Summer has arrived

Okay, it’s been a really long winter. Now that summer is here, I’m makin’ a Summer To Do List, to make sure I squeeze in as much summery goodness as possible.
1. camp at Sombrio
2. have many, many picnics.
3. Take Anna to Saltspring market (Saturday afternoons - and maybe camp on Saltspring too)
4. find a sunscreen I like.
5. swim outside, lots
6. explore potholes further than last year (maybe see leechtown site)
7. have a supper picnic at Witty’s Beach and swim in the evening
8. make a sandcastle
9. play at French beach
10. make homemade berry shortcakes
That's really just a top ten. There are many more.

In fact, I’m going to celebrate summer every weekend, and report on it here. With a picture.

I’ll have to backtrack a bit, because I’ve just had three awesome summer weekends.

May 31-June1

We headed out to Bamberton, on the lovely Saanich Inlet. We camped overnight there, and spent two afternoons picnicking on the beach, and swimming (well, I swam), and exploring the water's edge with its apparently thousands of little crabs. Anna saved a few from the beach, too, and now she's their hero.

May 24-25

Last weekend, after Anna’s swimming lesson, Anna and I went to Witty’s Beach with Glenda and Everett. Had a lovely picnic with pasta salad and kiwi fruit. Tried out the beach umbrella. Poked in the sand, checked out crabs in the water. I was three when I spotted a large crab at Witty’s Beach and I ran screaming to my grandmother who was sunbathing on the shore. This is a pretty strong early memory for me. So when my three year old daughter spotted a large crab, surely as big as the one I saw that day 32 years ago, and wanted to bend down and touch it--I was amazed. Totally impressed. My daughter is very cool. I did the worried mom thing though and told her to just look—those pincers still looked pretty damn big. The crab was blowing bubbles. We thought maybe it wanted back in the water, and moved it into a tide pool. Sunday was the big half marathon and brunch day. I’m still a tad sore, but not as bad as I thought I was going to be. We won’t discuss the time. Turns out I’m the slowest runner in Sooke. We went to grandpa’s new pad after and played with an enormous bottle of bubbles.

May 17-19

The first was my birthday weekend. Got that inaugural sunburn on Friday while sitting out on the patio working on the laptop. Went to Japanese dinner sporting said burn, and then out for drinks and cake. Little issue with coming home and car insurance, but we’ve overcome that. Saturday was all about buying some shade and garden supplies... patio umbrella (since part of our old one is still hostage at the old house) and a beach umbrella. Luxton Fair with Anna, and she rode the carousel and got some long awaited cotton candy. Game night that night, and birthday cake. Sunday we hung out in the back yard all day, in the hot weather, and I built a lovely raised garden bed, and Anna played with a neighbourhood friend with a sprinkler under the trampoline, and we blew up the baby pool. Anna’s pretty big for it, now.

Monday, I ran 20 km and turned 35. Hung out with friends on the patio eating mousse cake. Ordered an obscene amount of takeout for a three person family in the evening, drank a cosmo, went for a walk, and collapsed at home for a rather early bedtime. Sleep is good.