Rocking My World Friday - Week 2 of Summer Hols

This may or may not be published on Friday. But it will be published. I promise  started writing it on Friday. The thought and intention is here.

I have been keeping up with my (mostly) positive reflections even though I haven't been blogging them. I still take pictures of things that make me smile - no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to other people. But I have noticed my moods have been a bit low, a bit grey if not totally black since my course ended. I suspect that's all it is - my course ending. Going back to being "just" Mum as opposed to Carmen. I know that isn't the case - there isn't anything 'just' about being a Mum. It's a privilege.  But it's there - on the fringes.

It's time to start physically writing down all the things I have to be happy about again rather than slipping into bad habits that lead to bad moods. Then they are here - to look back on and they always make me smile when I do that.

So - this is the second week of the summer holidays. I am exhausted and I am broke. That's with us trying to find relatively cheap things to do. But we've had fun! Last week we signed the two monsters up to the Summer Reading Challenge at the library.

Little Miss was ecstatic as the rewards are all Roald Dahl themed which means Quentin Blake in abundance - one of her favourite illustrators. This week we went back and she got her first reward - two illustrated cards and a BFG bookmark.

This week saw Little Bear spend the week in Hastings with Daddy & Nanna.  Roo and Pheebs stayed home. This coming week they are swapping and Roo is getting to tire Nanna out and Mr Bear stays home. This way they get some much needed one on one time. It's bonkers here most days - no such thing as privacy or space.

Devvie came home this week so my girls and I headed to the local cinema to see Finding Dory. It was such a fun day and the first time we have been all together.

Best of all our local cinema only charges £3 entry. So for the four of us plus drinks and snacks it came to just over £20 to see a new film we REALLY wanted to see. I'm so pleased they re-opened this cinema - before they did it had been years and we had never gone as a family because it was just so expensive to go to the bigger cinemas in the area. It's a tiny cinema - I just hope they manage to stay open after the rumored regeneration (and big name cinema) opens a bit further into town. We loved the film too - recommended, definitely.

When I went back to school I really caught up on my reading and made massive use of their amazing library. Now that I have left I have kept this up via my local library which I hadn't visited in a long time. I also found out that via their website you can request they purchase books that you can't find through their search system. So far out of 4 books I have requested they have purchased 3! One of them was a newly published one. I'm really loving the library at the moment and these are the books I've bought home this week...

Yes, I raid the childrens section for the gorgeously illustrated books!

I have become a little obsessed with Tove Jansson. I somehow completely bypassed her growing up - I was aware of the Moomins cartoon, vaguely...but that's it. However, I have been researching her for a really fun ATC swap which I'll blog later. I'm now completely enamored with her. So I was really pleased when Sian told me there was a BBC documentary on iPlayer. I stayed up last night when everyone was in bed with my tea and biscuits and watched it. I do love a good documentary. Thanks Sian.

I was taking a photo of this next one, which I'd reserved - I've been wanting to read it for ages but there was a queue for it - I can see why, it's gorgeous. Anyway after I took the photo I realised I had a little feather on my desk...

My workdesk is in my bedroom these days which is in the attic. There is often a little curious feathered face watching me from the roof window. This is the first time I've had a little gift appear on my desk though. It did make me smile. Especially because of the particular book I was taking a picture of at the time.

When we took Devvie back to Canterbury we stayed for the day and had a wander - I love it there. We really loved this wonky secondhand bookshop which is actually a charity called Catching Lives which helps support the homeless in the city. The inside is just as wonky - you feel a little drunk on the uneven upper floor.

The inscription above the door reads "...a very old house bulging over the road...leaning forward, trying to see who was passing on the narrow pavement below..." Charles Dickens, 1849 

Other things that have made me smile:

• Cooler evenings so I can snuggle under my quilt - I hate the hot weather.
• New internet connection meaning I can blog and read websites and start my online classes finally. (See ya BT - I'd like to say it was a blast but I'd be lying!)
• Friends who help in the most unexpected ways. I'm now going to teach myself to read French so that I can read some beautiful illustrated books I've bought.
• Seeing my school buddies getting excited for the start of their degrees. (Tinge of jealousy too but so happy for them.)

And that will do for now - there is more but a certain Bear has just ransacked my desk and is drawing perilously close to said snuggly quilt! It's a start, hopefully I will get back in the habit. I miss my blog and fully intend to start blogging regularly again. I was toying with starting a fresh one, still am if I'm honest. What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by today  - how has your week been?