Warm.

Happy Easter.

For Christians around the world this is a day for rejoicing. Sadly in this so-called Christian country for the majority of people it is just 'Chocolate Egg Day'. When I was teaching, being the lowest ranked teacher in the school I was given the task of teaching the children about the main religions of the world. For me this was not an unwanted chore, I was only too glad to be able to at least inform those young minds about the origins of our national holidays as well as introducing them to other cultures and religions. I also appreciate that it is good for there to be time for families to get together especially when for so many the world of work is one of constant drudgery.

I will also admit to being fond of chocolate and have allowed myself a day off the diet to enjoy chocolate and marzipan eggs from Lidl. Eggs play a big part in the traditional Lithuanian Easter. Real eggs that is, decorated in many ways often with wax resist but also dyed with onion skins sometimes with flowers and leaves to make beautiful designs. And then they would be used for various egg games including egg cracking where you hold an egg in your fist and attempt to crack your opponent's egg without cracking yours.

In honour of the holiday I planned a 'day off' but it didn't quite work out that way.

My day began well, waking early - really early, I'm talking about before 5.00 and giving up on sleep soon after 6.00. I got up, did my Duolingo, prepared breakfast, played the piano, cycled and went for a walk on the cliff, all before breakfast.

It was warm with the wind only just beginning to make itself felt and the rising sun casting gentle shadows in the undulating fields. I was glad I hadn't bothered with a jacket or even a bodywarmer.

I had intended just to walk up to the monument but the sun tempted me ever onwards and I went most of the way to the next cove. It was the thought of climbing up all those steps as well as the slope I'd already come down that made me decide to turn back for home.

When I did return home nicely refreshed by my walk it was for our usual Sunday breakfast of croissants after porridge. In my head the idea of my day off was that almost straight after breakfast I'd be sitting out on the terrace if it was warm, which it was or in the sitting room if it wasn't doing some sewing or felting. However I'd not taken into account all those other little jobs which I still needed to do. Those included; hanging out washing as it was too good a drying day though nothing that needed ironing later, baking a cake to a different recipe, putting the air plants in water, discovering mould on some old style knives with horn handles and having to clean everything stored with them, mixing up filler and filling over the screws in the battens and other small cleaning tasks that needed doing. It was nearly 3.00 before I was ready to sit down outside by which time it was getting cooler though it was still fun watching the surfers as well as passers by. When I brought the washing in I stayed out and planted another two clematis as we are due to have some rain soon.

All too soon it was time to prepare our dinner. I baked some salmon in tinfoil parcels with mushrooms, butter, herbs and lots of chives from the garden. It's such an easy way to cook fish and keeps the smell and the clearing up to a minimum. With the salmon we had new potatoes and petit pois. Simple but a feast nevertheless. We ate a bit earlier so that we could watch Dune. It was a long film and dragged at times. Peter says it followed the plot well but it's been so many years since I read the books I can't remember a lot except that the hero turns into a worm at the end. Or maybe not if they get to that point in the films.