The little treasures have an unexpected day off today, as the school boiler is refusing to play.
The afternoon will be spent tidying their bedroom.

Ali is very excited because we've placed an order with Abel & Cole for an organic box, which is her version of a treasure chest. I was talking about the perils of procrastination so, when the leaflet came through the letterbox she immediately checked the web-site and had us registered quicker than you can say..."let's get an organic box delivered every week." Now we know the name of the driver, how to store beetroot and about 10 banana recipes. I have a bunch squishifying in the pantry which can be transformed into all manner of deliciousness.

With equal, though uncharacteristic, zest, my son has applied for a bank account. Tomorrow he will be 16 years old, and needs a home for his lottery booty, he tells me.

Of course, the plans I had made for the day have gone astray because of having these little ones at home. There is, no doubt, a very good reason for this. When that becomes fully clear I will let you know! The boiler repairs may even spill over into next week, so we will be listening to the radio, a treat normally reserved for car journeys, to await updates.

As part of a project on storms and ship-wrecks we have made a treasure- map on parchment paper, aged carefully by the application of coffee. This is a gentle reminder that I have been intending to make one for myself: a visual wish-list for what I would like to bring into being. This is more about life than my daily material displays of abundance- what would I like to develop, what would I like to achieve, what relationships would bring me joy? My own map will not include steeping in coffee, that's for sure!

Sometimes things divert us from our planned path and we never fully discover why. In this dreadful weather, we are, at least,safe and sound indoors, protected from wind and rain, perilous driving conditions and flying umbrellas. We have food and water, heat and light; we have a great deal to be thankful for, do we not?