So, that's it folks - summer 2021 has come to an end.
Personally, I feel like it just flew by, over, in the blink of an eye.
I can't really complain though as the McConvilles had a fantastic summer.
We had a glorious week in the sunshine of Jersey, trips to the ice-cream shop, the cinema, the park, bowling and other treats here and there.
Of course, the end of the summer isn't all bad news because the holidays are never truly over without the annual Strangford Festival.
Taking place on the last weekend of August, it officially brings summer to an end in style - and this year was no different.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and associated restrictions, the festival did not take place last year so everyone had had everything crossed it would happen this year, which it did.
The festival committee and its team of wonderful volunteers did a fantastic job pulling together the weekend of events and doing their best to keep everyone safe in the process.
Abbie and James had been counting down the days to the festival and they were over the moon to get down to their nanny and grandad's house for a weekend of fun.
Every summer, the village green in Strangford just comes alive with laughter and fun.
Visitors to the village are welcomed by colourful bunting flying across the main street and around the square, people gather outside the local bars and restaurants for a catch up with the friendly locals and other day trippers, in between the planned events.
And, as usual, one of the main events this year was the raft race, which sees people try to make it from the dry dock to the pier in their DIY themed raft.
This year, it was the usual high adrenaline event with rafts battling it out to win the coveted cup and there's always great fun at the finish line where a water fight usually breaks out.
We had a great time exploring the stalls, watching line-dancing in the marquee and perusing and purchasing some beautiful Christmas decorations which were on sale.
But, for the kids, the highlight was on Sunday when the fancy dress parade took place.
Led by the magnificent Mayobridge band, those taking part in the parade walk around the village, cheered on the onlookers and this year, our little Snow White and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, loved the atmosphere and music.
They were joined by some other festival-goers wearing brilliant home-made costumes including the Covid-19 mobile testing unit, the socially-distanced pub and disco, Strangford Goes Green and the Orcas from Strangford Lough.
It was a fantastic event which was followed by plenty of play in the inflatable zone.
And then, that was it, the festival was over and so was the summer.
Now, it's eight weeks to Halloween and sixteen until Christmas.
Here come the dark evenings so, jammies on, fire on, curtains pulled and feeling cosy - sounds quite nice actually.
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Former Loose Women star Saira Khan has revealed she suffered a "life-changing experience" while taking part in the most recent series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.
The 51-year-old said she was "left with lifelong scars, physical ones" however added that: "Legally, I can't go into much detail about it.
However, the television personality insisted she has no regrets about taking part in the show, adding if she was asked to do it again "I 100 per cent would".
Saira is among the 12 celebrity recruits being put through their paces on the gruelling reality show.
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Competition
Autumn is here and the evenings are drawing in so how about settling down with a "moving and ultimately uplifting" read?
One Split Second by Caroline Bond is said to challenge readers to reflect on their own beliefs about guilt, responsibility and forgiveness.
When a car carrying five teenagers home from a party crashes into a brick wall, the consequences are devastating.
By 2.30am, the whereabouts of most - but not all - of the kids were known.
For a small handful of parents, there was no response to their frantic calls and messages.
These parents - the truly unlucky ones - plunged headlong into the awful realisation that their child had been involved in the night’s events....
No one escapes unscathed, but some are more deeply scarred than others, and one of the group will not survive.
I have five copies of One Split Second by Caroline Bond to give away.
If you fancy winning a copy, simply email your name, address and telephone number – along with the answer to the question below – to competitions@irishnews.com
Closing date for entries is 12 noon on Tuesday, September 7, 2021
(Q) Who wrote One Split Second?
Normal Irish News Rules Apply
COMPETITION WINNERS
The winners of the Elave competition are Martina O'Kane, from Maghera, Katharine McGuckin, from Cookstown, and Sharon Daly, from Newry.
