Hanging on to Summer

Days spent exploring new Cornish coves, splashing in the sea, rock-pooling, and finding our first ever starfish. 

Evenings spent cooking outdoors, staying up late and watching the sun set.

Its been a good summer, and one we're all going to miss. Though as school beckons and the countdown really begins (boys go back to school on Friday, yes a 'Friday'), there is no denying that Autumn is here. It shows itself in the cooler mornings, the darker evenings and the hedgerows full of blackberries. Like many children I use to yearn for the summer, the longer days, endless sunshine but as I've got older I have begun to really enjoy the changing seasons, Spring full of expectations and Autumn full of colour, glorious light and the slowing down. So as we begin to wave a sad goodbye to what has been a very 'sunny' summer, there is already a part of me that is ready to embrace the next period of the year.

So what's for tea!

There is something very satisfying when you can walk in to your vegetable patch, and pick all the ingredients you need for tonight's tea!
Our allotment has turned into a jungle. Just having a fortnight away, a fortnight without picking, tidying and nurturing has turned our veg patch into a wild overgrown, mess - no that's not entirely fair, seen from our kids point of view our allotment has turned into an outdoor edible supermarket! They disappear down the rows, searching for the last peas, daring each other to see how much rocket they can eat that has turned quite 'hot' tasting and popping sweet cherry tomatoes into their mouths whole as if they were sweets.
And for tonight's tea, our first corn on the cob, light yellow in colour, its paleness making the kids wonder twice about them, until tasting them and all three declaring that it was the best sweetcorn they had ever tasted. Freshly dug up potatoes, a task done with the help of the kids, who squeal with delight when they find them hidden in the soil. Runner beans, which the kids now believe (thanks to their dad) that by eating them, they will run faster!! Tomatoes, in different shades of reds, yellows, and orange, some round, others the shape of strawberries, some the size of your hand, others so small they look like berries but all so tasty, and so fresh smelling. And then the courgettes, impossible for me to forget as while we where away, these lovely courgettes have grown into huge 'marrows'. And they are now part of our meal every evening in some manner. But I am not complaining, this time of the year, late summer is a time for a gardener (or his wife!) to indulge and feast upon the fruits of ones labour. To eat and enjoy and my word we all indulging in that!

End of Summer

Back from an incredible two weeks spent camping in Cornwall. I really felt like I was ready to come home, to be honest I really missed my sewing machine, crazy as it may sound, though I feel ok about this as I know my OH really missed his greenhouses! But as I sit now looking through the many holiday photos that I took (yes sorry many more to follow!) I feel a large tinge of sadness pass over me that it's all over, for another year. There's no doubt we will sneak in more visits to the seaside and yes hopefully have a break in October but as the nights draw in, and blimey haven't they, it really feels like putting the tent away is a sign that summer is passing and Autumn is just around the corner. It's been a good one and one that I could quite handle carrying on for that little bit longer!

Long Summer Days

Sat uploading these photos listening to the persistent rain that has not stopped since Saturday night and has kept us hauled up in the house, its hard to believe that we spent such a lovely long day on the beach on Saturday. It wasn't the warmest of summers days but it was bright and dry, and we made the most of it as unlike the heat and the weeks without rain that we experienced in July, August so far is proving unpredictable so days like Saturday have got to be made the most of.
And the Sea Holly on the sand dunes is just amazing, obviously a plant that is enjoying our Summer weather so far!

An Epic Day

The last few weeks have been all about birthdays and party's! Our oldest turned 8!
I still can't get use to the idea. The more I look at him, and see him playing with his friends the older he seems, though his emotions are never far from the surface and there are many occasions, often daily when I still want to wrap my arms around him and protect him from the tribulations of growing up. I have a feeling that this strong urge will never leave me.
We wanted to celebrate his birthday with a party, but trying to think of something that would entertain a group of 8-9 year olds mainly boys was difficult. We finally settled on a party in the woods, complete with bows and arrows, war paint, the making of head dresses, hot dogs, the toasting of marshmallows, a good old fashioned game of piñata all wrapped up with a water fight! The preparation for all of this started a good couple of weeks prior to the party and began to occupy any spare time we had, but all the work and the added stress of having to borrow cars to get to the woods as our car broke down three days before the party and then on the journey to the woods coming to a standstill on the road due to an accident and having to turn around when they closed the road and find an alternative route across the moors, only to eventually reach the woods an hour after setting out, and watching the excitement drain from our birthday boys face when we explained to him that there was a chance that his friends may not be able to reach the party, and then the joy when eventually 40 minutes after the party 'officially' started his first friends turning up, and the thankfulness that came flooding over me at the sheer determination of his friends parents to get their kids to the party was all worth it when he friends described the party as 'Epic'!
Yes indeed I think it was Epic, a day full of emotions and a day full of memories that won't be forgotten in a long while.

An all too brief getaway!

We spent the bank holiday weekend at my sisters house. Only an hour away in the Devon countryside, and yet that hours drive made the kids feel like they had been away on a short holiday, and for my self and my OH being away from our house and garden meant we had a chance to relax without feeling guilty that we weren't attending the many jobs that we need to do! We spent an afternoon in a field playing with bows and arrows which has become the latest favourite with the boys and a lovely Sunday rediscovering Rosemoor.  An amazing 65 acre garden that we last visited at least 6 years ago and has grown and been improved especailly with regard to children.
We had such a lovely time at 'Aunty Suzie's' it was just such a shame it was all too brief.

I must now point out that we have three most gorgeous children and not just the beautiful daughter pictured above!!! These pictures are a reminded that my children are growing up fast and that I need to make the most of being able to photograph them whilst young, especially when they smile, giggle and explore as unfortunately as they grow up they get faster and faster and spend less time standing still and become less tolerant of being constantly photographed! I failed this time to get a nice picture of my boys but I won't be put off!
Oh no this has just made me realise that I need to get more cunning with my camera!

{First 8 photos taken on phone via Instagram}