Bright spots in subdued days

It is fair to say that we will all be pleased once Wednesday has been and we have said our goodbyes to Paul's mum.  It seems to be hanging over us at the moment, life is not back to normal, nor is the sadness as raw as it was 2 weeks ago.  Arrangements are all done and we are just waiting now for the funeral day to be here.

So in amongst those cloudy days, it is lovely to have a few spots of sunshine shining through - that really is a metaphor as we have had some very cold and dreary days recently and very little sunshine.  As I type this I can hear the rain lashing at the window!

The last week has had two particularly bright spots of sunshine.  On Friday I went to Cambridge to meet up with Ruth (and her lovely son) from This West London Life.  We've met once before, after following each other's blogs for quite a few years, and this year Ruth brought someone new to meet me

Tilly the Cavachon - who is every bit as adorable as her Instagram stories lead you to believe!  Coco was pretty miffed when we got home, suspiciously sniffing us and realising we had been spending time with ... another dog!  How could we?  Next time you'll come too Coco, we promise!

The other happy get together was with my sister and her husband, and my cousin and her partner.  We try to take it in turns to host Sunday lunches about 4 times a year and this was my turn.  I did have a 'slight' panic when told that my cousin's partner has been informed he needs to follow a Keto diet to get him out of pre-diabetic glucose levels, but with a bit of research, tweaking a few recipes and cooking lots of low carb veggies, I really shouldn't have worried - no one went hungry!

Those two events have really lifted my spirits, and next weekend we will once again have a full dinner table - our son turns 30 at the beginning of March - how can my youngest be that age - I must be getting old!