A change is in the air...

A change is in the air, the weekend did its magic.  It lived up to expectation and indeed even exceeded it.  Time spent on the beach, chilling out, watching the sun set with its warm amber rays that you only get at this time of year, running around in open fields and just spending time in the fold of my own little family... The weekend could have only been made better if I could have gone in to the water, sadly until the dressing from my minor surgery 'gone wrong' is removed I am unable to swim, swimming is my sanctuary so I feel a little lost not been able to join the children in the pool or the sea. However the time was filled up knitting socks (my usual beach knit) cricket on the beach, sandcastle building and of course the tradition of burying someone up to the shoulders in sand! So now I am feeling more in control of my life the creative vibe is flowing again and I am even surprising myself at the speed in which things are getting done around the 'Suzie Sews household',  I am busy making a special little girl a knitted dress, quite an undertaking for me as whilst I knit all the time I have yet to tackle cable or lace, so this little number using a very basic lace pattern is proving to be a real treat, I am so enjoying the process, despite a little unpicking of an inch or two when I missed one yarn over!  
The booties are all finished and sitting prettily in there adorable baby-ness on my work table, fluffed up with pink tissue paper awaiting a matching pair to be made in blue so when the baby they are intended for is born I will have the right colour!!!  Knitted on size 2.25 needles they are a lovely small project with the cutest of results...As  with these things though they might never get worn by the baby, it was suggested by someone at my knitting night that hung with ribbon on the nursery door was an effective way to display them...nice idea, I like that, maybe a gingham ribbon to match the gingham button.
Now I am so close to finishing this bag.  The problem is I am so enjoying my Autumn bag that I have not taken the time to complete it, I only have the sides to sew up and the handle to finish, maybe later on today I might finally get round to completing it. Its design and pattern are from the lovely Melly and Me, they need no introduction, I joined the Fat Quarters, Melly and Me monthly club, six months worth of projects for Christmas gifts...you know I think I might find that hard to do, I want them all for ME!!!  As for this months project, it arrived on Friday and its as cute as you could imagine.
So another week begins and it holds many things, more trips to the hospital for this silly 'hole' in my leg, my car is away being serviced today so the housework is getting attended to, my visit to my Moms is this week in an attempt to put the last couple of weeks behind us (if only it was that easy).  Also a couple of airport runs as my best buddy is flying in and then out again on her return to Australia.  In with all this will be the usual day to day things, food shopping, a bake in planned as my freezer needs restocking after the months away through the summer, Oh and of course some sewing and knitting.  I ask that you indulge me with just a couple more beach pictures...who said it always rains in September...
A great weekend indeed and here's to a good week...

Hooray for the weekend...

Hooray for the weekend, its nearly here.  What an emotional roller coaster of a couple of weeks its been.  I looked in my blog archives at this time last year, guess what? Yep, I was struggling with the transition from Summer to Autumn (and all that it brings) then too.  Missing the children, finding my new rhythm, re-establishing my friends as peoples 'life roles' change, Moms returning to work no longer have time for chats, new Moms in the playground, so much change.  I like the  'familiar' , I spent my adult life travelling, moving and spending time with lots of new people, I have now found a base, a place to put down roots and raise my own family so suddenly change is not so exciting anymore. Content am I.

So when finding that new rhythm is tough, I head off to the beach to sooth my soul, I am EXCITED about the weekend, even the weather man is promising sunshine and warm weather.  So its on with the crocs...

Heading off to this beach with my guys...
We will be staying in our cosy beach house, our caravan;-)
I will be knitting more of these...
We will be watching the sun go down in that wonderful light that you only get in the evening, when the day trippers have all headed home and the only sound is the waves and the seagulls. We hope to be snuggling up under  blankets and drinking our Hot Chocolate tired after a day in the fresh air...

Returning to our beach house! To curl up with a good book...Ahhh yes soon I will acknowledge that autumn is on its way, just for now though I will cling on to every last bit of the summer...

The gift of being a MOM!

