Lughnasadh with Mole, Hedgehog and Beaver.

Today it’s the 1st August, traditionally Lughnasadh in the Pagan / Celtic world, and we celebrated by going to Castell Henlys for the day, a reconstructed iron age village of round houses, in the Preselli hills of Pembrokeshire. They were doing some activities for Mole, Hedgehog and Beaver, like bread making, candle making, sling-shot throwing and the like. After this there was a ceremony with a bonfire and songs for Lughnasadh and a contest between the bard and the warrior, - it was declared a draw. Mole helped to light the bonfire by striking iron and stone together.

I’m enjoying this middle time of year, with six weeks of holidays and a break between the terms. I’ve planned out the weeks with my own survival in mind, so the first weeks are in Ceredigion with Granny Purple Hair, the middle weeks at home with playdates planned but taking it quite easy, and the last weeks camping in Cumbria with Mr M&H, so I won’t be alone too much. I find that mothering is more fun with other adults around.

Some people get a look of horror when I mention camping with Mole, Hedgehog and Beaver, but we are a bit addicted to it. I keep honing the equipment we bring each time, trying to get the best balance between comfort and being minimal with packing. This year we’ve got a top box for the car, some new chairs, new stove, new kitchen tent, solar lamp and not forgetting the bunting.

We’ve had some memorable moments camping. Like the time the tent blew away in a freak rainstorm and we had to rescue it from a potato field, while Mole and Hedgehog sat regally in the car asking us over and over if we were finished yet. Or the time that Mr M&H sat in a steam filled pop-up kitchen tent in another rainstorm, making beans on toast dinner, while Mole, Hedgehog, Beaver and I sat cosily in the tipi tent, clearing a ‘dining’ space on the floor so that a wet Mr M&H could announce “READY” in slightly panicked tones, before diving into the tipi tent door head first and depositing the dinner in front of us, zipping up behind him before the waterfall could get in.

There are many more times when the weather has been perfect, we’ve sat around the campfire for hours, watched Mole and Hedgehog make friends with the other campsite children, enjoyed some amazing scenery and just forgotten about the rest of the world for a bit. We like it simple and wild and as long as there is plenty of wine and chocolate I can cope with just about anything.

Right now we’ve returned from our Lughnasadh day, Granny Purple Hair has gone to her book group for the evening, so Hedgehog and Beaver are watching Bambi on TV. Beaver has towelled off after her shower and is now content to run around naked. Mole has disappeared with my phone to play solitaire, I will have to claim it back soon. We are all feeling tired in a contented way, so I’m about to do some macaroni cheese and then get them all to bed. It is a perfect Welsh evening, raining a bit outside but cosy indoors.

I’ve reached the point in our trip where I can’t remember what day of the week it is. The days have a predictable rhythm to them. I’ve alternated beach days with inland days, which makes the planning simpler and unless the rain is intense, we stick to this plan. There is a local play barn as an emergency measure if we have nowhere else to go. This minimises the daily mental load (thinking energy) for me which I don’t need in the holidays.

Mole, hedgehog and Beaver have all reached interesting stages. Mole now has her own bedroom both at home and at Granny Purple Hair’s, which gives her some much wanted independence. She keeps asking for a smart phone (not getting one!), is going up to middle school this year, and is no longer asking for bedtime stories. She figured out that santa, the easter bunny and the tooth fairy are not real last year, but agreed to keep up the pretence for the younger ones. She quite likes being in on the secret. She loves doing special ‘grown up’ jobs that I give her, like making the tea or looking after Hedgehog and Beaver. She’s started going to the park round the corner on her own. They are all little steps away from me, but she still comes in for a cuddle on the sofa every day, and I’m going to enjoy this for as long as it lasts.

Hedgehog continues to be the most low maintenance child, in terms of emotional fall out and demands of attention. She can disappear for hours just playing with her pencil, her favourite toy. She likes to twiddle it on the ground as if it’s a doll. She has two settings, charging about like a mad thing or cuddling next to me, sucking her thumb while twiddling my ear. So when she asks me to play a game with her, I try to say yes, as it’s not something she does as often as the others.

Beaver is really growing into her wild child persona. She’s played in streams and got muddy every day, she can be in tears and then ecstasy in the same minute, she screams at me and runs from the room, then covers me with kisses and tells me over and over that she loves me. She is like a whirlwind, so passionate and so fierce. She has a strong independent streak, doesn’t like being told what to do by Mole, and while only four, she has the appetite of a small rhinoceros. Beaver is starting lower school this year. I must admit I’m looking forward to it. I know she’s going to enjoy it, and the days at home I’ve had with her have wiped me out just enough.

We’re expecting our fourth and final bambino in November, who according to the sonographer is a boy, which came as a bit of a shock to me. I suppose Mr M&H won’t be quite so outnumbered now, although I think there is still a good chance he will be emigrating to the garden shed once they all hit their teen years. I’m curious to see how my boy will be different, and how the dynamic in our family will change, as it has with the arrival of each of them.

But for now I’m enjoying a peaceful evening with the dog Coco, who is lounging across my lap, one ear flipped up, twitching in her dreams, with her soft glossy coat, the perfect companion.