Summer days

It feels like it's been summer forever. I've been off work since June 13th {when the BC Teachers' Federation announced a full-scale strike}, and the weather has been pretty much amazing ever since. While I am definitely stressed about the current labour dispute {and am keeping all my fingers and toes crossed that we'll all be back to school as usual come September}, I've been making the most of the lovely, long and sunny days. There have been many beach outings, picnics, pool parties, sandcastles, outdoor breakfasts on the deck before the day gets too hot, and many, many books read {I'll do a separate post on that soon}... We did our annual roadtrip to Sorrento where we basked in the sun for a week, a daytrip up-island to Rathtrevor {sandy beach as far as the eye can see} and we've been riding our bikes to the lake down the road from our house just about every day. Oh, and we got a new kitten! Her name is Plum and she's the sweetest little thing ever. Even Bob is starting to like her {okay, maybe tolerate is a better word}. The days are full around here.

What have you been up to this summer?

Summer plans

2013 has been a challenging, exhausting, heartbreaking year. The worst year I've ever had. I've been sad and stressed and oh, just lost for a long time. But over the past month and a half, I've begun to feel more like myself. I feel hopeful. I'm starting to have fun again. It was good for me to get back to work and to be busy. School is a fun place to be. In September, I'll be a full-time teacher again, for the first time since before I had the boys. I'll be teaching kindergarten and it's going to be awesome, but let's face it- it is going to wear me out! Especially in the first month or two, as the kids and I get used to the routines of all-day K {and my own two boys get used to getting up and out the door before 8 a.m. again}. And so, I plan to make the most of this summer vacation. There are 8 lovely, long weeks left. And in those 8 weeks, I'm going to look after myself, spend time with the people I love and enjoy this beautiful place I call home. Oh sure, I've got a lot of jobs I need to accomplish, too {painting, organizing, de-cluttering, deck-building and bathroom renovating} but today's post is about the less productive {lifting the spirits} kind of stuff. Here's my summer fun to-do list and so far, I'm doing a bang-up job of sticking to it!

Eat fresh fruit and veggies from the garden every day
Spend lots of time at the beach
Sleep in once in a while
Ride bikes with the boys
Picnic often {oh, and stop using fabric bags to cram everything in! go down into the crawl space and get out that picnic basket!}
See some outdoor movies downtown
Go to the Lavender Festival
Buy myself some decent sandals, never mind how much they are...
Explore the lakes in our neighbourhood
Get together with friends, regularly
Shop the farmers' markets
Make iced coffees {our coffee maker has that function and I've only just noticed!}
Read a new book every week
Go for fish & chips on the Inner Harbour
Write lots of letters
Spend whole days outdoors
Get into the habit of doing yoga several days a week {it always feels so good}
Meditate daily
Make iced tea and lemonade
Sit outside on the new deck with Alan, and drink that iced tea and lemonade
Be happy

See those raspberries? Fresh from our garden.

Picnic on the beach. There was even a baguette!

After dinner bike rides

Walks around the lake

Blue water, blue sky, sea breeze... swoon!

Explorers

What are you hoping to see/do/experience this summer? 

The first week of summer vacation

School has been out for a week now, and what a busy week it's been. We've had Sawyer's sixth birthday party {with thirteen kids in attendance!}, a night out to see a favourite comedian {just me & Alan}, Canada Day celebrations, piles and piles of laundry to wash and hang out on the line, continued deck and bathroom renos, and as if that weren't busy enough, I've had to pack up my entire classroom and move it down the hall to a different room {ugh! have you any idea how much stuff a primary teacher has?!} So far, it's been pretty exhausting. But also really productive, a little bit relaxing, and quite a lot of fun.

Birthday morning

Fancy four-layer birthday cake I baked

Make a wish!

Sawyer and a few of his loyal subjects :)

Downtown at the Empress Hotel 

A heatwave calls for oodles of ice cream

Hanging out at the museum

This is the time they didn't climb in the fountain!

At the beach with Grandpa

Some much-needed "me time" at the water park {the kids are in there somewhere!}

Red, white and roasting hot! {check out that limp, sweaty hair...}

Boy in a bucket {this provided hours of fun if you can believe it!}

Langford Lake, a ten minute walk from our house after dinner last night {we're going to need to do that more often...}

Coming soon, my Summer Bucket List! Until then, happy Thursday. And Happy 4th of July to all my American readers and friends! I'm wearing red, white and blue in honour of you...