There has been a lot of Mother talk going on here and I am finding great therapy from all the issues in my knitting (The other bootie-see last post- was finished plus a pair of socks grafted and a new project started all in one day) I guess its that time of year when there is great appeal to be sitting in the failing evening light with a quilt pulled over you because its not quite cold enough to put the fire on... So busy was I in dealing with the issues of my own Mother I forgot that I to am a Mom, so when this moment, this precious moment, just opened up...I smiled...
My gorgeous boy, how I love you.  Sitting opposite me after a hard day at school. Munching on a cookie and looking intently at some toy, munch munch, yummy cookie... your just so darn cute.  Your curls tinted blond from all the days outside through the summer, you pull a curl out of your eyes with a slow swish  of your hand. You look up at me and you are aware that I am watching you 'I love you Mommy' Oh my sweet one I love you too, your tender hands and those arms that give the softest and tenderest of cuddles, the curve of your cheek, the bluest of eyes and that cheeky smile...Yes my sweet one I Love you...

I do not often get time on my own with my little one as my children are the best of friends and are  never really out of each others company, today though the big one is on a play date and I sit here and see how in the blink of an eye my wee one is now not so wee anymore.

Thank you for bearing with me.  Usual Suzie Sews blogging resumes from now on...

Weekend madness...

So the weekend is over and it went by so fast...time spent with a special person...memories made and the warmth of the autumnal sun shone down on us... I managed to catch up with some knitting before the airport run...cute little booties for a new arrival (I have no idea if its going to be a girl or a boy so I will be knitting a blue pair as well).
A quick little beanie hat for the change in the seasons, made with super soft yarn, in a delicate shade of green.  Once the knitting fix was sorted I headed to the airport with my excited children to pick up my friend, she arrived bedraggled through customs (minus her luggage which went astray) after five flights and travelling two days she was seriously tired.   Over our weekend we spent so much time chatting, catching up on news and solving the worlds problems, we ate too much cake, I have renewed my love of jam donuts!!!
Lots of retail therapy...
With the clear signs all around us now that Autumn is on its way, we walked through the park, content after our shopping spree, the littlest one enjoyed an ice cream we sat in the park and did I mention we chatted... My poor friend got to see more of the area than planned with a little impromptu trip to A and E (hospital) as my scar from my stitches on my leg went 'POP' and reopened, time spent in an emergency waiting room was not really part of the plan, but these things are sent to try us.
A return trip to the airport leaves me alone again, but she will be returning in two weeks as she flies back out.  Time to do a little sewing and catch up. 

Mom update...

Now this is the last time I want to mention this as it really must be a bore to read... The situation with my Mom is ongoing...  we talked after she received my card with no mention in the conversation about it (other than she had got it) and that we would speak once my friend had left.  This morning I awoke up a glorious morning and thought today is the day to chill out a little and do some fun stuff... I started the day off with a call to my Mom, full of good intention, an offer of a weekend at our caravan and also to arrange for the boys and I to go over for tea next week.  What can I say, again she put the phone down on me, I tried to be more assertive this time and try and point out that I was hurting too... She has finally made it clear she does not want to come away with us, and I will go and see her next week so she sees the children.  As for me well I have to accept the situation and make the best of it, I guess I want ever be the daughter she wished for but despite this she's my Mom and I love her.

Coffee Break....

Coffee anyone? Its been hive of activity here, tonight my friend is coming to stay, she is travelling about as far as someone could, she is coming all the way from the other side of the world, my kids can not get their heads around this fact as they gaze at the globe in amazment...I thought it only fair to break off from all my sewing and a little knitting to tidy up, you know...remove some fabric off her bed, make sure there are no pins on the floor that sort of thing... The emotions of the last few days has been a strain and I am sleep deprived...ah coffee...as a tea drinker this is quite a revelation to me...SO its time to take a break from all those emotions and spend some quality time with my friend. We are off for a little craft retail shopping on Friday and spending some time with the children over the weekend. So until Monday, have a great weekend...another coffee anyone?

My life, this day, today...

