Thursday photo #272
It seems ridiculous that under a week ago, the children were still at school. Since then, we’ve crammed so much in that I’m exhausted already. I’m managing to keep my head above water with work, but only just. It’s a great reminder though of how privileged I am to work from home. The girls have had one day at holiday club and have another day and a half lined up. But other than that, we’re enjoying the time off together.
An education
This week has been a bit of an education for the girls. It’s amazing how much they learn from being away from school. They’ve had two firsts over the past few days. Their first time camping at a music festival and their first river swim.
We went to Nozstock last year, but only for the day because we didn’t have anyone to look after the dog. So camping overnight was a bit of an eye opener for the girls. They loved the freedom of being able to stay up quite late dancing. Luckily, they weren’t disturbed by the music at all and slept well in the van. That was our first festival for this year, and we’ll be going to another one next month. I think they’re getting quite a taste for it.
An introduction to wild swimming
Swimming in the river is something I’ve been looking forward to introducing the girls to. Whilst they’re both strong swimmers, I’ve been worried about them getting cold. In this weather though, there wasn’t much danger of that. So, we bundled them up in wetsuits and put a float jacket on each of them just in case they panicked when they got in the cold water.
We went somewhere that I know to be safe with a very gentle current. Meeting some friends with slightly older children gave my two the confidence to get on with it. I blew up our SUP and Lia sat on that to start with, while Libby opted to swim. Both of them spent some time on the SUP and did some swimming. They got a bit chilly but soon warmed up and it was a brilliant way to spend the morning.
Thursday photo #272
It’s always tough balancing school holidays with work. I worry about it before the holidays start, especially when they’re as long as the summer. But we soon settle into a routine. As they get older, it becomes a lot easier too. This year, I’m really enjoying their company. The hard work during early mornings and evenings is worth it for the lovely days we’re spending together.
