Day 145

I was lucky enough to be off during last week’s heatwave.  And man, was it a scorcher!

I set my bingo wings free and exposed my white bits (stretch marks and all) to the open air.  I am more than grateful for air conditioning, because a black car with leather seats is not a friend during the Summer climate.

We drove to Cornwall last Friday to pick Charlotte up for the week, or as she put it: “I’m having a sleepover for 6 nights”.  We packed enough drinks to hydrate us to Fiji and back (thank goodness the facilities have all reopened) and filled the snack bag with sweet and savoury treats to keep us going. Charlotte ran to her front door with a unicorn backpack and a giant inflatable seashell and I’m not sure who was more excited, her or us.

On the way home we made several pit-stops to break up the journey.  Our first was in a lay-by, triggered by a little voice in the back of the car telling us she didn’t feel well.  After a massive burp and a bit of dribble, Charlotte was back in her car seat and watching She Ra, the air con blasting.  We then stopped on the moors for sausage rolls (£3.50 each but blimmin’ lovely!) and Charlotte enjoyed crossing the river via stepping stones.

Our final stop-off was a little shop with a garden full of pixies and gnomes.  A total of five hours later, we pulled up alongside our house and Charlotte promptly threw up over herself and the car seat.

Let the holiday begin!

*****

Our week extended to 9 sleeps, chock full of laughter, wild swimming, baking, cuddles, asking Alexa to play a variety of random songs, planting seeds and watching Trolls 2 far too many times.

Every night Charlotte fell asleep with the fan blowing in her face, clutching 2 unicorns and a bunny, and although we were exhausted, we woke up each morning with huge smiles. It’s hard not to love that cheeky, kind, smart little kid.

So when we dropped her home today, it was pretty tough to say goodbye.

We had such a fun holiday and have made some amazing memories.  We both feel sad that it is all over.  The house is very quiet and everywhere we look there are beads, little drawings and Barbie shoes.  A small pair of pink shorts is hanging over the dining room chair and Charlotte’s duvet is still rumpled up from where we hauled her out of bed, wrapped in a blanket, and buckled her into the car.  Netflix is asking me if I would like to continue watching Ever After High (in truth, I kind of want to know what happened to Applewhite at the prom).

I guess that is both the joy and sadness that comes with sharing the care of a child.

Darren and I talk about the past few days and agree how nice it has been without an agenda, not being at work and doing what we want when we want.

However, I don’t have the usual post-holiday anxiety or night-before stress, because I don’t have to wake up at 6.30am and drag my arse into the office and sit at a desk all day. It’s amazing the difference that working from home makes!  I will just wake up to my 8am alarm and then sit in my PJs whilst I go through all my emails.  I don’t have to talk to anyone and I can go at my own pace.  I can sit with the tower fan blowing my unbrushed hair and eat custard creams and drop crumbs down my front and not have to worry about what I look like.  And I don’t have to drive home feeling knackered and weary after a day of buzzing office noise and stuffy air.

Sometimes it is easy to forget the reason why we are all working from home.  Unless I go out to the shop, I don’t see people with face coverings.  Our day trips last week were all outdoor pursuits, so we did not really have to be in contact with anyone or anything COVID-related.  It was nice hiatus from reality.

So tonight I turn off the TV because it is full of hate and sadness: crime, violence, people disregarding others, war, bigotry and death. I’m not ignoring it, I am well aware of the awful things happening across the world, but I need a break from it.  A break from the repetitive reports and manipulative headlines.  I am shocked (or am I?) by the way people are treating each other, particularly during this time of unrest and fear.

If everyone was a little kinder, wouldn’t the world be a nicer place?

I wish I was six, wearing pink shorts and running around castle ruins.  Last week I got to remember what that’s like.