Daytripping

Arlo and I went on a proper day trip to the seaside last week. This is one of the only quick snaps I managed to squeeze in, which is testament to a) how much fun we had and b) how much of a jam-packed day it was.

I've been the last of my set of three best mates from school to become a mum, and although we've always kept in touch we're all much closer now that we each have kids. As I read somewhere the other day, having children is a real equaliser. So we met up with my two school BFFs, each with another two kids of their own, for a day trip out. We went to Brownsea Island, off Poole, which considering we left from an Island to get there in the first place, meant a lot of boats. In fact, it was a ferry-bus-train-walk-even smaller ferry combo, which with three pushchairs, five kids and picnic in tow felt like quite a lot of work! It was well worth the effort though - we saw peacocks, narrowly avoided a savage goose attack, let the kids run free and play, and managed to catch up ourselves in between it all.

There's something really comforting about spending time with someone who knows everything about you, including loads of really embarrassing stuff like that time you fainted in front of the whole year in assembly because you didn't want to have your BCG injection, or when you thought blue hair mascara was a good look (those are hypothetical occurrences, obviously. Ahem.) Yes they've been there for all the big things like babies, weddings and birthday milestones, but they were also there for all the stuff that hardly seems significant now, but at the time, as teenagers, probably shaped who we are more than we know. (The hair mascara probably not so much). Conversation flows easily.  Silences are comfortable. It's reassuring.

It was all over too soon and as I waved my friends off on their ways back home I wished these kinds of days came round more often. Not only because spending time with them is so good for me, but also because I want our kids to be able to enjoy this kind of friendship in the future too. Just maybe without the goose attacks.