Saturday afternoon collecting seashells in Southend-on-Sea. A row of beach hut soldiers are a cheerful sight.

Things have slowed down - and sped up - quite a bit around here. It's like a topsy turvy rollercoaster of "must finish this before I go on maternity leave" and "oh how I wish I had an extra hour - or four - to stay in bed today."

I'm winding down at work by winding up, finishing off all those outstanding projects and trying to put off new projects by a few months. Every day there is something new to distract me, though, from new ideas and client demands to sudden inspiration striking in the middle of the night. I had forgotten about this mad phase of pregnancy.

The baby is growing at a healthy rate, and seems to be taking over things here. My walking, moving, being pace is slower than it has ever been before... even though my creativity is still going at lightspeed and I find the space between the two to be somewhat frustrating. Things - important things, like blog post updates and crafty projects - are taking a bit of a backseat to the general beingness of every day life.

And still, every day life persists. We are still looking for a new home, still planning family outings and weekends, still cooking, cleaning, packing, reading, making Easter bonnets for school, finger painting, working, washing... Time doesn't stop for a moment, no matter how hard you wish it.

Isla's a marvellous little beauty and I thank every day for her brilliant good moods and fantastic sense of humour, both of which infuse each day with such a sense of lightness and happiness that it is hard to ignore.

And, the weather is turning. Gone are the icy cold mornings and the lazy sun only making an appearance around 10am. Now, we are spoilt by the sound of seagulls, trips to the beach on the weekend for picnics and shell-collecting, sunshiney afternoons and mild winds. Still cold, but improving each day.

I'm looking forward to summer. And family visits. And late mornings in bed. And seashell necklaces. The one thing about time carrying on with or without you is that there is a lot to look forward to.