Conkers!

Today we went to the park and I introduced Sam to the art of conker collecting. When I was at primary school the competition to get the first, best, most, shiniest, biggest conkers was fierce. There would usually be someone willing to try and climb up into the horse chestnut trees and knock the conkers down, before they had barely sprouted, and were still encased in their thick, green, spiky cases. Or it would be a case of finding a long, heavy stick to throw up at the tree in the hope it would bring some down.
Today there was a thick carpet of leaves, empty cases and shiny conkers, ready and waiting. With noone else competing we picked up several beauties. Sam seemed to take to the idea of filling up the hood and pockets of the buggy with conkers and went off amongst the avenue of trees picking up and dropping as many as he could hold in two little hands!
Wouldn't it be great if, by the time he is at school, there was a conker revival!

Random Writing for Five Minutes

I have now been at uni for a week. Joined lots of societies-I might even make it to the wine Society events ;-). I've been to all my classes, checked out the academic skills centre and got some books out of the library...all very organised and efficient and very different from my last freshers' week experience! But no socialising and little opportunity to talk to any of my fellow students so far. Time for that later I am sure.
Sam has been called 'wonderful, gorgeous, excellent, happy and confident' at nursery! He seems to be taking it all in his stride but I am going to take it one day at a time and see how he is in the next few weeks. I have been calling them a couple of times during the day and then trying to be brave afterwards when all I want to do is cry. It is very weird. This is the most time I have spent away from him in 16 months.
Someone said I look like a writer yesterday-heheh! Not sure what that means but I am taking it as a compliment...I think.
After 5 years my favourite jeans, bought from DNA on Park Street in Bristol, have finally given up the ghost. So I went and bought myself a pair of pegs today- not worn pegs since the 80s but I think they will turn into my favourite new trousers!
This is more than ten minutes so now I shall stop.
The next three years is going to be mind-expanding and life-changing.
Bring. It. On.

Autumn Equinox

Picked up a couple of beautiful conkers this morning after dropping Sam off at nursery for the first time (apart from a couple of settling in sessions). I wandered down into town and then got a bus to uni. Now I am a student. New beginnings. The trees are throwing down their seeds and leaves. Harvest time and also a glimpse of the season to come.

As long as he is ok I will be ok.

I feel very blessed today to have this opportunity.

Random Writing for Five minutes

I have five minutes to write and then I must stop so this is going to be posted exactly as I write it as I have no time to tart around with it afterwards and I am interested to see what I write!

I am on the brink of some big changes. Sam and I have been rolling along in our Babyworld bubble for 16 months now and it all changes from tomorrow. Because tomorrow I start university. A BA in Creative writing and journalism. For three years! Which means Sam will be at nursery for some of the week. Tonight I am trying to get myself organised for tomorrow- Freshers week...weird to be going to university as a student when my last job was at a university and I am used to being on 'the other side'!

In the last week I have learned that I have changed more than I thought. My priorities and interests are very different but also strangely the same in many ways. I just want to get on with it and get right into it. It's time for a change and I can't wait! I am very very excited.

And that is where I stop.

I am just relieved...

That I have managed to actually post something!

I have spent this evening

...twisting myself up in knots, sat at this damned computer with a million things to say and unable to say them... so I just had to write something!
It is certainly NOT writers' block- more like self-censorship.
Which I am not keen on.
But which seems to happen a lot with me.
Believe it or not.
This may be something I need to explore.