A Summer Wishlist

I wrote this in mid-May when I was still wearing cardigans and hugging hot drinks. Spring just didn’t really show up in the end, eh? And then suddenly we were plunged from winter into proper summer, heat and pure blue skies. Somewhat surprisingly for me, I’ve been really enjoying it. I famously do not like high temperatures and I find that the hotter months heighten my anxiety around the climate crisis, but the long overdue vitamin D and the roses popping in my garden and Alfie loving being outside has had me feeling really quite cheerful. Also, very importantly, the temperatures are still dropping at night which I personally think is the difference between a heatwave being bearable or not (and therefore the difference in whether I behave like a grumpy gremlin or not). It’s reminding me of the summers of my childhood.

Anyway, I wrote this list to try and get the most out of the summer despite the temps and climate anxiety:

Swim in a lido – I’ve had a craving to go swimming in a lido since midwinter. Not sure where it came from, perhaps because I love swimming but barely do it, perhaps because there is something so uniquely special about swimming outside and I would love to do more of it. Either way, I’d really love to take a visit to our nearest lido this summer. 

Take Alfie swimming – and on a similar note, we feel like he’s hit an age now where he will be interested in (and we think enjoy given how much he seems to like playing with water) swimming, so we are keen to take him again in the near future. 

Being outside with Alfie as much as possible – I tell you, there is nothing more joyous then watching a toddler discover some of the simplest joys of the summer for the very first time. He keeps running to the back door, wanting to get out into the garden so he can charge about barefoot, throwing balls around. When we were on holiday, his biggest joy was playing with a couple of sticks he found in the garden. I could watch him do it all summer. 

Visit my sister – this is well overdue but I’m really looking forward to finally visiting my sister’s flat in London. Now that she’s newly engaged, this is going to be even more fun because it’s going to give us the opportunity to have a nose around her wedding venue. 

Eat in Plants restaurant – visiting the Deliciously Ella Plants restaurant in London is right at the top of my bucket list at the moment. I love her app and am low-key obsessed with the Plants Waitrose range so I would love to visit the restaurant. Whether budget and time allow this summer, I’m not sure, but I’m hopefully throwing it on the list anyway. 

Have a night away just the two of us – a girl can dream. Breastfeeding (18 months and counting) and Alfie’s terrible sleep has meant that this hasn’t yet felt possible for us, but we are really hoping that the time is upon us. We have paid our dues guys, manifest this for us please. 

Have a trip to the seaside – because if you didn’t dip your toes in the sea and spend several weeks afterwards finding sand in your shoes, did summer even happen? 

Have friends to stay – really looking forward to having two of my oldest friends to stay and having a well overdue catch-up. 

Go for a date night at The Old Hall – my parents very generously gifted Gary a voucher for The Old Hall for his birthday and so we are planning a date night here very soon. The Old Hall is a gorgeous wedding venue/dining experience just outside of Ely and it is such a treat to go and eat there. We’ve been for dinner and Sunday lunch before and both times were such lovely and memorable experiences. We are excited to go again, and it feels even more of a treat to not have to spend anything. 

Other date nights – we’re still trying to stick to at least one date a month and other ideas for the summer include: afternoon tea at Fitzbillies in Cambridge; my friend Dan generously gifted us a voucher so we’re keen to go eat mini sandwiches and silly cakes on a summer’s afternoon, dinner and cocktails at The Yard in Ely which has become one of my favourite places since it opened in March, plus we want to pay a visit to Six in Cambridge during the warmer months because how good does that roof terrace look?! 

Enjoy the little things synonymous with summer – ice creams by the river, G&Ts in the garden, colourful summer dresses, eating dinner outside as much as possible, simple weekend BBQs, picnics, playing in the garden with Alfie, sunkissed skin, summer weddings, the garden looking beautiful and colourful, summer cooking, big sunglasses, painted toenails, that summer-evening-golden-hour glow. 

Hope you are enjoying the summer dear reader, tell me, what do you have planned for July & August?