Summer catch-up

Apologies for the lengthy absence, the summer’s been a busy one and it’s hard to sit at the computer and write when the weather is so warm in the evening! Last week was the first ‘official’ week of school in Poland and the roads returned to their usual chaotic state. For the past few months, driving to the city centre at any time of the morning was a doddle. This morning was horrible. Whereever there’s a sizable queue, there are cars doing U-turns to avoid what’s ahead and find an alternative route. The impatience of some drivers still surprises me and the proximity to the car in front is always foremost in their minds. If seems that if you leave a gap of 3 feet in front of you, someone pushes their way into it!

Here’s a summary of what we’ve been up to over the summer months:

Alex had his fourth birthday -

Apparently flower power is also making a comeback… (should I be worried??)

The boys learnt to drive on Gdynia pier – luckily those with zimmer frames were still quicker.

Benji was potty trained. The look of absolute boredom on his face says it all – it was much more fun when he could ’squat ‘n’ go’…

When he wasn’t on the potty – he was killing Granny’s flowers…

His terrible-two’s stage kicked in as well. His favourite word is ‘No!’, seconded by ‘bam’ which means ‘I want to do it by myself’. Enough to teach any parent patience…

And they learnt to swim. A few worrying moments as neither of them fear the water at all and quite happily paddle out of their depth so that all can be seen are their heads bobbing up and down like wine corks!

Food was freshly gathered from the forest and the boys particularly enjoyed the blueberry pancakes…

…and collecting the large mushrooms with Granny after the rains…

Six weeks in the northern Polish wilderness is the perfect summer holiday for young kids. Fresh air, excitement, a nearby lake and peace and quiet away from the city. Getting back into routine during the last week has not been easy for them!

I have managed to keep up with my photo blog over the summer – warsawdailyphoto.