Smiling at strangers

Tonight was book group. I walked there, it’s only about a 15 minute walk through alleyways. Partially because I needed to get out quick as the children and I were at consulting divorce lawyers point, partially cos I was so bloody hot I couldn’t face sitting in my car for even five minutes and I thought a walk would be nice and partially because if I didn’t have to drive home I could have that always offered, always declined second glass of wine at book group.

So I walked to book group, had a really good time there and then walked back, arms full of books. On the way there I had no intention of walking back through alleyways at 8.30pm, on the way back, bouyed up by the said two glasses of wine and the invincibility alcohol brings I had no intentions of going any other way. And not only that I smiled and said ‘Evening’ to the two people I encountered coming the other way.

I have this theory that we have a brief period of fearlessness – as a child you have caution as soon as you are old enough to know it, it lasts until teenage years when you go through a time of feeling utterly invincible – nothing can touch you, nothing can harm you. And then suddenly you start to feel vulnerable again, it is slightly pulse-raising to walk through the middle of a group of teens, if you hear footsteps behind you on the pavement after dark you feel intimidated. Between the ages of 15 and 19 I took the most enormous risks, risks I shudder at the prospect of my daughter, and actually even my son taking a few short years from now. But take them they will, and feel invincible they will and frankly they deserve to, if only for a finite period of time. Cos I sure as hell did and loved every minute of it!

So tonight I recaptured it briefly and very lovely it was too.

Book group was really good. I’d read the book and not thought a lot of it really but in discussing it with the odd mix of people who make up our book group I retrospectively discovered a new dimension to the book, a new level. I intend to read more of the author’s writing on their recommendation now, which I guess is what reading groups are all about really. Also feeling very high about the fact that after this month’s read the following two months are both books of my own recommendation. 🙂 🙂 Feeling altogether less the book group, chick lit reading bimbo and more a part of the core of the group :-).

What else? Lots of shouting and grumpy too hot-edness really. I made a start on sewing a Puss In Boots (the Shrek 2 version) for Freya’s birthday pressie which inspired the children to put the film on. We watched loads of Discovery Kids which seemed to have a theme of Space today, Tarly did some puzzles, there was play with geomags and plasticine. There was also lots of cuddles. 🙂 Tarly painted my nails, Davies made a really good volcano with plasticine which he presented me with. I retired to my room for about an hour with a book although both children followed me up there at various points so I probably only had about 15 minutes of childfree time and the rest of the day was spent doing boring tasks like changing beds, pegging out washing and sticking pizza dough on to mix in the breadmaker.

Tomorrow we need to be rather more active as we need to have Malice at the vets for shortly after 9am for a check up and then we have a Home Ed meet up in the park in the afternoon. I’ve also had a phone call today from Miranda who is staying with her parents fairly locally this week and might get together with her tomorrow evening for a drink although both of us will have to drive so it will not be particularly riotous or rowdy!