Tuesday 9 August 2011

Summer Holidays...

I forget.
Each Summer holidays I forget how wonderful they are, how sodding HARD they are, how full the days, how LONG some days, how short some others...how blissful some moments (beach, sun, children playing and me reading 'The Help') and how BLOODY AWFUL other moments ( beach, sun, children playing and me freezing my tits off in an icy wind, longing for home and tea)
I forget the highs and the lows, the tumbles and the scrapes, the giggles and the rows. I forget how FULL each moment is when we are all together, eating our breakfast, arguing over the cereal choices (low and v. v. boring) bickering over what to do that day, chuckling at memories of the previous day.
I forget the bliss of lie-ins, as children crawl out of bed early and watch TV or else lie in themselves, and we all emerge, tousle haired at about 9.00, clustering round the kettle as I make tea to take back to bed.
Forget the guitar teacher coming at 5, and realise with horror several hours later, as we amble slowly home from the beach, pink faced and glowing from hours of body surfing.
Forget timetables and lists.
Just being. Day after day after day.
Each year I forget this. And each year I remember, with heart stopping gratitude, that the Summer holidays are here again.
Until the cat is sick over the children's dirty washing, or voices are raised for the 5th time within an hour, over a RABBIT RUN for God's sake, and I wish fervently for September, and the bliss of an empty house, and lists, and timetables.
But for now, I am loving it.
For now, this is, I think, heaven on earth.
(Ker'ist, children all in tears about how to bounce on trampoline. Lunch not made and Husband fed up with ironing each night as I moan how little time there is to do everything. So hard to fit it in between my morning cup of tea, tennis and swim on the beach... )

19 comments:

Liz said...

All your readers must be on holiday too - a 5 hour old post and no comments?!

I had a 2 week summer break this year for the first time in yonks and it was great. I can only dream about how relaxed I might be if I could have 6 weeks off (I haven't got children so no fighting over trampolines for me).

Ladybird World Mother said...

Liz - I know, Billy No Mates is me... I mean, where the hell IS everyone. Glad you had a nice break... x

Tattieweasle said...

Yep we're all on holdifay now. Cat sick, dog poo, kids away at granny's have no idea what to do with the time...want them back now with all the noise and dirt and squabbling. See there's no pleasing me hate 'em when they are under my feet miss 'em like mad when they are not!

Troy said...

I'm here!
Aren't the summer holidays going quickly?

Ladybird World Mother said...

Tattie - I know, I know, why do we miss the little buggers so much? But in the meantime, just enjoy that blissful quiet because it will pass all too quickly... oh, for a granny to have mine. xxx
Troy - Hooray! You're here!! Yup, holidays going fast. Quite glad today as children keep moaning about being bored. Grrrr. Don't they know it's GOOD to be bored??? Honestly. xx

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I loved the freedom of summer when my kids were in school. Hated when school began.

Sharon Lovejoy said...

Well dear, aren't you GLAD that the cat got sick over the DIRTY laundry instead of the clean??

Joys to you,

Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island

Janna Leadbetter said...

This is best tribute ever to summer!

Hope all is well for you and yours, LWM.

trash said...

I had the sam thought as Sharon Lovjoy - TG it was dirty washing.

cheshire wife said...

Schools out. It is great to have empty roads when I am driving to work in the morning.

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

I love it! I had almost a month off this summer and it was wonderful, but exhausting. I'm back at work now and soon my son will be traipsing back to uni on the mainland and life will be much quieter, and more peaceful, hopefully. Until the Christmas holidays...

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

It all sounds wonderful and I remember it all. My children now have children of their own and husband and I recently had 3 of them to stay for 3 nights. It was hectic, we were exhausted but it was FANTASTIC! Enjoy the rest of your holidays. A x

Bernie said...

I remember those days when the children were young. They got up and ate breakfast and went out to play, came home for lunch, went out to play, came home for dinner, went out to play. Unless someone got a scratch or something I didn't see them all day. Oh, we kept our eye on them somewhat, but not too much. Kids can't do that anymore. Freedom like that is gone in our world today. Life was easy and free from fear. And they grew strong and happy every day.

Anonymous said...

I've written about a similar subject today on my blog. Having one of those days where I want my life back even though it's lovely to have Amy at home. She's out of a routine and so am I. Not a great combination!

Thing is, when they go back in September, before we can turn round it'll be Christmas!

CJ xx

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, I love and hate the summer holidays for exactly those reasons!

Can't believe they are almost over already though. We've been away for nearly all of the holidays so far so this is the first week we can just please ourselves at home, and eeek, suddenly there is school uniform looming in my mind...

Tattieweasle said...

This sounds a little wierd and if you've known all along then forgive me for being so incredibly stupid and if you didn't realise and in fact this is all a coinidence forgive me...but I think we've met before we ever blogged...

Catharine Withenay said...

So wonderfully, blissfully true! And I'm enjoying this current one more than I ever thought possible.

Tatersmama said...

All this talk of "summer" has me girding my loins. Here in Oz, we're just coming to the end of winter (will I EVER get used to that?? Oh wait... I don't HAVE to, since I'm going home to California for good, soon!) and summer holidays don't roll around until mid-December here. And because I'm a child-minder, I get dumped with everyone elses errmm..."children" while the parents go back home to have a lie-in, or a day at the beach - childless!
S'not fair! ;)

Kate said...

The Help - best book I've read in absolutely ages. Loved it. Worth ignoring cat sick, screaming kids and other catastrophes for.