I love how the perfect blanket can complement just about any summer experience. 

I absolutely adore summer. I love being in nature, waking up to the sound of birdsong, listening to people on the beach, and the sound of crashing waves along the shore. There’s nothing better than the summer smells of fresh-cut grass and BBQs with friends, or the feeling of the sun on my skin and sand under my feet as I walk along the beach at sunset with a cashmere blanket thrown around my shoulders.

When I think back on my favourite summer memories and traditions, blankets have always played a role somewhere.

I’ve spent a few weeks in Portugal each year since I was very young, and now that I’m a mum with three boys of my own, I take them to many of the same places I loved as a child. We always pack our favourite blankets to accompany us on our adventures. 

All of us are very active and we spend a lot of time running around our favourite spots along the coast of Portugal, playing tennis, or swimming in the wild, refreshing Atlantic ocean. All of my boys love to dry off and then cosy up on the sofa and wrap up in their chosen blankets to wind down from an afternoon of playing in the waves, and you can often find us picnicking on the beach with our gorgeous wool picnic blanket.

There’s a restaurant in Portugal that I just love called Maria’s at the bottom of the red cliffs in Vale do Lobo. It has changed so dramatically over the lifetime that I have been going to Portugal, but I love it all the same. There is an African rice side dish called Marie’s Special Rice, which is the tastiest and most wonderful rice ever. I love it with grilled king prawns, a green salad and a nice cold glass of rose… perfect!! The smells, the sights, right on the beach with the fierce Atlantic Ocean, is just heaven. It’s the most amazing place for people to watch and pass the time while children can play happily on the beach. So relaxing, so wonderful.

One of my favourite feelings in the world is to sit on an outdoor patio like this with a glass of wine and a light, summery merino blanket when the evening cools down. 

Back home in Jersey, summer is just as active and beautiful for my family. My parents have always had a swimming pool, so I have a lot of summer memories of swimming in and lounging by the pool. The house they have now in Jersey is just across from a beach, down a dirt track, which is amazing and so fun to get out of the pool and walk down to the beach.

We also go to a lot of backyard barbecues. I often stay up late to drink a glass of wine under the stars with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. 

And I’m ALWAYS helping friends dress up otherwise boring garden furniture with bright blankets! Why shouldn’t your outdoor decor be as beautiful as your indoor design, especially in the summer?

I love how the summer term at school for my boys is so fun, action-packed, outdoors, and healthy. They get to enjoy so many activities living on an island, on land and in the sea, and I feel so grateful we have this on our doorstep. 

Through all this beach time, long summer meals, late nights outside, and leisurely afternoon picnics—the blankets are always there, adding a pop of colour, comfort, and beauty to every experience and making the memories just that much more special.

Shop our collection to enhance your summer experiences with your family!