summer in one post

 

So, despite my claim a short while ago that I would be blogging on a regular basis, that never really materialised.  Summer was just too summery.  It did at times feel endless - in a good way.  Overall it was very dry, and there were plenty of sunny days to enjoy.  This means I have a wealth of pictures to share....get ready for a photo heavy post:

 

 This is Od, riding someone else's pony as a favour in the local showjumping summer series. 

We went away for a few days, and I had severe retro-envy for this beautiful little caravan.  It was tiny but perfectly formed.  We were camping in our equally retro (found in the attic and therefore - free!) tent.  It did rain on one night, and I worried that our old tent would leak, but I shouldn't have feared - it is old, but well made and water tight.

The beautiful bank of Willowherb at the campsite in the evening sunshine.  We visited Huntly, which is a couple of hours north of us.  Od was taking part in the excellent Huntly Summer School.  She was playing the violin, but next year she wants to learn the guitar as well.  At the end of the week long course, the students performed a concert.  I let myself down by bawling almost as soon as they started playing....but small people all playing Pachelbel's Canon together always gets me.

Oh look, a close up of the lovely little caravan....I hope I didn't weird out the owners.

Leafy lanes and stone bridges.

 

 

Pictures of wild flowers. 

Parks.  We visited lots of parks.

Silly old dog.

Castles.  We visited several.  This is on the drive to Huntly Castle.

Now, this will take a bit of explaining.  At the campsite, my children organised several games of 'hot potato'.  However, not one family on the campsite had a ball with which to play it, so one of our poor old teddies had the dubious honour of being the potato.  I can confirm that no teddy bears were harmed in the game, and he is back on Lb's bed, perfectly in tact and showing no signs of potato related trauma.

There was wrestling (and no, I wasn't trying to take sneaky pictures of the lovely little caravan - although there it is, in the background.) It is a really lovely little caravan.

There were beach days.  Not as many as I would have liked because of general busy-ness. Still, we squeezed in a few.

 

A friends guinea pig.  I'm including this one because Od took the photograph, and I think it is really, really good. 

 

A couple more beach pictures.  I love the last one, looks like they are performing a dance routine.  Which they aren't...just synchronised wave hopping.  In puffa jackets.  Scottish Summer, need I say more??

 

I made rowan berry jelly.  To save you a lot of time and effort: don't bother.  It is so sour it turns your mouth inside out, and I put in half as much sugar again than you are supposed to.  As an experiment in jelly making it was a success though, as it set perfectly and is storing well....which is what I was more interesting in.  I wanted to trial with someone that isn't expensive, and round here rowans are plentiful....because they taste awful.

There was some of this.  This is drawing dragons, which on one rainy day in particular kept the two middle boys busy for a long time.  We also played Dragonology the board game, which always leaves me in need of a lie down afterwards.  It's quite complicated, but still, very good.

This is our homage to trees.  If you click on it you should get a close-up.  I especially love Mb's owl and Eb's root system.

 

Lb on his home made balance bike.  He doesn't need a balance bike really as he is capable of riding a normal bike, but he feels safer on this, so on this he stays.  For now.  Look at those leaves on the ground, Autumn really is just round the corner.

Sweet Peas.  I didn't grow much this year, as I wanted to see what was in the garden already before I started digging away, but I did grow lots of Sweet Peas, and I'm so glad I did.  They acted like a nursery for baby hover flies, and hover flies are my second favourite insect.

This is the view from a friends front garden.  Beautiful, but a little bit daunting too.

 

And this.  This is the sky only last week.  The light is shifting and there is a chill in the early morning air that wasn't there before.  I'm ready though. We've had a second woodburner installed, the log store is full to capacity and all the woollens are washed.  Although I am a little sad to say goodbye to Summer, I am looking forward to the Autumn and all that it brings.