Writing Workshop - Perfect Moments and Secret Rooms

One of my favourite bloggers, the fabulous Josie from Sleep is for the Weak, has started a Writing Workshop. She has only been blogging for a few months but has fallen back in love with words and language.

I feel exactly the same. I hadn't written anything (apart from work stuff) since I left school *whispers* over twenty years ago! I started this blog in May and have thoroughly enjoyed doing a bit of writing. I read certain other blogs with envy, they are so well written, so eloquent.

Sometimes I try to write posts that are more than simple factual accounts. I'm particularly proud of the post I wrote about Cash 'My baby smells of strawberries', also the post I wrote about Presley going missing 'I can't find my little boy'.

Like most endeavours, the more you practice the better you get. I'm hoping that Josie's prompts will inspire me to be more creative. My time is limited, but I'm hoping to join in with the Writing Workshop most weeks. I already have around thirty blog posts half written in my head, all my own ideas or inspired by a post that I have read. All of these can wait today.

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Share a perfect moment

The boys were ratbags this morning. I hate to say it, but it's true. While I was feeding Cash, Presley took every book he could reach out of the bookcase. When he couldn't reach any more he piled up some books, climbed on them, and made it to the next shelf. Threats of incarceration in the playpen fell on deaf ears.

As soon as I could reach him, I threw Presley in the playpen. I tidied up the books. They used to be in height order, all my Anne Tylers together, next to the Helen Dunmores. The reference books were together. Nowadays they are thrown in higgledy piggledy. 'Timequake' by the late great Kurt Vonnegut sits on top of Peter Kay's 'The Sound of Laughter and underneath 'The Rough Guide to Barcelona'.

I had just finished tidying when Cash crawled over, pulled himself up the bookcase and grabbed hold of 'My Booky Wook' and threw it on the floor.

You see. Ratbags.

After lunch - and thank goodness for highchair straps - I wanted to change their nappies.

Perfect moment coming up...

Cash laid down on the changing mat for me, face down. I may change a lot of nappies, but even I haven't perfected the bum-in-the-air-change.

Whilst Cash was waiting, looking up at me and smiling, Presley came over and climbed on my lap. He just wanted a cuddle. I wrapped my arms around him and he relaxed onto me, his head on my shoulder. His breathing slowed and his arms tightened around my arm and neck. I breathed him in. I gently rocked him. This is the best feeling in the world.

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Imagine an extra room in your house just for you. Time would freeze as you stepped through the door, leaving your life frozen behind you and giving you unlimited guilt-free time to spend there. What would you fill it with?

I love the idea of time freezing. This would be amazing. I would love to be able to step through a door and have some serious guilt-free me time.

My secret room would be huge. Light would flood through enormous clean windows. One wall would be full of books. I'd have to have one of those library step ladders on wheels.

Under one window I would have a big old desk. On the desk would be my laptop and loads of lovely stationery: notebooks galore, pencils, pens, note cards, envelopes, every colour highlighter they make, post-it notes in all shapes and sizes and Tippex mice. Oh and coloured paperclips. I guess there are some things I miss about working in an office!

On my desk would be an enormous steaming cup of coffee, a flat white or an Americano with milk. Next to the coffee would be a massive slice of cake. Mmm, orange and poppy seed one day, coffee and walnut the next. All calorie-free of course.

In one corner I would have a large craft table. I would be able to leave all my card making paraphernalia out, ready to use. It would never get dusty, or get caught in a draft.

In another corner would be a sewing machine and piles of fabric gorgeousness. And I'd be able to sew.

Finally, there would be the most comfortable sofa in the world (I'm imaging battered leather and soft fleecy throws) in front of a roaring real fire. I would sit there with my feet tucked under me and read and read and read and read.

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Thank you Josie, I thoroughly enjoyed that!