As a family we have clear dedicated time out together, away from technology and bright computer screens. I think it is imperative that we all have this bonding time as well as a healthy dose of fresh air in our lungs. Recently we visited Knightshayes, a Victorian country house, a National Trust property in mid Devon. To be totally honest, it's not my favourite, stylistically in interior design but the building is really impressive and the grounds are simply fabulous. 
It is refreshing and rejuvenating to enjoy such beautiful surroundings. This crazy pace of life that we live these days can mean it can be hard to gather your thoughts. The space and calmness of these historical places can really help you to be present and balance real life with the digital world that we find ourselves involved in more and more on a daily basis.
We saw so many little signs of Spring that it gave me hope that we would soon have longer sunnier and warmer days. I adored these willow sculptures. I have seen them before, but this scampering family of foxes really made me smile. Extremely good craftsmanship!
We have had National Trust membership since our children were babes in slings, so they have got used to the protocol of not sitting down on the furniture or touching the artifacts, however tactile and tempting they may be! We have always found the National Trust properties to be fascinating and welcoming places to take the children and they provide little extras for the littluns to do. We did a nature trail here and even made a crown from the things we found on the ground. It was great fun and a real tonic to focus on nature and playing with the children.
I highly recommend a digital detox even for half the weekend, if you can't manage to keep your screens turned off for the whole time! It is high time to create more depth in other areas of our lives. So many seek validation from social media and yet we have just to look at the real relationships in our immediate surroundings to click refresh and stress less!
