Simple Sundays

The lamb, being slow-roasted with rosemary and garlic, wafts around the house. The children are clean with tangle-free hair after being dunked in their Sunday bath - they do get washed a few more times in a week but the Sunday ritual being the main event. He's ironing his shirts ready for the week ahead and I've just done some hand washing, a yearly task. You don't need to know the colour of the water that came from my jumper.

Today has been a simple Sunday. A relaxing family Sunday. A free Sunday with no commitments or expenditure. A Sunday starting with a lie in, a pot of Columbian coffee and yesterdays papers. The weather looked promising enough to brave a walk, wrapped in layers and woollies we all hiked around a local but unexplored wood, stopping half way for sandwiches and chocolate. Food never tasted so good. We giggled at the mud, looked hopefully at the emerging bluebells and talked about the future as the children ran off like dogs released from their leads, coming back occasionally to check we were still there.

A Sunday like today feels restorative, cosy and warming, happy and fuzzy. Just a perfect way to set us all up for the week - and a little birdie told me the temperature is rising and that the sun may even make an appearance....