So summer is officially over now and the autumn evenings are already closing in. Since the Jubilee Celebrations in June right through to the Paralympics, we really have had a fantastic British summer, we even had a few sunny days, which is always a result. We decided Meadow was still too small to take abroad and so like many other families this year have holidayed in Britain! We visited St Andrews in Scotland for a few days to meet an old university friend of mine, which was really lovely. Meadow saw the beach for the first time on her Birthday holiday in May …we took her to Great Yarmouth beach but she fell asleep. Saint Andrew beach was beautiful and she was in her element chasing seagulls and drawing in the sand with a stick! It was windy but she adores wind and laughs when it moves her hair. We had a few days up in Scotland before returning to Carlisle to see family and it was lovely to see her running around in her nana and godmothers’ gardens. My granddad had a picnic for her and my young cousin and both girls enjoyed sandwiches, sausage rolls and biscuits on a checked rug in his garden surrounded by toys but Meadows favourite toy in his garden was his watering can! She pulls a cheeky face now where she touch’s her lips as if to say “ oh dear” and she did this when she captured it from the green house!

When we returned back to Essex we decided to take her fruit picking. She can now pick up quite a speed when walking so we got her a backpack with a little rein attached to it so we can keep a close eye on her. This was very handy amongst the fruit trees, especially the raspberries where she ran from row to row. The best place for her was the currant tunnel picking red and black currants as we knew where she was and she enjoyed kneeling on the floor picking the berries. We filled two blue punnets with soft fruit, which Meadow decided to carry – resulting in fruit scattered all over the grass! When we put her in her car seat we discovered a raspberry stain on her ear as well as the ones on her lips – she does some funny things!  This weekend is our wedding anniversary so Robin and I are taking her to Brighton for the weekend. Just recently when walking the dog she has become attracted to playing with footballs so we aim to get her a beach ball! The summer has been full of tea parties, picnics, long dog walks, paddling pools and the odd barbeque – its made me realise you don’t have to go on a plane to enjoy a good holiday. Maybe after this great British staycation we might be keener to stay on British soil in future too, if only the sun shone a little more!