Although I love my children deeply I do get a lot of pleasure from the peace that reigns when they are happily back at school! I know I’m lucky that both of them really enjoy going and I’d certainly not be at all content if I thought they were unhappy to be there. But having them back at school means more time for lots of lovely knitting which in itself makes for a good week. This week in particular has been transformed into a great one mainly through some genuine and deeply thoughtful acts of kindness. The first of these came from the lovely Maddy who sent such a sweet parcel for Mum and included some wonderful books for the children and me

I got a lovely, lovely card from Esme (Rose’s Mum) thanking me for auctioning the bunny

And then yesterday this wonderful cornucopia of treats arrived from Pat and Doug. Everything they sent has been so thoughtfully and perfectly chosen and I couldn’t wait to get my mitts on the wool (I wonder what it says about me that I started on the wool 15 minutes before I started on the chocolate – and I do love chocolate?!)

To top off a perfect week I spotted Herbert Sherbert rooting around the garden 2 nights ago. He’s been eating his food every night and pulling in more of the hay that I’ve left scattered around outside his house but because we keep very different waking hours I’ve not actually seen him since his release. This is his little house now, all covered in leaves and snuggly.

So if you add all of this up you get a very happy me indeed. Wishing some smiles and good times to come your way this weekend

It’s now been 3 weeks since my Mum’s accident. The time that that she spent in hospital was the hardest and most traumatic and I’m so impressed that she came through it with such good humour. I know that the kindnesses of family, friends and all of you who left comments here on the blog have been a great source of comfort and strength to her and kept her going. That’s why she’d like to make a special appearance here in person to thank you all for your good wishes.

"I can’t tell you all how touched I am by all of the kind messages that were sent my way following my accident. The early days in hospital were very hard but knowing that so many people were wishing me well really did help. I’m also thankful for the many wonderful gifts that came from family and friends. Listening to music made the sleepless nights more bearable and helped me to ‘escape’ what was a pretty grim reality.

It’s such a relief to be home again and I’m feeling really positive. I’m looking forward to getting on with my recovery and getting things back to normal. I’m really grateful for all of the warm support I’ve had – thank you all so much for taking the time to wish me well".

I know that Mum will be working hard at her physiotherapy and that Dad will be at her side every step of the way. And although it might seem like a long haul while she’s recovering, it won’t be long before she’s conquering mountains with Dad again!