First Valentine’s Day in over 30 years without Mrs Emerson beside me. I shall mark the day with beautiful memories, eternal gratitude, and a small, brave toast at sunset. 💖

How I intend to make my exit through the school gates today when the bell rings signalling the start of half term … 🎉

We are on day 43 of continuous rain here in the South West of the UK so I am sending out this yellow #1880s Liberty gown as a blast of sunshine to brighten the endless sogginess @metmuseum.org #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡

Thursday, the waiting room before the weekend. I shall need coffee to get me to departure time. ☕️

Umbrella deployed once more. One foot in front of the other, until the sun eventually catches us all up. ☂️

It may only be the tiniest adjustment of the celestial dimmer switch, but the days do seem a shade longer. 🌷

Quietly pleased with the weekend’s achievement: I baked a Torta della Nonna - a proper Tuscan cake with lemon custard and pine nuts. Despite never having attempted one before it behaved impeccably. I’m currently trying not to go back for another slice … and failing. 🍰

Only one week until half term. Time has finally shown a little kindness. I shall celebrate by making my packed lunch and pretending to be energetic. 🌸

Up early and writing from bed. Productivity achieved from the comfort of a warm duvet with coffee to hand. A most civilised victory. ✍️

I don’t neglect housework. I simply prioritise the parts that can see me. 🧹

It appears to be a wet Friday dance today, so do bring your dancing shoes, but perhaps also a raincoat and a well-mannered umbrella. ☔️

Woke with the triumphant certainty it was Friday. Now having to reconfigure both my day and my get-up-and-go. ☕️

Collar https://botfrens.com/collections/223/contents/96524

Stretch first, cappuccino second, Wednesday third. ☕️

One hears that an angel in Italy has recently acquired the face of Giorgia Meloni. I suppose even the heavenly host must keep abreast of current affairs.

Lebanese-British barrister Amal Clooney was born #OnThisDay in 1978. The vintage fashion fan was photographed in New York wearing a late 1960s navy wool André Courrèges coat with contrasting ivory facings and a belt. Coat sold by Kerry Taylor Auctions. #fashionhistory

The day seems to have started without my consent. I shall tarry a little longer with a cappuccino and the dog before submitting to duty. Even the sun takes its time, why shouldn’t I? ☕️🐶

American fashion designer Anne Fogarty was born #OnThisDay in 1919. She designed this cream rayon dress with a full-skirt and black leather belt, trimmed with black piping around the turned-back cuffs and collar, for her holiday 1950–51 collection. Met Museum collection. #fashionhistory

Neglected to buy sandwich fillings, so constrained to use strawberry jam. Childhood, it seems, is only a poor shopping list away. 🍓

A friend is coming for lunch and I have promised porcini mushroom risotto. If it succeeds, we shall dine splendidly. If not, I shall rename it and proceed bravely. 🍄‍🟫

There’s a wonderful wintry North Italian recipe for buckwheat pasta, savoy cabbage, cheese and potatoes called Pizzoccheri that I love deeply, and #RecipeOfTheDay is my sturdy (and affectionate) British interpretation of it. It’s still cold out there! www.nigella.com/recipes/hear...

Considering whether floors truly need mopping this morning or whether they might benefit from a weekend of quiet reflection instead. 🧹

Friday, and though it’s been a long week, a gentle dance feels entirely necessary - even if it takes place in the book cupboard, with textbooks and glue sticks as my only audience. 🕺

A chilly start this morning. The dog and I agreed that our walk would be brisk rather than philosophical, before I head off to work. 🐕

A bright jewel in dress form, the classic #1920s aesthetic but with some lovely decoration. The trompe l’oeil bow over the hips flows to a beaded hem and a frost of lace appears at the edges #ksumuseum #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡

Midweek. Try to find time to take a small spiritual breather before pressing on towards the end of the week. 🌸

A small domestic triumph to report. I have purchased a cake dome. 🍰🧁

Foul weather outside. Volunteers to walk my dog are warmly invited. ☔️🐕

Starting Monday with coffee and a cupcake baked for me by a friend - proof that kindness sometimes arrives wrapped in a paper case. 🧁

My message is short and sweet: Cappuccino Pavlova is #RecipeOfTheDay! www.nigella.com/recipes/capp...

Off for a dog walk with one of my oldest friends this morning. We’ve known each other since our early teens - a friendship that has outlasted fashions, opinions, and several confident but misguided haircuts. 💜

Saturday morning arrives without an agenda, which feels both liberating and faintly suspicious. ☕️

It is still the Friday dance, but the steps have changed: sidestep, pause, dodge the raindrop.☔️

Sleep was elusive last night. Considerable faith now being placed in coffee and its quiet miracles. ☕️

The prospect of rain today makes me reconsider not just my footwear, but my whole attitude to the day. Sensible shoes invite sensible thoughts. ☔️

Son returns to university today. It has been a challenging Christmas, and yet he goes forward with his bag packed, his head held steady, and his heart doing more work than anyone can see. 💗

Mondays are about the search for an appropriate outfit, and the quiet confidence to look unhurried while the world clicks away. 📸

Irises, 2012 by Scottish artist Elizabeth Blackadder #WomensArt

It’s been too long, but today seems like a good day to return to my writing. The page awaits me with a welcome absence of reproach. 🖋️

Worth repeating…

At last, the weekend beckons and a chance for some repose. I shall approach it with the firm intention of doing very little at all. 💚

A wet Thursday awaits me drawing on all my skills of combining practicality and elegance. ☔️

Good morning, dear friends. Coffee is doing its quiet, heroic work, before facing the day ahead. ☕️

Deceptive simplicity by Balenciaga takes the form of a pale knitted calf length dress. Immaculately tailored, it reserves its only obvious detail for the strap that turns into a tie at the soft round neck. 1962 #museobalenciaga #FashionHistory 🗃️🪡

Tuesday is shoes day. Fortunately, my deliberations extend only to brown or black brogues, rather than an entire chorus line of shoes clamouring for attention. 👠

A new week sets off before us. There may be a few hills in the road, but each one climbed is an achievement in itself. Onwards, with good heart. 💙

This afternoon finds me communing quietly with cocoa, making a chocolate torte for friends coming to dinner. One hopes it will be rich, forgiving, and inclined to bring people happily together - much like friendship itself. 🍫

Friday at last - time for the weekly dance, even if winter has insisted on joining in. One must stamp a little more briskly and twirl with conviction. ❄️💃

Thursday: a small but significant step forward through the week. One feels it deserves a nod of approval. 🌷

There is a mischievous wind this morning. My recycling bin is already exploring the neighbourhood and making acquaintances. 🍃