Firstly a plot spoiler the first date is not mine, but more on the post title later. Its been another funny old week, the weather is awful and we would really appreciate a little spring sunshine and warmth. All my lovely summer dresses are yet to be worn this year and I’ve spent most of this week cold and in the evenings cuddling up under a blanket (we’re resisting putting the heating back on) But its been a nice week family wise , a day out with Mr S, albeit for his second vaccination, a good parents evening and a nice day out today with my daughter. I’ve also been able to create some hygge in the house, my candle subscription arrived this week, this month its a beautiful coconut and lime fragrance and I bought some fresh flowers at the market stall this afternoon to add more colour and scent to the kitchen. One of the pictures above shows a rare beautiful morning as I walked to school, its a delight to walk along the beach on a sunny morning.

The beginning of the week was a bit dull and as work is quite demanding, it was very much work, family, run and/or more work and bed. My escape has been the Archers and I listen to the day’s episode before I sleep, its a strong storyline at present and I look forward to these 15 minutes daily.

On my day off, Thursday, Mr S had organised to have his second Covid vaccination. There was a problem with his original 2nd dose date so he rearranged it to the regional hub on a day when I could accompany him too in case of any immediate side effects. This meant a trip to big town, we had planned to get the vaccination, potter around the town and enjoy lunch together. The weather did change our plans, it was horrendous and when we did a recce to check entrances for the vaccination clinic, they just invited him in to have his jab a few hours early. This meant it was hours ’til lunchtime and not the weather for pottering, so we went for a coffee in the beautiful (windswept) gardens and then headed home, via PC World to look at new laptops as our home computer needs replacing. Not quite the date day we had hoped for but it was nice to spend time with each other and we did have a nice homemade lunch.

We also had our daughter’s virtual parents evening on Thursday. I love this concept and hope it stays post Covid. The online system was flawless, we saw all the teachers from the comfort of home, no stress on whose turn it is next, nor a parent overstaying their time. We thought the teachers’ reflections were honest and true, all said how bright, friendly and chatty our daughter is but that she can be distracted when its time for written work. So, focus is a little something to work on for next year. There was a lot of talk on GCSE options, our little girl is growing up very qucikly.

This brings me very nicely to the title of the post. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing a lot about a boy in chats with my daughter, and he has now become her boyfriend. So far she’s only talking to me about him at home and I’m trying my best to strike the balance of being interested and relaxed, the ‘cool’ mum. She asked if they could meet up in a neighbouring town this weekend and as we’ve plans for the next few weekends, I agreed to this. Her school has a large catchment area as it serves a mainly rural location, so the town 20 miles away is actually near enough equal distance for them both to meet up. I drove her over, but I had very strict instructions, that whilst I was allowed to walk with her to the train station where they were meeting I wasn’t allowed to come over and talk! He was there waiting for her and I waved her off to enjoy her date. The town is based on a high street, so despite having a list of things to do and genuinely not stalking them, it was inevitable I would see them at some point. When I did, they were sitting on a wall, laughing, chatting and drinking a milkshake, all very innocent and sweet. When I met her a few hours later, she was more relaxed and did introduce me to her boyfriend and we talked together. I was able to check train times for him so I think my daughter was relieved that this was useful and not embarrassing!

Whilst my daughter was on her date, I had few hours in the town. I needed to pop to a couple of shops but I’m not a big shopping fan and had planned to walk along the quay and go to the local museum. Its been so long since I went to a museum, I just wanted to look at a few paintings and interesting things. As well as the permanent exhibits there was a new exhibition on animation, so Morph was there, happy childhood memories! For me the highlight was a painting of four women at the seaside at our local beach. There was just something about the picture, that resonated. It reminded me of some friends whom are sea swimmers. Quite often as I finish my run on weekend mornings, I stop for a chat with them as they are get ready to go in for their swim. They have this quiet excitement and thrill of going into the sea (even when its freezing cold). I felt this painting reflected this feeling too, its a different era but despite the years we’re all pretty similar.

Next week is a bonus week’s holiday for me, though I have some work to do so I can relax and enjoy the second week when we are away on a caravan holiday in West Sussex. I also have plans to meet with friends, have my hair done and simply potter. Its a week I always look forward to, although I’m trying to relax my expectations, in previous years I’ve tried to do too much, sometimes its okay to have an empty diary.

Have a happy week.