E & me {flip flops}

It's the first day of summer! 

And you know what that means {besides sunshine and vacation time and picnics on the beach}...

It's time to break out the flip flops on E & me!

Em and I are sporting pretty toenails to celebrate the summer solstice and we're ready for a stroll through the sand, perhaps in search of an ice cream truck...

Is it sunny where you are? It's hot in Annecy and starting to warm up here in Victoria. The weather isn't exactly summery just yet, but I have faith that it's coming. And hey, there are just 7 days left of school! Seven! This calls for a dilly bar or something :)

PS: Any guesses as to who's wearing which pair of flip flops above?

Summer manifesto

Well, friends... it's official! I am on summer vacation. Today is my first day off {not counting the long weekend} and it's a pretty fabulous feeling. I hung out in my nightie and flip-flops all morning yesterday, even when I went out to water the garden. After all the madness of the past few months, I fully intend to make the most of July and August, and soak up every second. And so, in keeping with that theme {and because I was inspired by Mary of The Yellow Door Paperie}, I've decided to write a Summer Manifesto. Here's how it's shaping up so far:

• Keep calm and carry on, for real. I say it all the time, but I act on those words far too seldom, and end up getting all worked up about goodness knows what. This summer, I am not going to let stuff bug me. I've got far more important things to do! {read on...}
• Picnic. A lot. The boys love to go on a picnic, and so do I. I think we'll try to get outside to eat at least once a week. We'll try new foods and new locations each time.
• Write letters. Long ones. {Canada Post was on strike for most of June, so I've gotten out of the habit of writing. Time to get back into it.}
• Use the herbs and greens from our garden. Eat them in salads every day. Make my own salad dressing, and buy a baguette to go with them once in a while. Yum!
• Practice French with Dylan {and Sawyer, who's just as keen}. Sing French songs, read French books, label things around the house {good idea, Brandi!}
• Make lemonade. And iced tea. Drink them in tall glasses with paper umbrellas.
• Limit TV and computer time. Spend as much time outdoors as we can. Ride bikes, go for long walks, lay down in the tall grass, pick flowers for the kitchen table.
• Introduce the boys to more of my favourite books. This summer I'd really like to read Charlotte's Web to them.
• Get back into running. It feels good.
• Invite people over. Playdates for the kids, dinner and drinks for the adults. 
• Hang out with my husband. Laugh together.
• Take deep breaths. Think before I speak. Have more patience with people, especially my kids.
• Get more sleep. Nap when I feel the need.
• Don't just say I'm going to do things. Actually do things. Now... where's my picnic basket? 

How about you? Do you have a summer manifesto?

image via gingerlilytea

I almost forgot to say...

Happy first day of summer!!!

vintage swimsuit catalogue image via here

Dear sunshine and blue skies,

Thank you, thank you for finally turning up today! For being in the forecast for the rest of the week. For inspiring us to get outside all afternoon, and convincing us that ice cream was in order. 

Mmm boy, was it ever good!

The long, grey winter really got to me. And the cold, wet spring has sort of sucked. This summery stuff is more like it! To sit outside on the grass in my skirt and flip-flops was total bliss. To watch the kids play in the water table, get soaked, and not have to worry about them catching pneumonia? Such a relief! Thank you, sunshine and blue skies. You are awesome! I'd kiss you if I could.

And now, I have a favour to ask... The long weekend is coming up. We're making plans. Outdoor ones. So, won't you please, please stick around? {c'mon, don't make me beg!}

Love, E xo

In Search of Summer: Day 9 {at the park}

The In Search of Summer project actually ended yesterday, but I was too busy trying to figure out what to make for dinner, to post any photos (thank you, by the way, for all the fab ideas! I've got meal plans for a week now...) Anyhow, searching for summer has proved to be a bit of a challenge, what with the crazy windy, rainy, chilly weather and the colds we've all been fighting off. I'm off work in less than 3 weeks, with an entire summer stretched out ahead of me (first day back at school is September 7th!), but it just doesn't seem real yet. Fortunately, over the past few days the weather has been warming up, and the time between rainfalls seems to be getting longer. So, fingers crossed that by the time we hit July, the sun will be blazing and we'll be picnicking and hanging out at the beach pretty much all the time!

