The could-have-beens

There comes a point in ever Summer when the balance tips from having a luxurious spread of freedom ahead to countdown mode. Only three weeks until school begins again. Three short weeks which have to accommodate four full on days of Athletics training, a pre-season Rugby camp, the dentist for three of us and a set of filmmaking classes courtesy of the Apple genius people. And then school shoes to buy, pencil cases to fill and nametapes to sew on. We need to pay the balance on the bus fare account and make sure we do a walking safari so Mark doesn't get lost on his first day.

The usual minutiae of family life. None of it particulary difficult. The challenge lies in getting it done while retaining the lightheartedness of early summer. That feeling of endless possibility.

Personally, I do planning and beginnings better than countdown and endings. The latter speaks too much of 'could-have-beens'.

These blooms - not mine, but could have been, if my pot if seedlings hadn't turned out to be garden peas instead. I ate them and have moved on to contemplation of the Autumn bulb catalogues. Sometimes, the best part of the turning of the calendar pages is the chance to have another go.

Comments

[Anita at Bishty]

This year is my first experience of the long school summer holiday in the role of mother. I thought it would last as long as it did when I was a kid but no, it is flying by! It seemed to stretch far in front of us at the beginning but now I keep calculating how few days we have left and what a lot we need to squeeze into them. Off to buy uniform today as I am going to need a lot of time to sew in those name labels!

[Sue]

How right you are about turning the calendar pages. I get that new-start feeling so strongly at the end of summer that I buy a new diary and begin again in September.

[Lisa]

You have summed so up expertly exactly how I get to feeling towards the end of the summer break too.
I hope you all enjoy all you do.
Lisa x

[Thimbleanna]

I love turning new calendar pages -- new beginnings bring so much promise. Sounds like you have a fun few weeks ahead of you -- enjoy!

[magsmcc]

Thanks for this!

[Julie]

Lazy summer days are certainly special and the intrusion of new-term-chores do change the mood. We always find summer a bit of a challenge compared to the saftey of Toby's term-time routines but even I will be sad to say goodbye to these lazy days!

[Amanda]

I came to this post having just written a list of all the things we have to fit in over the next three weeks. The buying uniform will have to wait until the last minute as Mr 4 doesn't have a school place yet (the summer might be extended further for him!)

[Megan]

Well, exactly. Here's to the chance to have another go.

[Rebecca]

You captured it exactly, the balance has tipped and how I wish there was more but also, I do have that slight longing to sharpen my pencils and start afresh.

[Anne@GtSlamseysFarm]

I wonder if it's better that sweet peas turn out to be edible peas or the other way around. One year I mixed up the seeds and planted dwarf beans and runner beans in each other's spaces. It took me a while to realise why the runner beans weren't climbing up the sticks and why the dwarf beans were romping their way across the garden.

[Rachel Lamb]

For me, autumn/September is always a time for new beginnings. I wonder if traditionally it's to do with the new academic year or whether it relates to the weather cooling off and a feeling of needing to get things done before the nights draw in? Who knows, but it's a nice feeling.

[Annie @ knitsofacto]

I am another who feels as though September is the true start to another year. I'm never sure whether that's the conditioning of the school calendar or the fact that summer's blooms seem the grand finale.

Hope you can hang on to that sense of possibility a little longer.

[monica]

We're carpe dieming every day too... but then again Autumn is my favourite time of the year so I look forward to that very very much...

[The Coffee Lady]

My peas just got drenched and rotted. So you're winning in my book.

[Nina - Tabiboo]

....and what ifs.

We are on the countdown now - the one thing I hate is the labelling.

Nina x

[dottycookie]

We have less than two weeks now. I dread this bit. All the activities that we booked and that seemed like such a good idea in July now seem like a waste of time that we could just be spending hanging out together. Argh.

And I do have productive sweet peas but they've got to that end of season floppy partly brown state and I am wishing they weren't right outside my back door!