... and exclaim or murmur or think at some point "if this isn't nice I don't know what is" "Kurt Vonnegut".....as today my eldest returns to Uni..I am reflecting on our "nice" summer.

Summer is a time for my girls and I to slow down...nothing needs to be rushed, no deadlines to meet...targets to achieve ...our objectives are simple and carefree. My home is freed from conformity ...if only for a few cherished weeks.

Meal times become indistinguishable....merged ...lazy morningish...brunches ...tables laden with hot pastries, fresh berries ...and frothy coffee sipping ...half listening to the hum of conversation...half day dreaming of the events to come ...safe in the knowledge the daylight will be endless.

 Afternoon al fresco picnics ...combined with sun kissed skin enable activities such as "sitting" and "pondering"...doing nothing more than cloud watching and biscuit dunking in effortless pleasure.

....meandering coastal walks when nature adorns you with warmed sandy toes, salty skin and tousled hair ...pockets become filled with maritime treasure...mermaid shells, speckled stones ...driftwood and fossils...as you watch the Swallows swoop and hear the waves lap to the shore.

I cherish times spent with my girls...one or both as their commitments dictates...exploring and discovering ...Cities,Towns, woods, walks, gardens and galleries old and new. Bike time adventures with fizzy pop and ice-cream to nighttime beach bonfires with vegetarian sausages sizzling in the pouring rain...exploding with laughter as we hide in a shelter they have clearly outgrown.

Slowly  I am becoming "benched" .... relegated to the B Team ... not quite the sidelines yet.

So I count my blessing...and I hold on .. tightly grasping the hours, minutes or seconds ... when time stands still... and they are mine again ... just mine....close my eyes and feel the sway of the tall summer grasses, hear the buzz of frantic bees, smile at our silly or squabbling chatter ...kiss the honey tones in their sunlit hair ...and observe these delicate youthful faces rushing forwards further into womanhood and complexity ...  

              ....and together we sit watching another cloud animal pass by .... 

                                                         Our Summer 

                                                      Love Susannah x

All images &MEAD