We really enjoyed the last weekend. So much so that we couldn’t wait for this one to come around!

This time, we decided to head towards Armagh, it has been ages since I was that way and Alex came up with a very well-documented plan of action which we followed loosely 😉

Our first stop was Portadown, I hadn’t been before but I was really keen to go as that is where BittyButton has its shop. I had known of BittyButton since it was a one woman operation with a small Facebook page. Emma had a personalised hat made when she was two by the very kind grandma of the owner.

I haven’t taken a photo of what I bought as they were mainly gifts but I would highly recommend a visit, especially if you are into stationery, easy crafts and Christian artsy things. Oh, and buttons, of course :-):

We continued on to Armagh after our delightful stop and we took the scenery route as we wanted to show Emma the apple orchards. She expected apples on the trees and was a bit disappointed but I found the orchards beautiful, even at the end of winter and bare. Hills and hills covered in them:

Emma was going through a growth spur and despite the fact that she had been up from 6.30 a.m. and been eating more or less the whole time, she got hungry again so we decided lunch was in order, before the planned visit to the Armagh Planetarium.

Alex had included places to eat in his printed guide and one in particular had got my attention so we decided to give it a go. We didn’t regret it!

The Moody Boar Bistro and Restaurant is very ingeniously located in the former stables of the Armagh Palace Demesne grounds.

The service was quick, the waiters pleasant and confident and the food beautifully presented and flavoursome. I ordered a small burger and Alex went for their chicken salad, which came beautifully garnished and intriguingly flavoured on a bed of celeriac, rocket and roasted peppers.

Definitely would recommend a visit and not to forget, please accompany your meal with one of the local ciders, as we did:

Filled to the gills, we decided for a quick run around the beautiful playground placed on the same palace grounds, before heading out, chased by the pouring rain:

The Armagh Planetarium was our next stop and thanks to hubby’s organisational skills, was a success as well. I am sure that for older children the planetarium would be a hit on its own but Emma enjoyed the star show mainly and learning about planets and constellations and the sun. She found it fascinating and although Alex snoozed a couple of times in the dark, she was more alert than both of us and repeated the show almost word by word afterwards!

After the Planetarium we decided to head home but on the way we stopped to pick some fresh fruit and veggies from Chapman’s Farm Fresh, a local greengrocer’s.

We were a bit baffled to find out that out of the probably 10 varieties of apples in store only one was local but we got some cracking bacon, parsnips and local potatoes plus goose and organic chicken eggs.

The best surprise was to be discovered home at dinner time, their steak and onion pie was meaty and tasty and with the exact pastry to do it justice.

Alex is under clear instructions to visit the shop again on his weekly work rounds and buy again the pie and some of their own desserts :-).

All in all, we had a really enjoyable day in county Armagh and will definitely visit again, much sooner this time!

How did you spend your weekend?