A week away - August 2025

It's the end of August so it's that time of year when we get together with Hubby's extended family here:

It's a converted Oast House in Kent and there were over 40 of us sharing. These pictures were before everyone arrived and we decended into chaos lol.

Sound horrendous? Well not to us it doesn't.  Yes we have to share rooms (but there are lots of bathrooms) and some of the kids are on the floors but we love being able to all be together.  The kids love the pool, we played a lot of games on the lawn, took walks to nearby Scotney Castle and generally had a good time.

We all mucked in with preparing food - each family group takes a turn to be responsible for the evening meal - and everyone helps out with clearing etc.  

We play board and card games, do karaoke, and generally just unwind.

I'd like to say I came home rested but with late nights and then early wake up calls from the under 10s sleep time is limited.  But so many memories made.

I didn't get to do a Friday's Fave Five but the word to some it all up this week would have been Family!

I also gained some more books!

My brother-in-law was having a clear out and a few people took a few books but I ended up with the majority.  I've read a few which I will put in local Little Libraries, and there are some that I'll probably pass on that I don't think I'd enjoy but the rest will be added to the "to be read" pile.

It looks horrendous but I recently added quite a lot of them to my Good Reads site and I think in the house there are about 50 books.  There are also about 30 in our garden room but given that I read over 50 books a year I will get through them sooner rather than later.

As long as I don't keep adding to the pile!

Hopefully I'll get around to catching up on blogs later today.  Apologies if I don't manage to leave many comments, I'm getting ready to spend a few days away later this week with 3 of my cousins and their husbands.  Organising food etc for 8 will seem easy compared to last week!