Half Term

Hello! How are you all? It's been a while. Half term has come and gone in a blur of decorating, birthdays, cake, travelling and washing, but it's was all very nice indeed. 

I celebrated my thirty ninth birthday last week. It was not the most relaxing day I've ever had, as I spent most of it with a paint brush in my hand, but it was lovely. John made me Nigella's chocolate and liquorice cake, the same one as last year, and it was divine. 

I love that he asks me what cake I'd like each year; I get to choose the cake that I want to eat, not the one that I think everyone else will like, and I don't have to bake it! Long may that happy tradition continue, I say. Family and friends spoilt me with cards and gifts. some useful and pretty; 

some that I know I'll enjoy (I've seen both these books well reviewed on other blogs);

and some that made me laugh out loud when I unwrapped them.

We spent last Tuesday to Saturday in Durham, visiting my in-laws. I know that I said it felt like spring last week, but it didn't feel very spring like in the north east of England. Thanks to Storm Doris the weather was pretty awful but we still had such a relaxing time; we slept in, went out for walks when the weather permitted, sat in front of the fire, and I got absolutely loads of crochet done. After the pace of life over the last few weeks it was bliss to have a few empty days in front of us with nothing in particular to do and nowhere we needed to be. You'd never know we had three days of wind and rain from looking at these photos, would you?

Molly coped brilliantly with the six hour journey there and back. We put her bed in the boot so she was very comfortable (not much room for bags though!) and while I don't think she exactly enjoyed the travelling, she wasn't distressed by it either. 

When we got home all the tete-a-tetes had come up in the garden. I'd planned to spend the last day of the holiday catching up with washing, jobs, emails and blogging but unfortunately I spent it in the out of hours doctors instead. One set of antibiotics and sick day later and I'm feeling a little better, although still very washed out.

Angus's bedroom is slowly coming together. There are still pictures to hang and a few crafty things I want to make, but the hard work is done. I'm looking forward to showing it to you soon.