Honest Motherhood: Summer adventures

By Angela Garwood

You know you’re having a great Summer when someone declares they need a “rest day” after one too many days out. We’ve had some gorgeous adventures and some very necessary downtime.

Here is the highlight reel of our Summer so far:

1. My cousins coming to stay

They bring all the joy. Everything is extra fun with them around.

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2. The Aldershot Lido

Nothing fancy, does what it says on the tin. Maia had a blast splashing around with us all. Leo – not so much.

Joel made every effort to encourage our boy to relax into the water. No such luck. He wasn’t having it.

In the end he had a long afternoon nap on a towel while the rest of us took turns watching him.

After a short while my cousin Rachel managed to persuade me to venture up to the slides.

“How fast are they exactly?” I asked the lifeguard tentatively.

“They’re pretty fast…” she said, amused.

Indeed, one minute my cousin was there right by me in plain sight, next she’s being launched into a pool of water 50ft below.

“NOPE not for me..” I announced.

I opted for the blue side. Designed, most likely, for mothers and babies.

“Do I have to go to the back of the line?” I queried.

“No just stand with me, the blue side will be ready in a minute.”

So there I stood, like a lemon, waiting in humiliation as one by one a gaggle of eight-year-olds flew down the fast slides.

The blue side was painfully slow and I spent most of it in hysterical laughter waving at my people while trying not to cry of embarrassment.

3. Beale Park

Always a winner. Otters, zebras, and a pair of mating tortoises who seemed to go on forever. We stood and watched as passers-by laughed and commented:

“Are they STILL at it?!”

“EY UP!”

“The sound though.. those noises!!”

4. NT Live Prima Facie

An incredible performance by Jodie Comer, I’d highly recommend this if you get the chance.

5. The Raver Tots Festival in Reading

When Joel first mentioned this particular festival, aimed at children, I politely declined. Loud base-heavy music, long queues to expensive food and a bunch of rides? No, no. Surely we could think of a better way to spend our Sunday.

Apparently I couldn’t because two months later I’m sat sticking sparkly gems to my face in festival-prep mode.

After an hour of queuing in the car just to make it into the carpark, I was certain I’d made the right choice.

“It’s so popular.”

Then we made it inside and all I could think every 10 seconds for those four hours was: “WHERE IS LEO?”

Candy floss was bought, more glitter applied, rides ridden. Maia and I fought over the steering wheel in a bumper car whilst Joel watched Leo on the inflatables.

We raved inside the rave tent in short bursts as neither of the children were particularly keen.

6. The cinema

This may seem mundane but the last time I went to the cinema was January 2020, so I was way overdue.

Joel and I hadn’t been since early 2019, we spent £35 on food then left 30 minutes in citing “boredom” as our reason. I recall loathing the part where we couldn’t talk for two hours.

This time round, we managed just fine. Where the Crawdads Sing is not a film one can talk through, even us.

7. Taking Leo for his first haircut and passport photos

Both went surprisingly smoothly.

8. A trip to London

I met a friend for brunch then spent a while in Foyles browsing plays and reading other women’s memoirs on Motherhood. (If I am not doing the actual mothering I am reading or writing about it apparently.)

Then there’s the play I’m going to see next week entitled Oh Mother, all about, you guessed it: Motherhood. Can’t keep away.

Angela blogs at: colourfulkind.com