Summertime at Yorktown

Not really that serious... and no jelly fish! Still my favourite spot round here and full of top memories. Today they played mermaids with a sweet girl and her borrowed boogie board, attempted to swim to the boundary buoys and then M did butterfly practice into the waves.

Moo Moo's Portraits

Sculpture and wax crayon numbers to memorialise a fab month of Moo Moo.

Last day, Forest Camp

A smile says it all... and the scrapes and scratches.

Cocktails on the James

On a hot summer's night... how could you refuse an iced G&T on the river?! UK colleagues wade in and live the dream for a few hours.

Over-baked pasta and M's famous fruit salad with mosquitos for afters in our yard.

Forest Camp, Sabot Woods

Lord of the Flies... wholesome-style. These guys have done the creek and the canyon and the underpass! No snakes but baby turtles, pool digging, 'real' clay modeling and a rock sliding. Blackberry picking for afters.

Swim Meet #2 at Home

Eat my bubbles indeed... M won her backstroke heat and gained 10 seconds on her time and placed 40th overall in her MITES age range, which is great stuff... though the revolting candy reward was enough for her.

Sunday in Church Hill

It was time for pie and then the view from Church Hill, whilst we still have it...

Home Improvement on Floyd

Two practical things needed sorting...
1. It's hot at night and J needs some air
2. We need places to study-work at home

So thanks to an unwanted table we were able to adjust the bunk beds into an L-configuration with no fussing and thanks to IKEA we are the proud owners of a substantial downstairs' desk.

Now all that remains is the unsolvable issue of procrastination (and lego relocation).

Scottsville, VA

A place in the woods with a serious difference and a stash of fabulous family nic naks... and tubing action on the water, if you manage to avoid being arrested by the river police - oh dear P! One infraction secured and we made it down the James with 7 children and 6 adults, kayaks, an inflatable island (!), flotation tubes, a cooler of beer and a thunder storm on the horizon.

Not exactly relaxing - however for M it was perfect... she could see the fish and floated through mild rapids utterly content.

Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington DC

The best of 1960s zoo living... pandas first, then the elephants and amazing birds, including the amusing looking hammerkops, flamingos and roseate spoonbills, then the grisly anacondas and crocodiles and finally lions and tigers...

Cooling misters for temperature sanity and then IKEA for a pit stop before home.

Boa Boa, Smithsonian National Zoo, Washington DC

Boa Boa had gone up her tree by the time we arrived, legs hanging down, snoozing but later we heard and ooh and returned to the enclosure.

She was indoors with her mother, just relaxing. We outstayed the crowds and the amount of times it is acceptable to say, 'Sooo cute',  in a scientific institution.

Bought the soft toys and logged onto the panda-cam once home - we have a new furry obsession that isn't Moo Moo.

Swim Meet #1, Willow Oaks

Massive scale swim meet tonight for the Granite Marlins (us) and the Willow Oak's team, with lots of friendly faces and non-partisan cheering and support all round, from the coaches to the parent-timers to the staff and the opposition.

All done in 38C sunshine and full humidity and no option to non-competitively dip your toes in the water. M took on the freestyle and back stroke with style and speed to come.

It was swimming with an audience and after the motivational team chant everyone faced the flag in silence as a child sang the Star Spangled Banner from across the pool. Michael Phelps we understand where you came from now.

Science Walk #1, Forest Hill Park

In body-embracing humidity we took on metamorphosis, scientific names and insect calls & frog croaks, mainly the males of each species yelling out, 'I want to be your baby's Daddy!'

Down to the lake and into the stream... we found skinks, turtles, fish and silk-spinning underwater creatures. True to her Golden Pond training, M led a a dam-building initiative.

Herb Reservation on Floyd

Want to know what makes a grumpy guinea pig happy?! A nice herb reservation to free-roam in.

A new layer of bricks was added c/o J & me and Moo Moo's new habitat introduction was supervised by M. So far breakfasts, coffees, lollypops and other refreshment sessions have been had all in contemplation of Moo Moo on the roam. The patch is growing bare and the mint supply is suffering. The lavender is his place of refuge and chives hold no appeal... More planting due.

Press Here, BAPP

The loveliness of being a blue dot in your first show...

Press Here by Herve Tullet is a children's book I've on shelves but never opened. The kids had spent the week of camp creating colour stories, and taking simple theatrical action - lolllies for the after-party!

It followed a summer Forest Camp week that was spectacular and everything woodland life should be with sit-spots in the trees for meditation, hide building, a bug-squad that J was not in (!) and giant mud, stick and leaves bird-nest construction, amongst the things I heard of...

Business Fair, Fox

Not only do we have to breed patriots but capatalists too... our child chose to barter fresh fruit salad with maple syrup and lemon juice glaze at the class business fair. The culmination of four weeks on capital, natural & human resources, producers, services and consumers...

The workers struggled with the last-day-of-school production line that included fresh pineapple. The consumers however were more than satisfied and the overall net profit was lost in mismanaged book keeping.

Cupcake in Paradise

A mini celebration in Paradise Park with gifted cupcakes and strawberries for two.