I sometime think there is so much involved with my leaving my post as “Mum in Charge” that it is not often worth it and when I return to disaster and devastation I usually conclude that this is so… Today however proved to have been totally worth the effort and so far (reaches out to touch wood) there is no disaster, devastation or repercussions to report, it has obviously been one of those serendipitous days which are meant to be, and for that I am grateful.
In order to leave home today with as little stress and apprehension as possible I got ready whilst the smalls played in the bath and then cooked an early lunch, I was going to do Roast Lamb, it is Daddies favourite but the Little Man is being faddy at the moment and would have kicked off and probably thrown it on the carpet – play it safe I said to myself, so they had Sausage, Beans and Chips which always disappears – how do they know?
I told Daddy to put the Little Man to bed when he finished his dinner, our usual routine and to let the Little Lady watch a film on the car DVD screen with ear plugs in – great fun for her – so he could watch the British Grand Prix in peace, I will probably go to Mummy hell for that short cut but my husbands sanity was at risk…
So at 11.30am I left my family stuffing dinner appreciatively.
I took the back road to Bristol and pootled my way through the villages in beautiful and desirable quiet, there is much too much noise in my life at the moment, the vocal talents of my smalls are far reaching and penetrating. I always have difficulty discerning between sounds, if I am trying to hold a conversation somewhere noisy and I suddenly lean towards you or turn my head slightly it’s because I can’t hear you, probably not because I fancy you 
Any time spent without noise is a blessing and driving in the car without company is rare, I found I was smiling to myself as I drove, not caring if the drivers coming the other way thought me a demented idiot.
Bristol itself is much changed since my college days and I have not been to the new look center, wow, just wow and lots off it, Cabot Circus is an impressive development, it has gone on my “get back to another time list” for further exploration. I walked through to Quakers Friars, where both my Mum and Dad had got remarried, (what a difference!) I wandered around to the old entrance, reminised a bit, noted the proposed arrival of The Sanctury with a leap of my heart (always wanted to go there) found a comfy spot on a very comfortable cool marble bench and waited…
The look on Julia’s face as she approached me was truly hilarious, is she isn’t she, I still think we should have worn carnations or something, I couldn’t help laughing. It was so pleasant to sit there in that smart square full of brightly coloured deck chairs and become acquainted, after a short while we were joined by Chris and the Tweetup began.
Vicky caught up with us at the restaurant, Bella Italia is so great for a meet up, the staff are relaxed and on a Sunday it was not heaving, they let us get on with the gossipy stuff, no rush, no pressure. For myself it is so nice to meet with other women who don’t just talk about their smalls, ok, so we did talk about the smalls but other subjects were explored and enjoyed, many laughs were shared over some delicious Italian food – I’m not telling what we discussed, what happens in Bristol stays in Bristol. But it was great and they are brilliant and I can’t wait to do it again.
Vicky – Vegemitevix, Julia – What will Julia do next, Chris – Thinly Spread
I got half way home and my phone rang, oh heavens it’s the husband! Have my peace keeping shortcuts paid off or has all hell let loose? I pulled over and answered with bated breath…. No, he sounded calm and happy, would I be long because the little man had woken up with a full nappy and it was a stinker… He doesn’t do bad nappies as they make him want to throw up, well if that was the limit of the disaster I was thrilled! Home I came, changed the nappy, made sandwiches for them and all was well.
What a bloody brilliant day 
