I go back to work tomorrowI’ve been away for eleven days. I’m not looking forward to returning. Given the hours ticking down, I thought it might be a good opportunity to empty my head. Apologies for the forthcoming navel gazage in advance (and yes, before I start, I know “gazage” isn’t a real word).
Where to start?Perhaps with our holiday to Cornwall. For the first time in years, this time I really felt I needed a holiday. Despite having been away with W’s parents a few weeks previously, being with my own family was somehow easier.
I invariably got up a few minutes after the children, and arrived in the kitchen in time to see them shovelling the last of their cereals into their faces. It never stopped amusing me that the younger children snuck into our room each morning and asked if they “could go downstairs”.
My parents live in a single storey house (does the rest of the world use the term “bungalow” ?)While away in Cornwall I got to spend some quality time with my best friend. One afternoon we escaped off across the hills on mountain bikes, got stung to bits by nettles, bitten by flies, but trundled home with huge grins and stories to tell. The cycling bug really bit me again as a resultonce upon a time I used to go out on my bike for fun I can’t remember doing so now for years.
I also realised while away that I need to spend more time with friends. I wrote about it here at the timethe importance hit me of having friends outside of work, school, and neighbours. John Bishop (comedian) spoke about it on TV recently, and it really hit homemost of our “friends” as adults aren’t really friends in the true sensethey are acquaintances. Of course one or two might become friends, but the vast majority will not.
Since coming home from holiday, we were up to our neck in gardening, cleaning the house, and preparing for the beginning of the new school year. I spent much of yesterday in town buying clothes for the girlsskirts, knickers, socks, school bags, shoes, and so on.
While in town I glanced at my watch and realised lunchtime was fast approaching. Anybody with small children will know when their batteries run flat they turn into the most cranky creations in the known universe. In an attempt to pre-empt the wingeing I suggested a visit to Nandos. Instant fist pumps all round.
Nandos is worth describing for those who have never been. The decor is wonderful, the new world music is excellent, the atmosphere great. The food sounds amazing as you read the menu, and when it arrives, it tastes amazing too. The problem is, when you think about it afterwards, you realise it’s just posh chicken and chips. Expensive posh chicken and chips.
Anyway. The kids love Nandos, so I’m going to say it’s worth it. It made a stressful morning out much easier to deal with.
Getting home yesterday evening, I cracked open the laptop and awaited the arrival of a good friendthe local dance teacher. I had promised to help with her website. You can guess what happened nextwhat started out as a few small changes turned into a complete re-imagining of her website, the creation of a Facebook page, signing up to Twitter, integration of the three, and a probably job for months looking after the site for her.
I’m not about to complainfar from itshe’s one of the nicest people I know, and the kids adore her too. I think it was a bit strange for the children to see her in our house; they have only ever seen her in a dance studio, or theatre stage before. I guess it’s a bit like a school teacher visiting your parents.(everybody knows school teachers live in their classrooms, don’t they?)Rebuilding the website stretched into the early hours this morning, and then ate the entire morning at home too. We designed posters, played with Twitter, added Facebook pages, RSS feeds, Email subscriptions, and all manner of other toys. As I write these final sentences, I’m watching the clock. W will be home from work soon. This evening we need to get the children’s school bags readyand start putting our house back onto the rails it needs to be on to survivie the onslaught over the coming days, weeks, and months.
I can’t believe our eldest is in her final year of junior schoolor that we only have one child left at infant school.
Where is the time going?