This has been a reset and refresh week with the end of the school year and a few days to prepare for our Italian adventure. This was the name I gave to my holiday Spotify playlist, I like to have a playlist for our holidays, a mix of songs linked to our holidays and current hits. We have some lovely playlists of past holidays, they’re a great memento. I have also been doing all the research for our trip and have lists and notes in my little notebook, from metro routes for our itineraries to what to see in the different cities we visit.

I was at work for the first two days of the week, as we had two training days. They were good days, some mandatory training but also allocated time to prepare for September. I left work feeling organised and ready for the year ahead. I will still do some work over the holidays but I don’t feel that I’ll be catching up but working on some projects for the upcoming year. I like this part of my job, being creative and curious. It was also very nice to switch off all my alarms on Tuesday, that’s all except Saturday’s parkrun alarm. Over the years I have become a morning person and even without the alarms I was still awake at my normal time most of the week. It’s just nice to potter downstairs, have a cup of tea and just relax into the day.

Although I only had two days at work , I was very focused on finishing the excellent Blue Sisters as an audiobook on my commute. This is such a good book and one to recommend. It’s a story which focuses on the present day but with flashbacks you understand how the sisters’ characters developed. I also really appreciated the epilogue ten years later to tie up the loose ends.

It was another family birthday this week and we had a beach hut for the day. It was a simple celebration, the day on the beach, a lovely paddle and then a chippie supper from our favourite fish and chip shop. Is there anything more seaside than having chips on the beach?

It was great to have a few prep days after term ended and I have had a manicure and pedicure, a new haircut and other treatments. When I had the pedicure I sat in a massage chair which was bliss, I’ve never had a pedicure before but my feet are so smooth and pretty I can’t imagine not having another now.

Everything is now packed and we’re ready for our flight tomorrow. We’re staying near the airport so there’s not a long journey tomorrow. I am so looking forward to dropping off our luggage and heading off to the shops and bar. There’s something very exciting about the anticipation of a flight.