cool, and quiet.

If it happens to be very chilly outside this Easter ( only time will tell ) bring a Hot Water Bottle into your bed and snuggle up.

Alternatively, try layering a wool blanket or two on top of your duvet, if you find yourself waking up due to feeling cold during the night.

Wear A Silk Sleep Mask and block out any disturbing light.

Your partner might be reading in the bed next to you at night or perhaps the early morning light will enter your bedroom window long before you have plans of getting up on your Easter break.

Using a Silk Sleep Mask will ease you into your precious deep sleep faster and if you happen to wake up during the night, I promise you will fall right back to sleep again.

Last weekend I was lucky enough to visit the Cotswolds in England for the first time in my life. Although I lived in London for many years and did some traveling with my job as a Sales Manager for a Danish clothing brand, I mainly went down south to Devon and Cornwall. The Cotswolds was finally a dream come true.

We stayed in The Rectory Hotel a small boutique hotel in the village of Crudwell, once home to the local rector and his 14 children and neighbour to the beautiful village church. We were welcomed by the most lovely woman in the reception and treated to Tea and Scones and instantly cuddled up in the beautiful sofas in front of the crackling open fireplace. Dinners we enjoyed in the Potting Shed Pub just across from the Rectory and delicious breakfasts and lunches in the big Orangerie within The Rectory.

I loved the garden, which was a classic country garden full of birds having a party each morning and a heated swimming pool that unfortunately was not open before May. Magnolia trees were nearly in full bloom and crocuses and daffodils popped up everywhere we looked.

Our room was adorable and every night I had a long soak in the bathtub and opened the window to let the fresh countryside air in before we went to sleep. It was so quiet and cosy. I had the best sleep for a very long time and this stay reminded me about the fact that living in central Copenhagen has many advantages, but we pay for it with daily noise, light, and air pollution.

I am a country girl by heart and the Rectory Hotel was the perfect setting for a long weekend break with my youngest daughter Molly and my husband Cim. The Sunday Times UK just named The Rectory Hotel “ Boutique Hotel of the Year” and you can find their review here.

Next time I will bring our two daxies, they would love the fantastic walks on green paths around Crudwell and this loving and very dog-friendly hotel with dog biscuits served on arrival!

A visit to Cutter Brooks in Stow-on-the-wold

You haven’t been to the Cotswolds if you haven’t been visiting the inspiring and very chic Cutter Brooks boutique in the delightful market town of Stow-on-the-Wold.

Cutter Brooks is founded by Amanda Brooks, a former Fashion Director from Barneys N.Y. and contributing Editor at both Condé Nast Traveler (the US edition) and Architectural Digest.

Amanda is from New York and moved to the Cotswolds with her British husband and their children and is now living on their family farm with lots of adorable animals. I have for the last 4-5 years enjoyed following Amanda’s daily life on Fair Green Farm as well as her many travels around the world on Instagram and reading her wonderful book Farm from Home again and again.

Cutter Brooks’s selection of curated fashion and housewares pieces celebrates the English countryside with gems found around the World and is a treasure that you don’t find elsewhere.

From quilted Kantha jackets to John Derian Paperweights and handmade wooden bunny decorations for Easter, it is impossible to leave the boutique without at least one bag in hand.

To celebrate Easter with style visit Cutter Brooks online here.