No pants required

07.11.12.

Travelled home after a jam-packed day. I am craving normality. True to my Taurean star sign, I am a creature of habit and routine.

Dexter and Daddy had embraced the banal today with a trip to Halfords and Waitrose. They seem to be 'boys behaving badly', as today's #366 picture of a TV dinner demonstrates.

Dexter is so in touch with his inner 'laddishness' in the absence of his Mummy, that he greeted my return completely in the buff!

Skype, Skype baby!

06.11.12.

Today was a totally full-on day of assessment at the National College. I was involved in a full range of activities, from planning training programmes and facilitating, to building spaghetti bridges...

Dexter and his Daddy returned home today. We Skyped. The boy seemed somewhat bemused by the whole thing.

I miss them.

Puddle Zoo

05.11.12.

I was really reluctant to return to work today. As clichéd as it sounds, it's like we've never been away. It felt a bit strange, setting two days of cover work and heading up to Nottingham this evening.

Dexter spent the afternoon at the zoo. He ignored all of the animals and spent the whole time splashing in puddles.

Making the most of the quiet

04.11.12.

I was (unsurprisingly), a wee bit fuzzy this morning. My riding lesson sorted me out.

I spent the afternoon making the most of having the house to myself, by working. Whilst this wasn't particularly fun, I got loads done, guilt-free. It reminded me a little of what life was like pre-husband and definitely pre-child: I was married to my job. I'm glad to have a new family now!

The boy spent his time at Nana and Grandad's splashing in puddles. I can guarantee he will not have noticed my absence.

Home alone

03.11.12.

This morning, I packed a bag for the boy as he is going to be spending a few days with his Daddy and grandparents in Kent. I am returning to Nottingham to be assessed on the training I did a few months ago.

It was sad saying goodbye to them. I consoled myself with a haircut, a facial, solo shopping, cocktails, dancing and chips with a dear friend, and a three o'clock in the morning bedtime, with the blissful promise of a guaranteed lie-in.

I coped.

Country Living

02.11.12.

 

 

 

Today is my final official day of freedom; I never count weekends as part of school holidays as they are work-free as a matter of course. The boy and I whizzed round to a lovely mummy friend's place. Dexter and her daughter watched CBeebies and generally felt sorry for themselves as they are both under the weather. Dear friend and I drank delicious coffee and chatted interiors, Christmas and whose homes we most envy on Instagram!

 

 

My lunchtime plan was a drive out to the country - in fact, to the village which is my number one choice for if we ever do manage to leave Brighton (watch this space Spring 2013). We were visiting another lovely friend - one I haven't seen for far too long. I taught her twin daughters (now in their twenties), and used to loan a horse from her, hence I spent a lot of time at her house. She and her husband were guests at our wedding. Since having Dexter, I've only been up there a couple of times, so a catch-up was long overdue.

 

 

Her house is amazing, but the welcome so warm and unpretentious. The boy and I arrived; it took a while to actually get him in the house as the driveway is filled with gravel...

 

We bowled into the huge, beautiful and toasty Aga-warm kitchen, the kettle went on, I threw Dexter's lunch into the microwave, and a catch-up began in earnest. There was time for some homemade lemon drizzle cake (Dexter ate half of mine), a toxic nappy (the boy's tummy is not right), and a catch up with the ponies. Dexter enjoyed pushing some toy trucks off a step in a compulsive and repetitive manner; he found it hilarious.

 

 

Yet again, I was reminded of the privilege of having such dear and lovely people in my life and of the fabulous female role models I have to aspire to.

 

 

It was a lovely way to round off a lovely week. I truly feel like I've had a break from the rat race and it will be okay to return to it on Monday... 

The Ups and the Downs

01.11.12.

 

 

I decided that yesterday's intention of a walk on the Sussex Downs should be put into action this morning.

 

 

It was grey, freezing and desolate up there. Dexter kept falling in cow pats, trying to kneel in puddles and was generally grumpy and needy. It is thanks to the magic of Instagram (see yesterday's post for more Instagram love) that I managed to capture what has to be my favourite #366 photo so far. I know he's my boy, and therefore I'm horribly biased, but my heart actually hurts when I look at it.

 

 

Don't be deceived completely by the Instagram magic; we spent approximately fifteen minutes on our 'bracing walk'. It was enough fresh air though to ensure a post-lunch two and a half hour nap. I joined the boy in Snoozeville for an hour - the first time I've napped this week, and boy it felt good.

 

 

Lovely Super Saz (again, see a previous post from the summer), called round in the afternoon. It's always great to catch up with such a good friend, and the boy was beautifully behaved and helpfully self-sufficient, aside from an alarming nappy (which poor Sazzle had to witness), indicative of teething/a rotten cold/tummy upset/all three. I'm glad he's having a week of R&R as it will be all too soon that he's back in his somewhat gruelling daily routine.