Why don’t they make leather boots with sharks on them for grown-ups? Perhaps because no one would buy them, but in a toddler size 6 they look great.

This morning I took Lou, our one - almost two - year old up to the forest. It was a bit gloomy down in the city when we left, but the forest sits up in the hills not far away, and the sun was out as we pulled into the car park. He donned his shark boots, ready for our morning expedition.

Why does my 4 year old insist on filling every pocket in every pair of shorts with sand, sticks and stones? And then get angry with me when I dare to sweep them all up from the floor at bath time and put them elsewhere. And when I say put them elsewhere, I mean placed carefully in the garden, because god forbid I try and treat any of them with disdain.

I told myself I wouldn’t write this about the weather. Multiple times. But as the heat continues to consume me while I try and spill some words onto this page, I can’t think about anything else. Plus I’m British, it’s what we do, and who am I to argue with that.

I love the summertime for the longer days, pub gardens and BBQs, but aside from that, I think I prefer literally any other season. I find that, despite those long days offering endless opportunities to do things, my motivation wanes significantly as soon as the temperatures begin to rise.

To further celebrate the occasion, my wonderful partner bought me my first SLR 35mm film camera….

Since my last newsletter, I turned 40. Forty?! I hear you cry. But alas time waits for no man, and despite my youthful looks and boundless energy (my back hurts even just writing this newsletter), I am in fact at the beginning of my fifth decade. We spent my birthday week out in Portugal, in the Algarve, staying in the town where my sister and her partner met 10 years ago this year. So we all rented a big Airbnb with a pool and got to work on our various celebrations, making our way around all the pastel de nata bakeries in the local area.

To further celebrate the occasion, my wonderful partner bought me my first SLR 35mm film camera….

I’ve stood on dozens of start lines as a runner, not a very good runner, but a runner all the same. But I’ve now stood on one as a photographer too. The week before last, fellow Photo Club Devon member Dan asked me if I’d like to be the race photographer for the local Exeter City Community Trust 5 miler, which is run in combination with their Exeter Marathon. I’d never been paid to photograph an event before….

I’ve been away on holiday with the family. It was both hilarious and exhausting in equal measure. We drove to Germany and back, via stops in France, Belgium and the Netherlands - visiting family while we were there. On the final morning, as we left our French gite and wound our way past windmills and over rolling hills towards the ferry port, we wished we could do it all again….