Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

I spend a lot of time reading interiors magazines (some may say too much time), and of course, scouring pinterest for great home and lifestyle ideas (again, lost hours on pinterest, its like it has its own time zone, 10 minutes on pinterest equals 5 hours in the real world) and I'm always on the quest for the 'perfect home' and so it's sometimes difficult for me to sit back and relax and enjoy what I do have and just stop wishing for what I don't.

I heard this week of another friend, however tenuous the link, another someone I know, someone my age, a Mum, diagnosed with breast cancer. So this weekend I decided I would take her advice and "spend it with people that matter, ditch any chores and just have fun!!."  I had a great day in the park yesterday with a friend, catching up whilst we had a picnic watching our kids play together. The plan was to join a larger picnic organised by my British Military Fitness gang for a couple of hours but it was such a great day we stretched it out until 8pm.

 The forecast for today (Sunday) was fantastic, hot sun and not a cloud in the sky. This could be the kind of day I'd fantasised about when we first visited this house. I did however, have some (interiors) errands to run (I'm a woman on a 'perfect home' mission, c'mon!!) but I got up early to do this whilst everyone here was still in their morning stupor.

My mission was to get in, collect my order and get out and enjoy the day with my family.  I was outside Next Home before the doors opened (they were late opening, by the way, not my fault) to collect my order and only got temporarily sidetracked into 'children's bedrooms' (fitted sheets for Lewis's bed, I somehow managed to give away all his bedding to the Bag2School charity when I was sure I'd put in it the "keep" pile, there is only so long you can wash and dry bedding in a day before it gets tired and just plain boring really), and 'homewares' (you can never had enough mugs, I have a dream that one day all my mugs in the cupboard match or co-ordinate, but I suspect that will only happen when I'm really REALLY grown up) and 'garden & outdoor' (well obviously I need a matching table runner to the seat cushions I was picking up in my order).  It was a very determined person (me) who walked back to the car, which of course was parked outside John Lewis (I was taking back the 'rejected' bathroom blind), with a garden parasol under my arm, a box containing 6 seat cushions, a dressing table mirror with drawers for Layla's room and a bag with the sheets, table runner, mugs etc.

I loaded up the car, returned the blind to John Lewis and was on my way home.

Martins fixed the parasol and I set out the seat cushions on the chairs. I'd 'ummed and aaahed' over whether to go for a 'vintage' look with a cream parasol or a splash of bright summer colour.

The summer brights won out.

(as it turns out the table runner will have to go back, I didn't think about the hole and the parasol in the middle of the table .... if only I knew someone good with a sewing machine ... <clears throat>!)

After that I put on a pair of shorts, and settled into the deck chair (thanks Gran) and chilled out with what really matters.

#lovingthisday