Balloon release

I'm not prone to telling too many 'stories' on blip, but today's blip is different.

Back in January, some of you may remember me blipping this which was taken at the 7th birthday party of a little boy in Tristan's class. What I didn't say at the time was how seriously ill he was, and after a very brave battle, he sadly passed away the week before last. It has been a very sad, emotional and challenging time for us all, dealing with our own emotions and those of a class of children who have lost a very dear friend.

After the funeral on Thursday, it was decided that the children might like to release a balloon with their own personal message as a way of saying goodbye, and so it was that this morning we found ourselves on the beach - parents, children and teachers - with a variety of balloons in different shapes and sizes.

Today's picture will serve as a reminder to Tristan in the future of the wonderful thing we did to remember his friend (Tristan is in the yellow coat standing at the back).