My sister-in-law is awesome. She’s a wonderful writer, very, very witty and a brilliant friend too. She writes Workitmamma, her fabulously funny blog about life as a working Mummy to my nephew Arthur and she very kindly agreed to write something for me and my blog while I am on holiday! Here it is:

When the Bank Holiday loomed ahead I wanted to plan lots of trips and outings to various places. For several reasons it wasn’t to be and I was faced with a long weekend, just me and the boy and a city I’d known all my life – surely there was no more discovery, no more adventures to be had in my own back yard.

I spent the whole weekend in Norwich, no more than 3 miles from my house and it made me realise that manic planning and crazy calendar filled outings should give way to moments of calm.

Trudging the same pavements can seem like missing out, as if you’re not getting enough value for money. Corporate spillage into our personal world – let’s plan, let’s look at effective time management and be outcome focussed. Yuck!

We threw caution to the wind and travelled hardly any where.

We went to the free funday in the city, lapping up un-pc Punch and Judy, well intentioned but a little rusty music groups and lopsided face-painting. We sat in the sun with friends with no time schedule, nothing to ‘get to’ and no closing times.

I walked nearly every where and it was so liberating, no queuing for car parking.

We wandered to our local park and had free summer story-telling followed by swings and a picnic. We went to the small theatre in the city and watched Room on the Broom – it was £9 a ticket and just fantastic.

We hunted the GoGo Gorillas for free and found places in the city I’d forgotten. Our cathedral is truly beautiful and thanks to the gorillas Arthur has seen it too. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been on my list of activities to do.

Home is where the heart is – a cliché indeed but a truth that gets lost amongst the race to create something bigger and better, each one outdoing the next. This Bank Holiday made me remember how much Arthur loves the park and just how magical a sandpit with a few plastic toys hidden in can be.

At two, the whole world is a new adventure, it’s as adults we forget to stop and take a look around us. Next weekend I’ll take a moment to walk in his shoes and make sure we don’t forget how much fantastic fun can be had in our own back yard.

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