Seaside Sparkles

The Summer of 2014 will long be remembered for the gorgeous, sunny weather and despite a lull in August that weather is continuing through September.  I thought last weekend may have been our last rays of sunshine but the brilliant weather has continued all week and today has been blessed with blue skies and bright sunshine.  Its regatta and marathon weekend so hopefully conditions will stay good for all those visiting for these sporting celebrations.

Today’s title refers to what I presume was some type of kite flying in the sky this afternoon.  It reminded me of the furry snakes you get on a stick but on a much bigger scale.  The photos don’t reflect the scale of the kite, it did look like two giant snake slithering in the sky.  It was also beautifully coloured and against the perfect blue sky was stunning.  I have done a quick search on Twitter and the web but have not found any reference to it, I am intrigued so will keep searching!

This weekend we have a visit from Grandad so all of us went to pick up the children at school, it was lovely to see the children’s excitement at spotting Grandad and running up to give him big cuddles and kisses.  Needless to say two little children were clutching his hands on the walk home.  With such a delightful afternoon, we spent it in the garden, playing on the swings and slide and lots of cricket practice.  Little man adores cricket and is happy to play for hours, bowling, batting and fielding.  He did hit some lovely shots tonight, although is very dramatic in his diving catches.  Mr S decided to spice things up by pouring water on the slide thus speeding up the journey down to squeals and excited cries.  Daddy is always fun Daddy in the garden and it invariably involves water, lots of it and very wet but happy children.  Today was no different and a great way to end the first school week of the year.

Last evening on his return home from work my lovely husband offered me a carrier bag and wished me a Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas, given its 2 months since my birthday and 3 months until Christmas it was interesting timing!  Inside the bag was a new computer, although these days there is nothing as simple as a computer.  On the box its called a Transformer Book, a screen which separates from the keyboard to become a Tablet but a device which gives you flexibility to use it as a laptop too.  I was over whelmed by the gesture, I realised that even when I don’t think he’s listening to me, my husband does.  Over the past few months, I’ve had technical problems with our family laptop and my Kindle Fire meaning I’ve had to do lots on my Smartphone which isn’t always the easiest or effective solution.  I was coming to the conclusion that a new laptop was the only solution and was trying to work out how I could afford it, so for a perfect little model to arrive at home was fantastic. 

Whilst my family have always done presents and made a big fuss of birthdays and Christmas, my husband doesn’t show the same enthusiasm and preparation for such events.  At first I found this difficult but over the years I’ve grown accustomed to it, although this hasn’t stopped me doing celebrations for which he indulges my excitement.  I know that my husband is a very generous, kind and thoughtful man and though this isn’t always shown on birthdays, its the other 364 days of the year which count.  I would also hate him to think I was materialistic I would prefer nothing than something I didn’t need or want.  Its a compromise that we live with comfortably and which has afforded me special moments like the totally unexpected but much appreciated new computer yesterday.  Such gestures remind me how lucky I am to be married to a such a kind man, not for the gift but the thoughtfulness in recognising and addressing my need. 

Personally, September has always signalled the start of the new year. The academic year is the one I work and live through and having done so for the past 37 years as a pupil, student or teacher, January never has the same effect.  I find New Year’s Eve one of the most depressing and forced occasions of the year, yet September is full of promise, new beginnings and challenges and most importantly lovely new stationery!  Resolutions made in September, which yes are normally about losing weight or getting fit can be focused on a Christmas goal and there’s lots to look forward to in Autumn rather than the cold, miserable months of January and February.  So happy new year, just don’t sing Auld Lang’s Syne.