summer hols

I know, it's been ages. I've been really busy eating ice creams and stuff (evidenced by the tightness of my jeans - need to get back on the 5:2 diet pronto). Anyway, it feels like the summer is almost over. I'm sat on the sofa underneath a fleecy blanket, for goodness sakes. At least it didn't rain today when I met up with some old mates for a picnic. There was that whole 'Hello! You're looking well! When did I last see you? Was it at so-and-so's wedding?' bit, and we realised that we hadn't seen each other for ten years. I know, ten flippin' years. Wierd isn't it, getting older. I am lucky enough to know some really lovely people, who I consider friends, but actually I hardly ever see them. That was the point behind the  road trip, to try to catch up with at least some of them. However, the ill car and the new boat put paid to that one. At least I've seen a couple of 'oldies'. Think I may have to start planning a retirement community to populate with all the nice people I know - along with a smattering of useful celebs, like Jamie Oliver for food, Dawn French for laughs, and obviously Kirsty & Phil to make sure we're all in a really super dooper location. Oh, and talking of which, I have applied to be on 'Kirsty's fill your house for free', so that when we finally do get out of our married quarter and into a house in the real world, we will have a chic-yet-cheaply-furnished house. (Or 'property' - have you noticed that on those house-y programmes it's never called a house or a flat, always a 'property' and housing estates are called 'urbanisations'. Wonder what they'd call the clutter that fills our garage? 'Retro embellishments' or 'vintage accoutrements', perhaps?).
Anyway, I burble.
Summer hols are over halfway through, and have been alright so far. We've seen rellies and friends and had ice creams and fish & chips by the sea. The kids visited a lighthouse with the grandparents. We've visited three National Trust houses. Twin 2 has learnt to ride her trike. I've met up with an old schoolfriend from the 80s, fellow volunteers and colleagues from the 90s, as well as Twins' best mate from Nepal (and her lovely mum), and half of my siblings (my sheep-scaring elder sister, to be precise*). All that's left to do is make eight curtains and upholster six banquette thingys (for the new boat) and take to the water.
The mystery machine's still not fixed, but hey, you can't have it all.

*I'll tell you the story sometime, after the scandal has died down...