Very happy holidays

Our family holiday this summer involved a week in South Wales: three nights in a hotel in Cardiff Bay and three nights with dear friends in Roath.

 

We had a ball! The sun shone. Dexter spent a lot of time outdoors. We ate out. We went to beautiful parks and beaches. We 'did' proper family time: memory making. And not an airport or passport in sight. Glorious!

 

Dexter became obsessed with swans ('Rons').

Our hotel: the Welsh National football squad were staying there too!

 

He also developed a craze for 'run round in circle'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

'Daioni' milkshake (through a straw) was the drink of the holiday.

Inside our hotel. We were on the fifth floor: Dexter LOVED the lift - and has since pretended to be one.

We did proper tourist stuff, like Cardiff Castle.

More 'run round in circle'...

Lovely Lazza, our generous host. I Instagrammed her beautiful home to death! Thank you (and T) for really making our holiday special.

 

 

#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!

Terrible Twos

I haven't blogged for ages. My wish that 'Five on the Door' would have five posts per month (in the interests of weird number obsession), has not been achieved.

Why?

Well, there's been a lot going on. We moved just over two months ago now, and I don't think the upheaval of such a big life-change had really set in until very recently. Don't get me wrong, we love the house, don't miss Brighton at all, and life is generally easier. But I think it's only been in recent weeks that I've processed the reality of going through one of those huge events that happens in life. And that perhaps, I need to cut myself some slack.

The move has also coincided with the boy entering the throes of the infamous 'Terrible Twos': it's tough.

Every day brings tantrums, head-banging, sleep issues, food fussiness and general conflict. I love my boy more than I thought was humanly possible, but this bit is hard.

My angel baby has turned into an angry little toddler, riddled with frustration and angst. He definitely has a language delay, and is waiting on a number of referrals to see if there is any other condition behind some of his behaviours. Ironically, of late, he's doing really well with his words, averaging on using one or two new words a day: this is fantastic progress. The tantrums however are something else, and it becomes very difficult to differentiate between what could be a complex issue, and what is simply the 'joys' of toddlerhood.

As parents, it's really hard not to feel like you're failing. We're totally acting as a team, and the husband is wonderfully supportive and hands-on, but I think we sometimes feel like it's just our child that behaves like this. My rational mind tells me that a phase in a child's life doesn't get a well-known and well-used name for itself without some justification, and I hang on to the hope that 'terrible twos' will result in a karmic 'terrific teens', or that at least (as a secondary school teacher) I'll know what I'm dealing with then.

For now, I'm hanging on to that much-loved parental mantra: it's only a phase.

And hopefully the blogging hiatus will only be a phase too!