1. The champagne breakfast I had with my lovely friend, Hettie, last Saturday. Not only was it a delicious meal but we had a great catch up  – and I think that it really affirmed to us both what a great friendship we have. And we even turned up wearing the same boots!

2. My Saturday night out with D (guess it should be called “date night” but where did that come from? It suddenly seems a very over-used term!) at The Lancashire Hotpots gig – a night full of singing, dancing, jumping around and getting very hot. Just the best!

3. Going to the gym with G and B. Since D took them for their induction last week, I have taken them twice this week with them being on their school holiday. It’s such a great thing to do together – we all get a good workout (especially on our second trip when we had the headphone situation sorted!) and it really feels like a very grown up thing to be doing together.

4. Playing board games with G and B. This is something that B in particular likes to do (as do I) so when we had some time earlier in the week when it was just the two of us, we had a good games afternoon, playing Trivial Pursuit and Top Trumps Tournament. G then joined us one afternoon, setting up a very lovely, comfortable playing area with blankets, throws and cushions so that we could play the logo game together. Just LOVE times like that with them.

5. The Easter holidays! I do love it when G and B are off school, as it seems like such a treat to stay in bed a little longer, actually spend quality time with them instead of them having to do homework or nagging them to do music practice, etc. and everything is so much more relaxed. It’s like the seasons, I guess – I love the changing seasons, so I’m always ready for the next one towards the end of the current one, and I like to go back to the routine of school and work again when the holidays are over, but in the meantime, it’s just lovely!

6. Talking of seasons, the signs of spring which were in abundance on our long journey yesterday. It was so uplifting to see huge swathes of beautiful, bright daffodils on the grass verges and even more so when I spotted two lambs frisking and frolicking around a meadow. How could that not make you smile?

7. We only managed it once this week due to the crazy weather but another thing that made me happy, despite the fact that I have to be nagged to do it sometimes and I think I won’t enjoy it, was playing on the trampoline with G and B. We do have very strict rules about only one person on at a time to bounce, but for the game Dead Man, which doesn’t really involve bouncing at all, we do break that rule. It was only a shame that it began to rain (again!) so our session wasn’t too long – but it was great fun while it lasted!

8. Singing in the car! Now, I am really not the best singer (slight understatement there!) and I wouldn’t inflict my lack of vocal ability on anyone apart from D, G and B, but we are having some great singing in the car sessions at the moment! They usually happen on the way to and from piano lessons, so D misses out on them, but it does really make me smile when we are all singing along together, usually to songs from Spotify. Current favourites are American Authors’ “The Best Day of my Life” and, of course, the Lancashire Hotpots. Queen also featured in our repertoire this week – love how diverse G and B’s musical knowledge is becoming.

9. Norfolk!! We have had a house here in Norfolk (we are here for a few days over the Easter weekend), which we share with one of my sisters and her husband, for almost six years and it really is the best retreat. The north Norfolk coast is one of our favourite places in the world and it is truly stunning. The beaches are vast – our favourites are Brancaster and Holkham, where there are huge expanses of flat, clean sand, and Wells-next-the-Sea, which is often busier but has the added attraction of the topsy-turvy row of almost 100 brightly-painted beach huts. But we love everything about the area – the beautiful countryside and pretty flint cottages in the villages, the friendliness of the people, the myriad of great places to eat out, the much slower pace of life…I could go on and on proselytizing, I love this place so much, but suffice to say that I am VERY happy to be here for a few days and we are all looking forward to introducing Honey to walks on the beach.

10. Quite a banal one in a way, but grocery deliveries really can be great! I usually do all our food shopping myself first thing on a Friday morning, but when we are staying in Norfolk for a few days, I do order a grocery delivery for the night that we arrive. There is just no way that I could fit the food that we need in the car with the four of us, three dogs and all our clothes, coats, walking boots, books and games, etc. so I only fetch the fresh things we have left over at home and something for our evening meal when we arrive, then a friendly delivery person fetches all the rest for us later. I was getting a little worried last night when our delivery was 15 minutes late, but was very sympathetic (and grateful!) when the poor delivery man tentatively knocked on the door at 10.15pm to check he had the right cottage, after driving up and down our road, which is absolutely pitch black at night, trying to locate us!

So happy weekend, Happy Easter and happy chocolate-eating!!