Looking forward...

to the weekend! It's Friday again already - can't believe how quickly the weeks are flying past. It is Lent now, so only 6 weeks to Easter and we should be feeling by then that Spring has really sprung - the seeds should be in the pots and we should be getting the garden into full swing. Can't wait!!

I made an early start yesterday and got three banana cakes and a batch of flapjack in the oven first thing, but I still haven't done the chooks - they are on the agenda for Friday or Saturday, depending on the weather.

I'm being a bit lax on the Lent front this year and not setting myself any challenges to do anything extra or give up anything - I don't feel able! There simply isn't time in the day to do any more at the moment, and as for giving up something, it would have to be something boring like crisps or cake or puddings, and then I would feel that that was a bit of a cop out, so I am copping out completely! I should, I ought to, those are words which induce feelings of guilt, so I am putting them aside and just doing my best.

Yesterday we had a surprise - my sister has asked me to change the week I had booked at the caravan in Norfolk for a different week - so instead of going in the Summer term's half-term break, we'd be going in August. I did say that I wouldn't be going for the whole week even if we went in August, as at £40 a night, I don't want to pay out nearly £300 for a week in a caravan when we had a week in a fully-equipped house for that price last year. I know that the travel costs will be less, but we had decided not to have a "holiday" this year and just to go away for a few nights, which was what I had booked originally. She had a bit of a "dig" at me, saying, "What do you mean, you can't afford a week?" but what I can and cannot afford is down to me and the choices we make as a family. A whole week there can also get rather claustrophobic, as we feel that we are on top of one another in the caravan, and the girls have to share a bedroom, which they find difficult. As the EFG said last night when we were discussing it, the whole thing involves so much more than just paying for the caravan, as we visit shops that we don't go to usually, and we appreciate eating out at least once whilst we are there, and then if we want to go swimming or visit local attractions, there are other costs involved - and it all adds up! Wise words from one so young. So we'll see. We went to Scotland last year because the sister in question mucked up the booking at the caravan before, so I can see us going elsewhere for a couple of days this year.......

With the help of the lovely assistant secretary at the school, I finally got the applicant's pack for the Headteacher post finished yesterday, and emailed off to the personnel provider, so that they have it ready for the hordes (we hope!) of people who will be requesting it from next week!

STOP PRESS - my sister has just phoned me and said that the caravan situation has been resolved and we can still go when we had originally booked it for in the June half-term!!! Excellent news!

And so to Friday's jobs: more washing, delivering some eggs to a lady in the village, a couple of phone calls, sorting out the service for chapel on Sunday, and some paperwork - and then to pick up the girls at 3.30pm and off to gym we go!

Have a good day - the sum is shining here at the moment but my thoughts are with the people of Japan after the earthquake and tsunami that they are experiencing today. God bless them all.