Friday 7 September 2012

Season's End



It's been a lovely long Summer with the boys and I don't feel like I'm quite ready to give up on the long evenings and lazy bedtimes yet; the meandering days and carefree atmosphere.  Life inevitably moves on though and I waved goodbye to them all,  all kitted out in their new uniforms, slightly nervous and reluctant, but old enough now to know that it has to happen. (Me too!)
I think it takes a while as a parent to get the hang of summer holidays.  You still have memories of when you were a child and they seemed endless and responsibility free, full of long days of sunshine and pleasing yourself. I'm finding that with each new year I understand better how to tackle this season.  Maybe by the time they are all grown up I will have got the hang of it!  This year, we did our usual Summer Activity Planner - basically a long piece of paper with the days on it, which we fill in together at the beginning and decide on the things we most want to do - interspersed by some of the things we have to do, like shoe shopping (UUuuuGGhGGhhh!!!).  It worked well, and I felt happy that I had managed to entertain and occupy each day without any of us falling over the edge of sanity.  I also trialed a short term pocket money chart this year.  We don't do pocket money really; the honest reason being that we're not usually organised enough to remember!  Short term though, to raise a little pocket money for our camping holiday,  I could manage and as we expect the boys to help around the house, they gained ticks for things that were above and beyond - like helping a brother without being asked, being kind, generous and enthusiastic. All of these things thrown into the mix of 5 boys and one Mummy at home make a HUGE difference!

Goody bags for each of the children, left on the seat of the car, for them to find at the beginning of the journey to our holiday

This years' camping trip took us to Suffolk and a part of the world I hadn't visited since I was a child.  My parents lived here when they were first married and took my older brother home from hospital to live in a mobile home on a friend's farm.  We stayed on the same farm this year and it was beautiful.

I feel the need to write some more about some of the musings and thoughts I have had over the Summer, but I think they are still settling in my head, so I will leave them for another day when they have "Crystallised" as my dad would have said.  For now, I'll mark the end of the holidays by sharing some of my favourite pictures of our time away. 

Our campsite in the morning sunlight.

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Our campfire cup of tea, nearly ready......tastes so much better than from a kettle somehow - maybe it's the waiting!


A little fire lighting instruction from "I grew up in the woods" Daddy.




Waiting for dinner to cook....



 My version of chilling out by the pool!





Blue skies....



Sunsets....


Eating very well....


Climbing in castles...


Still being parents...


Laughing at the washing (this was one of 3 loads that week!)


A bit of insect spotting in the woods...




 Simple boy fun...wave hopping and stone sploshing....








 Chips and cups of tea on the pebbly beach....







 Some of the prettiest cottages I've ever seen...





Anniversary tea and cake....


Beach combing for future jewellery projects....


Soaking it all up....


Loving the tribute plaques on Southwold pier; what a beautiful idea.


Finding lovely things in vintage markets....

  



 Probably our best holiday yet.

 

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