It's been a great summer, and far from me wishing for it to end, the first sign that summer-meets-autumn is when our kids go back to school. For us, that is tomorrow, and we've already had a few upsets with their realisation that they should have completed a summer assignment about what they did on holiday. Oh dear!
But they've gone to sleep happy that we had a great summer. For us, that was a glorious family break in the west of France just north La Rochelle. Tonight we relived happy memories of hot days and warm nights, by way of our own family video record of the time - recalling great culture, food and wine. One very daring section on a day when we hired bikes, my partner managed a superb piece of cinematography whilst "sur velo"!
We have two teens also moving forward. Our daughter is off to Banbury College to start a Foundation course, and our son starts his A-levels.
So, as we live just outside Brackley, we've all been struggling with the idea of how she should make the to and fro to Banbury. Learning to drive, car, teenager all seemed to hit at once, and last week we bit the bullet and bought her a car - a Ford KA; quite the perfect first car I am reliably informed by a former KA-er.
Little Reg, of our reliable car dealer (more on his business; the Howe Motor Group in another blog I'm sure), told us the car would be fully valeted and subject to something called a "deep paint mop" - no idea what one of those is, but we were assured it was like grown up T-Cut. The car was delivered to us last Thursday by Reg himself, and as promised, the car was like a little blue gleaming diamond! Amazing.
The next day was when our daughter received an insignificant looking, but crucial piece of paper from her College Open Day. A bus timetable which appeared to say something like "we can take your daughter to school and drop her off again, at times almost spot-on for her course, almost outside your front door, for not much money".
These are times to be philosophical aren't they? She needs to drive and has been taking lessons, but we had been aiming to get her on the road in time for her course. The College has provided a brilliant service, almost tailor made for her. If only we'd known! So, onward we go.
