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Summer Bunting, Facing Fears and a Broadway Show #LittleLoves

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] seem to begin every monthly Little Loves post by talking about the weather but it would be rude to bypass this one – this summer is the gift that keeps on giving! I cannot believe how fortunate we have been with the sunshine and tropical temperatures. It also looks set to carry on into the first half of the summer holidays – double result!

July has been a bit of a weird month for me; I’ve had too teenagers home from work/school for most of it which in some respects has been really nice but it has also meant I’ve been less free to do my own thing. Having no free time just pottering around the house leaves me feeling a little off kilter.

One piece of good news this month, is that I have started my volunteer job on the Crisis Text Line – just 4 hours a week but I really do feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. My middle daughter had a successful prom and we hosted a little party beforehand – such a great excuse for summer bunting.

Then of course there was New York, but more on that later. Now for all of the other things I’ve been loving this month…

Read

I needed a new book for our trip to New York, one that I can read in bed without falling asleep to. I therefore opted for Marian Keyes’ new novel, The Break and it’s perfect! I’m not too far through largely due to the fact that very little reading was done in New York. Currently savouring every page.

Heard

One of my favourite female singers of all time is Birdy, she’s got such a distinctive voice. This track is played at the end of my Body Balance class every week and I just love it.

Watched

This month is going to be a bumper issue as I’ve been thoroughly spoilt with amazing things to watch.

First up is Finding our Feet which I managed to catch on the plane. Have you seen it? With a fantastic cast of Celia Imrie, Imelda Staunton and Timothy Small, it was captivating from start to finish. A romantic comedy with a few twists and turns, as well as some real heart-string moments. Definitely one to watch.

Second was Wicked, which we actually got to see on Broadway. How cool is that?! Some people have been surprised that out of all the shows we could have gone to see, we picked Wicked but I knew my girls would enjoy it and quite a few of the songs were already familiar to us. It really didn’t disappoint. As soon as the girl playing Elphaba stepped onto the stage, the audience erupted into loud applause and cheers. We just assumed it was the difference between a UK and US audience but it turns out that it was Jackie Burns’ last night in that role, having played it on and off for 10 years. She was absolutely incredible!

And last but by no means least was Mamma Mia 2 which I went to see yesterday with daughter no. 2. From experience, sequels are rarely as good as the original but honestly? This one was better. Even Piers Brosnan’s singing has improved…slightly! If you’ve yet to see it, here’s a little tip from me to you – don’t leave the cinema before all the credits have finished.

Wore

July has seen record temperatures here in Berkshire, so again I’ve been wearing very little. Summer dresses and denim skirts being my main go to this month.

I’ve never really liked my legs, not because they are big (in fact my daughter calls them chicken legs!), more because they are so darn pale. But they’re not going to get any browner by keeping them hidden away are they? So this week, I’ve had my old lady legs out every single day; I even bought a couple of pairs of short shorts in the states and guess what? No one has fainted at the sight of my legs.

Made

I made the trip to New York! At last, I managed to tick something off my bucket list and boy was it worth the seven hour flight. New York lived up to my expectations and more. It felt so surreal being there as there’s something oddly familiar about it (probably from all the film sets) but of course I had never actually been. We kept pinching ourselves for the first 36 hours.

I am planning to write a full piece on our long weekend at some point but my highlight was probably our bike tour in Central Park as well as our trip up the Rockefeller building at sunset.

And Lastly

We were invited to visit our local Go Ape centre in Swinley Forest, Bracknell last weekend. I’ll be honest, I hesitated initially because I really do not like heights. Knowing I had managed it once before (nothing is ever as scary the second time, right?) though, I thought I would give it another go so invited some friends along to join us.

I am so pleased that I did it because in some small way, I think I conquered my fears. There was a LOT of screaming coming down the zip wires which was probably a mixture of exhilaration and relief.

We also got to do the Segways beforehand which was so much fun. Swinley Forest really is the perfect setting, especially in this heatwave we’ve been experiencing. I can’t tell you how exhausted we were after the four hours though. I ached for four days afterwards!

So that was July in a nutshell; a fun month of extremes. How was it for you?

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11 COMMENTS

  • Joanna Waton

    Glad to hear The Break is good as I picked up a copy the other day.
    You’re very brave to do Go Ape, I’m not a massive fan of heights. I do like Swinley Forest though!

  • Gail

    What an amazing month Suzanne, can’t wait to read the blog post on your NY trip. The show sounds amazing, and so does the Rockefeller trip, although I’m not a fan of heights either – I’d probably be clinging to the wall! Your garden room looks amazing in the sunshine – and with the bunting it looks fabulous. I have naturally pale skin too, I use Skinny Tan light daily moisturiser which gives my legs just enough of a summer glow to be exposed 🙂 . xx

  • Jess Soothill

    Wow – what a month! You have packed a lot in! NYC looked amazing and I too want to go one day. The new job sounds fab and really good for you for doing it. Jess xx

  • Plutonium Sox

    Wow, what a month! Sounds like you’ve had a fab time. Glad you managed to catch a show on Broadway, it was one of my favourite things we did in NY. The Segway tour sounds brilliant, great to accompany your Go Ape experience. Glad to hear good things about MM2, I really enjoyed the first one. I like a happy musical, hate things like Les Mis that are all glum, I think musicals should be cheery!
    Nat.x

  • Wow, what a month you’ve had! I look forward to reading more about your New York trip. My husband keeps saying we’re going to go, forgetting the minor detail that I don’t do long flights! Go Ape sounds fantastic. I’ve always wanted to try segways.

  • Sarah Christie

    Ha ha go you, I love go ape. I know exactly what you mean about New York I felt the same the whole time I was there, the boys still say its their favourite trip ever. And yes I have been loving wearing dresses too and its something I never do, I feel like the summer has changed my dressing habits for the better x

  • Tracey Williams

    What an amazing month for you, and I loved following your New York trip and can’t wait to read all about it in more detail. Love the prom bunting, wish I could have got away with that for the teen boys prom lol. I know what you mean about being off kilter when you have some kids at home and some still in school. I felt really in limbo until Katie officially broke up for the summer x

  • What a fab month! Love that white dress and I’m so pleased that your volunteer role is going well. You’ll really be making a difference to those young people’s lives and that’s something to be proud of. New York is on my travel bucket list too (although I’m a little bit worried that if I do eventually make it there I might be disappointed in the reality of it after seeing so many amazing things about it on TV, in films and in blog posts!). Go-Ape is also on my 40 Things Before I’m 40 list – I’m fine with heights but I don’t like the ‘edges’ of things and am scared I’m going to fall backwards(!) so it’ll be interesting once I get round to doing that one! Well done for being brave and facing your fears 🙂

  • Seaside Sparkles

    Wow what a month, NewYork is no. 1 on my bucket list although I want to wait probably another 5 years or so when the children are older to really enjoy and explore the city . Great to read about Wicked I got tickets for Christmas and finally get to see it in October. Hope the volunteering is going well .

    • Suzanne W
      AUTHOR

      You will love Wicked, I’m sure. I would definitely recommend waiting until the kids are older for NY 🙂

  • Mum Reinvented

    Sounds like you had an amazing July, hope August has been just as good. I loved The Break, such a good book. I loved Mama Mia but like you I think the sequel may have topped it for me, I’m actually thinking of going back to see it again I loved it that much.

    So glad the volunteering is going well. Hope you’re still enjoying it as I know how much it means to you.

    Hope you’ve had a fab bank holiday x

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