So summer is over and it’s back to school and back to work.
I took my eight year old daughter and five year old son for their first day back at school today. Ruth and Richard were excited to meet their old friends and discover a new class with a new teacher. I felt a sense of pride and sadness as I watched them walk to their new classes. Pride because they’re growing older and wiser. A bit of sadness because with each passing day, I know they’re less dependent on Daddy and finding out all the good, bad and ugly things that make growing up fun, scary and challenging. As a family, I’m so glad we had a summer we can fondly look back on as Winter approaches.
This summer was the first summer (in a very, very long time) where I actually got to enjoy a holiday for what it was/is – a time to relax and unwind.
And unwind I did. I visited Belgium for a wedding and enjoyed the warmth and friendship of the Belgian people. People my wife and I met on the street were very happy to say ‘Bonjour!’ While there are many things I like about the British culture, saying hello to total strangers isn’t really woven into the British DNA. It was a joy to experience another culture and perhaps Belgium will feature in one of my books one day. The things I’ll remember Belgium for were the warmth of its people, tram/train lines that zig-zagged across the length and breadth of Brussels and a brown leather jacket I ended up not buying. If you’re thinking of visiting Brussels, then I’d whole heartedly recommend staying at the Husa President hotel. The staff are lovely, the rooms are spacious and you descend into dreamland once your head hits the pillow.
Another thing I did while on holiday was to take my children to Legoland. My son’s getting into his lego and our trip just took his love of construction to another level. Legoland is situated on the outskirts of London near Windsor Castle. Matter of fact, you can see the castle from Legoland as well as planes departing and arriving at Heathrow Airport. Legoland really is a fun environement for the family. The rides that left an impression were the Jolly Rocker, Viking Splash, Atlantis, Dinosaur Safari to mention a few. If you’re thinking of going, then I would recommend getting a Q-Bot. It’s a little device that allows you to jump the queue. Trust me. it makes all the difference. What typically took most people an hour in waiting time, took us less than five minutes! Its £15 per person and is worth the investment.
I also got to MC a business graduation event in at the Dominion center which is 2,000 seater auditorium in North London.
It was a fun experience and allowed me the opportunity to wear another of my creative hats.
So summer is over and I’m getting back into the groove of things as a writer and publisher. I’ll be visiting some schools in the run up to Christmas, publishing a Billy and Monster Christmas edition and hopefully the second book in the Kojo the one-eyed sea dragon series.
Watch this space.