My post earlier in the week about life as an introvert seemed to strike a chord with some readers of DorkyMum – it’s always nice when that happens – so I thought I’d expand a little bit on one of the specific challenges I’ve faced.
Knowing when to say yes, and when to say no.
What a lovely little weekend that was.
It was the winter solstice here on Saturday. The shortest day of the year was a sunny one, filled from dusk until dawn with light and brightness.
DorkyDad and I went out to the Winter Feast on Saturday night – a loud and lively celebration of local food. It was the only DARK MOFO event we went to together. DorkyDad had been to listen to poetry and music at the Odeon Theatre last week, and DorkySon and I spent a merry afternoon with our mops at Yin Xiuzhen’s ice sculpture, but Saturday night was special.
DorkyDad and I were lying in bed the other night. We were laughing.
“He’s like you,” he said.
“No, no, no. Don’t blame that mess on me,” I said. “He’s all you. Every last bit of it. It’s all your fault.”
It was a shock to have a son. It was all a shock, actually. Pregnancy, labour, birth… that deep intake of breath that came when I was handed a solid little body for the first time.
I was so sure it was a girl. We had chosen her name. She would arrive calm and quiet in a rosy glow. Instinct would kick in and the rest would be easy.
Ha!
That’s what DorkySon says now. ‘
“Ha! Tricking you!’
Wee bugger.
Dear DorkySon.
Now you are four!
Didn’t we have a grand old birthday weekend? A night in a lovely hotel on Friday, and a walk round central London on Saturday. We saw the duck boat on its way to the Thames but decided it was too cold to get on one ourselves. You gave a big cheery wave and a hello to every policeman that we saw, but didn’t like watching the guards changing over outside St James’ Palace because you thought their guns and big heavy boots were too scary.
Then home, for your proper birthday; far too many presents from all your generous family and friends – including this wonderful painting of Old Jack’s Boat by DorkyGranny – and so, so much food.
It amazes me, that tummy of yours. It seems you can always fit a little more in… especially if it’s roast potatoes or chocolate cake on offer. But then seeing you constantly running around – climbing under one thing and jumping over the next – it’s no surprise that you need a lot of energy to fuel the engine. Continue reading
It is International Women’s Day on Friday.
Last year, I marked it on my blog with a post about Save the Children’s campaign to give women around the world access to reproductive health care.
This year, my thoughts have stayed a little closer to home, and I’ve decided to acknowledge some of the many incredible women who have had a direct impact on my life.
I started the post thinking I would just mention one or two, but as I started writing I found myself overwhelmed – in a good way – and I couldn’t even begin to narrow it down like that.
Women get a lot of stick sometimes, for their cattiness or for being seen as too competitive. True enough, there are some rotten ones out there… but there are also some incredible communities of women who support and nurture each other, and they are far more worthy of our attention. I count myself very lucky that in my life so far the good eggs have outweighed the stinkers by far.
Dorkymum | Stories from Tasmania 