Here I go again...missing summer, I know its a bore!  One of the main things that I dislike about the return to routine is living my life by the clock.  My brother once laughed at me for being privileged because I do not need to wear a watch...now this is true, a little bit more involved though because I do not need to wear a watch because I am so acutely aware of the time.  The children test me, out of the blue they say 'What time is is Mommy?' and  8 out if 10 times I am right.  So we return to the routine of early mornings, which always start with a cuddle, then its rush rush rush...
Breakfast is the first big thing, its easier now as my oldest one helps, he puts out the dishes,the cereal and milk  As we eat we chat about our day, what is happening, things to do and places to be.  This morning we had a little free time so before I knew it the kitchen table was turned into a play area, each of us bringing something to the table that we wanted to do, my youngest is struggling with his words so when he picked up the letter land alphabet pack I was amazed and he and his brother played letter games, I sipped my tea and when the words all got too much we put Sam Sparro , Black and Gold, on the laptop and danced around the kitchen.  School uniform time next and then the mad trip to school, total chaos at the school gate with cars parked on double yellow lines and people driving far to fast dodging the children as the parents rush off late for work.  Its a small school in the centre of the village, yet the madness of this fifteen minutes is more fitting for a town supermarket carpark on a Friday afternoon.
So once again I open the door to my home, now on my own and the silence hits me...radio four is turned on and the house is tidied, beds made, toys put away and toilets flushed (if you have kids you will know what I mean by this).  I check into my sewing room to see the mess I left from my late night sewing time, not so bad and I look over my present sewing project...I am happy with how it is turning out.  Its a bag, more details to follow in another post. Sneaky peek time...
I am not really on my own, the animals keep me company and as they have not been on the blog for a while I took a couple of snaps...Archie the cutest bunny in the world (in my opinion) my HUGE french lop, he has the run of the garden and the kitchen, he does not go any further because his big feet want allow him... he slips on the wooden floor.  Plus this makes me quite happy as I do not want animal fur around the 'Suzie Sews household' as one member of the family has allergies.
... and it would not be fair to leave out the GPs, Charlie and Lola, these are the children's pets although they keep me company most of the day, every visit to the fridge they squeak in anticipation of a tasty treat...
I need to get my head around the housework, I HATE housework!  My soul mate is coming to visit, she is travelling now as we speak, she will be with us tomorrow as she is flying all the way from Australia.  This is me though, not doing the housework, instead I am putting the finishing touches to her present, on her last visit she liked a scarf I had on, it inspired her to make some for friends and family, I thought she would be far to busy making them for others to make one for herself...
...so it was my duty (because it was such a chore...NOT) to make her one just for her... she is quite tall, taller than I am but then I am small! So its a long skinny scarf with the option to wear it Dr Who style or layer it up and use the pin...
So that is my life, this day, today in the house, but what about outside, well the views are changing dramatically now, the hills are going from bright green to a pale sludge green and slouches of pinky purple colour as the heather goes into full bloom... The view from my back garden and bedroom...
The view from my front garden and sewing room...(These pictures, with the sunset, actually got taken on Saturday evening when I returned home from my sewing day...a nice welcome home).
So in a nut shell that's my morning, Now to be serious and concentrate on the housework, or maybe a little sewing or even knitting...NO! NO! I must clean....
I leave you with the parcel that is hopefully arriving on Miss French Knots doorstep today after she won the 'Suzie Sews Summer Giveaway' The lovely red and white butchers twine came from the lovely Donna at Country House Antique Textiles.

Have good day.

I just wanted to add, how touched I was at the thoughtful and very heartfelt comments about my situation with my Mom, my email account is down, I will get back to you in person soon, its always a little cold feeling when you do it over the blog.  The current situation is I sent her a beautiful card, not handmade as she views this as I can not be bothered to go to the shop to buy one, (sorry a little harsh from me there) with a few lines saying I was sorry, could I bring the children up next week for supper and did she want to come away with us for the weekend next month?  I am now checking the answer machine every hour and living with some anticipation to the outcome... sleep is still eluding me and I have a cold so still feeling a little glum about it all. 

Bag it all up...

