Two weeks after the end of our fantastic trip to Melbourne, life is sort of getting back to normal. Working, shopping, watching TV, a bit of time for reading, parkrun on a Saturday morning. Jet lag was disrupting my my sleep. Dark skies, cold weather and a lot of rain were not helping at all.

And I was missing the loveliness and luxury of the last few days of our holiday – where we treated ourselves to a little bit of luxury at the wonderful Captain’s Retreat in Williamstown, which became an unexpected holiday highlight. We had a spacious room, with a spa bath, sitting area and balcony, plus access to a lounge with an excellent coffee machine, even more comfy sofas, another balcony and a beautiful garden. There was a big table where I sat for a couple of hours adding notes, pictures and leaflets to my travel journal. There were bars and cafes a-plenty on our doorstep – including the fantastically named Crowded House – and the sea was just a street away. It was everything we needed for a few quite and peaceful days.

But best of all, our room had a reading nook – at least that was how I described it. A cosy corner full of light in the morning, behind some curtains, tucked away from the rest of the room.

It became an oasis; a quiet and peaceful spot that I claimed as my own – absolutely perfect for starting each day with a flat white – always my hot coffee of choice in Australia – and time with a good book.

Over those few days in Williamstown, I worked my way through a whole range of books – three set in Australia, one in the UK, one in Japan and one in the United States (that was an audiobook that I listened to when my eyes were tired from all the reading).

I loved that reading nook.

And then when it was time to come home, I dropped most of the books off at the nearby second hand shop on the morning we left. I hope someone else finds a cosy corner to read them too.

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I think I’ve been craving that little reading nook and the accompanying peace and quiet ever since I got home…

Today, I think I found it, at least for a little while, in the slightly unexpected surroundings of a Premier Inn in Haywards Heath. Another work trip, and not the best of journeys to get here, thanks to rain, cold and replacement buses.

But my room is quiet and peaceful, I’ve got a sparkling raspberry pressé in lieu of coffee and I had a few hours to catch up on writing and start another book.

Not a bad way to spend an evening – the busyness will be back tomorrow.

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52 for 52 in 2025 #8 – weekly blogs in 2025 inspired by the books I’m reading.