Woo-hoo, the holidays arrived and the sun still shone for much of it …
and we’ve been as ‘hands on’ as ever. The girls took part in a First Aid course at The Pavilion Youth and Community Cafe. A fabulous and useful activity for those aged 10 and over.
and we all got to learn more about the emergency services the following week with the Fire and Rescue service teaching us how to help people having difficulty in water.
Summer is really here when the traditional summer fireworks return to the beach. They were well worth a visit but sadly we missed the final display of the season a few weeks later due to one of our gang being unwell.
The summer has been very busy. We were asked to befriend a groups of Chinese students during their visit to England, giving them opportunity to interact with English-speaking peers. The kids loved it and had a whale of a time at discos, art evenings and an amazing African drumming session as well as taking part in interviews where the Chinese children could ask them questions.
What a great time and some wonderful friendships were made.
We hope they enjoyed their visit to England. We are quite fortunate to have such a choice of things nearby to see and do. As a family, we went to the Turner Gallery to see the Animals and Us exhibition which was very interesting. Emin, Warhol, Picasso and more, all on our doorstep. We all seemed to have different favourites but all agreed the chimps were stunning.
Although this creature made us smile the most…
The main draw was Paula the Polar Bear, a life-size moving puppet which was very impressive to see walking. She was there to encourage us to think about climate change and its impact on the word.
We had a different view of the world when we took part in one of the costume walks around Ramsgate. Characters brought the history of the area to life – we ‘met’ Jane Austin, Elizabeth Fry, King George IV amongst others …. but Seamus’s favourite was Abigail, a lady who welcomes all the sailors as they come ashore! The lady who gave an account as Elizabeth Fry was very moving indeed and captivated all on the tour. The walk was very interesting, animated and told us things about the region that we didn’t already know.
But one thing we DO know, is where to get the best milkshakes ….
It’s thirsty work being out and about and we need to keep our energy levels up. On one day alone we had two major parades and celebrations to visit!
We enjoyed the colourful spectacle that is Margate Pride. The event was big, bold, flamboyant and fun. It was a wonderful friendly atmosphere and we had a great time.
and then later that day we went on to the Traditional Folk Week Parade, watching the folk dancers walk through the town and perform. I love it! The costumes, the colour, the music – the town comes alive with an influx of visitors and it is a pleasure to see.
We re-visited the town a few times over the week to watch performances at the bandstand, visit the stalls and soak up the atmosphere of music and fun.
Broadstairs is well and truly in bloom this summer and with the weather being so wonderful, it is the perfect day out with everything close to hand. We had a lovely time playing mini golf and then stopping for ice-cream afterwards to cool down.
But we also ventured further a field for a lovely days out too. We really enjoyed Folkstone and Hythe, having fish and chips near the river. We loved the Leas and Marina – and Seamus especially had fun splashing in the water … ‘don’t get too wet, oops, too late”
However, we chose to holiday at quite a different location – Sheffield. Ian’s logic was that there would be good availability at non touristy places. It may not have been the seaside, but we loved it …
First stop Akbars for a curry and the huuuuuuuuge naan bread!
We pottered around the city …
and really had a great day at Kelham Island.
But the highlight for Ian was the Stag’s Head and a pint of Thornbridge Caramel Stout (I am secretly thinking this may have been the real reason behind his decision to choose Sheffield as our holiday destination, ha ha.)
A lovely break away and nice change of scene, but it is nice to be back too….
We’ve been busy with some fabulous activities at the Pavilion – fruit kebabs, arts and crafts and spending time with friends.
and busy at home too. Ian has been making jam from his crops of fruit and copious pasta sauces from all of his tomatoes. The kids have been setting up the stall too, sharing our excess wares.
We have a little time left before the school term starts. The dreaded uniform shopping has been completed (phew!), back to school hair appointments are all booked, and within no time we’ll be back in the old routine and counting down to Christmas. Until then, we plan to make the most of the remaining summer and have fun in the sun together.