I’ll ‘fess up to being a bit maudlin tonight. My best buddy Claz has gone home and I’ve realised that I’m screamingly lonely without my friends all around me. I suffered from the same reaction to Colin (my other best buddy) going home last month too. That’s not to mention the fact that it’s five years since I saw most of my other friends. I’m so lucky to have David and his wonderful support but the rest of our social sphere has contracted and contracted to virtually nothing.

Uni (and in particular my PGCE) has sucked up so much of my time, effort and energy that there has been none left for the important things in life. Nowadays, I rarely get time to nurture my existing friendships or to forge new ones.

This weekend has been a lovely exception to the drudge. We’ve met someone new and made a friend. We’ve had a few moments to relax, draw breath and reflect on life. I cooked…properly. I want more of this kind of day and fewer of the kind of days that have populated my life for the last two years.

There are a couple more “good” days in the offing in the next fortnight. An old friend from work, who now lives in Australia, is coming to the UK next week and he’s spending time in the next village to where we live in a weird and very fortunate quirk of fate. I’ve also made a date to spend the evening with our friends and neighbours from a few doors up the road. I’m not sure whether this is the start of a new, more sociable phase of my life or whether it’s just an aberration. All I know is that the life that has populated this weekend has been extinguished for the time being at least.