The summer holidays are at an end and as always, it feels like it’s gone by in a bit of a whirl. It’s certainly been a busy summer for us with Sophie’s shows and working our way through the summer activity list whilst also juggling work and other responsibilities. I might have dropped a few balls along the way but we’ve had a lovely summer and have made some magical memories.
We managed to complete our summer activities list, finishing the holidays with a couple of days at Whipsnade Zoo, an overnight stay at a friend’s house and going to their annual summer party, and an afternoon visiting my mum and catching up with my twin sister.
Thomas went back to school yesterday and had a good first day back. Sophie isn’t back until Monday and has enjoyed getting to have a couple of days of one-to-one time with me. We went out for brunch yesterday and did some shopping which we mostly enjoyed, other than trying to find her a pair of school shoes which was much harder than anticipated but we did find a suitable pair in the end!
My head has definitely been in a whirl over the past week trying to play catch-up on various things that I’ve not been able to properly focus on during the summer break. There’s also the whirl of emotions that comes at this time of year – the end-of-summer sadness and the waves of grief that become stronger as we get closer to what would have been Jessica’s 15th birthday. I find it hard to imagine her at 15 – starting Year 10 and starting on GCSEs. I wonder how she would have changed as she got older, how she and Sophie would have navigated the pre-teen and teenage years together, the sister she would have been to Thomas. So many moments missed. But she’s still talked about and thought about and remembered and loved and I’m grateful for all the beautiful memories we have even though I’ll always wish we could have had more.
What I’ve been grateful for this week:
- Day 240 – I am grateful for getting to feed the penguins at Whipsnade Zoo.
- Day 241 – I am grateful for libraries and another summer reading challenge completed.
- Day 242 – I am grateful for a lovely afternoon at the Radway summer party.
- Day 243 – I am grateful for a quiet evening playing games together.
- Day 244 – I am grateful for a free return visit to Whipsnade Zoo and some fun getting to try out some ‘Zoo Crew’ roles.
- Day 245 – I am grateful for finishing off our summer activities list with a treasure hunt.
- Day 246 – I am grateful that Thomas had a good first day back at school.
Joining in with Raisie Bay for Word of the Week.
Also joining in with #Project365: