Helen Redfern

Six Months - in a flash

Well it has been six months since I delivered my baby daughter. Six months!

Sometimes I get scared at how well I seem to be coping. I feel like I am holding it together but it will soon come crashing down around my ears. But another week goes by and I am still here - still managing. Yes, sometimes it's by the very tips of my fingers, especially when her gums are hurting and she's grumpy (like today). But most of the time she sleeps, eats her food, empties herself and smiles a lot.

I do feel, however, that we're getting to the stage where I'd like to do a bit more than feed her (she has rice and milk at regular intervals during the day), change her, clothe her and get her to sleep. She sleeps well at night which is wonderful (and believe me, I know how wonderful that is) but only sleeps for three half hour bursts during the day. That is a lot of time spent with the baby, and whilst I love her to bits, I'd quite like to do something else. To have some time on my own to do something. As to what that is. Well. I have no idea.

Well, actually, thinking about it, I do know really. I would like more of a routine when it comes to writing and working. At the moment that happens only in the evening, when I am absolutely shattered, and it's hard. I would love to carve out a two hour niche a few days a week in which I could write.

But. For now we're coping just fine.

Eight things...

I'm copying Keris, who has done this meme on her rather fabulous blog.

Eight things I like:

1. Wi-fi. It is still a novelty for me.
2. Stationery. I have just bought some gorgeous Rupert the Bear notecards.
3. Going to National Trust places. I love Waddesden Manor.
4. Proper coffee
5. Beaches. Being from the middle of England I still get excited when I can see the sea!
6. Walking.
7. Baking. It soothes me.
8. Body step and Body Combat classes. Sadly don’t go any more as not member of gym. Number six is just a good though as can walk past a Costa.

Eight things I did yesterday:

1. Made ginger and all-bran cookies
2. Worked out how to put adverts on my cake blog. (It has taken me a while.)
3. Went to a children’s book coffee afternoon thing
4. Drank coffee.
5. Changed nappies and cleaned up baby sick.
6. Put a load of washing on and forgot to hang it out.
7. Cuddled baby.
8. Played Mario Karts on the wii with husband and son. And won. Naturally

Eight things I wish I could do:

1. Travel without worrying
2. Write without worrying (and cringing)
3. Basically to live my life without worrying
4. Keep a tidy house
5. Fly
6. Run for long distances (or rather run. Full stop). (I am working up to it though)
7. Be more organised.
8. Make small talk.

Eight things I don't like:

1. Snails eating my plants and cats emptying themselves in my garden (I’ve just been outside)
2. My DVD player has no remote
3. Being tired. I want to do so much.
4. Instructions for techno things. My brain can’t cope. (see no. 2 of things I did yesterday).
5. Bad customer service.
6. Worrying.
7. Having items on my ‘to do list’ for too long. Stresses me out (see previous).
8. Stubbing my toe (yup, just done it on daughter’s high chair)

Eight things I look forward to:

1. My first coffee of the day (addicted? Me?)
2. The children being old enough to take them to Australia where I went on honeymoon and New Zealand where my friend lives
3. Christmas with my children
4. Getting my pre-pregnancy body back and fitting into my new trousers
5. Husband coming home (he told me to write that)
6. Being successful
7. Achieving my ambitions
8. Picking my son up from school.

Eight TV shows I watch:

1. Auf Wiedersehen, Pet
2. Lewis/Morse
3. Frost (last episode coming soon)
4. Miss Marple
5. Poirot (do you detect a theme here?)
6. Brothers & Sisters
7. Katie & Peter (though not as inclined to watch it now due to recent events)
8. The West Wing (over and over and over)

Up North

Being, as I am, from the East Midlands where we call each other 'duck' and call a bread roll a 'cob', I am quite used to being classed as a Northerner by Southerners. And I'm quite proud of that. However, I'm not a true Northerner in the proper sense of the word. I'm a Midlander. The furthest North, in England I think I've been is Scarborough, although we did drive through on our way to Scotland once.

When I was at University in Bristol some people didn't understand me. I remember ordering a bottle of Bud and taking ages for the lad behind the bar to get my meaning. 'Oh you mean a bottle of Baad,' he finally grasped. 'You foreign or from up North?'

My favourite TV programme of the moment is Auf Wiedersehen, Pet or Lewis, primarily because it stars Kevin Whately (yes, I know a weird crush but not as bad as someone I know) and Jimmy Nail is fab too (although I couldn't always understand him in the earlier episodes). (To be honest though, I could have a crush on anyone with a Geordie accent.)

As my husband is a Southerner, our trips in England have mainly centred towards the south coast or back to my home town. So I am delighted and so excited that we have booked our holiday up North. Proper North too. On the east coast. We will get to see castles (Hogwarts!), maybe even the Transporter Bridge. But it is the beaches I can't wait to see. Apparently it is the most exhilarating coast in the whole of England.

[photo taken from Visit Northumberland website]