Thursday 7th June

How wonderful, a weekend at the ocean – it is so long since I went to the beach properly! We visited Sara last year, and had a little walk on the pebbly beach near her home, but it was rather a chilly day. Since my boy is grown up (21 this year!) I don’t go to the beach any more, really. We live an hour or so from the beach, (technically it's an estuary) and we drive through occasionally, but it’s been I don’t know how many years since I sat on the beach, tried to skim pebbles, paddled in the sea, made sandcastles. I guess I will have to wait for grandchildren. I would like to manage a day at the seaside this summer. Oh, and I know the boards you mean, only I have heard them called belly boards. I remember one in our shed when I was a child, I think it had been my Mum's.

We've only been back a few weeks from our break in Hay-on-Wye, and already it seems so long ago. What is it about being away from home? Everything becomes so laid back, peaceful, easy, and so do we. There is a simplicity and an ease to being away that I long to incorporate into our everyday life. Our favourite escapes into the country at the weekends helps - somehow as soon as there is all that green space around me I feel I can b r e a t h e, and for once I have space in my head.

This past weekend, as well as getting involved in the Queen's Jubilee celebrations, we spent a lot of time decluttering in our loft. It's surprising how cathartic getting rid of all that stuff really is, once you get stuck in. Most of the stuff up there has been there so long it's a no-brainer,  easy to throw out, but I did find a few old treasures.  Getting rid of stuff is another thing that makes it easier to breathe, I think. Maybe decluttering is the key! Although 2011 was the year I chose simplify as my word, I am still working on it. The word I chose for this year was peace, and I don't think I will ever have that until things are more simple.

It was lovely to hear about your weekend, I hope you haven't had to come back to earth (and work) with too much of a bump this week. Here in London, of course, it is another grey day. We had a week or so of sunshine a while ago, but it's back to murky and miserable now.  I have washing to hang on the line, so I hope it stays dry at least. 

It was my WI meeting last night and I won a jar of home made lemon curd in the raffle. I think it could be time for elevenses.

I hope you are having a good day!

Debbie  x