Well, Friday has come around once again! It’s been a busy week, with G and B being back at school, which means I’m back at work, and we’ve all returned to the normal routines. At least the amazing weather has made the transition that much easier.

So, apart from the weather, what else has made me smile this week?

1. One of the many things that I love about warm, sunny weather is being able to eat outdoors, which is exactly what we did on Saturday. I made Blueberry Lemon Scones for lunch, and we ate them (while they were still warm!) on a picnic blanket on the lawn, accompanied by fresh orange juice. Simple but delicious.

2. On Saturday night, we went out for a family meal to Cosmo, in Derby. If you’ve never been to a Cosmo, and I think that there are a few around, it is a casual dining, family restaurant, with a range of English, Chinese, Japanese, Sushi, Indian & Thai dishes, served both buffet-style and from live cooking stations. G had visited previously for a friend’s birthday, but it was a new experience for the rest of us, and it didn’t disappoint. There was a huge range of dishes available – definitely something to suit everyone – and it all appeared to be very fresh and tasty, and we had a lovely evening.

3. This week I have seen some truly beautiful sunrises and sunsets, which are so uplifting to observe. We have really been treated to some gorgeous sights on early morning dog walks and in the car in the evenings.

4. Talking of walking the dogs, G and I did so on two mornings this week before school, and it was really worth the effort of dragging ourselves out of bed early. The park where we walk was quiet, the weather was beautiful, if a lot chillier than we’d expected, and it always feels like such a special way to start the day. I have to say that the dogs all looked very bemused when we got them up on the first morning and put their leads on immediately – they were still looking a little bleary-eyed as we went through the gate!

5. We have been really enjoying our juices for breakfast again this week. I do absolutely love my juicer, and again, drinking one first thing in the morning feels like a great way to begin the day. The favourite this week has been apple, pear, kiwi, lime, cucumber, courgette, celery and spinach. They taste so good!

6. D bought me a lovely white, wooden, collage, multi-opening photo frame for Christmas, and, soon afterwards, I got the perfect photos printed for six of the openings, but I have been struggling to fill the remaining two spaces – a heart shaped one and a smaller square one. I have returned to look at it many times, especially over the past couple of weeks, as I wanted to put it in our newly decorated bedroom. But, eventually, at the weekend, I found the perfect solution – and it’s not photos! All the photos which I had chosen were black and white (so much more flattering, don’t you find?), but for the final two spaces, I found that the Mother’s Day cards, which G and B had given to me this year, would fit perfectly, with only minimal trimming, into the empty frames. They are beautiful cards, both from the same range, I believe, with a kind of lace effect, so compliment each other, and the photos, wonderfully.

7. I had a little “incident” when I collected G from school on Thursday, in that I managed to hit the kerb very hard when I parked at the side of the road – so hard that it made a rather significant hole in my tyre! Unfortunately, my car doesn’t have a spare tyre, but instead has some kind of weird tyre sealant kit, which I dutifully tried, but the sealant simply poured out of the hole. Fortunately, Speedy’s Wheels and Tyres came to my rescue, and were with me within 35 minutes of calling them, and had replaced the tyre 20 minutes later. This definitely made me VERY happy!

8. Thursday night was a lovely evening, as G and I went to the Garrick Theatre in Lichfield with friends to watch the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “The King and I” performed by the Lichfield Operatic Society. I have seen many of this group’s productions over the past seven years – the standard is always phenomenal and this was no exception. All the parts were brilliantly cast, the singing and acting were  exceptional, the orchestra were faultless, and, as for the costumes – well, they just created a kaleidoscopic feast for the eyes. It must be about thirty years since I last saw “The King and I”, so I couldn’t remember exactly what happened, but I was totally unprepared for the incredibly sad ending!

9. Two very smart-looking puppies have made me happy this week! Lottie had her second and Honey her first trim this week, and they both look so beautiful. They had become pretty scruffy over the past couple of weeks, but now they are both neat and tidy – and still smell amazing three days later!

10. The final one for this week is an email I received from one of my closest friends, letting me know her new address. The reason that this made me so happy is that this new abode, unlike her previous three, is in England! She has been living abroad for the past few years, in Switzerland, then Belgium, and latterly Holland, and therefore I am so pleased that she is shortly moving back to this country, as  it means that we will be able to see much more of each other. Hurray!

We are now enjoying that Friday feeling and looking forward to a relaxing weekend, to recover and catch up from some too-late-nights and too-early-mornings. Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!