Please excuse the radio silence, ladies and gents. It’s been a funny old week.

It all began with a particularly crummy weekend that even I couldn’t mange to put a cheerful spin on, hence the absence of my regular Sunday post last week. Then, like so many people across the country, if not the world, I sat transfixed in front of the news as London descended into chaos.

I still can’t really find the words to articulate my thoughts on the events that unfolded in the capital and other cities, but suffice to say I shed a few tears as photos of Ealing surfaced on the Facebook pages of close friends in the days that followed. I grew up there and, despite residing in Exeter for almost 6 years, it still feels like home. The horror I felt on Monday, as I saw looters attacking familiar shops and restaurants, was mixed with that strong knot of homesickness that seems never to leave me. I just hope the many wounds, caused by the actions of a few, heal quickly.

As if to counter the despair engendered by these events, the sunflowers in our garden suddenly burst into life on Tuesday, flooding the view from our front room with pops of sunshine yellow. Then, not wanting to be left out of the fun, the lettuces I planted with the children finally grew a little. Sadly, they’re still not quite salad worthy. Unless you were making a salad for a really tiny person.. Other highlights included Jesse looking cute in the bath tub..… and a chickpea and spinach curry that made my son so happy I thought he might burst from smiling so hard. I think Jesse may be the only person on the planet that can manage to look cute with spinach stuck in his teeth…Nursery closed for the summer on Wednesday so the end of the week was a blur of dissertation writing in the early hours of the morning, followed by trips to the library, watching My Neighbour Totoro and helping Jesse play with his toy farm. I also came to the conclusion that the boy needed a haircut. It’s not difficult to see why, even he looks unimpressed with his golden locks..Yesterday morning saw us packing two very excited children off to their Grandparent’s house for the week. The house is eerily quiet without them.

The main purpose behind their trip away, discounting the fun they’ll obviously have, is for me to get my dissertation as close to finished as humanly possible. With no children to feed, I have reclaimed the dining room table as my study space, spread all my books and notes out and made myself a comfortable academic nest for the week ahead..The weekend has been a productive one and, with less than a month until the deadline, this evening finds me one word away from 14,000. Only another 6000 to go *sigh*

Once I had downed tools yesterday {i.e closed my laptop} I prepared a delicious meal for 2. These pad thai noddles were yummy.... but the noodles I ate for lunch today? Not so much. With the children away, and no need to set a good example, I figured I may as well embrace my inner scuzzy student and indulge in a little pot noodle action..Don’t worry, I countered the effects of all those E numbers with a healthy{ish} dinner this evening. Sausages, mash, roasted shallots, carrots, peas, Yorkshire puddings and lashings and lashings of gravy. Mmmmm!

This evening’s plans involve nothing more strenuous than lounging on the sofa in my pjs {the ones I’ve been wearing all day, no less} while watching a few episodes of Sex and the City. Bliss.

How’s your week been?

Loveaudrey xxx