A Comfy Kind Of Restless

Hey there 😊

Did you all have some Easter festivities despite the unprecedented circumstances we all find ourselves in? I hope the sun shone for you and raised your spirits.

Yesterday we had an ‘egg and yum’ hunt in the Dining room, Kitchen, Playroom and Living room, where the kids got to look for chocolate goodies their grandparents had given us for them, as well as the eggs I had crocheted back when Eldest was two. (I still have the clues I wrote for him then, I read them and smile every year).

Before lunch, we watched Dr Who as a family, using the projector that the kids decided to pool their collated Amazon vouchers to buy earlier this year. After lunch we all sat down and coloured in the fancy eggs on our printed Easter basket templates. This was an activity recommended to us in the school learning pack for Eldest, and it was actually a lovely way to spend a calm hour or so; sharing pencils and commenting on each other’s colourways.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on the X-box, but it was nice to watch the kids discovering new games on Roblox together and giggling as others turfed their characters off buildings or zombies tried to get them…

Today we did another family Easter activity, this time taking two polystyrene eggs each and decorating them with pens, material and/or paper scraps that we’ve had in a Playroom tub for years. Again, this was a surprisingly enjoyable experience!

We also decided to take the boys out for some exercise. We can wander for an hour a day under Scotland’s restrictions, and all in one trip. Youngest wanted to go on his bike, so Hubby took him off in one direction, and Eldest and I set out on foot in the other. It was a very sunny (if still slightly chilly) day, so Eldest took me on what is probably his first “magical mystery tour” of the new decade 😉 he found it surreal that we have to keep away from people so much and that some would literally cross the road when they saw us coming, but Eldest still looped his arm through mine and enthusiastically pointed out all the rainbows on people’s windows as we traversed the surrounding streets as per his hap-hazard wont.

I can’t believe how tall he’s getting…!

Anyway, the NaPoWriMo prompt was:

Today, I challenge you to write a non-apology for the things you’ve stolen.

I wrote many different rhyming and non-rhyming answers to this, but as I was trying to do so as the kids were serenading their dad in the shower (!) I couldn’t really get anything down that I liked the feel of. Below is my pick of a bad bunch 😉

Easter Monday Musing

Long nights awake

Listening to the rain on a window

Above a busy street.

A manhole cover cu-clunking,

But you’re asleep,

And I’m thinking about us

And the many unknowns ahead.

The moments with a newborn’s

Head perfume.

A clock tick

And a promise

Locked deep in my heart.

Hoping osmosis will happen

Because I can’t find the words.

The hereditary bunions

And the bows in my fingers.

The gasp as a reluctant ankle

Screams its defiance

In the first two steps.

My ‘teacher look’

And an antiquated turn of phrase.

Parts of different people’s youth,

Through birth and dissonance.

My Grandma’s yarn.

Large swathes of time

That should have been

Dedicated to housework.

Others’ hopes for me.

Chocolate.

Kisses.

Sometimes both together;

Soon smearing

‘cross a toddler’s hand.

A larger spoon of cake mix

Than the boys’.

But all the things I stole

Accumulated in this whole;

All the wrongs became a Wright

And I can still sleep…some nights.

I suppose it’s on my mind that we are all having bonus moments with each other in this comfy and yes, restless house of ours as things stand. When I listen to the news reports about the devastating effects that Covid-19 has had on other families, and see statistics and coloured graphs, it also hits me that others are having moments they should have experienced ripped away from them.

I feel blessed that I have spent many hours eschewing more ‘productive’ or adult pursuits throughout life in favour of sitting in cafes or bars (or on the phone lines/internet…) talking about anything and everything with the people I care about.  I am a gatherer of stories and memories. I may not have written that best-selling novel (yet), run a business (yet!) or kept a particularly clean house (!) but the human connection over hot beverages and sweet treats has always been worth it to me. I will definitely be indulging in that happy pastime again as soon as I can!

I hope you got to talk to your loved ones near and far over the Easter weekend, and I send you all my best wishes for staying connected and healthy over the weeks to come.

Monty X

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