Bank Holidays, Nursery And A New Garden – May 2026 Overview

The fact that May 2026 is over has hit me quite hard. It means it’s now officially the month that I go back to work. I still have most of the month, but it’s finally here after 13 months and I can’t believe it.

I wanted to make the most of May before Scarlett starts nursery and I think I have, although it always looks a lot when I write it down.

Here’s what I got up to in May 2026.

Things I got up to in May 2026

Near the start of the month I went wedding dress shopping with one of my best friends and it was such a great day. Seeing her try on some dresses (and fall in love with one) was magical. And it was so nice to catch up with two of the other girls from our little group as well.

We went to The Grove buffet with my parents and brother, sister-in-law and niece and it was really fun. Scarlett got to try lots of new foods, and I always enjoy the food there. And the dessert cart was the best I’ve ever seen.

We had a dinner and overnight stay with Luke’s work friends which was nice, and I spent a sunny day with my friend for her birthday. I even managed to squeeze in a solo day in Oxford near the end of the month. I’d booked to see Legally Blonde (which was great) and I did some shopping, had a lovely lunch, and it was a really nice me-day.

I had another tattoo session during the month and filled up a few more gaps on my arms, and had one on my leg reworked. Every time I look at my tattoos they fill me with such happiness. But as I’m going back to work very soon I’m going to have less free time, so it might be a little while before I’m back for another session.

Bank holidays, my solo trip and live music

I mentioned in my April overview that I did a solo trip to New York right at the start of the month. Again I won’t talk too much about it because I did a whole post on how I spent my five days. I also spoke about why taking a solo trip as a mum was one of the best things I’ve done. There’s more to come with a food and drink post going live later this month.

The trip was a great way to start the month, and we got the chance to spend the second May bank holiday with all of our family which was so nice.

During the late bank holiday weekend I had my annual pilgrimage to Slamdunk Festival in Hatfield. While the day was incredible it was just a bit too hot to fully experience everything. I didn’t want to be running from stage to stage catching every second of music. But the bands I did see were all really good. My highlights were Good Charlotte who played the most incredible setlist. And The Home Team who are one of my newer favourite bands.

Things I watched and read in May 2026

Movie wise I went to the cinema to see both the Devil Wears Prada 2 and Grogu and the Mandalorian. I went into DWP with just the expectation of nostalgia, and that’s exactly what I got. Emily Blunt is by far the best character, and she got to be super sassy.

Then Grogu and the Mandalorian was pretty good. Yes it could have been split into a two or three part TV show, but I liked watching it all together on the big screen.

TV wise I binge watched Off Campus which was incredible. Yes there were some differences between that and the book but I was okay with them all and understood the reasoning why. It had that 00’s rom-com feel about it which I loved, and the characters seemed to match exactly what I was expecting. It’s given me the push to make sure I finish the final book in the series soon.

I also finally watched Celebrity Traitors. Everyone seems to love the show and after the lineup for the next season was announced I thought I’d give it a go and I was hooked. I loved so many of the people involved and it was such an easy watch. I can’t wait to see Romesh and Rob in the next season.

Books I read

I had a slower month for reading but I did read some great books. My top two were:

• Sounds like love by Ashley Poston. I really enjoy Ashley’s work and I enjoyed the musical element to this one. Yes you know the couple are damn likely to be together by the end, but it’s how they get there. For me this was an easy 5 star book, and I can’t wait for her new book to come out in a few weeks.
• The wren in the holly library by K A Linde. This was a Fairyloot book I’d had for a while and I wanted to read it to know if I should buy book two, and you bet I’ve done just that. It’s an urban fantasy set in New York, so I loved reading about a place I’d just been to. And there’s various creatures and magic, and of course some romance. This was so close to a 5 star book for me.

Our garden renovation

A garden renovation was on my home goals for the year, and May was the month it was completed. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s turned out as it’s a much more practical space to be in.

We had new fences added in with concrete baseboards so they’re all at a consistent height and neat. For most of the garden they’re actually in front of the existing fences so double protection. Then our old wooden decking was ripped up and a beautiful patio was laid including a path that goes down to our cabin.

The stone edging and the bricks separating the patio and lawn just add the finishing details. And typically our fresh turf was laid on the first day of the 10 day heatwave, so that’s been fun trying to keep it alive. But we managed it.

We had a BBQ on bank holiday Monday with my family and Luke’s all together and it was so nice to be able to use the space. It’s more comfy and practical, has a better view and there’s no step from the patio to the lawn.

For Scarlett’s birthday she’s got a swing and slide set so that may take up most of the lawn, but it’s going to give her so much joy which is ultimately our top goal.

Scarlett, and getting back into routines

As this post goes live Scarlett is about 11 days away from turning one, and that fact is just wild. So we’ve been doing some more planning for her birthday party, and I can’t wait for the day to see people celebrate with us. She’s also fully pulling herself up to standing so it’s only a matter of time before she’s walking.

Her first full day of nursery is the day this goes out and the week before we had some settling in sessions. They’ve gone well so far, but I’m really glad I left four weeks between her starting and me going back to work. That way if I need to get her earlier or do a more staggered start I can. And it means I can slowly start getting myself into some better routines ready for going back to work.

Due to her nursery days we had to finish our sensory class that we’ve been doing since she was about five months old. That was bittersweet, but I have booked us for a trial of new sessions on a Friday. We’ve managed to squeeze in some play dates before other NCT mums go back to work as well.

How was your May 2026?