Summer Term

On the day before we return to school for the last half term of the academic year there is always a mixture of emotions running through my household. Nerves, excitement, intrepidation, disappointment. This year it is intensified as my role has changed. 

We are looking forward to the summer together, the extended evenings, the BBQs, the hope of better weather, but wedged in between stretches eight weeks of term. Yes EIGHT weeks. It is a long haul this year.

We have had fun during this half term break and over Easter together. We got away to Cornwall for a family break and have spent time chilling out and recovering from having a house full of builders for months on end. Here are some snapshots of our time off.......

Life is settling into a pattern and we are becoming more accustomed to being a household with two parents working. However, everything hangs by a thread which is easily broken when a child is sick or a parent away or over worked. The ideal certainly would be for one of us to be part time to hold the fort at home a little better!

I am so fortunate in that I love my job - it is a vocation to me. I get engrossed in it, so much so that I have to stop myself from becoming too involved at times. I have to set a time to go home and stick to it as the job is never done, ever!

We have just finished the home office for my husband. The carpet goes in tomorrow so we can move him out of the living room! This means we can claim back another room in our house. I can't wait. Although we have paid someone to do this room I have been painting again and have taken before and after photos for you to see the transformation later this week. Slowly we are re gaining our whole house. By the summer things should be almost normal again.

I can't wait!

Unplanned break.

I have been absent from the blog for a while as life just became a little too much! Every time I came back to write I couldn't face it and for me this is optional, something I do because I enjoy it. So I took a break and spent it with my family.

Work continues to be all consuming, but I am loving it. I have to be careful that I don't let other things slip in my passion for what I do. Full time is a bit brutal, but we have some help set up for this term so things should be a little easier.This great trolley has become my trusty steed for walking to work at 7.30 every morning.

I treated myself at the end of term to a new bag - LK bennett in clay. Love the coral tag. I think I worked for this!

LK Bennett bag 

The work on the house continues. We have now removed the old kitchen and are in the process of converting this into an office for hubby - carpet is going in soon. We can then reclaim our lounge. Photos soon!

The aim is to get everything done by the end of the summer. It will be a real novelty living in a completed house.

I continue with the revamp of my children's room. My oldest boys room is just about done. We have decided to move a wall in between the other two children's bedrooms as they are very unequally sized at the moment! That will be another month of dust and debris - I am getting used to this!

I am enjoying ordering items to dress the rooms we have finished - at the moment I am trying to decide on a budget sofa that looks great for our kitchen. Despite my hubby's reservations I am thinking of grey so I can change up the accessories according to the season.

We had a lovely weeks break in Cornwall last week. The sun shone. We surfed and walked, slept and ate. Lovely family time.

Polzeath cliff tops

My dad is still hanging in there, but this final journey is oh so hard. He does not recognise us anymore. He  cannot walk or talk and is losing his swallow. He had his birthday this week which was bittersweet. We all sat with him, but I am not sure he knew why. It is the most painful and drawn out way to end your life. He is so brave.

I wish you all a very happy Easter with those you love. Enjoy the sun and the chocolate!

xxx

Cornish Holiday

A much needed break.

The changing faces of Cornwall.

This week couldn't come soon enough for us. My OH has only had two weeks off since last Christmas - the joys of running your own business I suppose. It has been a frantically busy year with so many unexpected things happening that I found myself running on empty. I'm like so many Mums in that I don't have the choice to stop, so keep soldiering on until something gives. This happened a few weeks prior to half term when I was so exhausted and unwell I spent the weekend in bed - something I never do. My OH realised enough was enough and booked us a week away, just like that! Wow, result. Never seen him act so quick!

So we are having a cosy week in the most gorgeously renovated Cornish barn. Immaculately presented and clean with a bottle of wine and Cornish cookies to greet us on arrival. The beds are warm and comfortable, the sofas deep and welcoming, the kitchen well stocked and as the children gleefully pointed out - "it's nicer than yours at home Mum." "Well, Dad will enjoy cooking in it" , was my reply!

We had no high hopes of glorious weather, just rest , walks and good food. The children have wifi, books to read, toys and TV and there is on site entertainment in the form of Tilly, a little dog waiting on the doorstep with a stick for them to throw. With plenty of room and space for them to run it is ideal and within a few hours I can feel the stresses and strains begin to depart from me. I always seem to spend the first day or two sleeping whenever and where ever possible. My OH on the other hand finds boundless energy and wants not only to eat his way around the West Coast of Cornwall , but to visit every beach within driving distance to find the perfect wave. By day three I have found my energy and he has settled down and a contended peace descends. 

We have lazy mornings with proper coffee and croissants for breakfast. We venture out when we are ready to, having promised not to rush. We visit various attractions and find some super and not too expensive little places to eat. The children get over their initial exuberance and settle into enjoying this slower pace of life. Already it is over half way through the week and I am not allowing myself to think about returning just yet.

Funnily enough though, I know by the time Saturday arrives I will be ready to return to my own bed and home comforts, refreshed and ready again for what I expect will be another busy half term.

Happy 1st November !