I love August, after months of military organisation with school and extra curricular events, August is the month to  relax, chill and just live in the moment.  After an indifferent start to summer, we have had great weather for the school holidays and we’re all looking sun kissed and healthy after a month outside.

Played

Games are not a normal category in my little sparkles but it’s August and we’ve played lots! There’s imaginary games at the park and on the beach, garden games such as cricket, tennis and football and card games on holiday.  UNO is always a family favourite but thanks to a birthday present we have a new game, Monopoly Quick Deal, which we played every night on our family holiday.  Its a simple, quick and fun game and its a nice feeling to finish your day in the caravan with all the family around the table playing and laughing together.

Read

After a very quiet year of reading, this month I managed to read 7 books!  I love the holidays for the time it gives me to relax and read.  With the age the children are now, they are able to play on their own and with friends at the park and beach giving me valuable time to read, my Kindle is always in my bag.  However I also read some real books this month, one from the library and I bought three with a book voucher I got for my birthday.  My favourites were The Trials and Triumphs of Grace Atherton and How to be Famous.  Grace was about the value of friendships and looking and caring for yourself  with the beauty of Paris and music being themes woven through the story.  How to be Famous for me was full of nostalgia and memories of the the 90s, with a strong plot that stopped the rose tinting of the era.  My children have done the Reading Challenge this summer and with my reading I reached the target too, unfortunately as an adult I didn’t get all the space stickers!

A wedding

This month I went to the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to.  Words simply can’t describe the elegance and detail of the wedding.  As you entered the castle the smell and beauty of the flower displays simply took your breath away, whilst the live music was superb and had us all dancing.   There was the most amazing firework display to end the evening and  we were given embroidered blankets and pashminas to ward off the chill.  The bride was so beautiful and elegant and having known her for many years I’m so happy that she has her happy ever after with such a lovely man.

Our Family Holiday

This month we were in Tenby for our summer holiday and I really fell in love with this lovely little seaside town.  There were beautiful sandy beaches and the town was full of quirky, independent shops.  We stayed in an amazing caravan where the master bedroom had a dressing room and en suite!  It was a great family holiday where we simply had the chance to be together, play and relax away from all the stresses of daily life.

A summer fayre

We always go to the local village’s summer fayre on Bank Holiday Monday.  It’s such a lovely, traditional British event with the flower tent, dog agility, town band etc.. and for me seems to signal the end of summer.  It’s a very popular event and a great opportunity to see friends and acquaintances.  It was ridiculously hot this year but great fun, one day I’ll enter something

Water Fun

In such a lovely month we’ve all spent a lot of time in the water, the sea at home and in Tenby and pools, inside and outside. As well as swimming we’ve tried lots of different activities, kayaking, water walkers, aqua jets, inflatables, water slides and pedalos.  We are so lucky to live at the seaside and embrace every opportunity to be on the beach.

And finally

So August is now at an end and September sees the start of a new school year and all that it brings.  It’s been a summer full of happy memories bathed in warm sunshine for which I am truly grateful.