A Summer Reset
For the love of August, on being cancelled (for holiday), the great British seaside, and four things I'm loving...
August, dear August…
August! Oh my word, how did it happen? But I won’t go on with ‘my how this year has flown’ as it’s going to be so increasingly repetitive as the years go on. Anyway, we’re mid-summer…. almost mid-school-holidays (8 weeks of them!) too. It’s August. And I LOVE IT! Being a life enthusiast, I declare a love for all seasons, every season (apart from winter in January and February, I mean even the most positive amongst us struggle in the bleak of mid-winter, don’t we?) but really, I LOVE summer, always have, most of all. August in the northern hemisphere usually guarantees a proper summer of sorts as we often go abroad or at least succumb to an ‘out of office’ mentality for school and a more relaxed work format.
I love August so much that it was high on the baby name contenders for both girls and boys though my husband Tom was not so enthused, he felt Summer might be ok, at a stretch, but August, not so much. My sister Louisa’s middle name is Augusta (something to do with her early years living in Rome) and my cousin’s son’s (is that my second cousin?) name is Augustus though known as Gus. I’m not sure there were summer connotations but I love my family connection to August.
Another reason I come into August with renewed energy is that my late father’s birthday is on the 31st of July. A proud Leo lion he was - loud, generous, kind, and brave, and in the five years since he’s passed, I take the time to relive his big energy on the last day of July, and then start August feeling connected and inspired.
And then of course, there’s Taylor Swift’s August - so evocative it takes me to the salty-skin, carefree, long hot days of summer escapism, dreams and realities, whatever the weather. Which is a gift in itself. Especially as we are staying put for now…
Cancelled. For the holidays…
We are currently at home in England when we should be in France. Having booked a villa in the Dordogne with great friends who we have spent holidays and good times with many times before, our son Eddie then smashed his knee badly in a freak accident in Cornwall last week (falling through sofa pillows after waterskiing all day?!) which meant a very long drive coupled with no swimming/footy/canoeing for the week+ was a miserable idea. Our girls were cross and we were all very disappointed not to be en famille with our family friends but we’re hoping to go again when the knee is healed and ready for us all to frolic in proper Euro-guaranteed sunshine/saltwater sans wetsuit/alfresco dining with the sound of cicadas kinda holiday… thoughts and prayers!
But in the spirit of silver linings, this week has actually been pretty good! A heat wave, lazy days in PJs til noon, watching the Olympics (c’mon Aussies c’mon as well as GB of course), playing Yahtzee and backgammon, a bit of trivial pursuit, ping pong and boules under the shade of the trees, dipping in and out of the paddling pool, a few Poker lessons from the master, eating endless ice cream whatever the hour, teaching my tweens to make my iced coffees, drinking Rosé, cooking together, BBQs every day, dog walks and tennis, cycling, and gardening, PYO dahlias on the edge of the village. Plus, of course, a lot of sibling clashes, nagging about screen time limits, and finishing books we borrowed from the library. But all in all, I cannot remember a time when we’ve done so much, together, from our home base. It was like a concentrated throwback to the good times during Covid, thankfully without homeschooling…
Because we weren’t supposed to be here and had zero expectations, we have genuinely and unintentionally managed to experience a true ‘holiday at home’ - this week has been all about family, at home. It’s a winner and I think strangely, we needed it. We needed some time away from the endless rushing and routines, a respite from the need to remind our children of manners with others, to loosen the grip while enforcing screen limits, to give time for their imagination to come to the fore, to just be with each other, just the six of us, and realise we do, actually, all get along...
There has been a bit of sibling fighting but I’ve also noticed the children spending time with each other and enjoying it, regrouping when they get annoyed, and finding little moments of connection with each of their three siblings at different times. Why has it worked so well? Because there has been no pressure to do anything outside of our bubble, to even out the play dates, to prepare for sleepovers, to navigate an injury with screen time and other demands… it’s just been us. And it’s been largely, a real A-plus!
Also, a realisation that I LOVE this kind of year - this weather, this season, the reason. It feels natural, hopeful, expansive. Waking up early, naturally, I drift outside and ground my bare feet on the dewy lawn, marvel at bird song, and make a coffee… all before anyone stirs. God that sounds cliched but it’s true! And it feels so good. Most days I’ve had the luxury of being able to go for a run or do yoga in the garden (the latter with our youngest doing downward dogs with me on the mat which hasn’t been ideal but I persevered!) and even managed dozing during savasana. I mean… dreamy or what?! There is no way I can ever manage this with our normal routines…
This last week has been both a summer reset, and a mid-year reset… a chance to sleep more, find some space around routines, commitments, and expectations, and even take a break from the neverending washing pile for a day or so! I’m pottering at home, my favourite thing to do and it makes me feel connected to my mother who was the queen of pottering, while humming, at home and especially in the garden. Sometimes I’ll waft around dreaming of the renovation of each room that remains a dream even though the details are very clear in my mind! When I’ve had a little more in the tank, I’ve been reorganising bedrooms, decluttering, and being oddly excited about a delivery of a chest of drawers for my daughter’s bedroom and my little girl’s first ‘proper big bed’. Stringing festoon lights in our trees, setting up a boule area at the bottom of the garden while dreaming of putting a pool in, finding the perfect blue for our front door but not finding the energy to paint it. Listening to my daughter recording her songs while hanging bed sheets on the line outside to dry quickly in the sunshine. Noticing how happy our dog is to lie in the sun and be outside all day. Intermittently napping while reading the wonderful Mukiwa: A White Boy in Africa by Peter Godwin that my friend lent me over the summer…
Little rituals, big dreams, small changes, zero rushing… just the ticket for a summer reset at home. And although the weather has helped, the secret to our successful summer family reset, I think, lies in the pause to our hectic lives and finding joy in little moments at home, together.
