Tuesday 8 June 2010

Time off

I've not been here for the last few days, because I spent last weekend in London, ON MY OWN, without Husband or Boys. It was the first time in 2 years I spent more than a few hours without any of them, and it was enlightening. I discovered the following about myself:

I can still sleep for 8 hours straight (I thought I had lost the knack).



I can still shop for 8 hours straight (as long as the expedition is punctuated by trips to the chiropractor, haircuts, a sushi lunch on a bench in St James' Park and the odd sneaked Snickers bar for pudding in honour of the fact that I'm not accompanied by nut-allergic children - so it would be rude not to).



It's exhilarating to travel light, walking out of the house with only a handbag containing simply wallet, purse, sunglasses, keys and telephone rather than being weighed down by the usual mix of epi-pens, sun cream, snacks, emergency toys, emergency snacks (for when the first ones run out), and not a cardigan, coat, or sweat-shirt to my name due to the fact that the London weather behaved itself and it was 24degC or over all weekend.



I should not buy cheap nailvarnish to put on my embarrassingly naked toes (one thing that the London ladies seem to have down-pat is well-decorated toes), because...



...even in my 40's I still can't apply nail-varnish properly.



I loved staying in a friend's empty flat and singing along to Xfm at the top of my voice because a) since she was away for the weekend my renditions couldn't upset her (although let's be honest, she's listened me murder music for 25 years now, so she could probably live with it), and b) there is no 4 year old Boy to regard me solemnly from the back of the car or the other side of the kitchen and and say 'Can you stop, Mama? You're embarrassing me...'


That it's actually not much fun to be away from Husband and Boys and have the latter not want to speak to me on the phone because to do so would mean interrupting their dvd viewing schedule...

...but that, every now and again, I can live with it.



13 comments:

  1. Oh how I long for a weekend with spare cash for shopping, I would gladly do it with the boys and MadDad in tow!!

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  2. Hurray for you. I could do with a weekend like that myself but, unlikely as that is to happen in the forseeable, I shall go and paint my dishevelled toenails instead!

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  3. Sounds like you had a great time... and well deserved too!

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  4. Wish I'd known you were up in London, I could have joined up with you. Would have loved an escape!! Glad you had a great time. Are you coming over for Cybermummy?

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  5. I'm insanely jealous. I had time off from the boys at the weekend, but spent it volunteering on a stall at the town summer festival. So, spent the time dealing with other people's little kids instead of my own! What a fool.....

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  6. Hi MadHouse, not that I'm asking for sympathy, but much (although obviously not all) of the shopping was for the Boys, and when you compare prices in London and Moscow, even Bond St seems like a bargain! (So clearly what I'm saying is that this was a 'spend to save' expedition...)

    HCM, well, you're bound to make a better job of it than I did!

    NC, thankyou!

    Vix, yes, I will most definitely be there. Flying in especially (or especially early, at any rate!). See you there!

    NVG, you'll get your reward in heaven, I promise. I just got mine early - on Regent Street, the Kings Road, and South Kensington, that's all... I can of course say that since I know those are your old stamping grounds too. (oooh - what a lovely shade of green you've gone!)

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  7. I know. I had a great time in Miami the other week. I"m coming over for a week (and going to Cyber Mummy) on my own, but boy is it hard work organising it. I have just realised there's going to be a 7 year old on his own in the house for three days. Can't believe I cocked the scheduling up so badly and now I'm scrambling!

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  8. Sounds heavenly. I've only had one weekend away with friends in the the past 8 years. I need to work on that clearly. Looking forward to seeing you at CyberMummy. I'll be the one with no hair -- it will all be torn out by then.

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  9. EPM, oh god! I can feel your stress levels from here (about 4000 miles away...)

    Modern, I can recommend the time off thing - although I can see that with 3 children rather than my 2, it would be a nightmare to organise (see EPM's comment above yours for evidence of that...)

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  10. I'm pea green with envy.

    BM xx

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  11. Ahhhhh. Shopping ALONE. Being ALONE. No RUBBISH IN HANDBAG!
    ROLL ON JULY!!! CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT. So excited.
    I hope you're booking a pedicure for July, my friend. We are doing some serious cocktails when I get there for my WEEK of solo debauchery.
    And what was that whiff of 'not that much fun?'
    are you CRAZY????
    Can't wait to see you.
    Now I'm going to comment on your next post

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  12. Yayayayay! How wonderful

    I'm so looking forward to my first night away from the smalls this weekend, time away is such a wonderful thing, not least because of the way they are so happy to see you back even if they've been indifferent before you go

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  13. Sounds like heaven. And I do the sneaky Snickers too.

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