I've become a convert to the joys of Sunday. OK, I know that any day off work should be considered joyous, but I've always questioned the point of Sunday a little bit, especially compared to the exuberance of Saturday, the king of days. But recently, I've changed my mindset, and have established a new way of doing Sunday, discovering along the way just what a wonderful day of the week it is.
The morning begins with a leisurely linger at the breakfast bar, reading the newspaper, and enjoying freshly baked breakfast pastries, along with a glass of chilled cranberry juice. I'm making sure that I start every Sunday in this manner; it's a lovely way to wake up.
After the long wake-up, we head out into the woods for a dog walk. Schnitzel doesn't exactly require extensive walks, but she does need some exercise, and our local woods is the perfect place to do it. I love the woods, and I love watching the woods change through the seasons. Today it's very leafy, but in a few short weeks the Autumn will take hold, the leaves will fall, and the character of the woods will become darker and more mysterious.
Back home, and after a light lunch, we do a bit of play with William. He's already growing up fast, it's difficult to understand where the weeks are flying by. Sundays are the perfect day to spend some quality time together. You can see him trying to comprehend his surroundings more, his attempts to raise his hand if you wave at him, and the way he tries to focus on the things before his eyes - be them a picture book, the TV, or the fish tank.
As the day moves ever onwards, it's time to think about dinner. One of the things I love most about the weekends is the increased time you can devote to cooking. Just yesterday I made a lovely loaf of granary bread, but today's specialty is a tasty roasting dish - diced potatoes, onions, chorizo, sweetcorn and feta drizzled in olive oil, sprinkled with paprika, and left to roast away for an hour. When it comes out the oven, I throw on some soured cream, then serve up with tortilla wraps and a colourful side salad. Delicious!
The day ends, and climbing into bed, I can look back and say that I've had a good one. The rain rattles down outside (we can hear it too, because in the summer months we tend to leave our balcony doors open all night) but indoors all is well - William is asleep in his crib, Schnitzel is dozing on our duvet, and as peace descends, there's a golden chance to delve into a book - which for me, right now, is this beautiful edition of Death on the Nile.
Sundays may have just become my favourite day of the week - a perfect antidote against the stress of the modern world, and a day to enjoy being a family together. I could certainly get used to this being one seventh of my life!