Ah the sewing has begun... my sewing machine and I are back to working as a team. As a knitter and a sewer it always amazes me that sewing comes together so quickly... Once you know what your doing and the pieces are all cut your only a short while from having a finished project. After seven weeks of being away from my machine this was the perfect project to get me back into sewing...My bag for autumn. Predominantly brown but with some traces of green too. It is rather loosely based on the Amy Butler Swing bag, the one with the big floppy bow... as I am not one who likes rules and following direction I made some changes... first I made an Ipod pocket with a little removable loop to hold my ear plugs so they do not get all twisted and knotted together (very annoying)...
Then instead of the big floppy bow I added interest with a few corsages (courtesy of wise crafts tutorial) which gives me the option to remove one or two to add to a cardigan or jacket.
I am pleased with the general look and style of the bag, its big and roomy for all my 'Stuff' so I think this will carry me through the change of the seasons quite well.
The weekend got off to a poor start and has left me feeling like a cloud is following me, my motivation is slipping and trying to focus on day to day activity is getting increasingly harder. The first thing that goes with me when I am upset is my ability to sleep which is the last thing needed in being able to handle the current situation. What has coursed this BLIP? Well the time of year never helps, the children go back to school and I miss them so much, the change in the weather knocks me for six... this time though its more than that... My own Mom has fallen out with me. I try to keep personal stuff like this off my blog but I guess as my family do not read my blog, means that I will not be hurting any ones feelings. Since my kids came along I have a need to be around my family, we moved to be closer to my family. This proved to work the opposite way, my Mom and Dad had got used to us not being around so we actually saw less of them once we became within an hours drive away. Over the last few summers I have made requests for the children to be more of a focus to my parents. Sadly this never happened and whilst I know they love my kids very much it still hurts me immensely. So I do the best I can and this year we spent most of our time away, I asked my Mom if we could all stay over sometime but the invite never materialised. So when I get a call on Friday and I was asked by my Mom what I was doing this weekend? I told her rather excitedly that I was going to my sewing class... well I was shouted at for being self centered and generally not a very nice person, I remained calm, I pointed out that I had made various requested to see her and invited her to stay with us at our caravan, all of which got met with hostility and eventually the phone was put down on me. I am at a loss now, I feel sad, nothing I will do or say will be right, I know I need to swallow my pride and agree with all my Mom says about me and go and visit her with the children. I am also cross I let it upset me so much, my eyes are still sore from tears and I feel like a lead balloon moving through my day... I love my Mom very much and I find it hard to accept that she can be like this with me. I know I have faults too, we are so very different, but I still feel like a thirteen year old clumsy girl who gets it wrong all the time yet still constantly tries to seek her approval. OK enough personal stuff! This was to explain my glumness... I tried hard to have a good weekend, my sewing class was great and helped to lift me a little. On Sunday I took the boys into the city, first stop had to be Starbucks for my enormous mug of coffee and sugar fix.

Later an early supper (as we had got to the city rather late in the day) its a routine to us, our city trips. I like the security and comfort of a routine when I head to the city, I aways was a country girl at heart. So we headed off for our pizza, dough balls and of course a little bit of pasta...you can't go to an Italian restaurant without having a little morsel of pasta...
After this pudding was consumer (with speed) so with our energy tanks now filled to overflowing, we went to explore...
We walked through the city spending most of our time looking up... I tell the children to always look up when out and about as most of the interesting things to see are above you. We visited an art gallery which had an excellent interactive show on and I was rather taken with this simple mirror arrangement...what could be more scary than hundreds of 'Suzie Sews'? We returned home, overtired and in need of our beds...

Your still reading...I thank you, like I say I try not to put 'too' personal information in my blog, it is my happy place after all, sometimes though, life just gets in the way and its about who I am... it has a big effect on my creativity... I thank you for still being there...

Beating the post holiday blues...

In the summer holidays I posted about getting a little twitchy about being away from my sewing machine.  My solution to this was to keep a sketch book and as ideas came to me instead of them being lost in a compartment of my brain I would actually draw them out.  This meant that when the post holiday blues kicked in I had no excuse to not be inspired...SO that is exactly what I did and on a wet afternoon I flicked through my pages of drawings and scribbles and this one in particular caught my eye...
In the summer holidays I had bought the children some lovely new drawing ink pens as their ability now deserves the good equipment, I sat at the table with them and we all had a go at playing with the inks, as the children drew Pokemon and cars and stick figures self portraits, I felt the need to do something more purposeful.  I love embroidery in fact my Art exams consisted of a  lot of it, I have always drawn out little patterns and then stitched the pictures, I might not be very precise but this is the style I use, just do not look at the back of the work! 
So with a silent house I sat and as the blog suggests 'Suzie Sewed'.  I used a linen napkin as my fabric , its actually a delicate pink shade, I am not sure yet of its future, it might get made in to a cushion or added into a quilt.  Once finished I again flicked through my sketch book and this page made me smile, as most of us do, I like owls and I am very lucky to be an owner of owls from Small Fox and Lucy Kate Crafts.  I had a little play and had drawn out some owls to see how it gelled with me.  (One of the owls is inspired from a plate design).
Mmmm what to do with them now? That is the question, I fear these might just be left as sketches in my book.  
Corner of my home

