"A magical bubble of calm"

...That's what my friend Holly calls my parent's house in Bude. I had 9 days there last week and I really made the most of the sofa, the beach and the vast collection of books. And I had many a windy walk on the beach and rugged Cornish cliffs.

I also learnt a new skill - flower arranging. My mum's a bit of a pro (she's done a wedding or two and a few hundred church services) and she sat me and her friend Julie down for bit of snipping, Oasis-prodding and symmetry (this was a beginner's class after all).There was a lot of talk about working in 5s. I can't say I listened intently unfortunately as I went a bit off-road, but I'm pretty happy with my display, below left. It's now sitting in Julie's B&B breakfast room.

I love that I grew up in Bude. I love that I'm still able to go back there to my family home fairly regularly. I'm so grateful that I get the chance to unwind, chat and think. 

I worked on my Project Life while I was there (halfway through April now) and completed a project for Papercraft inspirations. I couldn't manage to lug my One Little Word project down there as well but I did reflect on 'Balance' a lot. I resolved to be less sensitive at work, and less dramatic; more pragmatic and really keep a lid on my stress levels.

Which is rather hilarious seeing as this morning, in my first hour back after THE most chilled-out break, I said yes to standing in as Editor for the next three weeks.