Half-Term

It has been a lovely half-term break and we are lucky that my husband has a fortnight off school in October. His kind parents have done sterling work looking after him and the children while I was on retreat and also having just the children while we had a couple of nights away at a Bed and Breakfast in North Surrey. Although I had been planning a six mile walk, (and half hoping I could stir up enough enthusiasm for an eleven mile one!) I was suffering from a bad cold and we pottered around the gardens of a local stately home instead. I ate enough, what with two restaurant dinners, two cooked breakfasts, lunch and tea-and-cake out, to feed the whole family, and it was a refreshing break.
I also find it very pleasant to be stepping back into routine again this morning, with a well-planned few weeks ahead. I have had to examine what our priorities are and have come up with these: making good progress with 'The Lord of the Rings' (so that we are not still reading it when the children start their first jobs!); practice for the Primary Maths Challenge which the boys will sit at the end of November; the boys' on-line book group which also has a 30th November dead-line; Choir rehearsals for the concert, also last weekend of November!; and our Shakespeare project which I would like to culminate in a visit to the Globe Theatre. Once all the November things are done I reckon we will be well into Christmas planning and preparation and maybe some card-making!
I find it very soothing to have such a sense of clarity and, even if we don't stick exactly to our plan, it is good to have a road map.