I’m writing this blog in the blistering heat! It seems that summer has finally hit us as the weather gets hotter and hotter and hotter. We should be careful what we wish for!
I wanted to write this week about some of the positive things that have happened this year, as recent news is making it hard to keep on smiling.
Last month my niece got married in Scotland. We enjoyed a really special extended ‘wedding weekend’ as the whole family flew to Loch Lomond to be together to celebrate the start of their new life together. The ceremony was particularly lovely. It was hard to believe that my naughty little baby niece had blossomed into this beautiful and confident young woman who was now walking down the aisle. I have to admit that I cried. But they were definitely tears of happiness! Her new husband is a lovely young man with a wicked sense of humour. He fits into the family perfectly. As they prepare to start their married life, it made me reflect on the thirty years I have spent with my husband and how our love grows and develops as we face life’s challenges together. And believe me, there have been plenty to date. And I’m sure that there will be plenty more in the future too. Because as we all know life is made up of challenges.
It was great to be able to spend time with both of our two sons over the weekend too. The boys are living in different countries at the moment and it is not often enough that we actually spend time together. The four of us. It was a wonderful time as we celebrated and danced all night long together. My mother was incredibly happy to have all six of her grandchildren together. This hadn’t happened for eight years. So you can imagine it was fun and games all round.
I’ve begun to prepare for what seems to have become my annual trip to Australia. My new novel is coming together nicely. But I do find it easier to write when I’m there. Perhaps it’s because there are no distractions. I enjoy being in a completely different time zone from my usual day to day life. It’s also seriously lovely that I have both a great sister in law in Sydney as well as a very good friend who moved from London over twenty years ago.
This household is definitely taking advantage of the long summer evenings and the particularly hot weather that we’ve been having over the last few days. Last night we went to a barbeque at some friends. We sat in the garden for hours and cooked our dinner to perfection. A diet coke tastes great in 30-degree heat! The food and the company were both so good last night that the same friends are coming back to us this evening. For a return match! Hope you’re all enjoying this really glorious weather.
I’ll be sure to update my blog again soon. Keep well. And don’t forget to drink plenty of water in this weather.
Lynda x
Lynda lives in London. She is a mixed media artist and There Is Always More To Say is her first novel.