A new burst of energy
The family went out on Friday night. This would be the first time all 3 of us have been out at night time since Louis was a few weeks old (then we took him in his car capsule to British India with Geoff; it was spring, he slept all the time, it was easy).
The evening worked, thanks to a variety of factors. Firstly, the destination was 5 minutes from home. Secondly, I had the help of friends and acquaintances-Rach carried him around the bowerbird markets; NC let me sit in his studio whilst I fed him and chatted to me, then we left the pram there whilst we visited Casablabla; his friend C carried The Kid's pram above the heads of 20+ people at the long dining table at Melt.
The restaurant upstairs room is renovated with dark almost black walls, a long tiled white bar, long tables for large groups, an odd underutilised unisex bathroom (not many men opted to use the urinal adjacent to the unisex stall and basin). There were nearly 100 people seated upstairs, in this space lit by mood lighting and candles, open sash windows and yet it felt very intimate. The buzz of all the diners was the background atmosphere and A and I spoke to a few people around us. THe same intimiate conversations between a couple or a few people took place up and down the long table. The occasion was Minka's birthday, a last hurrah as she progresses towards birth. Was so good to be out, to be with friends, to know we'd spent a night together again before too much more time has passed. Life is busy and it was good to find ourselves in the same place.
THe bowerbird markets were funny. It was a type of crowd: groovy, educated, right on, organic loving, design worshipping women, often with a tot in tow. I haven't seen this many "Mums'n'bubs"since I was at hospital. If you were pining for a child of your own, it would have been hard. Everyone was cool and funky. Everyone. Everyone had cool shoes, cool dresses over leggings, cool tops over striped sleeves, cool scarves, cool slings for their babies, cool brooches. But Rach and I liked best the 50 something woman with dark purple hair. Twas awesome. Was also complimented shyly by a teen girl on my scarf from my mother, had to explain it was from Syria.
The last reason I have a new burst of energy: a cathartic argument with my husband, led to a big spit and polish on our home; a concession by each of us about the things that make marriage difficult; a discovery of drop in art classes that take place on my days off; A's suggestion we take a Sunday walk (without The Kid) in the Blackhill national park; the discovery that there is instructed late night lap swimming at my local pool; reading an article that stated the obvious-that's it's experiences not bought objects that make us happy & the simpler the life we lead, the easier it is for an experience to be enjoyed.
And The Kid? He's still good. Wakes up more, would happily sleep the entire night attached to my breast. But he's giggly, good at entertaining himself, enrapt by other kids (cousins, Mums group, childcare) and attached to his parents. He smiled at the sight of his Dad tonight and cuddled into him arms quietly. We also discovered he can fling himself out of his bumboo seat into an upsaide down position with legs over the side of the bassinet, so that was a useful discovery.
The evening worked, thanks to a variety of factors. Firstly, the destination was 5 minutes from home. Secondly, I had the help of friends and acquaintances-Rach carried him around the bowerbird markets; NC let me sit in his studio whilst I fed him and chatted to me, then we left the pram there whilst we visited Casablabla; his friend C carried The Kid's pram above the heads of 20+ people at the long dining table at Melt.
The restaurant upstairs room is renovated with dark almost black walls, a long tiled white bar, long tables for large groups, an odd underutilised unisex bathroom (not many men opted to use the urinal adjacent to the unisex stall and basin). There were nearly 100 people seated upstairs, in this space lit by mood lighting and candles, open sash windows and yet it felt very intimate. The buzz of all the diners was the background atmosphere and A and I spoke to a few people around us. THe same intimiate conversations between a couple or a few people took place up and down the long table. The occasion was Minka's birthday, a last hurrah as she progresses towards birth. Was so good to be out, to be with friends, to know we'd spent a night together again before too much more time has passed. Life is busy and it was good to find ourselves in the same place.
THe bowerbird markets were funny. It was a type of crowd: groovy, educated, right on, organic loving, design worshipping women, often with a tot in tow. I haven't seen this many "Mums'n'bubs"since I was at hospital. If you were pining for a child of your own, it would have been hard. Everyone was cool and funky. Everyone. Everyone had cool shoes, cool dresses over leggings, cool tops over striped sleeves, cool scarves, cool slings for their babies, cool brooches. But Rach and I liked best the 50 something woman with dark purple hair. Twas awesome. Was also complimented shyly by a teen girl on my scarf from my mother, had to explain it was from Syria.
The last reason I have a new burst of energy: a cathartic argument with my husband, led to a big spit and polish on our home; a concession by each of us about the things that make marriage difficult; a discovery of drop in art classes that take place on my days off; A's suggestion we take a Sunday walk (without The Kid) in the Blackhill national park; the discovery that there is instructed late night lap swimming at my local pool; reading an article that stated the obvious-that's it's experiences not bought objects that make us happy & the simpler the life we lead, the easier it is for an experience to be enjoyed.
And The Kid? He's still good. Wakes up more, would happily sleep the entire night attached to my breast. But he's giggly, good at entertaining himself, enrapt by other kids (cousins, Mums group, childcare) and attached to his parents. He smiled at the sight of his Dad tonight and cuddled into him arms quietly. We also discovered he can fling himself out of his bumboo seat into an upsaide down position with legs over the side of the bassinet, so that was a useful discovery.
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