Game on!

Autumn is here and the time of the 'heroic' save is back. Anna is in her element as she and her team embark on another season of 'backs to the wall' footy. Sunday's game, despite the loss showed great promise in the team. Anna was diving, blocking, punching and just getting anything in the way of some thunderous shots the opposition fired at her. She made some wonderful saves. She continues to improve as a keeper, still need to work on coming out for crosses and her distribution from goal kicks; but I truly enjoyed watching her all action performance. Not entirely sure where her talent comes from! Very smug dad as one of the other parents told me that she was one of the best goal keepers they have played against in years! Good start to the season Wiggle and loved every minute of watching you, with the tip over the bar as you were nearly lobbed being the highlight of the day! Lucy is contemplating sporting prowess and exercise and looks likely to be signing up for her bronze Duke of Edinburgh award, telling us 'it will be good for her and get her off her arse!' I can only but agree darling! An emotional couple of weeks with the commemoration of what would have been Grandma's eighty-ninth birthday on the 6th September. I have mixed feelings as we approach Christmas and the anniversary of her death. I miss her terribly and feel still a bit lost. With Uncle Peter's passing too, another so important person from my childhood, the world feels like a strange place to be in at the moment....

I think its safe to say we didn't do much on holiday!

 As you can see actual hard evidence of our complete and utter lack of activity for two weeks! The most effort we put in, and it was slightly tokenistic, was the myself and the girls went to a water park for the day. The remainder of our two weeks away was compiled of eat, rest, swim, drink and repeat. For me and Mrs Hammond, there was the odd coffee, cocktail and beer thrown into the mix, coupled with the reading of many books, ignoring the kids and generally looking through the world from the perspective of a sun bed. Now that was relaxing and a perfect pace of life for an exhausted family! I read six books, I repeat six books and for me this is unheard of. Each year on holiday we usually cram in trips, days out and lots of things to do. This year we took a different tact and it was just what we needed and worked a treat. It is the most relaxed I've been in years. After a few days we gave up asking the girls to join us, they did their own thing. Anna loving and developing her drawing of cartoon characters and Lucy doing what Lucy does on an electronic device. Mrs Hammond wins the prize for the best and most super-duper tan; Lucy wins the wooden spoon in this category having spent the least time in the sun on record since human beings started holidaying! Anna and I did find the world's best positioned pool table and snuck off for a regular evening game and on several occasions the red mist descended as she was tonked!!  It remains a really positive memory for me in our family life and one I will treasure. Until next year and wherever our holiday may take us! xx