We are of the age where most of our friends are experiencing the 'empty nest' I know there is pros and cons to the empty nest, but ohhh the pros seem good to me sometimes when I am feeling claustaphobic in our place.
We have two natural children that are grown, and we were pretty confident that they had flown the nest! That confidence was short lived. Our eldest daughter has moved in for a little refuge in a hard time in her life, and she has multiplied by 2. The two extras are little people, but those two little people have more clothes, and more toys, and more papers, and more books than any two little people need!
They also believe in air hooks. Those are hooks that little people use when ever they take off their clothes. They just lift the item up to the hook in the air and hang the item up, somehow these air hooks just dont seem to keep the clothes up. The item ends up on the floor, and that is where it stays.
Our third child/almost adult (17 years old), is quite convinced she is ready to be on her own, quite convinced she is adult enough to run her own affairs, but somehow it is still our toothpaste she uses each morning, our hot water she uses to wash her clothes, etc etc, she just cant seem to make the connection that these things cost us money, and that her whole paycheque is not for her to 'spend' on herself! I cant remember the last time I had $500.00 every two weeks to spend completely on myself.
Actually that isn't true. This weekend, we escaped. Preparing for this escape was a marathon in itself, babysitter for foster baby (check) Clean clothes, packed for baby, husband and myself (check). 3 days of food and formula packed and labelled for baby (check). Dog arranged for (check) . . . . . too many other things to recount here.
When I finally got in the car, and pointed it away from the house, and started driving, I realized that if I wasn't completely exhausted before I started preparing for this trip, (I WAS, that was why we were going away!), I was now good and truly exhausted from getting ready for it.
As the stress of 'homelife' ebbed away, and the ferry taking us to my favorite destination came into view, I was giddy with excitement to be able to sleep in a big luxurious Hotel room without being woken up for as many hours as I wanted to.
We had a good time. A time where our sentences weren't interrupted, where we went to the same resturante for breakfast that we had gone to 30 years before on our honeymoon. We talked about our somewhat 'crazy' household, and reconnected on things that let us know we are committed to each other for another 30 if we get that long together. Whatever else our life brings us, we have already had the best, becuase we have had a marriage where we have stayed friends when life was too crazy to be lovers, we have stayed lovers when lifes stresses threatened our friendship.
I am back now, It has only been a few hours that I have been home, and already I have cleaned up the garbage that the dog got into while we were away, phoned the telephone company to come and fix the phones, they are mysteriously not hanging up, and we can not get a dial tone. Fed everyone supper, cleaned up the kitchen and told the million little fruitflies that had congregated there while I was away that I was home now, I would not be leaving food out, and dishes undone for them as they had become accoustomed to over the last few days, that they had best be gone, as the bleach was coming out if I saw another one them. Made tea for two neighbours that popped in, put the baby to bed, and tried to remember if I actaully did go away and spend $***.** on a weekend, or was it just a figment of my imagination that I had 3 whole days of me time.
My bank account says I did, so I guess I will accept that it happened.
We went to Victoria. It is beautiful there. I wish I had more photos to show you. Here are two of a quaint area we visited for breaky this am before we headed back to the ferry and home.
The Penny Farthing Pub
A great bookstore husband got lost in for a very long time.
A great husband,
3 comments:
I have never seen this bookstore and must try and find it as it looks charming.
Gillian
It looks a nice place where you went for the weekend Lois. It sounds to me like you're rushed off your feet, I was exhausted just reading about it all. Bob.
Sounds like you needed that break away, Lois, so glad you had a good time - I like the look of the bookstore! Isn't it funny how, when you have had a few days away it soon feels as if it were a dream when you come back to face the daily chores?
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