SUMMER DAYS

Picnics in the Botanical Gardens. What summers are made of...

CHILDHOOD

Photographing these two amongst the flowers at the Botanical Gardens has to be one of my favourite things. It's such a classic moment of childhood. Like something from a story book. They both see the absolute beauty and wonder in nature and are mesmorised by it all.

Children are so good at reminding us to slow down and witness how amazing the simple things are. Like running on the grass with no shoes on and picking the hugest bunch of buttercups. It's days like these that make me want summer to last forever.

NO PLACE TO GO

The last few weeks have been so busy. Packed with wonderful meet-ups, nursery, errands and the everyday goings-on that punctuate the week. And that's awesome. It's lovely to have days bursting with such lovely friends to catch up with and to watch Josephine so happily run into nursery to find her little buddies and learn something new.

But this first week of the summer holidays have been bliss. Lazy days, with no schedules or deadlines or watching the clock. Strolls into the village, garden hangs, playtimes, painting times, cake-making times all merge into one and I've found myself relax - and the girls relax too. There's been fewer tantrums and tears and we're all loving this new gentle pace.

And we go on holiday week. Back to our second home, St Ives in Cornwall. Back to the sea, to the beach we've played on since I was little. Josephine and I talk about it everyday. About the icecreams waiting to be eaten, the sandcastles waiting to be built and the freezing cold sea calling our names. Oh, and did I mention the icecream?!

This time next week we'll be heading to bed, giddy with excitement...

More garden pictures. Because it's where we've spent most of the week.