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Lady V’s Shoes
A column on village life from Victoria Kennedy
I cannot believe that it is already coming up to summer. After the Groundhog Day experience that was 2020, this year seems to be flying by. I for one, cannot get over the fact that my children will soon be finishing school for the summer holidays. I feel like they have only just gone back! And, if my time in lockdown has taught me anything, it is (regrettably) not how to speak a new language or bake soda bread, but rather that my children are, in fact, feral. So, needless to say, I am going to have to come up with some exciting ways to keep them entertained over the summer months. Ways, that we have not already exhausted. Thankfully, things are finally starting to reopen, so this
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should not be as hard to achieve as it was this time last year. Gone are the days when I was desperately trying to make learning how to use the dishwasher as fun an activity as possible. I have planned to ensure that my kids are outdoors as often as I can over the summer holidays. This is, after all, something that is proven to be good for the mind, body, and soul. After the year we have all had, this is something that I am very pro. As such, I will be signing them up to some of the summer holiday clubs at Knockiehill Woodland Centre. My children have previously gone to some of the other sessions there and had an absolute blast. Also, and perhaps just as importantly, I managed to get a much welcome break while they were having fun in the woods. Pip and Stu Wright who run KWC both have a clear view on the importance of outdoor activities for children’s wellbeing. They also happen to both be a lot more creative than I could even pretend to be. We now have two cracking bird houses in our garden thanks to KWC, as well as some festive Christmas reindeer. Neither of these crafts would have been even attempted with me on duty (and they very clearly weren’t). So “Hurrah” for the return of the warmer months, and “Hurrah” for the return of fun activities for all. While things may not be back to the normal of 2019, there is now certainly a lot more to feel hopeful about.
