Here we go again...

Eeeeeeeeee.  It's been awhile.  And if I'm telling the truth, this post came very close to not happening.  It's nothing to do with not wanting to write my blog and everything to do with being, what's that modern parlance... oh yes, time-poor!  Everyday something happens, or I think about something and I want to write about it, but then another day and night slips through my fingers and before I know it my head is hitting the pillow.  Another day of "To Do's" left undone.

I was talking to my sister the other day for the first time in weeks, maybe even months and she asked after my mental health.  I guffawed (yes, literally) and replied that I had no time for mental health concerns, to which she commented that she thought that that was a sign of really good mental health!!  Things are stressful.  We are still in limbo, still struggling through, still  no end in sight.  But most of the time our money worries are not that close to the top of my thoughts and the tick tock of daily life keeps us moving along without too much introspection.

We have recently had a series of amazing May days with blue skies and hot sunshine and there was no way I was going to allow us to waste them.  We've been to the beach after school, the boys have played out till 7pm on school nights, I've lain out in the sunshine in our postage sized garden listening to the boys playing with water pistols and we have spent lots of time on our bicycles.

We started off one weekend with a gentle ride to Tynemouth, taking it slow with stops for playgrounds, eating ice cream and kicking the football.  Tom coped very well with the ride, and both of my boys are starting to learn the rules of cycling and vagaries of traffic!

Tom's ice cream was almost as big as him!

Sam takes on Dad

Tynemouth Longsands

My lovely husband soaks up some sun

Testing the currents and waves with a plastic oil tub 

It was a lovely afternoon, full of laughter and sunshine and a perfect introduction to the serious ride we undertook a few weeks later...