Well it's a lovely sunny morning here in Devon so I have been out and hoovered my car  and now Husband is kindly washing it for me. It's long overdue as it was filthy inside and out. Later on today Husband and I have finally got our booster appointments over at Dawlish hospital so we shall have a walk around the town and along the seafront afterwards.

Monday was a cold bleak day but S wasn't working so we got ourselves organised and went out for a nice walk around a part of Newton Abbot that I lived in years ago. There was newly opened Co-Op on route and I treated us to a take away coffee to warm us up. We then came back home and both got on with jobs - mine cleaning and making a shopping list for Aldi that evening and S cooking up her lunches to take to work for the week. When I went shopping I treated myself to a bunch of daffodils to bring a touch of spring into the house.

Tuesday I worked and then in the evening L went to the pantomime in Teignmouth with Scouts. The performance was just for youth groups and the pantomime was Beauty and the Beast which she thoroughly enjoyed although it was a very late night.

On Wednesday I met a friend and we went down to our village garden centre for a coffee and a catch up. She is having a stressful time at the moment with elderly parents going into a home and a house which has to be sold to pay for it etc. We spent a good couple of hours and a couple of coffees talking it all through and catching up on other news.

On Thursday I worked in the morning and then it was a quick turnaround and I was out for lunch with some friends I used to work with. For a change we went to our village Vineyard and the food was really lovely with lots of choice.

Friday D always finishes school at 11.00 and we always go in to Newton Abbot. I usually have a few errands and some food bits that I need that I can't get in Aldi and then we have a coffee in Costa. Before that, first thing, I went to Lidl with Hubby for one of their £1.50 fruit and veg boxes. If you haven't tried one I can highly recommend them. All the boxes have different contents so you can pick one that best suits your needs. Last weeks had peppers and aubergines and I already had mushrooms and courgettes so I made some ratatouille for the freezer which is great to have on hand for the veggie members of the family. 

Saturday morning I took K and L to the cinema for the kids crew showing of Boss Baby Family Business. Kids Crew is on a Saturday morning at our local cinema and they  show a recent film for £2.50 a ticket so good value. After lunch I decided we needed some fresh air, rather than playing games on phones, so we had a walk around the village stopping off at the park. As no one else was there K and L both had a go on the basket swing and I sat and had a coffee from the Crew Coffee van.

So that is my week. Hopefully I won't have any reaction to my booster but I have no plans tomorrow so if I do feel rough I can take it easy.

 It's been really wintry this week with very cold early mornings but some sunshine too. I like it when it's like this as long as I'm all wrapped up in the right clothing!

The week started with a trip to the orthodontist on Monday with D to be fitted with a new bottom retainer that I'd had to order as her one had split. That was my purse £90 lighter so I hope this one lasts a bit longer than the year the last one did. Unfortunately she tends to grind her teeth at night and they're quite flimsy things so I won't hold my breath.

I worked Tuesday, and Wednesday instead of Thursday this week which meant that I could take the children to the village toddler group. I think it must be about 10 years since I've been and not a lots changed. It was an easy few hours work with a couple of coffees and chocolate biscuits thrown in!

On Friday D's boyfriend, Jack, celebrated his 18th birthday. She went for a meal with him and his family to The Ivy in Exeter which she said was amazing. It is booked up weeks in advance as it seems to be the in place to go at the moment.

This weekend we have been to Bournemouth with K and L to visit our friends Geoff and Sara.  We always have a weekend with them in January but last last years had to be moved on a year due to Covid, however, we did see them last October when Geoff threw a surprise party for Sara's 50th birthday. We had a lovely meal out with them last night and then today had a walk along the seafront and a coffee out in a lovely little cafe right out on the end of the pier. It has been really nice catching up with them. There has also been a little bit of shopping and some copper spent on the machines in the amusement arcade on the pier.      

        

       

Now, I need to make sure everything's ready for school tomorrow and then it will be another episode of either The Bay or Around the World in 80 days, not sure which yet, but we are really enjoying both.

 Another week hits the dust. I know I've said it before but with school, work, clubs etc now all back to normal life just whizzes by. There's a small part of me that misses this time last year when school was shut and we just pottered about at home with some online schoolwork and a walk each day. No rushing out the house early, no packed lunches, no clubs - bliss!

Monday was a bit of a wasted day. L had a hospital appointment in Exeter for a rare mole she has developed on her nose. She is under the care of a consultant dermatologist who every few weeks has a look at it and measures it. Unfortunately, because of where it is, to remove it would leave a big scar so a greater problem than what she is dealing with. They are hopeful that as she gets older and her face and nose grow it will fade out. In the meantime their advice is to use concealer on it. Anyway she was running 45 minutes late so the whole afternoon was taken up in the end.

Wednesday I met a friend for coffee in our village garden centre in the morning which was very pleasant and then it was home to just get on with the usual domestic drudgery!

Thursday I went into town with S for a wander around and we had a coffee out. This week she started her new job up in Exeter but it has just been a few hours each day doing induction training whereas next week it will be back to long shifts and not much opportunity for coffees out.

Fridays, D finishes school at 11.00 so that is her day for Mummy time, as she puts it, so back into town for another look around and another coffee out.

Saturday I was back into town in the morning as L has started scouts and we needed to buy her uniform. The uniform shop only opens on a Saturday for a couple of hours so I couldn't combine with my other trips. In the afternoon it was only me and L so she got her scooter out and we did what we call our lockdown route around the village, me walking and her scootering. From our house we go down to the bottom of the village, up through our park to the main road that goes through the village centre, through the centre and then back down to home. It takes about 40 minutes and got us out for some fresh air.

Today I fancied some sea air so we went over to Teignmouth and walked all along the sea front and beyond and now I am cooking a roast for dinner.

Have a good week everyone.

 I can't believe the last time I wrote anything was Christmas Eve, the days have just flown by in a blur of Christmas, New Year, lots of Bank Holidays and regularly not knowing what day of the week it was!

We had a quiet but lovely Christmas. It was just the six of us for lunch and then S and D's boyfriends came over mid afternoon and they all played board games and we relaxed with a couple of glasses of bubbles. We have managed several wet walks and a trip to the cinema. We also had a trip to the theatre in Torquay to watch Cinderella which was very good. 

Now we are back to the routine of school and work and actually it's nice and I always like a whole new year ahead with holidays and little trips to plan. This weekend we have been up to Wiltshire to see family as we didn't see them at Christmas. Yesterday we took Mother in Law into Bath for the afternoon which was nice. We didn't go in many shops but it was just nice to stroll about and we had a coffee. In the evening we had fish and chips with my Dad and today we had lunch at Prezzo with my Dad, Sister and Brother in Law so lots of catching up done this weekend.  It has been really lovely but it's always tiring fitting in so many people in such a short space of time.

Tomorrow we have the hospital with L - she has a rare mole on her nose and so is under the care of a paediatric dermatologist who is keeping an eye on the size and colour of it. At the moment they feel she would be left with a worse scar than how the mole looks as they would have to cut deep to get rid of it all. They are hoping that as her face and nose grow with age it will fade out - we shall have to see.

I am working Tuesday and then meeting a friend for coffee Wednesday morning. As for the latter end of the week I am not sure what my plans are I shall just see how it all unfolds.

Well I am now going to slump on the sofa and read my book. Hope everyone has a good week x