Town and Country

Hello. How are you all? Is the weather also completely awful where you are? We've been battered with rain and high winds for what feels like weeks but has actually only been a day and a half. 

Half term already feels like a long time ago. We had such a good, busy week, and were here, there and everywhere; up to Yorkshire to stay with friends for the night, then on to Durham to see my mother and father-in-law, then back home for a couple of days before a weekend in London with different friends. We travelled and had fun, laughed a lot, ate and drank too much, went sightseeing and shopping, walked a lot. 

Yorkshire was beautiful, even under grey skies. All that local stone made me a little nostalgic for Leeds, which I wasn't expecting. Our friends, who we've known since University, live in Holmfirth and fans of the TV programme The Last of the Summer Wine might recognise the cafe above. I never really got that programme, I have to say, but I remember my Grandma found it hilariously funny.

The weather during our time in Durham over the bank holiday weekend wasn't great, grey and wet, and much cooler than it had been. We spent a lot of time relaxing with family but also visited the Durham University Botanic Garden (above and below) which was a lovely place to while away a couple of hours. 

I really like Durham. John, having grown up there, does not view it so favourably, but it's such a pretty place, with the castle and cathedral almost always visible up on the hill. 

During our brief 48 hours at home, we were blessed with beautiful weather which was extra nice for John's birthday and just made life a little bit sweeter. I unpacked, did seven loads of washing, gardened, baked a birthday cake (Victoria sponge), coordinated play dates for both children, ironed all the washing, made a moussaka, and then packed again. Such a whirl, but with all the doors and windows open wide, and dinner in the garden in the evening, it didn't feel too hard.

I also thinned out my sweet peas, put in bigger stakes, and gave them a good water, and I now have lots more sweet pea planted in pots all over the garden, and they are just about clinging on for dear life in the high winds.

On Friday we dropped Bella and Angus at my parent's house and drove up to London to stay with our friends. Part of the reason for the get-together was to celebrate John's birthday, which is why we spent Saturday morning in the Imperial War Museum, at his request. John's a bit of a history nut, and I wasn't expecting to get all that much from it if I'm honest, but it was excellent and I think the children would have loved it too. We only had time to see a fraction of what was there but I will definitely visit again.

We spent the rest of Saturday in London with our friends walking, shopping, stopping for drinks, just generally relaxing and enjoying ourselves. 

We had planned to go out for dinner that night in central London but, as we were all tired, we decided to head back and get a take away instead. When we heard the dreadful news about the attacks in London on Saturday night we were glad we did, and when I think of those poor people caught up in it - people like me, just out and about, enjoying the weather, having a meal and a drink with friends, relaxing, just living their lives - I could cry.

I didn't know what to do with myself when we got back from London on Sunday afternoon. The children were still with my parents and I'd done all the washing and ironing before we went, and ordered a shopping delivery to come later on. I'm not very good at having nothing to do so I weeded the lawn in the back garden. (It's 90% dandelions so this kept me busy for a while.) Then the children came back and it was all noisy and lovely again. 

I'm feeling a bit flat today if I'm honest. It's not post half-term blues - actually I was glad to get back into some routine after all the travelling - but more a general anxiety about recent events, the state of the world, and of course about the general election on Thursday. I can't switch off from it, it's too important. Work is very busy. This last half term (and the first half term in September) are so busy in the school office, with all next year's new admissions and such a packed school calendar. I am at once wanting the next seven weeks to fly by, ready for the long summer holiday, but not wanting them to come too quickly as I know how manic it will be at the end.

One day at a time.