Welcome to Big Lovely Day, our family blog paying homage to the beautiful corner of Andalucia where we live. It’s called The Axarquia. You’ve never heard of it? Not many have, that’s part of its charm.
Our son JJ came up with the phrase “Big lovely day” not long after we moved here. He burst in to our room one morning announcing “It’s a big lovely day!!!” Bless his cotton socks. He soon learned that in terms of sunshine, a very big proportion of days here in Spain were big lovely ones. So what better name for a blog about living in Andalucia.
I’m Gráinne (See here for how to pronounce that). As well as JJ there’s my husband Ivan and our girls Ray and Nivi. We moved to Spain from Ireland three years ago when Ray was a tiny baby and Nivi was born in the local hospital here so is a proper española.
This blog is kind of a diary / family photo album for me. Pre-children, I was a writer for a magazine and I’ve always kept a diary, so writing posts both keeps the engine oiled and documents our years here in Spain. It’s also proven dead handy when friends and family visit. I can flick through this and think: Oh yeah forgot about that place!
I write about cool stuff we’ve done – hikes, beautiful beaches, lakes, day trips. We love a good party so there’s a whole section on fiestas, including Carnavals, a foam party or two and some dressing up ideas.
I’ve recently absorbed my other blog into this one. It reviewed travel cots for babies, something I had become a world class expert in! But I wanted to widen the scope, move on from just cots and review family gear like tents, baby carriers and more. It was also hassle maintaining two separate blogs. So I decided to expand and merge.
The new Gear that works section includes critical reviews of stuff we have used as a family that I would recommend to a friend. Read more about my review policy.
If you want to discover more about Andalucia, the following are some local blogs I highly recommend:
East of Malaga
Scribbler in Seville
A Lot of Wind
Nerja Today
Here’s a map of The Axarquia:
If you have any of your own suggestions for big lovely days out please leave a comment or send a mail to grainne(at)biglovelyday.com, I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for dropping by.
Gráinne
Lovely blog and love the name and story behind the name:) Tarifa restaurant reviews making me hungry! Really well written.
Thanks Lorraine! Next time you’re here we definitely have to go to Tarifa you’d love it.
Grainne, what a great job. Exactly what I need for ideas for days out with Josh when we come over soon. I still dont know the area very well, and all your tips are invaluable. Thank you so much xxxx
Thanks sweetheart. Got loads more stuff half-written just finding the time to put it up here. Hasta pronto xx
Hello! I just discovered your blog and have enjoyed reading through the posts! I admire your adventurous spirit and look forward to reading more.
Thank you so much Faerl xx
Hey, Really like Cantarrijan and Canuelo so looking forward to doing that walk when we re over at Easter. How lucky you are to live in such a beautiful part of the world! We have a place in Nerja and get over as often as we can.
It’s true Brian. I’m here 7 years and still discovering new places all the time, I feel very lucky to live here. Enjoy your next visit x
Well we finally got around to doing that walk last summer , and enjoyed it so much we’ve done it several times. It’s a pity you are not putting up more days out but I guess things change and life moves on. Hope all is well with you and your family
Glad you enjoyed it.
I haven’t posted in over a year. We moved back to Ireland. It has been such a busy time that I have put the blog on the long finger. Must post an update soon. Hope you are still enjoying life in beautiful Andalucia x
Hi
Great blog ! Thanks for the nice pictures .I will visit Sevilla and Granada in August.Can you suggest companies which offer tours like you did with your family?
Madlén
Thanks Madlen. Try these blogs https://www.piccavey.com/ and http://scribblerinseville.com/ for great info on both cities. Devour Tours, http://devoursevillefoodtours.com/, do excellent gourmet tapas tours in Seville and other cities in Andalucia. Enjoy uour holiday! Grainne x