Well, it's been a while hasn't it?
I'm sure I write that exact same thing every year when I start posting again after the summer holidays are over and once I've spent a couple of weeks getting the house back into some sort of order again once school goes back. I always feel the urge for a massive deep clean and sort out of the house once the new school year starts. Not because the boys have wrecked the house though! It just seems like such a good time to get things all ship shape again before the start of a new season and as the nights just start to draw in ever so slightly. So that everything is in order for the cosiness that autumn brings. I've found I'm not alone in this either. One of the blogs I read, Clean Mama, wrote about the exact same thing here.
Anyway, before I digress too far, now that I have things pretty much how I want them, I can take some time out to post about our summer. You will have noticed that I did start off well by writing a post about the first week of our holidays just after that week happened. I even started adding the photos to this post too, but then I just thought I would do what I usually do - take time completely away from blogging. I always find a little break from blogging in the summer is good as it leaves you refreshed and ready to start off again.
Every summer for the last few years I've shared a photo every day of what we have done that day on Instagram, with the hashtag #housefulofboyssummerholidays2018 or whatever year it is, and I love to look back on the hashtag of previous years and remember all we have done. This also helps me when it is time to write my weekly roundups of our summer 6 weeks or more after they have happened!
So, back to week 2 of our holidays.
We started the week by taking the peats home for friends of ours.
The peats, for those who may not know, are a source of fuel for the fire or stove. In the past every home in the island would cut their own peats in the spring, carefully turn them and stack them so that they dried properly, and then in the summer time they would take them all home from the moor. It was a free source of fuel for heating and cooking, and it was also a real community event with families helping each other out. There was often a picnic involved, and at least a flask of tea and some cake or biscuits. In the last decade or two, with more modern ways of heating homes, there have been much fewer homes cutting their own peats although some always still did. And with rising fuel costs there has been an increase in those who are cutting peats again.
Taking the peats home is the funnest part of the job. Especially when there is a crowd of you. And especially when you get to ride out in the tractor trailer!
I'm sure I write that exact same thing every year when I start posting again after the summer holidays are over and once I've spent a couple of weeks getting the house back into some sort of order again once school goes back. I always feel the urge for a massive deep clean and sort out of the house once the new school year starts. Not because the boys have wrecked the house though! It just seems like such a good time to get things all ship shape again before the start of a new season and as the nights just start to draw in ever so slightly. So that everything is in order for the cosiness that autumn brings. I've found I'm not alone in this either. One of the blogs I read, Clean Mama, wrote about the exact same thing here.
Anyway, before I digress too far, now that I have things pretty much how I want them, I can take some time out to post about our summer. You will have noticed that I did start off well by writing a post about the first week of our holidays just after that week happened. I even started adding the photos to this post too, but then I just thought I would do what I usually do - take time completely away from blogging. I always find a little break from blogging in the summer is good as it leaves you refreshed and ready to start off again.
Every summer for the last few years I've shared a photo every day of what we have done that day on Instagram, with the hashtag #housefulofboyssummerholidays2018 or whatever year it is, and I love to look back on the hashtag of previous years and remember all we have done. This also helps me when it is time to write my weekly roundups of our summer 6 weeks or more after they have happened!
So, back to week 2 of our holidays.
We started the week by taking the peats home for friends of ours.
The peats, for those who may not know, are a source of fuel for the fire or stove. In the past every home in the island would cut their own peats in the spring, carefully turn them and stack them so that they dried properly, and then in the summer time they would take them all home from the moor. It was a free source of fuel for heating and cooking, and it was also a real community event with families helping each other out. There was often a picnic involved, and at least a flask of tea and some cake or biscuits. In the last decade or two, with more modern ways of heating homes, there have been much fewer homes cutting their own peats although some always still did. And with rising fuel costs there has been an increase in those who are cutting peats again.
Taking the peats home is the funnest part of the job. Especially when there is a crowd of you. And especially when you get to ride out in the tractor trailer!
Once out at the peat bank everybody set to work filling the trailer with the peats. The smaller ones went into the baskets first.
Our friends brought burgers, bacon, rolls and juice for us to eat half way through our shift. We brought muffins and traybakes.
I think this photo of Calum is so funny. He had just thrown a peat but he looks like he's giving some sort of salute to a dictator!
Enough fuel for the winter back at the house.
It's a dusty, messy job though!
Also in week 2 we visited our favourite coffee shop for schmoos.
We enjoyed the World Cup semi finals.
We went bowling with friends.
The bowling alley is in a sports centre and the lady at the desk told us that when were finished our game we could go and play in the games hall where there was a bouncy castle set up.
Another day the two youngest boys got summer haircuts.
And on one particularly beautiful evening we couldn't resist the lure of a peaceful walk by the sea.
Week 2 finished off with the local Agricultural Show, but since I have so many photos of that it's best I leave it for a separate post!
