Anyway, I digress. Last weekend, I had a delightful weekend away with my best friend - 2 whole nights and almost 2 full days with no children or husbands! I have to say, it was utter bliss! This was the longest that I have ever been away from my two little darlings. I had a night away in Bath for my sister's 40th birthday do earlier in the year, but it was only 1 night and just over 24hrs, and so I didn't really fully relax and switch off from being "mummy". 2 nights however, definitely allowed me that luxury!
We went to Ludlow for the weekend. It was somewhere that neither my friend or I had ever been to, and as we are both history-lovers and there is a great, historic castle bang slap in the middle of Ludlow (where Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon went to live after they were married), as well as lots of little shops, restaurants, tea rooms etc, we thought it would be ideal for us. My other reason for wanting to visit Ludlow, was to go to the Clearview Stoves showroom. If you ever happen to be n Ludlow, it is well worth a visit, even if you're not interested in stoves! It is in a Georgian mansion - Dinham House, by the walls of the castle, where Napoleon's brother and family lived while in excile. The house is beautifully decorated in historic colours, with locally produced furniture and accessories dressing each room, as well as lots of the Clearview stoves on display and being demonstrated. It's like visiting a National Trust property that happens to have lots of woodburners dotted around!
The weather was fantastic for our whole weekend - sunny, clear blue sky and 21 degrees both days. We had a little lie-in both mornings, before a lovely cooked breakfast in our hotel, and then a leisurely stroll into town. It was so nice not being tied to any schedule or fixed meal times, and having to only think about ourselves - no need to pack bags of snacks/drinks/wet wipes/coats/jumpers etc etc for the children. No whining or moaning about sore feet/being bored/thirsty/hungry/tired. No tantrums over wanting sweets/toys/snacks/whose turn it is for something. Just pure unadulterated mooching around, browsing the shops, stopping for lunch when we got peckish, stopping for a pimms or three when we got tired!
We came back on Sunday evening feeling truly refreshed. Both my friend and I are SAHMs - I have two boys, and she has two girls and a boy. We both rarely have time away from our children, so we both luxuriated in the freedom of being away from children and housework. We're hoping to make it an annual treat....have to see if the husbands are willing!
And for once, I think the boys had actually missed me. They are so used to me always being there, that by Sunday afternoon they were starting to get concerned! Maybe absence really does make the heart grow fonder...
No comments:
Post a Comment