A different day

It's nearly six in the evening, the children still aren’t fed (though thankfully the BH is seeing to it), the air is warm and the sun still shines, the dog’s hoping for a walk, and I can hear the neighbours kids screaming their heads off. The door is closed and the loudest noise is the tapping of the keys, though the computers always hum, saucepans clatter dully in the kitchen, and the odd bird chirps annoyingly.

I’m relaxed. Mellow even. Wow, it’s been a while since I felt like this. Weird too, as I have several things I should have got done, and I’d expect to feel a nugget of guilt for the decadence.

Today, though unplanned, became a day for me. The night before last I only got four hours sleep, so I was tired last night. Nevertheless I didn’t go to bed until nearly two this morning, so I should be tired today. But I’m not as I finally managed to sleep. Mostly. I still awoke around five but managed to convince myself there was nothing I had to get up and do. So I went back to sleep and didn’t get up until eleven. Kind of like two nights sleep in one.

But I wasn’t much amused with myself when the day began. Days starting so late tend to come with a foggy head, which I’m still fighting now. In fact, I know I said I don’t feel tired, but it is sort of like drowsiness.

(Yikes the fire alarm just went off, which I guess means the kids dinner will soon be ready.

I’m not having dinner because I’m not hungry. Not very thoughtful of me really as the BH was just starting to cook dinner when I came home an hour ago, but after explaining I’d just eaten, he stopped in his tracks and is now doing a quick meal for the kids.

I’ve been out with my mate Cass. I’d forgotten we agree to meet today, as it was one of those bright ideas of sheer luxury you dream up weeks in advance, and never actually do. But she mailed me on Thursday to ask if I could still meet her for a coffee in town. Though we do do this on occasion, it’s usually between taxiing the kids about and ends as a hurried garbled twenty minute affair.

But not today. Today there was nothing I had to do. Luxury.

We went to a nightclub which has a roof terrace open in the day, and drank hot chocolate whilst paying ridiculous prices. Then we wandered around town and ended up buying make-up together like we used to when we were teenagers. Did you know they have waterproof eyeliner now?

Shopped out, we found another café and had to sit al-fresco because they won’t let you smoke inside. I also had to make sure I had my back to the road in case anyone I knew drove by, especially my parents as they’d kill me if they knew I smoked. I’m grinning as that’s like old times too.

You meet interesting people when there’re only three tables and a dozen smokers. Camaraderie due to our filthy habit. We sat with a sort of biker-come-goth group. The girl next to us and boyfriend across the table had just got engaged and were busying planning a Pagan wedding for the 5th November (didn’t discover what Bonfire Night has to do with Paganism…). It was almost sweet that they were also planning to get matching foetus tattoos in two months as well. At least I think she said foetus, I asked twice but couldn’t ask again as I didn’t want to look ignorant in case it’s some kind of style or pop group.

They have to wait two months because you have to be sixteen on our sister isle to get tattoos done, and they have to go to our sister isle because you have to be eighteen here. That goes for piercing too apparently, she was most miffed she hadn’t come away with the lip ring she’d been after, and the boyfriend fiancé had been hoping for a tongue ring too.

Several people asked if she’d had an engagement ring yet. She does, but lent across to Cass and I, and explained the top flipped open to reveal lip gloss and sometimes it got a bit mucky so she’d left it at home. But she wasn’t upset she didn’t have a proper ring (Cass pointed out this was her first mistake!).

And this also felt like a trip down memory lane, as I agreed to marry my first boyfriend when I was fifteen too (though I got a real ring!). The pair of them were so young and bubbling with energy and delight. Of course it will most likely all vanish.

But it felt good to be reminded of how things once were.

It also felt good to come home, kick off my sensible shoes, get pounced on by the kids like I’d been away for four days not four hours, and drink a cup of tea knowing that was me for the day. Being grown-up isn’t so bad.