Not Now Later

An award!

The very lovely Muddling Along Mummy (see her excellent modern proverbs) has given me a Great Read Award! Thank you so much for my first ever blog award! On receipt of this award I have to list ten happy memories. Muddling Along Mummy recently celebrated her 5th wedding anniversary. Congratulations! So picked memories from those five years.  

I've listed both specific happy memories and periods of my life that make me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Holiday in Provence with my parents- My mum and dad used to rent out a big farmhouse near Avignon, Provence for three weeks every Summer. We always talked about going out and joining them for a week with my brother and his partner, but never actually got around to co-ordinating it. Until 2002. That year, the six of us spent a wonderful week together, eating wonderful food, swimming in the pool, drinking good wine and enjoying each other's company. Two months later mum was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Six months later she died. I am so very glad I booked those flights to Marseille and we got to spend that wonderful week together which I absolutely treasure in my memory.

Our wedding in Las Vegas- Ed and I decided to ditch any plans of a big traditional wedding so soon after my mum's funeral. Instead, just the two of us ran off to Las Vegas (with everybody's approval.) We got hitched at The Little White Chapel mid morning in a quite personal and touching ceremony and then headed back to the hotel in our limo before setting out for a very boozy lunch which seemed to last for hours. We then indulged in some rather giggly, tipsy Black Jack before spending the evening in our hotel suite with champagne and films, music, dancing and room service. The two of us had a perfect day which was hugely fun.

Louis' and Tilly's birth- Two separate events but both equally special and remarkably similar in terms of length of labour, time of birth and quantities of gas and air consumed. I was fortunate enough to have very positive birth experiences with both of my children, which was followed by an almost ecstatic high. I don't think I got a wink of sleep the first night either time as I have very vivid memories of spending hours curled up next to each of them, staring in awe and wonderment. 

Halloween sleepover- I was 13 and my parents let me have ten school friends come and stay the night at our house for a spooky Halloween sleepover. We stayed up until the early hours scaring each other silly with ghost stories, eating sweets and talking about boys.  

Christmas- I adored Christmas as a child. All my childhood Christmases were virtually the same, all spent in our family home, with the same relatives, same smell of Christmas tree and turkey and burning logs, same games and the same traditions year in year out which made it so comforting. Now I'm trying to create similar traditions for my own children

My year off- Nope, I didn't go 'round the world. I lived in Hackney for six months working with adults with learning difficulties and met some amazing people and grew up a lot. 

Snowy school days- On one day in particular we were sent home early from primary school because of the heavy snowfall. That afternoon it seemed that the whole school congregated in my street for the biggest snowball fight ever and then built a snowman that was almost as big as a house.

Liverpool- I went to Liverpool University and while I don't have many memories of my academic life there, I have a zillion happy memories of the city and my social life there. 

Bonfire night-Walking to the local fireworks display with my parents and little brother each year on November 5th, wrapped up in lots of layers and wearing wellies. I love Autumn.

Pavement- Pavement are my all time favourite band and their gigs, records and on occasion, spending a bit of time with them have given me many happy memories. And who knows maybe I'll get to see them again

Ahh enough nostalgia. More happy memories are happening right under my nose.

Ok, so I now pass on the Great Read Award to the lovely Caroline at Whats Happening At My House who had a bit of a rough start to the week. I love reading about her car boot bargains. In fact her blog has motivated me to start a bit of thrifty treasure hunting again. 

East vs West

I've spent the past couple of days in London. Yesterday involved a brief (kiddie free) jaunt to University College Hospital for a blood test, followed by a wander around some of my old shopping haunts. Then today I took the kids (Louis is officially no longer contagious) to Whitechapel to see my dad's MA show at London Met followed by lunch in Spitalfields with Ed, who managed to nip out of the office for an hour. 

Yesterday was pleasant. I sat on the train for half an hour of blissful peace with just my ipod and book for company. I breezed through the Underground unencumbered by a buggy or a dawdling four year old. I reveled in the liberating experience of entering a public toilet cubicle, solo. I drank a coffee at a leisurely pace in a cafe which probably didn't have baby changing facilities or highchairs. Finally, I ambled purposelessly around shops, just browsing.  It was refreshing and something I intend to do every once in a while now I have regular hospital appointments in central London.

Today was fun. After scraping breakfast off the floor, I bundled up the kids and dashed out of the door to the station, loaded down with buggy, snacks, nappies and all that other, day out sort of paraphernalia. 

Both of them love trains. Louis enjoys the mechanics, the noise and the motion. Tilly enjoys intimidating strangers with her stare, clambering over the seats and pointing at things out of the window. They were delighted to see my dad and even feigned a (very) slight interest in his work.  Louis documented the trip taking photos of other passengers, pigeons and his shoes. They ran around and collected figs and sticks in the courtyard at the Arts Bar and Cafe at Tonybee Studios. Tilly squealed with happiness when Ed came and found us waiting for him in the gardens near his office. We ate a lovely lunch in the very kiddy friendly Giraffe. And Louis reported that daddy's office was messy and his chair was broken after nipping into Ed's work for a wee (probably the highlight of the day for Louis.) 

Ok, so we struggled on escalators. Tilly attempted to deface artworks with her sticky fingers. There was orange juice spillage, the threat of an accident when Louis decided he urgently needed the toilet and there were complaints when little legs got a bit weary.  And of course, there were overtired tears by five o'clock, but not mine, honest! 

Back to school (for two days)

After a lovely Summer, Louis reluctantly went back to nursery last Thursday. It took some coaxing, but after a few tears he accepted that the holidays were over and it was back to the grind.

On Friday afternoon I took him to the doctors and happened to mention that he had a nasty patch of what looked like eczema on the side of his torso. The doctor examined him and announced that it wasn't eczema at all, but shingles. Shocked to see shingles in a four year old she asked another GP for his opinion. Yes, it's shingles and no he shouldn't have been at nursery and yes he will have to stay at home until it clears up. He has no other symptoms other than the rash and thankfully even the rash isn't causing any discomfort, but because it can cause chicken pox in others he obviously needs to avoid passing it on. So, after almost seven weeks of school holidays he is now delighted to discover that he is quarantine for another week. Luckily he has heaps birthday pressies (a mountain of Lego and Playmobil) to play with while he is under house arrest. 

The new wedding?

In this momversation episode  Girls' Gone Child, Rebbeca Woolf describes the child's birthday party as 'the new wedding.' I didn't have a traditional wedding. Like Rebecca I got married in Las Vegas, but unlike Rebecca I think there is (or rather was) a frustrated bride to be in there somewhere. I went totally overboard on my son's fourth birthday party. 

He had a seaside themed party and I've mentioned the preparations on here a few times before. There was the postcard invitation. There was the Punch and Judy booth that my dad and I made.

There were bucket and spades for party bags filled with seaside themed sweets ,sunglasses, paper pinwheels and stickers. There was the (more or less inedible) sandcastle birthday cake and the horsey hoppers for donkey rides. I drew the line at filling the church hall with sand and creating a beach, but I was tempted. There were 35 hyper kids running around to the sound of a carefully compiled seaside playlist. I got a theme and I got totally carried away. 

So, yes maybe Louis' birthday party almost turned into a wedding scale production, but it was huge fun to plan and gave me an excuse to make stuff and be creative and honestly, there wasn't a seating plan! 

Follow me.

I finally succumbed to the lure of twitter. Not sure why as it seems that the majority of my friends are laying dormant on there. I definitely take on the latest social media at a OAP pace. 

Anyway, at the last count I had the grand total of three followers so please take pity on me and follow me!