Staying Out for the Summer ...

One of the big blogger tropes is the holiday in New York.  We've been twice - once pre-Tubblet and once post-Tubblet but pre-blog.  Here's a photo ... Times Square by night ... Passed go, blogger points collected ...

Summer is finally here.  On the plus side, The sun is out, nature is thriving, there's an energy in the atmosphere that's difficult to ignore ... On the minus, Mufasa is moulting, we're all whining it's too hot, the garden is frazzled ... 

Tubblet has been counting down until school's out.  So are we, but for different reasons.  Whether you're going on holiday, stuck at work or .... Here are some ways to enjoy summer.  Hopefully some of them will work for you:

• Go to the fun fair and take a ride on the carousel.  Eat too much candy floss if that's your thing.

• Wander on the beach and watch the sea.  Bury your feet in the sand so they disappear in the waves.  

• Go to the arcade at the end of the pier with a set amount of money, play lots of games and see what you can win.  

• Visit a country house and have a picnic in the grounds. 

• Play a round of crazy golf.

• Go on an adventure.  Find new places to visit locally. Wander around exploring the streets and shops before finding a little snackeral of something. 

• BBQs with friends and family.

• Lay back and watch the clouds go by.  (Don't fall asleep or look into the sun).  Or go star gazing 

• Find new books to read.

• Afternoons in the park with a book, some lunch and the children.  (The book is the hope ...!  The reality is that it probably won't make it out of the bag).

• Take lots of photos.  Might be useful come winter when you're looking for a decent photo for a post.

• If you're lucky enough to be going on holiday:

• Do your holiday admin - travel insurance, visas, booking confirmations, boarding passes, book the cat sitter etc.  

• You may also want to do some pre-holiday beauty maintenance such as pedicures etc. 

• Some people are super organised and tidy the house before they go then order a food shop to be delivered a few hours after they get home.  (We tidy the house, but Mufasa will untidy it again.  Never done the food shop, but it does sound like an excellent idea.  Sainsbury's with jet lag is no fun!)

• Then there's packing ... Which always gets me into a bit of a fluster.  I might give a variant of the 5 tops, 4 bottoms, 3 dresses / shoes, 2 swimsuits / bags and 1 jacket method that keeps popping up on Pinterest a go.  Loose fit, natural fabrics so I don't boil.  Then roll the bottoms and fold the tops ... Or is the other way around ... 

What are your plans for the summer?

I totally believe that travel benefits everyone.  You always leave a place a slightly different person to the one you were when you arrived.  But travel isn't something that's available to everyone.  It's a privilege. We're really lucky to have been able to visit the places we have.  Katie at Squirmy Popple says this way better than I can.  Go and have a read!  

If you're able to, please donate to your local food bank.  Demand is high because many of the services that families rely on to help out stop during the summer.  

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