#weekendofsummer

Well, it's been a month since I last blogged and I've run out of excuses for myself. Think I was expecting this blog to have more of a 'direction' than I've given it. There is little seductive about my life; I tend to covet lives from reading the blogs of others! And it's hard not to get too eclectic with no clear theme.

However, the blogging and social media world seems to be alive with the joy of summer at the moment. We're enjoying a heat wave in England: a stark contrast to last year's many drizzly days.

A couple of weekends ago, I set out to document a weekend in the sun with no clear plans. My Instagram #weekendofsummer really made me focus on the pleasing little details the warmer weather can bring.

Friday afternoon began with an iced coffee on the way home. Dexter got a pastry for his tea and the kudos of being spotted in the town where my school is based. It lends him some sort of minor celebrity status.

Friday was also Wimbledon Men's semi-final day with our Muzza. I like having the tennis on in the background with the doors open when the sun is shining. There is something quite soothing about the sound...

Our miniature garden is a real bonus in these warmer climes. We're still a little slow at introducing colour though.

I'm a sucker for pretty packaging, fonts and labels. The contents of these are pretty good too!

The boy has developed a fruit fetish having only ever eaten fruit in puree/pouch/pot form. Just the weather for a sunny tropical breakfast.

Dexter and Daddy on Saturday morning. Breakfast is a big deal for the toddler and usually lasts for several courses.

 

A bit more box-emptying on Saturday morning revealed these gems. Currently residing in the foot-well of my Fiesta, they're perfect summer driving choons.

It's been so warm, I'm not in knitwear. My pasty pins are finally experiencing some fresh air.

Pink lemonade.

Pasta picnic on the lawn.

 

 



  



The boy was grateful for the cool in his room on a sunny Saturday afternoon...

Which inevitably led to this.

 

Mandatory salad lunch.

 

 

 

So pleased we invested in a BBQ.

 

There is nothing nicer than dining alfresco.

 

 

 

There is nothing more hideous than this photo of me, enjoying dining alfresco.

 

A BBQ for Dexter mainly involves bread...

...and aeroplane spotting.

The sky has been like this for days now.

Sunday morning riding required (stylish) hydration.

 

 

 

The mornings are hotting up!

 

 

 My school-based lesson was swapped for a refreshing hack...

 

...which felt like riding through Spain or France.

 

 

Jodhpurs off; shorts back on!

 

 

 More BBQ action. I like my burgers with plenty of onion.

Murray made the final. I actually watched - whilst drinking a cheeky spritzer.

 

He won! I bawled like a baby. It was like the Lympics all over again.

Even the sunshine can't stop Sunday night routines. Bath time is even more crucial at the moment as we seem to be living OUTSIDE - and we're loving it!

Ten top tips for a successful house move

Having moved house just a couple of weeks ago, I have finally found the time (and an Internet connection) to, ahem, impart my 'wisdom' on the matter in the form of my top ten tips. I would like to credit my lovely friend, Stella, for some of the advice. Here goes...

1. Attempt to have as much of a clear out as possible before the big day. The husband virtually took up residence at our local tip for several weekends before the big move, getting rid of all manner of unwanted gubbins. Having loft space the whole length of a large Victorian house that houses five properties was more than enough room to store all manner of pointless crap, mainly the boxes of seemingly every appliance ever purchased. Despite such ruthless sorting and binning, we still managed to move a large Weetabix box containing a solitary, stale portion. Listen and learn, people.

2. Budget to pay for a company to move you and pack all of your stuff. Our team of three guys from Britannia was just BRILLIANT: jolly, efficient, professional, I actually felt sad when they left us as they'd felt like part of the moving process and had really looked after us. Sadly, we didn't pay for them to unpack our belongings...

3. Assuming you have followed tip 2 above, these guys are fuelled by a constant supply of tea and coffee - and biscuits. Jaffa Cakes were particularly motivational.