Here are my final photos in the series, taken last night at the park. The boys rode bikes and played for an hour and a half, and they went straight to sleep last night. Always, always a good thing!

Dylan loved bringing his bike to this particular park. It has a paved path running all around it, and some great hills to race down.

He's also pretty keen on the swings.

Sawyer likes the bouncy see-saw (it usually makes me nervous, but I didn't have to worry this time, since he kept his bike helmet on the whole time we were there!)

I definitely adore the long, light evenings of summertime. Here's to many more!

My thanks to Mary at The Yellow Door Paperie for hosting In Search of Summer. It was a lot of fun! Even if the sun only came out to play a couple of times...

In Search of Summer: Day 8 {vintage posters}

These photos are terrible. I took them in the dimly lit museum where you're not allowed to use your flash! So, you'll just have to trust me when I tell you that the real thing is much better. Two posters of vintage Canadiana at its best. Fishing in the woods and picking fruit in an Okanagan orchard. What could be more summery (or British Columbian) than that?

In Search of Summer: Day 7 {downtown}

On Friday, the boys and I went downtown after preschool. After a visit with Jess and Lauren, and my appointment with the gall bladder surgeon (more on that some other time), we headed down to the museum and then to play on the lawn of the legislature. The weather (finally!) was gorgeous. Check out that blue sky!

Dylan, just about to jump for joy!

Sawyer's idea of a cuddle apparently involves fish-hooking his brother! (and just as an aside, because I noticed my squint: I still can't find my sunglasses!!! not good... I think it's time to accept that they're gone and go get myself a new pair!)

Heading for the fountain to throw in a penny and make a wish. We're wishing for more sunshine and summery weather!

Go check out The Yellow Door Paperie for more In Search of Summer posts from all over the place...

In Search of Summer: Day 6 {growing season}

It was a pretty nice day today, so after dinner I took the boys outside to water all the plants and flowers, and to run off some steam. We played frisbee and got soaked. Good times!

Dylan beside the playhouse. See all the little seedlings in their pots on the little porch?

Can't wait for the peas to be ready to eat. We love eating them straight out of the garden!

New planters (we got these for $4 each!) and many flowers to plant this weekend. There are little baby lupins, bachelor buttons, mesembryanthemums, red flax flowers... Alan has grown all of them from seed. The metal planter is full of strawberry plants. Mmmm!

The weather forecast for the weekend is really good. So perhaps I won't have to search as hard for summer as I have been lately! Fingers crossed...

In Search of Summer: Day 5 {clang clang!}

So, the weather wasn't summery (what else is new?) but taking the trolley for a ride around town seemed like a fun, summery thing to do this afternoon... The boys were so excited they woke up early from their naps and off we went!

Waiting for the trolley to arrive...

... at the fancy trolley stop outside the mall.

Really keen rider.

We rode for 40 minutes, doing the entire loop, and when we got off again the weather had improved enough that cold drinks and a plate of french fries were in order. It was a lot of fun, though I must confess I was a bit carsick by the end of it all!

I wonder what signs of summer the rest of you are seeing? Check out The Yellow Door Paperie's sidebar to follow along.

In Search of Summer: Day 4 {outdoors after dinner}

So, it has been yet another cold, grey, rainy, miserable day. But I have to say, the garden is loving it! Things are blooming and blossoming all over the place. And we had another evening where the sun came out and reminded us that summer really must be on its way. It's so light out, until well after 9 o'clock. No complaints there! (now if only the rest of the day would fall into line and cooperate...)

Dylan was out for dinner at my mom & dad's house tonight (oh boy was he ever excited!), so it was just Alan, Sawyer and I at home. After we ate, we headed out into the garden. Alan and Sawyer filled new flower beds up with soil while I snapped photos.

Look at the lovely lupins!

And our lush herb garden (I think you can see mint, marjoram and lavender in this shot), complete with rustic wooden cat, a wedding gift from Alan's cousin Abi. I love the vintage vibe it's got going on.

Two of my adorable boys.

Mwah! I love them, even when they're grubby.

It's just past 9, and I'm off to bed now. Have a horrible headcold that I just want to go away. Maybe if the weather would start to cooperate, my sinuses would too... Here's hoping the sun is shining when I wake up in the morning.

Good-night, and Happy Memorial Day to all my American friends!

xo love E