As is often the way, these last few weeks have been rather busy. Work has been hectic, turbulent and joyous in equal measure. So you can probably understand why it has taken me several days to switch off and unwind. My mind is still trying to think about what I 'should' be doing, but right now there isn't anything, and that is taking a bit of getting used to. But I'm here for it :)
During July, our weather has been changeable, with heavy rain and low temperatures. The grass is lush and green once more and I can't remember when I last wore sunscreen. This has been very disappointing, but I've seized those brief moments of sunshine and warmth, including afternoon tea by the lake, and now I'm keeping my hopes high for August. Surely, summer can't be over just yet.
One such moment was the school sports day. Already, postponed from earlier in the month, we struck lucky with the one fine day we had that week. It was lovely to see the children (and grown ups!) having so much fun. Lily received two 2nds - sprint, egg and spoon, and a 1st - the skipping race, of course!
That same evening I enjoyed an end of term social event. It was pleasantly warm, so we sat out in the garden beneath the fairy lights and bunting, enjoying the most amazing home made pizzas and good conversation. It was a lovely way to celebrate, especially as we won't all be together this time next year.
Back in March, Lily and I entered a competition for growing potatoes. We were given one bucket and one seed potato each and the idea was to see who could grow the best crop of potatoes by July. Well, last weekend we took our buckets back to be emptied and weighed, and the results weren't great. In fact, they were quite terrible, although Lily was thrilled to received a price for the child's lightest crop - a packet of Smash! And mine weren't much better. The few that we did manage to grow did taste delicious, however. We've not yet eaten the Smash :)
Somewhere in the last few weeks, there was another skiing lesson. That's Lily at the top of the slope with her instructor. She's really enjoying her lessons, so I hope we can somehow fit another one in very soon. Then, once she is confident enough, she can use the main slope without instruction.
We celebrated the last day of term with a chippy tea down by the lake. It was a lovely sunny and peaceful evening, although I imagine it will be getting a lot busier now that the school holidays have arrived. Then, the following evening, I went out with some colleagues. This time there were quite a lot of us, so we went to a new restaurant in town, where the food was absolutely delicious.
Unfortunately, heavy rain kept us indoors over the weekend, but I kept myself busy making blackcurrant jam (which are far easier for me to grow than potatoes!). Luckily, I have lots to look forward to over the next few weeks.
Back soon.
J. X
