A very English summery day

Today was a lovely day because it's the first day of two weeks which J has off work. I love it when our family is all together. On a selfish note, I have lots of help from J and some adult company. It's also really nice to see his relationship with the girls deepen. We have both noticed that if he has a busy week where he misses a few bedtimes, is working pretty hard and away from us at weekends, it has a noticeable effect on how Chloe acts around him. When J has good quality time with her, she will choose to play with him and not kick up a fuss if it's daddy doing things not mummy.

Today we chose to go to a small village in the Surrey Hills which has a river running through it which is shallow enough to paddle in. My mum used to take us when we were little and I have really fond memories of catching fish and swinging on a tyre swing into the water. 

The swing has now gone and the village council has put up a sign with a lot of rules about using the river. Part of it has been cordoned off as a preservation area which means the section that can be used is quite busy. But it is still a gorgeous spot with beautiful clear water, a pretty bridge and lots of shade to sit under.

Chloe had a lovely time in the water but also found some other older children who were happy to humour her in their games. She is so sociable that she just wandered up to them and asked if 'she could play too'. It really warms my heart to see her playing and giggling with other children. Another step towards becoming independent!

A wonderful day out.