Holibobs

By this afternoon, the Bean will have completed his first full preschool year in Sweden. Tomorrow the two of us head to Belgium to see my family for a week. The holidays are here. 

Not a moment too soon; The last couple of days he has been settling in with an older age group and, while he is developmentally more than ready, emotionally? Not so much settled as tornado-like. A break is much needed.

I feel quietly excited about our first summer holidays since moving here. Right on cue, the weather has taken a nose-dive - after two months of glorious sunshine and (uncharacteristically) high temperatures, it's grey, chilly, damp. But still, there is much to look forward to. There's that at week at my folks', then three whole weeks back here with no schedules, no firm plans, no expectations other than to see where each day takes us. We've got visitors for a few days in the middle, but otherwise I just foresee plenty of picnics, lake trips and PJ days.

(Mr E+L is also trying to convince me to go camping. "Trying" being the operative word here. We had a trial run last weekend in a friend's back garden for midsummer, and the tent collapsed in a storm after precisely one hour.) Finally, we head back to the UK in August for a few weeks. Not without some trepidation, in light of recent developments over there, but I hope we will be able to focus on family and friends in the way we want to.

Most of all, I look forward to slowing down a bit and focusing on my husband as well as the mini-tornado. Maybe, just maybe, I'll also get a chance to do some sewing or a little outdoor knitting. I bought these pretties a while ago to make socks with, because there doesn't seem a holiday project more perfect than socks. I'm thinking of trying the aptly-named Travel Trio by Clare Devine. 

In the meantime though, for the last pre-holiday work day, it's all systems go. I've got one pattern going out to testers later and another to draft, two suitcases to pack, invoices to send, plant-watering instructions to write. There's a pair of bright red wellies drying in the oven after a full-body puddle experience yesterday. 

From tomorrow things might go a little quiet here on the blog, until we get back in late August. I hope you won't mind. I hope you have a really nice summer too, wherever you spend it x