Conforming to the English stereotype, my posts invariably mention the weather. Now that I live in the countryside and have to get out in it every day to walk the dog, I pay more attention to the forecast, especially the wind speed. There have been times when a gust of gale-force wind has almost blown me off my feet on the clifftops so I prefer to keep inland on very windy days.

I absolutely love being closer to the elements here. I love the big skies and gazing out over the sea. It looks different every day: yesterday the sea and sky were both dark grey, it was windy and the sea was very choppy; today it’s calm and serene, the sea is a milky grey-green and the sky is a hazy blue.

My eldest son has gone on a week-long, school ski trip to Austria. Seeing him off  at the station this morning has left me feeling rather emotional. The very sad events of the past week have unnerved me (as I’m sure they have everyone). Nevertheless, I gave him an ’embarrassing mother’ big hug and wished him a brilliant trip. It’s a good job there’s a huge list of jobs to get on with to keep me busy until he’s home again.