Move over May!

The brilliant thing about May is that in the UK it starts and finishes with a bank holiday!  Yay!  Anytime away from work is good time right?  Well, I worked most of them so that puts paid to that.  It was three years since I left home!  That produced a whole raft of emotions, as did the end of the month when I spent the weekend with a group of loved up mummies…. Anyway this month started with my London besties birthday. 

 

So we partied for C’s birthday and had a few (and then a few more) drinks and a bit of a boogie.  Then a week later, there was another friend’s birthday – this C’s birthday took me on a wee trip out of London – it was great, we had BBQ in the rain and caught up on lost time. 

 

There were the games of touch that we have mostly lost.  We managed to win one and I caught the ball about 3 times!  I was beyond excited.  I might have done a wee dance on the field.

A lot of baking got done.  There were the test batches of biscuits for what I like to call festival of biscuits.  We have discovered that biscuits cooked and frozen turn out better than dough frozen then cooked.  Something to do with the butter I reckon.  I have made 5 batches in the last few days, actually I have made 7 but we ate two at the pub.  Yummm!  I am still laughing that one of my friends who works there, was asked by a random punter, where is the lady with the biscuits?  Which makes me wonder, if, you can never trust a skinny cook, will I be able to get down to my sisters wedding weight.

Book club came and went – the first one ever without a book being chosen.  We are now reading a Jack Whyte book which is actually ok.  A friend who was having trouble with his flatmate joined us and was a little surprised at what book club entails – not a lot of chat about the book, but a lot of wine.  He came over for dinner a few nights later and we ate a weeks worth of veges in a yummy stirfry.

I took a trip to Margate for work.  It was beautiful.  I loved the trip down, I slept most of the way there and back.  I even enjoyed the work conference, I found it interesting and was amazed to think that when I landed in London, three years ago, that I didn’t have a clue what match funding or defrayment were and now I understand every word.  After the conference , I sat in the sun and looked at actual sand.  If you have ever been to the UK you will understand how rare that is.

A friend came to stay and it was like a big sleep over.  In the time that she was here we had a house full of friends over for dinner most nights and a great time.  I love hosting people in my home, I love cooking and baking and having a few drinks and not having to leave the house.

I worked 15 days straight.  That was insane.  Once I finished on that fateful Saturday, I headed home and downed a few ciders in the garden with my flatties.  Then I put on a nice dress, straightened my hair and headed out to my friends leaving do.  It was great fun and we all got a little messy.  I danced the 15 days away and laughed my wee head off.  I fully stand by the fact that it was a shot of Jager that finished me off, but it probably had a lot to do with the vodka that was downed before that.  It was so very sad to say goodbye the L, she has been a large part of my London experience, in fact a lot of people’s London experiences.  To see her put on a nice dress and straighten her hair and party hearty was just wonderful.  London will miss you Hun!

The next day was the London Sevens.  The day dawned a bit dreary – so we all dressed up warm and were then rewarded with a beautiful sunny day.  Cider was downed as the Kiwis lost to Fiji.  After that there was just more work.  Late nights and more touch.

The last week of the month was very emotional.  It always is when I have had a heavy night drinking.  And you know what?  My London family stepped up.  When a visiting relative could not spare me an hour, my London family was outraged on my behalf.  When I was sad at not having someone in my life, they danced with me.  When I was sad about not being a Mum, a shot of Jager was put in my hand and I was reminded that I could not do that if I had to get up in the morning to kids.  In short/long they reminded me that they think I am pretty cool and that I needed to shake off the sadness. 

 

Which I started to do today.  I woke up with a smile and headed to work.  Went for a run and then walked an extra two tube stops.  It helped that I got in first and pinched and punched my Dad virtually – yep we are kids, but he loves it when I drunkenly text him that I am singing Pink Floyd, Wish you were here.  He doesn’t need to know that its followed by me going mental to Katie Perry, Firework.  Here’s to June – a months of concerts, races and trips away.  Bring it on June.