Oh how I miss all those pictures of Corners of my Home, when I first started blogging there was a routine to posting...Self Portrait Tuesday, WIP Friday and Corners of my Home...as time has gone by this has trailed off and most people who blog enjoy the more freestyle way of writing.  I miss this, it was a way to learn more about the person behind the blog.  As a nosey person who loves looking in houses and flicking through the endless stacks of magazine and House books just to see how a house interior is designed... well, Corners of my home is missed here.  So this morning I wondered around the house once I had picked up the children PJs off the floor and put away the toys the boys get out before they head off to school... with camera in hand looking for a shot... My photo wall came to mind.  I miss my photo wall when I am away, its full of photos that spark off special memories, from friends far a field, the birth of my babes and celebrations .  So I took a few snaps it was only when I uploaded the photos to my laptop that  what struck me was the dust... I am not a houseproud person, to much living goes on here for that, however all I saw was the dust... so guess what I am off to do...

Three cheers for the weekend, I have reacquainted myself with my machine, the bag is finished I just want to make a few little accessories to go with it, tomorrow I am off my patchwork course and Sunday is a family day...I wish you a great weekend.

cup cakes anyone????

The house is so silent, its also a huge mess after the summer, its kind of creepy,I miss the endless shouts of Mom can you, Mom will you...I roam from room to room with an ache inside I can not describe.  The post holiday blues are well and truly kicking in, it happens every year.
I have a head full of ideas and a sketch book of drawings filled with ideas of things I want to try, yet here I am feeling lost... I need to get a grip,  I WILL sew today, Oh My! it will be the first time in six weeks I have sewn on my machine!
I spent most of my creative time knitting, its easier to fit in around the children, you can pick it up and put it down quite easily, especially the cupcakes, I think I can make these in my sleep now, these are the latest batch, a few more changes, I am not so sure about the decoration...it well, looks a bit like... Oh I shall leave that up to your imagination.
SO already I am missing the beach, sitting on a deserted beach when everyone has gone home and just looking out to the splendor of the sea, the sheer size and power of it thrill and scare me at the same time, last weekend I watched two lone surfers in wild waves, the sky was grey and the rain was the kind of see through rain that without you knowing it soaks you to the skin, the surfers battled against the elements for a few moments of triumph when they finally caught a good wave...thrilling to watch.
So whilst it rains, and rains... all the more reason t0 spend some time in my sewing room today, I have a bag I am putting together...a bag that marks the change of the seasons, its roomy in design and will suit my life style and once made it will no doubt be filled with the usual bits of Mothering nonsense that seem to collate in each bag I own, a couple of toy cars, little pencils and a pad, wet wipes and tissues and the lipstick that loses its top and get covered in crumbs despite having no crumbs in my bag???...I love being a MOM!!!

Personal...(off topic)

Thank you so much for your comments and personal emails yesterday about my hospital appointment...The appointment went well.   I had minor surgery... what can I say, maybe you can learn from my error... As a child I remember my Mom always telling me to get my face out of a book and get some sun on it, a tan was healthy and the knowledge we have about the sun today was not widely known to my parents generation, so I burnt and burnt yearly as a child under the suns rays, then as a teenager sunbed salons became the thing to do, so I followed the trend and spent a good few years using sunbeds, I burnt once under these rays so bad I blistered... Then I went to work in Europe and spent most of my time outdoors using factor 4 suncream, which then, was thought of as quite a high factor as various people still used coconut oil.  I am fair skin, blue eyes, I freckle, my skin is covered in little moles, which might sound unattractive but I kind of like them.  So I am a big girl now and I have the knowledge about the dangers of the sun my parents generation did not have... my boys are smeared in suncream and its reapplied every few hours, we avoid the mid day sun and I try and keep hats on them, as for me I use sun protection all year round, I have sun damaged skin and I want to stop it getting worse, factor thirty+ for me, I go and have my skin checked yearly after I had a skin scare.  So this year was no exception, only this year I did not get the all clear... so I sit here a little less of me than when I last blogged... Ouch it feels like bee stings...and really does not look pretty, its a preventative option and I am blessed I have that option... But if I knew then what I know now, I would not allow my skin to burn, I never even went brown...  Now I use a high factor suncream and apply it regularly I get the healthy look, but the damage is done for me, maybe not for you though...

Time for some sewing....

