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Mother's day, but when will there be a father's day, as everyone in the world asked me today. I am keeping my powder dry til Tuesday.
Shamefully my wife got up to do the early morning bit with the baby - it was officially her turn and I hadn't woken up (for once) - but I tried to make it up to her later and did the night time stuff, even though I was essentially asleep myself.
I could have done with the whole day in bed, but we'd arranged to go to lunch in Greenwich with my in-laws. It was my mother-in-law's birthday today, giving her a double whammy which trumped all the other mothers in the vicinity. I felt like the effort of travelling across London would kill me, but I didn't start to flag until we were on our way back and it was actually a real tonic to go on a day out (a real gin and tonic too, for a lunchtime aperitif). We took the boat from Embankment to Greenwich which was a lot of fun and pretty convenient too (they even take Oyster card now). It was Phoebe's first time on a boat (as far as I can recall) and she seemed to be enjoying herself, though she was eyeing the bag of presents and I don't think was ready to understand that there were times when wrapped gifts are not for her.
I love London (not enough to keep living here though) and the Thames is probably my favourite part of it: the constant that has been here since the start and is the very reason we are here. But Embankment to Greenwich gives you a terrific journey through the various ages of the city. And then a long boring bit of wharfs and new build apartments as you go down to the birthplace of time itself (as is my understanding). I like those crazy new skyscrapers (that everyone are now calling the cheese grater and the walkie-talkie) and like to imagine the time when they will be as archaic a part of the skyline as the Tower of London and traitor's gate (though that might have to be in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where mutant fish-human Londoners all live in the mud at the river banks).
And though later there would be some nasty sleety rain, the weather was good on the way there and it was a pleasure to celebrate motherhood with three generations of the family. And we had a proper slap up lunch and a couple of glasses of wine and had a fun family time. And although the trip home was less exciting and the sleet bit into my face as we waited for the boat, Phoebe did flirt a bit with a toddler in the seat in front and looked like she might get her first kiss with a boy (until I warned off the young ruffian. I was one once and know what boys are like at that age). But once we were home and I'd done the tough job of bathing my daughter and getting her to sleep, I went to bed at 7.30 and was asleep by 8.30. Lunchtime boozing on top of a sleep deprived week or work provides excellent conditions to sleep almost as well and as peacefully as the dead. It's rare that I get the opportunity to go to sleep just after my daughter. But I think I might do it every time I can from now on. Because sleep is a wonderful thing.
I dreamed that I had to take my Biology A level but couldn't find any notes. Not surprisingly as I didn't do A level Biology. The number of times I have the A level dream is frankly ridiculous. Especially given I am nearly always my proper age in it. And I always accept that my lack of preparation is going to actively ruin my life. I don't care though. Because it meant I was asleep.
