So! Here it is Friday and after 4pm my time so I'm heading out for the day because we have things to do and friends to visit with, and tomorrow a festival at the enchanting baroque gardens here (shopping, food, music, entertainment, etc.) and on Sunday more people to visit. I want to spend the next hour or so completely alone so that I may have a few moments to myself before the weekend madness begins. I love/hate weekends with back-to-back plans, though I cannot complain because I could be a lonely expat sitting here with nothing to do and nobody to do it with! Not the case at all, so I feel lucky and should be grateful. Before signing off though, I have many posts below this one that I invite you to look through and enjoy because I think they'll give you a cozy feeling for the weekend and lift your spirits, invigorate your creativity and perhaps inspire you to do something nice for yourself over the next few days until we meet here again on Monday morning.

The weather here is in its 5th week of deliriously gorgeous temps with loads of sunshine and now the evenings have this "crisp" quality to them that promises Fall will come soon (love) - the weekend shall be nice so fingers crossed, it will be so that I may take some photos to share with you on Monday of this festival I will attend.

I'm hoping that if I can sneak it in I will take the morning on Sunday and curl up with a pot of tea on my sofa to review 3 new books that were sent to me. Perfect English Cottage, Essentially French and Romantic Irish Homes all arrived this week from the publisher and look ever so promising -- I can't wait to dig in and hopefully offer you a review of at least one of them next week. One perk of being a writer, you occasionally get some great books to share. Yay, books!

What will you do this weekend?

(images: holly becker for decor8)