'Enjoy your last walk......

as a 36 year old'. These were John's cheery words as he left for work on Thursday morning (my birthday was the next day). Cheeky so and so! I do always take great pleasure in reminding him that he is several years older than me so perhaps I deserved it.



And I did enjoy my last walk as a 36 year old. Lots and lots. As arranged in our all important Planning Meeting earlier in the week we dropped the older children off at school and headed off up to our local hills. There's not too much snow left in town but up in the Lammermuirs there's plenty. Probably a bit more than ideal for walking but, hey, its impossible to complain when you have a few child free hours, hills, and good company (can't comment on the views really - as you can see from the photos we didn't actually have much to see, it was all too white!).



We walked and talked and talked and walked .......and constantly exclaimed and let out squeels as we broke thro' the snow crust again and again. Sometimes we were in up to our knees and sometimes deeper. A couple of times we needed to pull each other out. But a little genteel sweating and slightly aching legs is so good for the soul.

It was quite a shock to come home, shower and then pop straight out to pick up the boys. I had to restrain myself from rushing to pick up Islay from nursery but managed to hold back and have some fun time with the boys first.



You see this was Islay's first ever full day at nursery. Now she's three she's entitled to a pre-school place but because she's very young for the year group she falls into she won't actually get a school nursery place until August - and she'll go for one year only. I was quite keen for her to start gaining some more social skils and get used to some time away from me. So she's going to our local private nursery one day a week and we get two pre-school sessions deducted off the cost which is a huge help. And she loved it. I'm very proud of her.

My plan is to do as much sewing as possible with my wonderful child-free Thursday (within school hours) so our walk will have to be a one-off, or once-in-a-blue-moon, treat. I am so excited about getting this time to myself and feel very lucky that I get to be at home with the children but, now, will also get a few hours to do my own thing each week. The first in regular child free time in seven and a half years - wow!