A bit of Sophie

High tea with some pals (all because of some imported clotted cream)

Don't we all just want to be part of this hug?

Ballet lessons here we come!

Caption this...

No matter how much we try to normalize it, he loves to play around with the idea of alcohol...

La rentree 2017

Up bright and early and after a struggle with his new hightops, our lad bounded off to high school dressed in his (drama class uniform) "blacks".

45 minutes later, a confident Grade 6-er headed off to her Welcome Circle, with her new house key and cell phone (!!) tucked in her backpack.

The cottage life

As soon as we returned to Canada, we headed off to a borrowed cottage with some dear friends. And it was heaven!

Some great reading spots

Sophie learnt how to play Exploding Kittens - yup...

Seb taught his dad to rig a boat 

Working together

and he helped them board 

and off they went!

Everyone - and I mean everyone! - were so happy there

Big stick for our big puppy

The dawg was not so convinced about the whole boat idea...

 It was so dreamy that it had us all searching the listings for cottages for sale. Though we had to admit that it was late August days when the bugs are low and the sun still strong.

Second stop in England: Brighton

It was a beautiful day for a hike (near the farm houses that the Bloomsbury set took as homes)

We were super lucky to not only have our annual visit to Brighton but to time it for when both Eric & Madeleine were around. We hadn't seem them in a few years, what with uni and their various travels.

Some lavender cake at the tea garden 

Hiding in the corn

the view

Trying the Titanic move

Before a gleeful dismount

Communing with the cows at Middle Farm - where we bought lots of yummy cheese & other bits for export 

Showing pictures of our pup, no doubt

And on to England

When our lovely time in Issigeac wrapped up, we at least had 4 days with the English relatives to look forward to 

Her fabulous travel outfit and expression at some whacky British crisps

Though to be honest, these crisps - that we ate a few days later - won the "strangest of the trip" award.

A face in a Norfolk tree

Our first English walk (With D&P & Beth) - look at that sunshine!

The lovely view along the north Norfolk coast

The child walkers and Dorothy checking out a mouse carcass and carnivorous beetles

No visit to Aldborough is complete without a stop here

Though the recommendations can get overwhelming!

Snap the City of Norwich dragon

The solid and notable Norwich castle

Some shopping with the one of the most gorgeous girls in England - and the spitting image of her mum, Catherine!

And then it was on to lunch in Kent with my maternal uncle & aunt

Never too old for a playground

a spot of imaginary tennis