Another Year - Finishing Nursery And Year One

I love the changing of the seasons and living in Great Britain we do actually get to see them in full technicolour each year. As Autumn moves to winter and my black tights and boots make an appearance I enjoy the changes in both the fashion and the feel then mid way through I look forward to some spring light and eventually a leap into summer.

But summer, as unpredictable as the sunshine is, is where everything changes. Firstly I have my birthday (this year I found I am so old I forgot my age – I told someone I was turning 38 when in fact I was only turning 37 (bonus)) and I start to look back on the year behind me. It’s been a massive one for us this year as we have moved from our lovely London to Norfolk and literally our whole lives have changed gear. Thankfully it’s been a good gear to shift into and I am so happy we made the escape. Funny but escape is totally how I am seeing it. We feel free with all our space both in our home and around us. Our loft is being converted right now which will make our house even more perfect. A suite on the top floor with a dressing room bigger than our current fourth bedroom and a massive ensuite. I can’t wait. This time last year we had a two bed flat with no garden in a great area and now we will have a five bed house with a gorgeously sunny south facing garden in the most lovely village with wonderfully welcoming people – it’s a world away from the London I see so differently now that we’ve moved. As for the the new school, well, although entirely different to our old one, it’s absolutely wonderful. This time last year I cried daily at the thought of leaving everything we knew but now I actually feel what we have is better and when you look at how great it was in London for us this really speaks volumes. We love where we are now and I am so happy that Jimmy is going to start school in our village where he will have an outdoors education with a wood burning stove in the reception yurt to warm up on cold days. It’s all very exciting…

That’s not to say Florence doesn’t still shed tears for her old life and we had half an hour of pure sobbing this morning because she misses her Miss Pretty from reception and her new Miss Pretty from year one in London. We went to the old school’s fete at the weekend and she’d hoped to see them but didn’t and this morning said she just wished she could give them flowers like she is for her new teachers. She was particuarly sad that her new Miss Pretty from year one is leaving her old school because she thinks she won’t ever see her again. I told her that if someone is meant to be in your life then you will bump into them time and time again which I believe to be true and told her how I repeatedly bump into a teacher who was very special to me even though we don’t lead similar lives or live anywhere near each other. I hope it helped. (To the old London Miss Pretties 1 & 2 – if you’re reading then thank you for being so special to my little girl, you really have left an impression on her which she will never forget). It’s always the people that make the place don’t you think and change is always hard?

And here we are with all those changes yet again. My baby is off to big school in September. It only seems like 5 minutes since Florence was going to start reception and now she’ll be going into year two! Where does the time go? They both had amazing reports from school and nursery, ones with words which made me gush with pride and update my Facebook status in a sickenly saccharine way… Don’t care, they’re super amazing those babes of mine and I want to shout it from the roof tops!

How do those seasons keep rolling around so fast? I’m going to miss my big boy so much when he’s at school so we’re going to make the most of the summer and enjoy every second starting at lunch time when they’re FREE for six whole weeks! We’re not going on any foreign holidays this year so we shall be enjoying all that Blighty has to offer in camping trips and days at the beach – now that we live so close why wouldn’t we? I’ve also found a really cool lido pool about a half an hour’s drive from me and intend on spending much time there this holiday. It’s also where Jimmy and I spent our last ligitimate term time day together before the holidays and starting big school. It was a perfect mix of sunshine, swimming, lovely food and fun. Here’s to more this summer and hoping it’s a long one… I love the changing of the seasons but I do wish they’d slow down a touch!