The first week of the holidays

So far, so good, I would say. No dramas, no big days out, just gentle pottering around the house one day alternated with short trips to places nearby the next. We've seen friends and family, visited parks, had some nice walks, eaten a cream tea. My diary and days are full.

The cream tea was enjoyed with my sister and her girls at a local farm which is opposite my maternal grandparents' old house. It was a place we used to visit with them every time we stayed when we were little; we used to take apples and carrots for the horses and would be allowed to look around the farm - even watching the birth of a calf once. We looked at their old house as we walked down the lane, talked about them. Happy, happy memories, made sweeter by time and nostalgia, and a growing realisation as I get older of how precious childhood it, and how lucky I am to have had the childhood that I did. Anyway, it's still a working farm and now has it's own tea shop and line of homemade ice cream. The milk in the jug had an actual film of cream on the top. It was all delicious. 

Bella and Angus are settling down into the longer, freer days of the school holidays and are getting better at amusing themselves. And when they're not, and I really need to get on with something, there is the iPad or tv. It's all fine. It's all about balance.

Last Sunday we had a lovely walk around Bosham, a favourite place of mine, and a picnic lunch.

I remember it as sunnier than these pictures suggest, but even on overcast days, when the tide is out and the mud flats exposed, it has so much charm. I love this place, all these villages around Chichester harbour, with their flint buildings and old cottages.

Plus the houses and gardens are so pretty here, especially right now.

Our own hollyhocks are looking sensational, I have to say.

They are about 7 feet tall and I've had to tie them to canes to stop them leaning, but they look wonderful in their position at the back of a deep border, against the fence. I wish I had more.

The other main activity in our garden right now is this. The net has been angled so that stray balls - and there are many - hit the walls and windows at the back of the house, not the hollyhocks (can you imagine?!). My windows are covered in the marks left by a muddy football, but watching Angus play from the kitchen window makes me very happy indeed. 

Our home days have been spent doing housework, cooking and completing little jobs here and there. I found some felt balls I used to have strung up in our old house in Leeds, and re-threaded them to hang on the mantel. I like the colour they bring to the room. 

The dining room end of the kitchen/diner is now finished and I've had fun arranging books, pictures and hanging planters. I will show it all to you soon. 

I made pesto yesterday. I bought three basil plants from Aldi about a month ago and left them in pots on the kitchen windowsill, watering them every couple of days.

They went crazy and grew like mad, resulting in a lot of fresh pesto. We had some last night with tagliatelle and it was delicious. Plus, that green! 

The weather has turned cooler and overcast over the last few days. I hope that's not summer over with. I was just starting to get used to the warm days. We have house guests arriving today for a couple of nights, and when they go, more come. I will just have time to change the sheets on the spare bed! Then the kids and I will go to London to a few days to stay with my friend Abigail. It's all go, but in a nice way.

I hope you are all well and enjoying the holidays. Thank you so much for your comments, they do mean a great deal to me. I am looking forward to some quiet time at home again soon to catch up with all your summer goings-on.