One more sleep....

...and it's back to routine.

Today is the last day of the summer holidays here. The school uniform has been washed, ironed and hung in the wardrobe. The new socks are ready, the books are prepared, the pencils, erasers, etc, etc all packed up.

(My British friends will be interested to know that parents provide everything needed for primary school here - every pencil, exercise book, crayon...even paper for the photocopier and a box of tissues!)

Anyway, enough about tomorrow. I've just been thinking back about what we've done during the holidays.

This year we decided not to travel away and have been enjoying doing some exploring close to home. Apart from the few posts that I have snatched a moment to write about here's a few more highlights of the last couple of months.

Want to have a look...?

There's been plenty of baking. This is a time when we made banana bread and I have to say one of the best that I have ever tasted courtesy of a recipe from Sarah at The Beach Cottage.(link here)

Some day trips including one up to the hinterland.

 I tried out a panoramic shot here to try and capture the scenery.

School holidays are great for catching up with friends and there have been numerous play dates and sleep overs. This is one invitation that was on the doorstep one evening.

The invitation was written on a pillowcase that was then decorated as part of the slumber party.

Sibs had a ball!She came home with a collage of photos of a jam packed time with friends.

Some days were spent indoors when the temperature was a little too high.



There's been some walking and exploring locally with friends including the four legged variety.

You never know what you'll find on your doorstep unless you look!

 One of the highlights of the holidays was the week that Sibs spent with Deep Blue.

A few months ago I took her to watch Deep Blue perform (link to post here) and she was really inspired by the show. We found out that they were offering a Young Blue workshop and she was lucky enough to get a place. The week was filled with instrumental tuition, but on top of this she learnt about confident speaking, stage presence, lighting, sound and recording. One day she came home and announced that she'd been to a seminar and that she's an 'auditory learner'!  

The week ended with a performance that the young musicians had put together - it was spectacular, and her smile at the end said it all (albeit a very blurry photo)

So another summer school holiday has been filled with memories...

I have watched my girl bloom and grow in front of my eyes.