Deadly Sin #1

Envy

Does it make it more wholesome that the item I covet is a potting table? Or is it just pathetic?

Do you remember how it feels....

.... to fall in love? That initial burst of joy, the wonder that this amazing person exists, the thrill of exhilaration as you realise that you just get each other. And then come the first nights together, when you can't bear to close your eyes to sleep because it means that you will be separated from your new love for eight long hours. You want nothing more than to be with them and all of a sudden everything else seems an irritation to be tolerated until you can wallow in being alone with your loved one again. Well, you may think me a hussy, but it is a feeling I experience quite regularly. Once or twice a year, in fact. Lovely Husband has come to tolerate it, even indulge it, although I'm not sure that he doesn't sometimes secretly get fed up about it.



At the moment I have fallen deeply, desperately in love with Dorothy Whipple. Not actually her, you understand, but her books. I have just finished "The Priory" (one of those beautiful Persephone editions, which shouldn't make a difference, but it does) and now will not be happy until I have devoured everything else she has written. Beautiful Girl understands this feeling. She sobbed bitterly after we finished the third book in Enid Blyton's "The Magic Faraway Tree" trilogy because "th-th-there's no Faraway s-s-s-stories left". At least I can tell her that, in about twenty years time, she's got Dorothy Whipple stories to look forward to.

Back to work blues

Well, Easter has been and gone and, for the most part, it was wonderful. Some bits admittedly, I'd rather have done without, such as the afternoon spent in A & E at The Children's Hospital after Beautiful Girl dropped a paving slab on her foot and the 2 weeks worth of school work that I have left until the last weekend - actually, make that the last day. But the rest of the two weeks were filled with long walks in the sunshine, time spent with lovely friends, far too much chocolate and lots of great days out. Best of all, we have welcomed two new additions to our family: a perfect little baby niece and, at home, Daisy the cat. Despite being a rescue cat Daisy is very affectionate and sweet and we feel so lucky to have her. Last night, while watching a film with Lovely Husband and a glass of wine she was curled up on my lap and I'm not sure who was purring loudest - the cat or me!

What makes a perfect weekend?

I have been struggling a bit over the last couple of weeks. For one reason and another I have been feeling overwrought, overworked, tired and emotional. All part of life's rich tapestry, as they say, but I really needed a good weekend. If asked to plan a perfect weekend, I would probably have to include:-

* celebrating the arrival of Friday by meeting friends and their children after school. Enjoying a large G & T, followed by yummy courgette and mushroom pizza, while our kids find a corner of the restaurant to run wild in, without disturbing anyone else.

* spending Saturday morning at the Farmer's Market with lovely Best Friend and my Beautiful Girl, followed by delicious Irish breakfast at the cafe.

* taking Beautiful Girl to the ballet on Saturday afternoon. (We are so lucky to have one of the best ballet companies in the country in our city and they are currently doing a production of Sleeping Beauty - utterly, gorgeously, breathtakingly beautiful.)

* being woken up on Sunday morning with a card and tissue-paper flowers, all made for me by Beautiful Girl along with tea and toast with honey.

* a long lie-in, followed by an even longer soak in the bath - with a good book, of course.

* spending Sunday afternoon having tea and cakes with my mum and oh-so-pregnant-she's-surely-about-to-burst little sister.

Lucky, lucky me then..... because that's exactly the weekend I got! Hope you had your own version of a Perfect Weekend!

Favourite things #2

I LOVE this Emerson quote and agree with every word.....

"To laugh, often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch...to know even one life breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!"

Slow but steady....

So goes the progress on my crochet. I managed to accidentally decrease, then increase the stitches on my last "square", so inadvertently made a bow tie. Beautiful Girl has asked me to save it for the groom to wear at her wedding. Am thinking of holding her to it.....

I thought I was being charmingly original when I planted up some snowdrops into a pretty teacup. Then I visited Blogland and discovered that, not only has everyone else had the same idea, but they all had it before me. No matter, it still gives me a little twinge of joy whenever I catch sight of it.

Afternoon tea

Although Lovely Husband and I have never made a huge fuss about Valentine's Day, it does feel really nice to have something to celebrate at this miserable time of year. Am I the only one who feels this winter is n-e-v-e-r-e-n-d-i-n-g? This year we go out for the calorific splurge that constitutes afternoon tea. The fact that we are accompanied by Beautiful Girl and the ceaseless chatter that she keeps up for her every waking moment should make it less romantic. But it really doesn't.

Edited to add: It is an exaggeration to say that Beautiful Girl talks endlessly without stopping. She is actually utterly silent for her daily viewing of "Mary Poppins".