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Back to school

 Back to work and back to school over the next few days - so all back to normal. This will have the advantage of therefore all being back in the house - it feels like I've spent the whole of the Easter holidays wondering when the kids will be home. If they haven't been at a sleep over or away in Wiltshire or Somerset or some other neighbouring county, they've been out with friends somewhere. I shouldn't complain - they've had a wonderful time and we have benefitted from lots of free time to either potter, get out on bikes or do what needs to be done, but I do miss them. I also should be pleased that a lot of this time has been with friends they've made at school - they really have settled so well into Thorngrove.

So on their travels they have been out and about with Claire, Adam and Mia - their favourite friend from school and most definitely the best place to go if you want multiple dogs and an endless supply of kids from school. Claire is Earth Mother personified and her lovely cottage is always full of animals, kids and wine. She is the most chilled person I know - necessary given she child-minds in the holidays and after school, as well as dog sits. Often we will turn up and there will be at least 5 dogs, numerous kids as well her rabbits and whatever other animals are around (ducks, chickens, even peacocks are being talked about....) - its chaotic but lovely madness and Abi and Izzy just cant get enough of them! On Saturday they went off for a supposed quick visit, which turned into a sleep over and then a walk in The Chase. I got sent the above photo - as ever the first sign of water they jumped in and were having the time of their life - helped along by Mia, Claude (the Great Dane) and Dibble (the Dachsie). I couldn't be angry - not only had they taken the sensible option of borrowing someone else's wellies (!), they had at least taken their coats off (freshly washed from the day before muddy antics). And they were having such fun and you're only young once - what harm does it do?!?

So with them both off again on play dates this afternoon, I managed to carve out a few minutes in the garden. I've not really got going in the garden yet this year, but to be honest the weather hasn't always been kind and on the days when it might have been feasible it hasn't be convenient. However I did  find myself swinging by the garden centre on the way home today, and an obligatory £150 later  doing a rapid garden makeover on a couple of the patio beds. I don't know where it all goes - no matter how much I spend the garden swallows it up. We are trying to get some plants in to draw the eye away from the fence at the bottom of the garden but its so wet its impossible - every time we dig holes they just fill up - not ideal planting unless its a water plant. Plan B is to dig a drainage ditch and then plant in front of it - more drainage!

We've also spent our time this week finishing off the newly transformed playroom. It now has very posh shelving (most of which are empty until I managed to find bits and pieces to fill them), a massive (65") TV and my lovely (but useless unless you live in Brighton) single speed Pinarello bike on the wall. We just need our new sofa and we will be there. Having worried that after all this expense no one will use it I can hardly get everyone out of there. Glenn and I have used it 2 evenings in a row to watch films - great on such a big screen - and of course the kids love it - they have worked out how to run their iPads through the screen and have gone from watching everything on iPads to everything on the new TV. I guess its better for their eyes - maybe?!? Either way the room certainly seems popular for the moment - I do love a room makeover!

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