A Summer Reflection - 2022

Hi there everyone 😀

Now we are heading into the autumn I thought it would be a good time to reflect on our summer, which has felt a bit different for us this year.

Normally the months of June, July and August would find us pretty much ensconced at home, enjoying the garden, with maybe a few days out, but not going too far at all.

This year has felt totally different and we don't seem to have spent much time in the garden at all, though we have managed to squeeze in our normal annual BBQ events with our good friends and their families.

In June we were in North Wales at our new holiday lodge for a couple of weeks and in between our visits spent lots of time helping out our elderly neighbours who seem to have been in and out of hospital and needing lots of help for the last 12 months.

At the beginning of July we had a week in The Wye Valley for our annual catch up with old work friends, which took place later than normal this year ... The weather was kind and we got to visit lots of new places ... I still have to share this trip with you ...

We were only back from The Wye Valley for a week or so before we headed off down to Bude … something we never do in the school holidays … but this year had opted to spend some time down there when the rest of the family were there. Mum, my brother, his partner and Bobby were staying in Mum's caravan and my sister and her partner were staying in her partner's house, which he bought down there a few years ago. We had rented a holiday cottage and we got to spend some really lovely family time together ... it's another trip I have yet to post about, so there is definitely plenty more to come ... 

We had a week at home when we got back from Bude, before heading off back to the lodge, and we managed a couple of days in the garden getting it ready for a BBQ with The Sutherlands ...

We had a lovely week at the lodge … with some cracking weather … so got to use the pool, as well as visit another few new places. I'm making it my mission to explore somewhere new every time we visit ...

We came back from the lodge to a really busy week ... dentist, a day out with Bobby to Calke Abbey and more gardening ready for another BBQ, this time with the Wakelins ... this year there was no rain, which was a real result ...

That pretty much brings us up to this week and, along with a re-visit to the dentist and shopping, we took Bobby for another day out, this time to Twycross Zoo, where there was much fun and lots of walking ...

We have friends coming for lunch on Sunday and are then off to the lodge again, so have a few days to try and get the garden tidied up, hedges trimmed, ironing done, house cleaned (which has definitely gone by the by this summer), beer bottled for Martin and blog posts put together for me.

So this summer has been a bit more hectic than usual. Have I enjoyed it? Yes definitely ... it's been lovely to spend so much time away and with friends and family. Have I missed my slow laidback summer in the garden? Yes definitely ... I think I need to find a happy medium for 2023 😉

*******************************************************************************