Let's just stay in

It was only while eating dinner last night that we realised that the youngest hadn't been outside at all this weekend. Not that any of us had braved the weather for any length of time. M took the car to the garage on Saturday and collected a curry with the oldest in the evening and I did a supermarket run yesterday. That's it, the sum total of fresh air intake in 48 hours! Most of the time was spent in front of the fire and I have to say it was lovely.


Having just written a post about how much I love the sunshine it does seem strange to be now admitting that I quite like wet weekends. It's not that I want it to happen every weekend or that I want arrangements to be cancelled or anybody's fun to be spoilt. It's just that now and again, when there's nothing planned, there's nothing better than being holed up at home and doing nothing. ( I use to love rainy days off school when I was little, I remember the smell of my mum's cooking and how cosy it always felt, no matter how poorly I was). The winter is the time when my home really feels like home, when there is no inner imperative to be outside making the most of the sunshine, when there is no pressure to keep up with the gardening. It's a time to enjoy my home, enjoy the sanctuary that it offers, the warmth and security that the children love and that lovely feeling of shutting the door behind you, knowing that there really is no reason to go anywhere in particular for a couple of days.

This of course doesn't always work. Two daughters in self-imposed confinement can be a recipe for disaster. But, thankfully, this weekend, was different. Big sister was feeling particularly benevolent and spent the most of Saturday indulging her younger sister's whims to play with her. Little sister spent most of Saturday afternoon teaching M to salsa (no mean feat) and to show off her newly acquired salsa skills. If only we had CCTV installed, this was a lesson guaranteed to brighten up anyone's grey Monday. I haven't laughed like that for a long while ...


So lots of hotties, eiderdowns and card playing this weekend. M got a chance to listen to his records and I got a chance to do some crafting (extremely rare at the weekend).

This little hamper shows the growing array of goods now in my Etsy shop. Lavender sachets made from my bumper lavender harvest this summer and some of my fabric stash. I also had time to make a set of 4 smaller pompoms in lovely bright colours. They would be great as Christmas decorations, hung from a window, tree or drawer - perhaps added to some gift wrapping to add that extra bit of fun! They're all made from recycled fabrics too.




One of the best things about this grotty weather is that you no longer need any kind of excuse for this. Eating chocolate, drinking chocolate (can you see that little cube of chocolate in cellophane? - solid drinking chocolate) - perfect stocking filler!

Now there's no reason not to be able to bathe in it. I've never seen four people so eager to have a bath before (oh and it's organic so it must be good for you!). Of course when the weather get's really bad then eating and drinking chocolate whilst bathing in it is definitely called for!