Last weekend of Summer

This is a look back at the last weekend of August, right before I went back to work. With the end of summer closing in, I was feeling the pressure to get the most out of my last few days of holiday so tried to fit in a few activities for us as a family.

Thursday afternoon we headed to Kelso Conservation Area in Milton, about a half hour drive from our house. There are lots of hikes and outdoor activities to do at Kelso, but we specifically went to spend some time at Lake Kelso. Visitors to the lake can rent kayaks, paddleboards, and peddle boats, and at one end there is a sandy beach with a swimming area and lifeguards. 

The water was pretty fresh (read: freezing cold), although that didn’t stop Ella. She ran into the water with wild abandon, unaffected by the temperature. 

My dad, Andy and I played "monkey in the middle" with her in the shallow water while we got used to the temperature. My mom stayed on the beach with Ollie, who was happy to play in the sand and throw rocks into the lake from the safety of shore. I think I mentioned this in my last blog post, but throwing rocks into a large body of water is currently Ollie's favourite thing to do.

Eventually we all got in, even my mom and Ollie, and of course once Ollie was in he was difficult to get out!

On Friday we spent the morning at Kristin and Dan’s, while the kids played with their daughter Aoife in the backyard. We’ve done this a few times over the month of August and it’s worked out really well. Sadly this was probably our last play date, with both Aoife and Ella starting school in September we won’t be able to let the girls play together anymore. Covid. Sigh. 

Friday afternoon we went back to Kelso Beach as we had so much fun the day before. This time my dad and Andy has an archery lesson while my mom and I played with the kids in the water. As per usual, Andy thinks he has found his next hobby and is now taking about setting up and archery area in the backyard. 

On Saturdays both kids have soccer lessons, Ollie at 10am and Ella at 11am. It's a great morning activity, both kids burn off tons of energy and are loving soccer - I'm sure Andy's influence has come into play here!

Saturday afternoon my parents and I took the kids to our local playground while Andy stayed home to work on a job application. We all took turns going on a solitary walk or run while the others watched the kids. I don’t know why we don’t do this more often!

One of our neighbours gave us some juicy fresh tomatoes from her garden, so I looked for a recipe featuring that would feature them. I found one in my Love and Lemons cookbook: Heirloom Tomato Fattoush salad. Oh my goodness this was so good. The excellent flavour of the tomatoes was a highlight, but all the ingredients just worked so well together. I highly recommend this recipe!

Sunday mornings in August my mom and I have been doing outdoor yoga through the local community centre. It has been lovely to practice with other people again in a safe way. Also practicing yoga outdoors just adds another element, nature, to the experience. For the last three weeks my mom and I have gone alone, but this weekend my dad came along with the kids to play in the nearby playground. I thought they might try to get our attention during yoga or interrupt the session, but they were having way too much fun at the playground to pay attention to us.

After yoga we went for a coffee and treat with the kids. Ella has started doing chores for a weekly allowance, so she had some "treat money" that she used to buy ice creams for her and Ollie from McDonald's.

I spent Sunday afternoon and evening trying to not think about going back to work, similar to all teachers at the end of the summer holidays. Of course this year is different, and there was some nervousness about how school would run with all of the new policies around Covid. But I'm happy to report that it has been a smooth start so far. I miss seeing Ella and Ollie so much, but I also appreciate the ability to focus on work during the day, and have a clearly defined line between work and home again.