Daffodils, rain, blossom.

We are at the mercy of the weather at the moment and in the middle of Second Winter, having just briefly enjoyed False Spring last weekend. After the longest, wettest winter ever - I like the season very much and I even I was desperate for it to be over - we have had brief moments of joyful sunshine, blue skies and the teasing warmth of the sun, then the bitter wind returns and we are reminded that it is definitely not proper spring yet.

It's been a long time since I last found time to post here. Life rumbles along. All is well, just very busy, with things happening - happy and sad - in the background, as ever.

First up: decorating. With more help from my lovely parents, we finished wallpapering the hall once the rest of it arrived. 

I absolutely love it. The pink tulips are my favourite part. 

Our February half term holiday was really nice. It was busy with a lot crammed in, but lovely all the same. I celebrated my birthday. Notice the carrot cake made by my mum, and the jigsaw board and new jigsaw. Happy days!

There were new books, some clothes, a beautiful new scented candle amongst other lovely things. 

It was well celebrated this year: my friend Abbie and I (almost birthday twins) went out for a fancy afternoon tea as our birthday gift to each other. We began the day with an exhibition at the Southbank Centre before making our way to Fortnum and Mason's.

The shop is a gloriously over the top feast for the senses. Extravagance at every turn. I find myself thinking, "Do I need this jar of blossom honey at £8? Yes, I really think I do...."

The afternoon tea was delightful. The food was good but the service and sense of occasion was what made it special. 

Then, the very next day, John and I had a night away in Brighton for my birthday. My only stipulation was that I wanted a big bath so I could lounge in it a lot. We stayed in the Artist's Residence right in the centre of Brighton and it was really nice: stylish, comfortable, central. 

We went shopping, had a few cocktails and went out for dinner to The Ivy where I tasted the most delicious French onion soup. I still think about that soup now. I had two baths in total. The best one was on the morning of my birthday in which I read my book in the bath. Heaven.

This pistachio croissant I had for breakfast that morning was also worthy of a photo and a mention.

But halt term was a long time ago and small pleasures have kept me sane throughout this last month. We have just come to the end of a five week half term at school - very short, very intense, pretty stressful at times. There was an awful lot to fit into those five weeks. Reports are written and I am now very ready for a two week break. Here are some of the things which have brought me joy, comfort or peace this spring:

Daffodils bobbing their heads around in the sunshine. There is no finer sight.

Buying bunches of them from the shop for £2 and filling all the jugs and vases.

A toasted and generously buttered hot cross bun.

Popping into favourite local shops while on walks.

Big, wide blue skies.

A freshly cleaned room and a freshly laid fire.

Inquisitive ears.

Filling tomato tins with potted tete-a-tetes then saving the bulbs to replant next autumn.

Sewing some more hexagons onto my patchwork quilt.

Getting out the cushions for the outdoor sofa and watching Bandit lie in the sun in the sofa while his nose sniffs all the sniffs in the breeze.

Arranging spring things on the mantle.

Really good impromptu fridge-raid lunches like sesame-chilli fried eggs with spinach.

Seeing blossom everywhere - even better when next to a very attractive house.

The absolute joy of fresh sheets. 

Going to the garden centre for plants to cheer up the front pots.

Seeing those pots every time you come to the front door, looking all chirpy and fresh.

A new magazine and a manicure.

Sleeping dogs.

Leaving work in daylight.

Golden hour dog walks.

Also to that list I would add: re-reading Wuthering Heights, early nights, finishing a crochet top and planning summer holidays.

Now the Easter holidays are here and I am woefully underprepared for any kind of baking or decorating. It's tricky to know what the children (ha! 19 and nearly 17!) still want to do but don't worry, we have bought Easter eggs. I am also itching to get stuck into the garden: there is lots to do out there including jet washing, painting, planting, cutting back and general tidying up and I can't wait to get stuck in.

Hunkering down

I heard today that it has rained every day in 2026 so far. I am not sure if that is strictly true but it certainly feels like it. January started off cold, sharp and bright but, since the first week back at school, it has been dismally grey. It has been a month of hunkering down, working, not venturing too far from home, and getting outside whenever possible.

January and February are always about small home comforts: potted hyacinths, tete-a-tetes in pretty jars, candles, books and magazines, marmalade cake, dogs on cushions.

I threw out the dying houseplants and turned the plant stand into extra book storage.

I finally got around to hanging the little framed picture of a boat I received for Christmas and adding it to the gallery wall.

Wallpapering finally occurred in the hallway, with much help from my dad. 

Naturally I didn't order enough and, while the bit we have done looks great, I have had to order another roll to finish the job.

The pattern is Blomsterhav by Borasterpeter. I love it. It's very different to the simple, mid-century palm design we were aiming for but I really like it with the wood and pale green trim.

I dusted off my crochet hooks and have just finished this little scarf, more of a neck tie scarf. I just need to block it.

Looking back at these photos I can see the light is already changing. These were from early January and the sky still has that blue-ish midwinter quality.

We even had the lightest dusting of snow.

I always love the bare winter landscape. It is all shapes and bones, no detail. Such a beautiful colour palate.

Now the light is changing slowly although, thanks to the rain, it still feels like it gets dark at about 4pm.

I really like January food. No diets, no drastic changes, but it is nice to go through all the cupboards after Christmas and have a bit of a stocktake. We are still slowly working our way through various selections of chocolate and biscuits, but on top of that there have been delicious winter salads, a lot of soup, blood oranges, fresh bread and marmalade cake. John made a really good vegetarian chilli tonight and I have leftovers of that in the fridge ready for my lunch tomorrow.

There has been one excursion since Christmas - a day trip to London to see my friend Debora, a tradition we look forward to every January. My journeys up and back were quiet and punctual. I was able to get a window seat and make my train nest with my coffee, croissant, book, headphones and crochet. 

We enjoyed brunch then an architecture tour of the Tate Modern. We even saw rare blue sky too, making it a wonderful day.

January has been a good month for reading.  Wifedom is a stand-out book of this month, as well as the discovery of the author Laurie Colwin, new to me but someone I want to read a lot more of.

Bandit has been with us three months now. 

He has very much come of out his shell and we are seeing a cheeky side which is lovely. He's such a good boy on walks: he doesn't pull and is not reactive with other dogs. If anything, he is very friendly, wagging his tail at everyone.

Every now and then we book a dog walking field near us so that he can have a run off-lead. The first time we went he wasn't really sure what to do but now he understands.

He recently had his first visit to a cafe. 

And pet shop where he chose some treats. 

The corner of the sofa is very much his favourite place though.