getting back into the swing of it

 That's what we've been doing the last couple of days. School has started up, the holiday is over and we're getting back into the swing of everyday life.
But before we did we had one last lovely day off on Monday.

 It was wild and windy, (although you just can't tell in this picture) we had planned on taking the kids to a farm park but it was closed so we stayed closer to home.
After a lazy morning we packed up some juice and biscuits and went to the beach:

 we made castles

 and ran races

 and explored the rock pools.

 On the way home we stopped off at our wee cafe for an ice cream and coffee. Home again I made 'a feast'. Rebe had requested we eat bread and potatoes and a big hunk of meat, so that is what we had (apart from the vegetarian among us). While it was cooking Garry made a fire and sat with the kids watching a movie. After the feast we had a cake in the shape of a monkey. It was a lovely way to end the holiday!

Yesterday after dropping the kids off to school Joa and I came home and made a list of all the jobs we needed to do. The house and garden were looking pretty disheveled after the festive season.

 The recent storms have torn several sheets of plastic from the green house and for good measure broken them into tiny pieces and scattered them all over the garden (or that was possibly the kids), but I cleared that up and put away the Christmas decorations and tidied the house.

Our bodies are feeling pretty disheveled too. Rebe, Benny and Garry all have some sort of virus. Benny is better today, but Rebe needed the day off so she stayed home with Joa and I today.

 We had a quiet morning painting

 the picture Rebe painted. I'll get a frame for this one I think!

It's nice to be getting back into the swing of it again, the cupboards are full of whole foods that I picked up at the whole food warehouse on Saturday and the market is on again Friday, so we will be able to eat better.

As soon as everyone feels better, we'll be walking to school again and as soon as the rain stops (or even if it doesn't) I'm going for a run this afternoon.

my favourite spelt soda bread

 I am also getting back into the swing of sewing again and finished my first doll of 2014. She is in the shop at the moment if you'd like to have a peek :-)

I am delighted to be making dolls again, I always am after a wee break and I have some ideas in my head about expanding the work I do this year, which is very exciting and of course I'll keep you posted here when I do :-)

I hope that you're finding getting back into the sing of things easy too x