4. Again, if you've followed the advice in number 2, get out of their way! Once you've briefly outlined what's what, leave the house. The husband and I enjoyed a sushi lunch and shopping in Brighton.

5. If you have children, arrange childcare. My parents swept in from Manchester a couple of days before the move and we basically didn't see Dexter until we were in the new house. My lovely, generous friend loaned her flat up the road for them to use as their base. He had a lovely time; we didn't get stressed trying to keep things 'normal' for him.

6. Put your work shoes in your own car. I have only just found my favourite grey, ever-so-comfortable, Clarks brogues, and have been wearing my  beaten-up bronze, low heeled Clarks numbers for days.

7. Phone your new district council a number of weeks before you move to arrange for your new bins/recycling crates to be delivered. The kitchen is being taken over by rubbish and we have already had to acquaint ourselves with our new local tip.

8. Always remember that Ikea is never going to be the fun experience you think it will be. Even without a toddler, being in possession of a clear list and the promise of cheap horse, I mean 'hot' dogs, it's a miserable way to spend a day.

9. Accept that you won't be sorted straight away. We still have many many unpacked boxes to contend with and two rooms that are currently unusable, despite it being a brand new house.

10. Buy and move into what will be your 'forever home' and, no matter how straightforward it was, vow to never ever do it again.

Happy home-moving!

Bye bye Brighton

We exchanged contracts on our flat and new house in the middle of last week. I'm still not massively comfortable about sharing too much about the move; I won't truly believe it has happened until I have a new set of keys in my hand. Nevertheless, we are having to be practical: clearing out the loft, arranging new utilities, booking removals and saying goodbyes.

I'm massively excited about the move as I really think it will change our lives for the better - more on how, when (if?) it actually happens. However, it is with a heavy heart that I will be bidding farewell to my beloved Brighton (albeit to move somewhere literally a thirty minute drive away).

I first moved to Brighton as a very unworldly eighteen year old to study at Sussex University. I turn thirty five in May, so Brighton is the place I have lived the longest in my life and definitely somewhere I see as my home.

Today, despite the Arctic temperatures, we went for a stroll. The husband was under strict instructions to capture our town on film. It's testament to the freezing conditions, that we didn't get anywhere near the beach and the sea, so they aren't documented in the nostalgia-fest above. Instead, we cut our tour short in favour of a warming drink in a large and very 'un-Brighton' chain bar/restaurant.

To accompany the photos, I thought I'd write a list of things that I will miss about 'Sussex-by-the-Sea', and those things I'll be more than glad to leave behind...

I'll miss:

- Brighton's unique spirit, youthful vibe, bohemian atmosphere and sense of fun. In this town: anything goes!

- Being by the sea. Even though we don't go down to the beach that often at all really, it's nice just having it there; there's a real sense of freedom.

- There is always something to do in Brighton and it's very family friendly.

- Brighton friends, because it's never just a place you leave behind when you move.

- My own personal history here: I've laughed, loved, played, cried, learnt and lived here. And of course, I met my husband and gave birth to my boy here.



Before I short-circuit the computer keyboard with my tears, a reminder to myself of what I won't miss:

- Not being able to park a car anywhere, least of all, outside my own home.

- The constant noise: sirens, seagulls, revellers: there's always someone shouting in this town.

- Shoddy service. Brighton has  got a lot better on this front in the time I've lived here, but still, in a town where slackers reign supreme, the customer isn't always right/served/noticed/spoken to.

- The scuzziness. I am aware I am sounding increasingly like a middle-aged snob, but come on, there's bits of this town that could do with a good old clean.

- The beach in summer. Millions of people packing out the pebbles on the only scorching day we ever have in August, usually makes it in photographic form to the front of The Guardian. It may look jolly, but it's generally hideous and stinky!

Perhaps my lists say more about me changing as I get older. It's true indeed that I was a very different person when I arrived in Brighton back in 1996. Brighton itself isn't going to change - and I don't want it to - but at this moment in time, change is what my little family and I need. Besides, I'll always have my memories...