Earlier this summer we spent the weekend at Alton Towers with Konfidence where we witnessed a huge turning point. Five year old POD had gained so much water confidence we got to see her hunt for dive sticks, jump in and even be thrown across the pool! It was a stark contrast to the child that wouldn’t get her face wet a few months earlier.
It doesn’t seem five minutes since I captured POD in her first school uniform this time last year. Much of that summer had been a time of uncertainty after she didn’t get a place at the local school but we went with the flow. As it happens, the school she ended up at exceeded our expectations in that the teachers have been outstanding.
Although I look back at the years we spent in London with great fondness, I love that we have access to so much green space in Surrey. It’s the best environment for five year old POD who has grown-up loving nature’s playground – especially climbing every tree in sight! But that’s not always the case with a new study from Homebase revealing 51% of children will spend most of their summer holidays playing computer games or watching television.
We’ve worked hard to help POD lose ‘the fear’ over the last couple of years. We saw an exciting development last summer and she started 1-2-1 swimming lessons in January which we hoped would help build her water confidence. We’ve seen tremendous improvement since then – she’s even put her head under the water a few times! Having turned a corner, we couldn’t wait to get to Alton Towers with Konfidence to see how she got on.
With the summer holidays fast approaching, we’re thrilled to announce we’re giving away £50 to spend on Konfidence swimming essentials. Konfidence are Europe’s leading designers and manufacturers of swimming and learn to swim products. We’re huge fans as their swimming aids and swimwear which has really helped POD build up her water confidence.
At the ripe old age of five POD has adopted a love for all things pretty but she adores the great outdoors just as much. Whether it be climbing trees, rolling down hills or making potions for fairies, being outside is definitely a happy place. POD isn’t put off by the weather either, she said recently she loves the rain as she can jump in muddy puddles – a tell tale sign that she loves to get messy!
When I was a child we existed in a largely technology free world and spent much of our time outdoors. Whether it was playing games, skipping or attempting cartwheels, we were always active. Much has changed since the days of flares, big hair and sounds of the disco but a recent study has revealed some shocking statistics.
Something amazing happened last summer. POD swam on her own for the very first time. She was wearing armbands but that didn’t matter because it meant she finally believed she would stay afloat. On holiday two months earlier, she’d insisted we purchase not just armbands but a rubber ring as well because she was convinced she was going to sink. Neither were particularly suitable as they restricted her movement but she refused to go in the pool without them. Thankfully we managed to ‘lose’ the rubber ring fairly swiftly and in the days that followed POD built up her water confidence.
The Doves have always been huge tennis fans. A highlight was certainly being at Centre Court for that epic game between Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet way back in 2008. Murray not only came back from being two sets down, he went on to the win the match and secure a place in the quarters. As well as continuing to watch at home, we used to play tennis regularly too. Before POD came along in 2010, we’d be on court several times a week all year round. We even took two Mark Warner Holidays so we could improve our game and play tennis most of the day. POD’s arrival, and a rather spectacular wrist break, saw a six year hiatus but 2015 was the year we finally got to dust down our rackets. Picking up the game we love was a superb feeling but even better was seeing a four year old POD on court for the very first time.
POD has been involved in a couple of plays at school since she started in September. First came a nativity which saw her take on a convincing role as a King and sing with two others. She had the most splendid costume, king-like as you’d expect but with a Cleopatra style collar and shiny crown. It was a polished performance from everyone, all credit to the school for pulling it together and ensuring the children had such a great time. Last term saw POD take on the role of octopus in an adaptation of Rainbow Fish. Dressed in blue leggings and a blue top, with stuffed legs stitched onto it, POD had even perfected a deep octopus voice! It was quite something to see the children sign as they sang too. She seems to relish performing so when the opportunity arose to do a two week trial at Stagecoach, she was really keen.
