Sunday was a magnificent, sunny autumnal day, clinging onto the tail of summer and reminding us all how sunlight warms the soul as much as the skin. Trees are slipping off their foliage cloaks one golden hued leaf at a time, and occasional gusts send a shimmying tumble of crisp leaves chasing through the air until they settle under foot.

We spent a blissful few hours feeding the ducks and goose, pushing a giggling Sophia on the swings, admiring her balance as she clambered unaided over the arches on the toddler play frame, and lifting her to the top of a 6ft high slide and watching her joy as she wiggled herself free from the top and went swooshing to the bottom.

The weekends are never long enough to spend all the time we want to with Sophia, or to do all the things we want to do, but I guess that's just life, trying to balance your house of cards and not let it collapse!

I never thought I would be commuting to work in London in a car, but as it turns out it's quicker than taking public transport, factoring in nursery drop offs and pickups. After a few fearful timid weeks I now drive with the best of London's mad traffic dodgers, and it is almost an art form to weave your way past parked cars, swerve to avoid hitting cyclists who can't pedal in a straight line never mind about follow road rules, brake hard to avoid a collision with the bus whose driver decided that he wanted to be in your lane NOW and just moved over without indicating, or the pedestrian who was so busy talking on her phone she didn't notice that she'd stepped out onto a peak hour filled road of fast moving traffic. It's all good fun :)

This morning I had to give way to a cow. A proper big-eyed tail flicking slow moving cow. Admittedly it was while I was waiting to park my car on campus, but I should point out it was the city campus i.e. central Camden town, where the cow will reside until next summer. Interesting way to start the day!