Well, the first full week back in the usual work/school routine is coming to a close, and it’s all been pretty good. It’s amazing how quickly we all become accustomed to the changes – early mornings, packed lunches, and, for us this time, Ben being away. We have all missed him, and he us, I think, but it has all gone far more smoothly than I thought that it might. We are seeing him this weekend as well, so that’s definitely something to look forward to.

In the meantime, here are some of the highlights from the past week:

1. My niece’s hen party last weekend in Chesterfield. This was just for the girls in the family, and it was lovely to all get together, as it doesn’t happen all too often. We had a very civilised afternoon tea (with Prosecco!) followed by a meal out in the evening in Bakewell, where my niece now lives. I’d forgotten just how lovely Bakewell is – G thought that it looked just like a “model town”. G and I then stayed overnight, heading back home on Sunday morning – a lovely little jaunt out for us both!

2. The location for our afternoon tea in Chesterfield was the H&F Vintage Tea Rooms, which is an absolutely gorgeous place. The vintage décor is fabulous, and means that there’s lots to look at. It was very busy, but we had a large table reserved towards the back of the room, which was ideal. The food and drinks were lovely, and the staff (dressed very appropriately in vintage outfits) very friendly and helpful – especially the very kind waiter who took our photos!

3. We had a great fire pit evening on Sunday, after a few weeks of not having one for a variety of reasons – being away, inappropriate weather, etc. It was lovely to get out there again – it’s just so relaxing, with the fire to keep you warm, candles and fairy lights to combat the dark and a tasty gin and tonic to enjoy.

4. We had a picnic tea out in the garden last weekend, which was so nice. We had been thinking of going to the classical music concert in Darley Park, so I had bought some picnic food in readiness for that, but we decided that we were just too tired, and would prefer to stay at home and eat in the garden instead. Later in the evening, we could hear the music and fireworks anyway, so all was not lost.

5. After having very little communication from B, we received a call from his housemaster on Monday, which was very reassuring. He was able to put our minds at rest by telling us that B had settled very well and seemed happy and to be getting on with everything well, which was exactly what we needed to hear.

6. One little thing that’s made me happy this week is the new nail varnish that  G and I chose when we had to get some change for the car park last weekend. It’s Rimmel/Rita Ora’s Go Wild-er-ness and is such a lovely shade of lilac – love it!

7. For some reason, we seem to have had some very relaxing evenings this week. We seem to have been able to keep on top of everything more easily, so have had time to listen to music, read, and watch a little TV at the end of the days, which has felt like a real treat.

8. My new Dublin River boots arrived last weekend, and I love them! They’ve had a few dog-walking outings already, of course, and they’re great – as long as you wear thick socks with them, which I found out to my cost one day!

9. One of the other things that I’ve been able to do this week is spend a little more time than usual playing the piano, which always feels like quite a luxury, so I’ve really enjoyed that.

10. Last night was G’s speech night at school, which is always a lovely evening. It is so good to see the whole school together, celebrating everyone’s achievements, and there’s always a great speaker, providing further inspiration for the girls. I always love going to anything associated with G’s school, as I’m just so happy that she loves it so much.

So that’s it from me for this week. I hope that you’ve all had a good week and have an even better weekend.