Summer is over II

After realising that Summer was over last week, it was confirmed to us that Autumn had arrived when we attended our first harvest festival of the year. The sun was shining but the temperature had dropped, the leaves were already showing signs of changing colour and it was a typical gorgeous early Autumnal day. If it had been a little colder, then it would have been my favourite type of morning to venture out into. We'd seen advertisements for harvest festivals and in the middle of what's been a very busy work month, managed to find one that fit in with my schedule. Some family time was definitely what we needed. We headed for Sulgrave Manor, which isn't too far from where we live. The international endangered heritage site was once home to the ancestors of America's revolutionary war hero and first president, George Washington and it played the perfect host to a family day out for us!

We enjoyed live music in the courtyard and indulged in cream teas in the buttery restaurant as Clayton made friends with a TV crew and actors in traditional Tudor costume. It was nice to sit and talk and be a family whilst soaking up the warm sun that shone through the windows of the restaurant. We enjoyed just slowly wondering the grounds and taking life at our own pace. The harvest festival included plenty of stalls selling crafts, food and local produce... it really was a celebration of all things artisan in the area. There were cooking demonstrations, cheese making, apple pressing, ferret racing, bee keeping talks and games in the gardens. There was a modest collection of vintage tractors, shire horses and lots more to provide fun for all ages and never spaced out enough so that you couldn't still hear that live music being played back in the courtyard. We had a great couple of hours there... just long enough to induce sleep in both children for the short journey home.

The harvest festival seems like an ordinary, nothing too fancy type of day out; but for me, it was one of those ideal, typical family moments that really took my mind off the amount of hours I had had to put in at the office this month. I love Autumn. Especially if Autumn is going to mean more days like this one. The days might be getting shorter and the wind a little colder but as a Dad, there's always a good chance that something might brighten up the day. This week Alice has started laughing all of a sudden. You can tickle her and giggle at her and she will chuckle right back... and that alone is enough to warm up the coldest of winters, let alone an Autumnal day out with the family in bright sunshine. This week has made me smile.