So long, June

It's gone from being unseasonably cold and wet to scorchingly hot and sunny. Suddenly the strawberries are ripening, the beans are climbing and the dahlias are bursting forth from the soil.

As well as rainy-day activities (salt dough making, button sorting - why are little ones so into buttons?) we've managed lots of trips to the park with Joe's friends and even an excursion to a farm. Cue lots of muzzle-stroking and inquisitive questions about the habits of pigs and sheep.

We've been on so many evening walks in the locality, heading out into the open country and spotting butterflies and flowers (and the occasional train).

Golden Hour - when we've been out in it - has been lovely. Soft light and warm air.

We're fortunate to have quite a diverse range of countryside in these parts: moors and sheep-grazed uplands, deciduous woodlands, rolling fields and valleys. Much of it tells a story; sometimes you see evidence of the old milling industries. Sometimes you come across the ghost of an orchard or farmhouse.

Joe loves being outdoors and the long days and warmth mean we're often walking or out the back playing, pottering or eating. 

In other news, we should be exchanging contracts on the house this week. Or early next week. I'm already doing the important stuff (choosing a colour to paint the front door). I'm currently wavering between a damson purple or a deep, inky blue with the slightest hint of teal. Decisions, decisions.

I'm still not eating sugar despite my 28 day plan being well and truly behind me. I just don't seem to want to eat it. Ditto the starchy stuff like pasta and potatoes. Maybe it's the heat. I managed to lose 8lbs though and am hoping to lose a little bit more. My clothes feel like they fit again. Hooray!

The drawing and painting venture has taken off in a slightly alarming way. Not that I'm complaining, but I didn't expect things to get so busy so quickly. More on that in my next post.

I've also been feeling sad at times. This time last year we all thought my mum's treatment would be successful and life would return to normal; we had lots of plans for when she got better. I miss her a lot.

We are coping with things as a family though. And there are plenty of events to look forward to. Two 'big' birthdays in the next couple of weeks, for starters. And I've promised to bake for the first one. I'm thinking butterfly cakes with lemon curd and buttercream. That's summery, isn't it? I fully intend to eat cake at these parties. I'm following the 80/20 rule.

June was a month of ups and downs, emotionally, practically, even weather-wise. But I'm so relieved that the house purchase is going ahead. The kitchen extension is fine despite the lack of planning permission; we've been assured (by a professional) that it's well-built and has been there for 30 years so there's no danger of it having to be taken down. No need for retrospective planning permission either. 

It'll be lovely to have our own place again and to be able to make it an actual home.

And tomorrow's July. It seems to have come around very quickly, somehow. Although I'm very much an autumn and winter lover, I'm looking forward to a few months of warmth and sunshine. Vitamin D is a wonderful thing.

Who knows, we may even get to the seaside before the school holidays are upon us. Salty air and rockpools and sand beneath our feet... I think we may need to make a plan.

Wishing you a wonderful July.