Well, it's been a little while, and it honestly feels quite strange and wonderful to finally open a new blog post and begin to write. The last month has been hectic, emotional, stressful, joyous and a whole host of other things I won't go into on here, but I finally feel like I'm coming out the other side. The blog has, inevitably, been neglected amongst the chaos, so if you're still here and still reading - thank you!
One of the happier moments of the month has been the arrival of our new puppy, Bella.
Labradors are usually one of the easier breeds to train, and Bella has been a delight, especially now she's had her final injection and we can take her out for walks. However, it hasn't always been easy, and there have been some frantic moments as she likes to eat anything and everything (another typical labrador trait, I fear...). We have both agreed, though, that her addition to the household now makes us feel like a fully functioning family, and her greeting at the end of a long, hard day at work brushes worries and stresses aside.
We've also been lucky enough to taste the first of our home-grown apples.
Last year the trees did not fruit and we were truly disappointed; this year the branches are weighed down by the crisp apples and they have been delicious. Perhaps next year there will be enough of the cooking apples for making a pie or two? I've not really relished the change of seasons in terms of altering what we eat just yet, but this week I am determined to start varying my recipe choices. I'm thinking roasted butternut squash, mushroom soup with crusty bread and some sort of pie definitely needs to feature. What have you been eating so far this season?
Some other good news is the development of our new house in the village - the first stones have been laid!
The initial stages of the build have been fairly slow, but things are now moving along and I'm looking forward to seeing the evolution of our new home. I'm already excitedly planning floor tiles and kitchen units, even though these choices still seem a long way off, but there's no harm in being prepared!
I've got a few days off work now anyway, so I'm hoping to make my return to writing a permanent change; I've got so many post ideas I just need to get around to actually writing them! What have you been up to in my absence anyway? Any posts I should be reading that I might have missed out on?
Wishing you a wonderful start to the week!
