How can it be Monday again already?? Perplexing. The weekend was quite nostalgic as we went back to Essex for a family party in honour of my father-in-law’s birthday. First though, on Saturday, we went for a quick walk around Southend to see how things have changed around there. A lot of development has been going on since the Uni came to Southend (which happened just after we moved out), and the seafront is looking quite posh these days. One thing that wasn’t there at all when I was down last time was a huge new building for New Look… it looked like shopping heaven! I didn’t get to go in though as apparently there wasn’t enough time… 😐

I miss living by the sea, a lot. It’s something I think we’ll have to think about at some point. Even though we can get to the seafront in about an hour and a half from where we live now, it’s just not the same as walking out of your door and straight down to the front. Also since we moved to west London we’ve been quite far away from family. I miss the days when we could go out on the piss with Nikki and E without having to plan it all months in advance, or pop down for a Sunday lunch in Rayleigh more often. Having said that, I really like the area we live in and it’s good for S’s career prospects, but it is also so expensive that I don’t think we’ll ever to be able to buy a house, or even a flat, there. Which would mean possibly moving even further to the west… Not sure if I want to do that. Oh well, we’ll have to see how things go I suppose. I’m not completely opposed to the idea of one day returning to Essex though, providing we got reasonable jobs at a reasonably commutable distance… Ah, I don’t know. Will we ever ‘settle down’ anywhere I wonder??

The meal on Saturday night was good fun. It was nice to have everyone together for the first time in a long time. The drink and laughter flowed and the food was lovely. I took some photos but they’re all pretty much non-publishable. 😀

When we got home yesterday we commenced a proper cleaning operation, which was long overdue. Even though it’s Monday today the thought of going back to a tidy flat and a bed with fresh sheets makes life just that tiny bit more bearable.