J(8) had his first wakeboarding lesson. Can you tell that he quite liked it?
Not to be outdone, C(9) decided it was time to grab Mummy’s surfboard and hit the waves. (I have made it very clear that it is still my surfboard!)
C(9) surfing
We drove down to Wales to collect our new puppy…
New puppy, Branwell. The children chose his name after Branwell Bronte, the chief genii in “The Return of the Twelves”
Our older dog, Harvey, was a bit thrown when puppy left the breeder’s house with us.
“What the…?!”
C(9) is being a wonderful second time puppy-mummy. I hardly know we’ve got him which frees me up to lavish lots of fuss on Harvey, who in turn is shaping up to be a very good big brother.
Settling into the crook of Daddy’s armOur butterflies emerged. They seemed to speed through the transformation process thanks to the warm weather we’ve been having.
And I celebrated a birthday…
My sweet sister gave me this lovely dress
As the birthday girl I got to choose the dog walk – my favourite woods of course (no swings for miles!)
Then a lovely dinner out and birthday cake at home with my gorgeous family.
Do you like my birthday hat? C(9) decorated it for me 🙂
Midsummer’s Night is my favourite night of the whole year. I don’t much like holidays or even birthdays, when there’s pressure to do certain things. But on Midsummer’s Night there are no expectations.
I feel a connection with the earth, and ancient people (of which I am, ironically, reminded when I see traffic signs warning of delays near Stonehenge!).
Once, before children, Big J and I celebrated Midsummer with an evening picnic in London’s Hyde Park (back in the days when Hyde Park was on our doorstep). Most years I don’t actually do anything in particular on this day. But I always enjoy marking the occasion in the quiet of my own mind.
Earlier this evening I put out our poetry books in preparation for poetry tea with friends tomorrow morning. And I lit a sweet “Midsummer’s Night” candle I came across at the garden centre last week.
When C came home from her Stagecoach class she began looking through the poetry books as she ate her snack. I joined her, and we ended up reading poems aloud to one another for a joyful half hour.
Completely spontaneous, loving, togetherness on my favourite day of the year. [Deep, long, blissful sigh of contentment and appreciation.] 🙂
Today we leave our summer home to begin a new season of learning, laughing and loving with a different set of friends in a different yet very familiar place.
We will say goodbye for now to daily dips in the sea, and to lazy mornings and evenings, and hello to a new homeschooling “term”.
Goodbye for now to scooter races, and hello to our lovely green garden and fun activities with homeschool and other friends.
Goodbye to sunset drinks on the balcony and beach, and hello to cosy evenings on the sofa.
C has become a ripstik pro (me, not so much - have you seen how many wheels that thing has? Just two!!)
We’ve all expanded in so many ways, making new friends, developing new skills, learning new things.
It’s been a glorious summer and I am filled to overflowing with appreciation for our home here, the magnificent beach, our friends and my lovely family for every single wonderful experience since we started coming down regularly in April.
Today marks the start of rugby season so C and Big J have already gone, and J, kittens Ellie & Fliss and I are packing up to leave soon. It helps that after a week of hot sun, today it’s pouring with rain and blowing a gale! There are still a couple more September weekends here to enjoy, but in the meantime I’m looking forward to jumping back into a new routine. I’m ready to go home.
We had typical English bank holiday weather this weekend by the sea – super-windy, with spells of bright sunshine and more than a spot of rain. But of course, with true British spirit, we didn’t let it spoil our fun. We made the most of the shiny new car’s people-carrying properties and took my parents-in-law (visiting this weekend) to a nearby seaside town where we had fun at the fair and a bracing walk along the prom.
I managed to get in two photos today!!
This evening my father-in-law (a cruise veteran) and I, armed with binoculars and my iPhone, invented a new pastime – cruise-ship spotting. We identified first the Queen Elizabeth and then the Crown Princess as they in turn sailed past our stretch of coast 🙂
