Seaside Sparkles

It was a joy to welcome May this year, after the long, hard winter May delighted us all with long, hot, sunny days and the promise of a beautiful summer.  A seaside town starts to come alive in the summer and this month saw a big boost to the town’s economy with two amazing bank holidays and the town bursting with visitors.  We’ve had some stunning days on the beach this month and the best of all, our first trip of the year to the beach after school, there is something special about running down to the beach and splashing away the school day.  Summer sports have started in earnest this month and we’ve spent many an hour at the cricket club.  May also saw me dancing around a May pole, playing the first rounders’ game of the summer, exploring local history and finishing with a few family days in Devon at half term, its been a busy month.  There have been so many lovely moments in May and here are just some of my little loves from this month …

I’ve noticed my reading time has reduced this month, no more cosy nights snuggled on the sofa.  However I have read two books and am working my way quickly through my third.  One book was a work related title so whilst fascinating took a little more time and effort, especially as I was highlighting and scribbling so many notes at the side.  The book is Dana Boyd’s Its Complicated which explores teenagers’ use of social media, there is so much to say about this book and to anyone with teenagers I would strongly recommend reading it.  Its hard to summarise such enlightening content but after reading it I feel reassured and trusting of our young people online and perhaps there are a few questions we need to ask ourselves!

The second book was The New Mrs Clifton by Elizabeth Buchan, which starts in the 1970s and the discovery of a body buried for 30 years ago. The book focuses on who the body could be and why through a brilliant plot.  I didn’t guess the identity of the victim and thought it was a very clever and stylish story.

So its cricket season and I have watched a lot of practices and matches.  Little Man’s team is undefeated so far and his happy place in life is at the crease waiting to bat.  I tend to watch the matches quite intently as I do score some matches and every ball needs to be recorded accurately.

Due to the clash with a cricket match, I wasn’t able to see the Royal wedding live but I did catch up so I could see the dresses, flowers etc.. I like the detail of a wedding, royal or not.  I loved the style of the royal wedding, the flowers were so simple and beautiful and Meghan was stunning.  There also seemed to be lots of little details from the couple which helped make it their own celebration rather than a traditional royal wedding.

Its been a while since I made an effort to follow a series but I am loving A Very English Scandal with Hugh Grant as Jeremy Thorpe.  Its an unbelievable true story and is highly entertaining, its definitely not a dry, political drama.

And finally, I also got to watch my children enjoy time with their cousin.  At 20, she is revered by my daughter for her style, coolness and general niceness, so to have her accompany us on a day out at Crealy and go on all the rides with the children was a treat for all of us.  I didn’t let her have all the fun and enjoyed the water rides too.

I don’t know if its the sun but the fresh seasonal food at the moment is delicious.  I’ve enjoyed cooking recipes with the ingredients such as asparagus risotto, broad bean and mint soup, rhubarb crumble (straight from my father-in-law’s garden) There’s also the simple but perfect taste of fresh Jersey royals with butter and seasoning, sometimes simplicity is perfection.

 

This is a frustrating category this month, as after being in a lot of pain, I finally went to see my doctor and after having an x-ray on my foot, it appears that I may have arthritis. I have worn Converse pumps and flip flops all month as it is all I can wear without pain.  I do love my Converse but I think if its all I can wear I’m going to have to invest in a few new colours.

I haven’t really been making a conscious decision what to listen to this month on Spotify and I’ve been relying on playlists and old favourites when I’m doing my gym work.  However I have heard lots of good news, an all clear from cancer, the birth of a healthy baby boy and an upcoming family wedding, hooray for happy news.

So, if I thought May was busy it has nothing on the next two months. I am being very organised at present with lots of lists to tick off as I want to enjoy every little thing in the coming months, summer we’re coming for you ….

I am writing this post with Morgana’s inspiration

So April continued to be a grey, cold, dismal month apart from 4 blissful days when we fast forwarded a season and enjoyed hot, sunny days.  It was a little break in which we all slipped into shorts and t-shirts and spent as much time as possible with the warm sun on our faces, at the beach, in the garden or riding through the forest.

April saw our two week Easter holiday and as well as the Easter traditions, we climbed walls (literally not figuratively!) met Dippy the dinosaur, hit a few tennis balls, relaxed in jacuzzis and steam rooms, laughed at Peter Rabbit, revisited the old ships at Portsmouth Historic dockyard, spent time with grandparents and played with friends.  The weather was dreary but we made the holidays sparkle! 

I have read an eclectic mix of books this month, one thriller, Before we Met about a husband’s mysterious past, one book, My Name is Leon in which main character is in foster care, another on a transgender child This Is How It Always Is and a non fiction title Shine.  All were good books and the two about the children were heart breaking and thought provoking.  The characters stay with you and as a consequence of the books, you hope for a little more kindness, acceptance and understanding in our world.

Shine by Andy Cope asks very pertinent questions about modern life and why are we all so busy?  I found myself agreeing with so much and resolving to make little changes, as Cope describes it ‘ Shining.  That’s having focus, clarity, imagination, creativity, energy and resilience’ 

Surprisingly as it was a holiday month, we only went to the cinema once and that was to see Peter Rabbit. It was a modern interpretation featuring the Beatrix Potter characters, but it did amuse me and the children and the images of the Lake District were stunning.  Television wise I’ve not watched a great deal, but as a family we’ve all been enjoying Revolution on Sky, a competition among skaters, BMXers and skateboarders with courses, tricks and races.  Needless to say as a consequence, Little Man has become even more adventurous at the skate park! 

Little Miss and my kitchen adventures continued this month, she’s such a talented sous chef. Our April challenge was to make a special dessert for Easter Sunday lunch and we chose meringues.  The BBC Good Food recipe was perfect and we all enjoyed making and eating our berry meringues.

After such a cold winter, it was wonderful to pop on my favourite red shorts, flip flops and sunglasses for our mini heatwave.  I think when you live at the seaside you dress more casually and apart from work, I’m in my shorts as much as possible in the summer months. I’ve had my red pair for years and there is just something so comfortable and relaxing about pulling them on and heading outside.  I love the hoodie and shorts look for the cooler evenings too. 

 

 

 

I’ve noticed with all the driving in the car this month that my children are changing my radio stations to something a little more hip or playing a Spotify playlist.  I’m enjoying a lot of their music but without a doubt my favourite song this month has been Paloma Faith’s Make your Own Kind of Music, this is such a fabulous, feel good song to be played loud and proud. 

April was a family focused and busy month despite the weather ( have I mentioned that?!)  May appears to be shaping up as a month of working towards summer events, Little Miss is busy with rehearsals for two summer shows and Little Man is training for the cricket season.  I’m happy for it to be a quieter month before my diary explodes in June, July and August.  Summer at the seaside is always busy and fun.  

Thank you to Morgana for the inspiration for #littleloves