‘A change is as good as a holiday’ they say.
They are wrong. Change is not as good as a holiday. However, small changes and summer resets can make one feel a lot more breezy about life...
4 Things I’m Loving
Four things I’m loving from the brands I’m so lucky to be working with:
Willow Crossley Pink Floral Loving Cup
The queen of the loving cup as well as the queen of flowers! Hard to choose, but this pink floral hand-painted loving cup is my fave of the Loving Cup collection - beautiful brimming with roses from the garden. Stay tuned for the new loving cup for Christmas that Willow has illustrated - beyond beautiful!
William Crabtree & Sons Seersucker Swimming Trunks
The perfect bathers in my favourite, seersucker. James Priestley thinks about all the fine details when designing the collections for his excellent menswear store. Essentials for the men in one’s life. As is a visit to the Marleybone store.
Printebebe June Jumpsuit in Spring Blossom
Hard to choose as we’d love the entire collection but given our youngest Rose won’t currently wear a dress, these dungarees in a floral print might just be the ticket. Everything is beautiful, whimsical, and timeless. And the lovely owner Anna is growing the brand into new categories - so exciting.
Angan Arctic Youth Face Oil from Nordic Glow
This is the bomb! The new youth bomb! It feels incredible on my skin, especially after a shower before bed, and gives a wonderful glow over SPF. Every brand and product Nordic Glow curates work - the pure ingredients from the Nordics are astonishingly good. (One also hopes to look like Aldis, the Icelandic co-founder with incredible skin!)
The Great British Seaside & Stoicism
At the end of July, we went to visit lovely friends staying in Cornwall, our second year of them generously hosting us at the same wonderful home they rent, a short walk from the beautiful beach of Daymer Bay through sandy paths and past the charming St Enodoc church, and a quick drive from Cornwall’s own surfer’s paradise, Polzeath. Such a special, fun few days getting our children, tweens, and teens all together for boogie boarding, water skiing, rock pooling, shell collecting, beach cricket, and BBQs - heaven. And luckily the event of the accident happened on the last night not the first…
As we leave the motorway and wind through the country roads - lots of ‘dingly dells’ as we call them, when the trees meet over the road, the most incredible display of hydrangeas and abundant wildflowers in the hedgerows, then we see the sea! A magical moment for this beach gal living in a landlocked part of England.
The British seaside has a timeless, storybook appeal. All soft muted colours and countryside meets seaside vibes. Time stands still yet the seasons change in one day. From charming seaside pubs and cafes, fish and chips and changing huts, windy walks and bracing swims, Cornish ice cream and pints of ale. Buckets and spades in hand, fishing nets resting on the shoulders of our tiny crew, winding their way down to the wide open beaches, dogs running freely, children playing merrily. All very picture-postcard-perfect yet there’s the great British stoic and almost heroic underpinning to a Cornish seaside holiday. It brings out the best of the resilient Brits - positive though sarcastic about the weather; self-deprecating yet welcoming; up for anything with ready humour and a ‘let’s got in with it’ attitude. A lot like the Aussies but without the summer guarantees.
For an Australian used to scorching hot beaching and swimming in warm water, it both amazes and fascinates me. It makes me love the Brits even more. “Isn’t this lovely!”, we all squeal with delight at the frankly freezing temperatures of the sea lapping against our wetsuits as the sun struggles to make it out from under the clouds. But it truly is, lovely! A take-your-breath-away swim, a soggy cornish pastie, a fortifying cup of tea, a sandy-toed beach urchin wrapped up in a towel, and all is right with the world. Then the sun comes out, the long, light summer evening stretches on, and it’s (almost) one of the best places in the world.
And finally… an appreciation for this beautiful artwork and my current favourite flower, Cosmos, by Kerri Kowley at AK Bellinger Gallery in the country town of Inverell, NSW, Australia.
Wishing you all a great week ahead, enjoy August and summer/winter wherever you are….
Lots of love, X
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"Little rituals, big dreams, small changes, zero rushing… " just sounds so dreamy Emily! ❤️❤️