Things of beauty...

Saturday afternoon. Drizzly day. Trying to get sorted (again!). My husband is cooking up a storm in the kitchen for tonight, when we have people for dinner. After a delightful ten hours of sleep last night I feel better today; more balanced. I was awoken by tractors ploughing the fields around our house and now they look like the soil has been sieved as if it were flour. So, some things of beauty...

Robin Wright-Penn, I think, is just beautiful and natural. In one of her films, 'Breaking and Entering', she has also the most lovely laid-back easy, linen wardrobe. She absolutely masters the 'stylish mother' look in that film. If ever I have a day where I think what to wear? I track back to that look; classic, easy, not too 'done'.

White-washed doorway...

Astley Clarke ring...

We are hosting a dinner party tonight...I'll of course be sporting a ruffled number just like this...err, or maybe not. My guests might think me a tad overdressed.

This is a photo of my table...lily of the valley from the garden. Even though I think it will just be a chilled-out dinner, I can't help making a pretty table...

When it boils down to it...

As one Boo will be away from tomorrow, we will spend Sunday with just my son. He needs to learn to ride his new bike...which will involve alot of running along beside him as he peddles, supporting him until it's time to let go...how apt. Can't help feeling this is a lesson I need to learn this weekend.

I think this wedding dress is wonderful - fretwork lace...by Braedon Photography.

'St Ives' by Ben Nicholson. I really like this Cornish scene.

The first day is always the hardest...

Hmmm, so in the world of family life, weekends are 'family time'. Its the unwritten, unspoken rule. This all works fine for me so long as all members of the family are around, then you have a full quota. But as my husband is off tomorrow on a corporate jaunt for a week, I am on my own with the kids all weekend. During the working week this is less of a challenge (and frankly should I view it as a challenge? My kids are older now, easier, actually great fun to be around...). But weekends with no Daddy, when Daddy is normally around, are tough. I have made plans, I have called in the support network. My lovely friend P, who flies in the face of unwritten, unspoken rules has invited me round twice to punctuate the weekend. When there is a black hole of time looming, she fills it. She has three boys - they will wear my kids out. Tick. My sister in law N, who I love, is coming for a pyjama party Saturday night, trashy DVD, yummy dinner. Tick. This is all good. So really I have no excuse to be feeling down in the mouth as I will be fine; we will be fine.

It just feels like an awfully long time til he comes back...but then I figure, come on, get a grip, don't be a weed, think of wives whose husbands are in the Forces who go off for months on end...

I can eat healthy food-for-one all week. No man-meal meat and two veg needed. I can watch chick's TV to my heart's content (SATC anyone?). I can sleep star-shaped. No shirts to wash.

But still, I'll be counting down the minutes til he gets back...and we get back to our full quota...