Two glasses of red wine and I can hardly keep my eyes open....
The last few days have been particularly positive in terms of people. Ex-work-friend L. and I had a walk in Keswick last week, as well as coffee in Booths beforehand and then lunch in somewhere called the Square Orange or something similar. The Baby even gave her one of his smiles just as we were about to leave, which I was particularly pleased about. A couple of days later after she'd read my Grumpy Cow blog post I got a really supportive and understanding email from her, and also from ex-work-friend A. How on earth can anyone be down in the dumps for long when there are people who care about you and are supportive of you out there? Surely life must be about the people you meet along the way, not about how much you've earned or how high up the career ladder you have climbed. And being unemployed and then on maternity allowance has made me realise how much I don't need to buy (though I'd still like a decent off-road 3-wheeler buggy, and have to pay for my piano repair. I was rather relying on the money from Woman but they really do seem to be the most dilatory and disorganised publication in the world).
I also met a kindred-spirit-Mum at Baby Massage. It turned out that her two other children are at the same school as mine, and we had her girl to play with my girl on Friday after school. It was wildly exciting for both of them and chaotic for us, but it was great that they got on so well. Older Son meanwhile had his Very Best Friend from School to tea, and they spent most of their time on the X-box: I wasn't a very good mother, leaving them just to get on with it, but they were happy, quiet and out of the way - at least until Daughter and her new friend went and turned the X-Box off in the middle of a game.
I saw Kindred Spirit Mum again at Baby Massage today and afterwards we went for a walk round Talkin Tarn. It was a beautiful day but also she lived in Blackheath for a while, and so did I years ago, so we were able to compare London notes. She's only moved up here recently and I think has some worries about whether it's the right move. I recommended Wife in the North to her (which besides being a book is still also a blog, http://www.wifeinthenorth.com/). Unfortunately I can't remember what I've done with the copy I was given.....
Baby Massage was also a success today in that the Baby had had a feed earlier and therefore was awake but happy and so experienced the entire massage, unlike last week when he only got a short bit on his back with his clothes on, at the end, or the first week when he got the beginnings and endings of leg massages for the same reason. Today he seemed to quite enjoy it and was certainly relaxed afterwards: rather than being his usual wriggly noisy self he just fell asleep.
On Saturday I had a rehearsal with the accompanist for Carlisle Festival. He is an incredibly accomplished pianist - he used to be a repetiteur for English National Opera - so not only could he accompany well but he also sings and is used to singers, so helped with some of the aspects of the singing. His room had a wooden floor which I think really helped the acoustics: I felt as if I sang Porgi Amor better than I've ever sung it. Fingers crossed for the Festival!
On Friday I had seen a singer friend and her Mum, which was also great. The Baby had, unfortunately, slept throughout, but we were able to talk singing and music to our heart's content. They're organising a concert for mid-April and have asked me to sing in two trios, so I'm hoping I'll be able to. Husband certainly has no objections. Wandering around the shops afterwards I bumped into several more people I know from choir: and then at the Lanercost Festival Chorus rehearsal yesterday lots of other people were asking how the Baby was and how I was. I was pleased with myself for cycling there and back, and especially for cycling up the pretty steep hill from Lanercost back to Brampton. It was jolly cold, even at 4.30pm, so I didn't even work up a sweat!
One of the Mums at school and I were comparing notes on how important exercise is and how good it makes you feel, both physically and emotionally. How can people bear not to be fit and healthy? It's sometimes really difficult to fit in, and I'm not sure I'd go with her suggestion of cycling with the Baby in a trolley on the back (I think I'm just a bit too worried about the speeding idiots on the road), but I definitely feel better when I can exercise most days: even if it's just getting around the Tarn in the sunshine like today. After all, that's what living in Cumbria is about. Yes, careers come to a fairly grinding halt (or at least take a bit of a backwards step), but what's better than taking your children for a walk along the ridge with Scotland to your left and woods laden with snowdrops and beech-lined rides to your right?
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