Cherries and a big tent

The hot weather has meant a lot of outdoor play and the best way to keep cool is obviously to be wet. I'm so glad we've not had a hosepipe ban or I don't know what we'd do. 

We are going to try camping again. I figure the only way it's going to be at all worthwhile is if we throw some money at it and make it as comfortable as sleeping in a plastic bag can be. (Can you tell I'm not a fan?) We have bought a BIG tent and as it's too big to put it up in the garden I took it to the park for a trial run and to check I could put it up. The kids had fun running around in it.

There a couple of cherry trees in this park and they're loaded this year. The kids had great fun picking and eating them but they did look like they'd butchered something or someone afterwards.

Florence Day

Today Florence would have been 4. 4 is big. 4 is a well defined personality and lots of great anecdotes. 4 is memories.

On a day when there is hysteria about the wife of a prince being in labour and the world is waiting for news all I can think about is waiting for Jeanette to come back online and tell us her news. And waiting. And nothing. Because the news was so devastating that it took time and privacy to process before letting the world in on her grief. It has been a privilege to share some of that journey with her even though I'm at a distance. It's lovely to see that some of sharpness of the pain is fading, even though it will never go. Those precious few moments that Florence lived are not much to build memories on. But she lived. She mattered. She matters. Whilst she is remembered she is not fully gone.

It's a small thing to remember. But it means everything. Florence is one of many. I know too many parents who have lost children one way or another. All of them matter. All are loved.

If you want to read about Florence you can read her story here. She has an amazing family and I know they miss her. 

Rapunzel in the park.

Isabel loves Rapunzel. We watch Tangled a lot and have a CD with a Rapunzel story on which gets played over and over in the car. She takes me scarves and makes them into her hair. Or the dog lead. Or a bandage. Anything she can make into long hair. 

Can you spot a small boy?

They spent ages the other night dresses as prince and princess dancing and singing.

And of course every princess needs a lion head.

Princess in the Park

The heatwave is very welcome in many ways but it can be hard to work out how to let the kids play without us all getting over heated or sunburnt. Steeple Aston park has a good number of trees so we managed to spend a few hours there with enough shade not to roast. Good job really as Isabel spent most of the time in her polyester princess dress. She did take her 'clip clops' off though. 

Street Party

This weekend was our 5th annual street party. The theme this year was Bastille Day and we were blessed with a very hot and sunny day. At least half the residents seemed to be wearing striped tshirts and there were a few berets too.