Well Spring has well and truly sprung. Easter has come and gone, and the children are nearly back at school from their Easter holidays.

This year seems to be going past in a blur. We had 3 nights in the tent in Savernake Forest the first week of the holidays. The rain held off mostly and we even saw some sun.

I love time away like this. No real plans, the kids can run fairly free and it’s slow. There’s no rush for anything. You can see things you would normally blaze past and appreciate just how clever nature is.

One of the things I loved about being here was that the bird song was so loud it drowned out the rumble of traffic from the main road (the campsite is just off the road). As our children are relatively small still we are pretty much up with the sun and we go to bed with it too. Listening to the birds waking up and checking on each first thing whilst making a brew and again when they say good night in the evening was wonderful. If the kids are having a rare moment of quiet you can also see roe deer, rabbits and the occasional fox.

The best bit though is the woodland. The ancient, magical, gnarly woodland. The enormous, twisted trees that make you believe in fairies and giant, slow moving tree creatures.

Biggest Small saw this tree below and reckons it looks like 2 giant toads tentatively meeting for the first time.

Easter weekend passed in a blur of lovely family and friends and lots of laughing and cake. Quicker than a flash it was then the last week of the holidays and early morning swimming lessons for the kids. I have no desire to push them into becoming elite swimmers but I do think it’s important that they have the ability to enjoy the after safely and know what to do if they find themselves in it unexpectedly.

That meant I had half an hour each morning sat on a patch of concrete and get some knitting done.

The past 2 years have been hard on everyone. We have been fortunate enough to not have lost anyone due to virus that has caused the pandemic, but i think it has lead us to forget that there are other illnesses out there still making people poorly and carrying on regardless.

I’m currently sat on the train on the way to my Great Uncle’s funeral on the south coast and I can’t help but think that one of the biggest impacts we have all felt through this is a loss of time. Time with our loved ones, both friends and family.

Today will be the first time that I have seen my wider family since September 2019 and I just wish it was in kinder circumstances. We will hug and cry and raise a toast to a wonderful, quietly intelligent gentleman who I shall miss dearly.

I hope that whatever you are doing today, you know that you are loved and there is beauty and hope out there.

K