Days of Summer...

Oh those endless days of summer, what can I say, we had a perfect summer... the days seemed to go on forever and despite a lot of grey sky and a considerable amount of rain the memories of the summer are filled with days at the beach, the sun warming our cheeks as we played in the surf, cleaning off smeared ice cream from rosy faced babes and washing out endless swimsuits and towels... just bliss... so indulge me if you will...  a few memories of my time with my children when no attention to the time, no need to be anyplace or do anything that we do not want to be or do...I love this picture, we are a bit of a 'Croc family', we all have a pair and have had for a few years now...  the perfect summer beach shoe, when my youngest one got ready for school today he complained at having to wear socks after so many days without having to bother. After my realisation that I had a bit of a thing for photographs of daisies (see previous posts) this seemed the perfect adornment for my shoe.

We spent most of our time away, either camping in the camper van, staying in cottages or our caravan by the sea.  So we got a lot of time on the beach, the beach draws me, it has a calming almost hypnotic effect on me, I have always felt this, my best memories as a child myself involved the annual two weeks trip to a beach resort.  Even when I was pregnant with my children I spent hours in water either at the swimmingpool or in the bath, in both of my labours I enjoyed the deep warm water and soothing effects of birthing pools, my second child was also a waterbaby... you know when you throw them in the water just weeks old  and watch them swim...
I can not imagine going to the beach and NOT wanting to experience the sensation of the sand between your toes or when you absentmindedly run the sand through your fingers as the grains pass through like an hourglass timer...
As for the other important thing in life...FOOD!!!  We eat in some great places, again mostly by water, we had more picnics than I can remember and quite a few bacon butties in seaside cafes when the rain came down...
Of course we took to the water in other ways, a few little boat trips to take us to exciting places to discover and fill our need for adventure...
But when your little the biggest adventure is camping...as the summer drew to an end the night sky came in earlier the children stayed up to star gaze...
With all this activity the children slept like angels ( my children do not usually) so when we spent time in the camper van my wee one would curl up in his nest and whilst he dreamt the evening away this Mommy would get on with some much needed creative time...
Lots of knitting, a little hand sewing whilst listening to some of my favourite podcast.  Now the camper van is small and it is hard to keep it tidy so as you can see a lot of multitasking goes on...
Every night whilst camping in the woods we had a little woodland creature come to visit us, I think it was the remains of the peanut butter sandwiches that enticed him out in the evening, each night I would sit there and hear a little snuffling and then right at my feet this handsome fellow would appear...
The lazy morning followed the pattern of  the lazy evenings.  Whilst I relaxed with my cuppa and a little alfresco knitting the children would run about the trees and come and show me who had the best twig, stick and even branch...
We headed off to Cornwall for our yearly family camping trip (the children's Dad came to) on the way we called into see a special friend and her family, they were moving that week and we turned up right in the middle of the madness, boxes all over the place and total chaos, now you know you have a true friend when, despite all this, they welcome you, they top up your flask of coffee for the second part of the journey and they even share with you some wonderful homemade Chocolate Brownies...yum! The children had a great time playing together as if the months of not seeing each other had been a matter of days and it gave my babes a welcome break from sitting in the van for hours...

A visit to Cornwall would not be complete without a trip to Eden, we have been every year since it has opened and it is great fun, each year they manage to come up with something new to engage the children's interest and imagination, this year was no exception with a den building challenge....
... they provided everything you could need to make a den and just left you to it... we especially enjoyed a demonstration of making fire, this really caught my older ones interest and he has tried rubbing two sticks together to get a spark... sadly (or maybe thankfully) to no avail...
If you asked me what creative activity summed up the summer for me, it would have to be my new addiction to sock knitting, especially on the beach, its portable, easy to pick up and put down...
and it has some fine results...
So as the summer season draws to a close and this weekend I saw the first real signs of Autumn, the leaves on the ground and the chill in the air, well I smile, the last year for us has had some ups and down, but this summer was special, a time of fun, laughter and being carefree...its back to it now though, already the calender is filling up with commitments and appointments, I have a little hospital visit that I am rather nervous of tomorrow, so I will hold on to these special times...I hope your summer memories are as rich and as wonderful as ours....

Edited to add...as most of the pictures are beach orientated...I have used my point and shoot camera so the quality is not as good as my much adored Nikon SLR...I apologise for the quality.