Recently we have mostly been ...

(I realise it's been a very long time since I last wrote a blog post. Luckily "recently" is a flexible word.)

... holidaying. We took the risk, before Kangaroo Baby was born, of semi-commiting to a long-weekend with friends on the Ile de Ré. Luckily, KB seems fairly happy in the car, unlike her sister, who screamed her way through every journey for the first nine months. She only objects when we slow down or stop, so we bought a Télépass and everything was fine. The Ile de Ré is better set up for cycling than for cars, but cycling wasn't really practical with a tiny baby and a toddler, so we just had to get used to ignoring the satnav as it tried to send us down yet another alleyway that was narrower than our car. We didn't do a lot, but the scenery was beautiful and it was nice to get back into the "normality" of getting away and spending time with friends after the weeks of newborn haze.

Pretty street on the Ile de Ré. Instead of blue doors and window frames like in Brittany, all the houses are white with green paintwork.

House number

 We also spent a week in Normandy, in a little village inland from the coast between Fécamp and Etretat. The aim was to rest and relax, so we booked a gîte with a garden and a swimming pool so that we could enjoy ourselves without having to organise big trips out. The weather wasn't as good as we'd hoped, but SCT made good use of the garden nonetheless, and we had a couple of days where it was warm enough to take advantage of the pool. The old seaside towns on the coast were perfect for little day trips, as SCT could scoot along the promenade on her new trottinette and explore the numerous play parks while I took pictures of the sea. I hadn't done anything remotely creative for a very long time, so it was nice to have a few minutes every so often just for me, and although the pictures aren't amazing, they do capture the feel of these once-busy resort towns quite nicely.

Etretat

Etretat

Saint Valéry-en-Caux

... having visitors. My aunt and uncle came to visit and it felt very grown-up to finally be able to offer them our "guest room". We also had my brother and his girlfriend to stay, which was ever so slightly bittersweet, because my brother was meeting both his nieces for the first time and it was lovely, but we're unlikely to see him again for quite a long time, so it felt a bit like greetings and farewell all at the same time

... loving having two little ones. It's getting easier now that KB is willing to be put down. She'll now happily spend time on her playmat or sit on a bouncy chair in the kitchen watching her sister eating dinner. Some of my favourite moments are when I turn my back for a bit, then look round to see SCT waving and saying "hello" and KB looking adoringly up at her and smiling. There's no doubt that it's hard work, but it's worth it. Let's hope they stay as good friends for the next 18 years or so!

... feeling the time rushing away. Summer has well and truly arrived and I'll be back to work in September, so I'm sure it's going to fly by. The only thing to do is to make the absolute most of it while it lasts!