Quality Time

Last weekend was a busy one. To be honest, most of my weekends are but it’s usually a case of trying to cram a week’s worth of chores into two days. This was different.

First of all my ten year old was off to cub camp on Friday night (indoors not outdoors thankfully).  He is the most confident, outgoing child I have ever met.   He amazes me sometimes because he is the exact opposite of his worrywart mother.  Needless to say he left me without a backwards glance, whereas I fretted over whether he would be warm enough, have enough to eat, whether he had the right clothes.  I knew of course that I would spend the weekend missing him and that he would come back full of the joys of a good time.  I did and so did he.  But he was a very tired little boy who did want a cuddle from his mum which was comforting.

It wasn’t the only parent-child event of the weekend as I went on my own little jaunt with my mum, her sister and my brother’s wife.  I love my mum (it goes without saying) and these days I feel I can tell her most things (I was a secretive teenager and young woman) but recently, well for a long time actually, we haven’t spent much quality time together.   I left home when I was 18 to live in London and only came back for brief visits over the next 9 years.   And then I had my boys and life post-children has been more about them than it has about us.

But it was my mum’s 70^th birthday at the beginning of October and, as I am becoming ever more conscious of the passage of time, I decided that we needed some girl- time. My mum loves musicals but doesn’t get to go very often (my dad hates them).  She used to go with her sister (who, as I was growing up was like a second mum to me) but they haven’t been for a while.   And to make the party complete there’s my brother’s wife. She loves music and theatre but like my dad, my brother is not a fan.  So I looked around and booked tickets to see Calendar Girls which was on at the Liverpool Empire and I thought it would be just the thing for a girl’s day out.

I’d booked matinee tickets as I thought that would be nicer than travelling on a dark winter’s night and my S-I-L picked up my mum and my auntie and brought them to Chester (they live around Wilmslow) and then we got on the train to Liverpool. The theatre is just around the corner from the station which was ideal.  We pre-ordered interval drinks and took our seats, which were at the front of a new section in the stalls so we had plenty of leg room – Row J if you ever need it for future reference.

And as for the show, well, what can I say, it was brilliant!  The cast included Lynda Bellingham, Jan Harvey, Rula Lenska, Jennifer Ellison, Debbie Chazen, Ruth Madoc, Joe McGann and Bruno Langley (Todd in Corrie).  They were all brilliant and in places I was crying with laughter.  It was wonderful to hear my mum and auntie (who is eighty next year) giggling away like school girls – a real tonic.

Afterwards we admired the Christmas lights and went for a chinese, then it was back on the train home. 

I really enjoyed myself and spending time with the women who have made me into the woman I am today was a real treat. Its made me determined to organise more time together – time is precious after all. In the busy world we live in its often difficult to make the time for ourselves but last weekend has taught me how important it really is.

Take care everyone.