English Summers......

Once the monsoon arrives in Panchgani and the fog and damp set in, we move out! It's perfect timing for us as we move over into England and enjoy the summer months there with family and old friends. This year (that's 2014!) the girls decided they wanted to go to some summer camps with dance and ballet and one involved a show! They were very excited, and we booked up on a couple of summer camps that weaved themselves nicely around our family time and holidays. 

We arrived in England and after few days flew to Menorca, for our annual family holiday with my brother and his family and my parents. Only Amin was missing who was busy with work. It was a blissful week of swimming, the kids swam from morning til night and not a cross word they shared. We went to the water park, the beach  and hung out at villa puerto. 

The kids could not have been happier. They were inseparable and spent real quality time together playing Lego, scooting, and learning out to snorkel!

 With our Lego people....

Sky has always like to swim underwater with her googles ever since she learned to swim, and this week she started to love to swim with a snorkel and mask and saw her first fish under the sea. It was magical to see her eyes as she watched them flitter by.

On our return from lovely Menorca we spent the next few weeks catching up with old friends and their kids and taking part in our first show. We had signed up for stagecoach and their theatre production of Alibaba.

It was very well done and the girls really enjoyed it, especially Sky! Summer felt a little shy and embarrassed at times as we see her above sigh hers hands folded and sunglasses on! She was in the robbers gang and sky was one of the princesses! I would drop the. Every morning and roam around bed inster high street picking up bargains from the charity shops! 

We spent special times catching up with old friends as well as hanging out with the cousins. We caught up with Sam and Toby and Nikki and his little girl Maddie and their new baby.

Toby and the girls :)

With Maddie

We managed to spend time with Lucy and Molly and little Daisy and all the bendy cousins! They had a great time time too.

Lots of fun at the park.

We spent time at carols too with nancy and the girls and jamie and his kids and madeleine and her girls too. Fun fun fun!

We also took time to go up to Liverpool and spend time with John and Anne and TJG. Lots of walking and crab fishing and just chatting. It's one of my favourite parts of our trip. I have such happy memories of my childhood up on the Wirral spending time with Lil and john and Anne. It feels a complete circle to do the same with the girls. If the weather is a bit cold! It does us good as wee are so spoilt with our sunshine! I will add photos later :) 

The girls enjoyed some precious time with sonny and roscoe, I think the most exciting was their trip to Berkeley castle with their nana and poppa. Memories to treasure always. And the Berkeley castle stories still continue!

I think the most amazing thing about our trip back to Bristol every year is how quickly the kids adjust and fit in to life their. It's like home from home and that's how I always dreamed it would be. They adjust so fast and really make the most of every minute. I get to reconnect with my roots and old friends who have known me since school. It's a special bond you share with those that new you before  your life changes so drastically, in my case moving countries, marriage, family and all that it brings. I do miss those friendships which I think develop in such special ways given the chance. Or maybe they are just special because we enjoy sharing time together so sporadically. I don't know, all I know is that I cherish the time I get to spend over these two months with my old friends acquaintances family and now my kids. Feeling very lucky to be able to enjoy this year after year......

I winder what next year will bring!...