Thank God it is Saturday. This week has been lovely, but quite a challenge. Mr F has taken the baby out shopping, complete with bottle and instructions not to come back for a while. I’m taking the opportunity to process a few things that are going on at the moment.

Greenbelt this year was a very different festival to the last few years. All my shortcuts to places seem to rely on flights of stairs: not do-able with the pushchair so I spent a fair bit of time exploring. Messy space (in the bottom of the grandstand) was a real gem. Somewhere to sit quietly and feed the baby without it mattering if he decided to be loud. I ended up bumping in to a couple of people I hadn’t seen for a while there (neither of us knew the other had a baby). In fact, Greenbelt was all about the people this year. People from college who have left, people from college who I will see again in a couple of weeks, friends, relatives and random people from the internet (that’ s you guys – lovely to meet you / see you again).

Normally the talks have been the highlight for me, but I managed to hear only two part talks. I tried to find the forum called “I am a mother” when we got to the site but, in a moment of extreme lack of spatial awareness, was unable to find the correct tent so ended up in (I think) nuts cafe hearing part of a talk on science and religion. This was fine except that when they needed to grind coffee or make smoothies I couldn’t hear anything. The coffee and chocolate brownies were nice. After coming out of that tent, I then realised that the tent I had been looking for was right next door with a big sign on it saying its name. Ah well. Later, I heard most of John Bell’s talk on miracles, until a very explosive nappy* forced me to retreat to deal with it. Mr F and I are going to have our annual downloading of talks mp3s shortly so I should be able to catch up on the things I missed. Thanks to those of you who have blogged about it for suggestions.

The baby celebrated his first festival by sleeping through the night 3 times in a row. Then he stopped and went back a few weeks. This did not do wonders for my energy levels. I particularly did not like the day he insisted it was time to get up at half past four in the morning. This week I have been making the most of having weekdays free by going out, meeting people and doing things. What with one thing and another, there are only about another 3 full days I have free before college starts. Anyone with any plans, or wanting to meet up (hey Michelle, are you still reading this?) should get in touch soon.

Yesterday I wandered (literally, a 5 mile round trip pushing the buggy – boy was that a hot and sweaty experience) over to college, had a lovely time chatting to people and then was really surprised by an answer I found myself giving to a question of Jude’s. Jude was asking about life with a baby and how I was finding it. Now I’ve taken to it much better than I thought I might, but I discovered that part of me is still mourning the loss of a final carefree summer before work starts. I had big plans: trips to Israel and possibly a placement in New Zealand. I always knew that we might have a baby this summer, and I’m so happy that we have. It just appears that in the parallel world where we don’t have a baby, I’m off doing something exciting and a small part of me wishes that I was. How bizarre.

In between trips out this week, I have been using feeding time to re-watch season 2 of the West Wing. I think it is my favourite series. This morning was the Stackhouse Fillibuster. Genius.

Well, they have been gone a few hours and now I’m really looking forward to seeing Mr F and the baby again. Just a bit of peace and quiet was what was needed. I might even go and have a short nap.

* sorry, I hope you weren’t eating. I appear to have turned into one of those people who will talk about their baby’s poo at any opportunity

On a high shelf in my kitchen I noticed a gadget I have not used for a while.

Mmmmm toasted sandwiches. The perfect quick lunch.

This evening I am not frantically packing and baking ready for Greenbelt. This year I am only going for the Saturday so need take only that which is required for an 11 week old baby on a day trip. On second thoughts, maybe I had better start packing. Very much looking forward to seeing you there if you will be there. Particularly looking forward to JTL’s flapjacks and Auntie Doris’s fairy cakes. Those of you who are unable to be with us due to living in Australia – sorry that you will miss out, but that does mean more cake for the rest of us. Still, Greenbelt seems to happen every year – maybe we’ll see you there one day.

The official letter arrived this morning offering me the post of Assistant Curate at St North’s by the Sea* (and several other villages). So this is the beginning of the end of college life. Most odd, since I am just working up to starting a new year and getting excited about modules and placements etc.

Things to add to to-do list:
- buy robes
- finish MA (will need to start this first)
- move house (hopefully someone will find us a house)
- stay focussed on the here and now and not get too invested in the future

ah yes and…
- reply to letter, saying yes please

Oh my goodness this is all feeling horribly (and also wonderfully) real.

* Yes it would be lovely if this were the real name of the parish. Sadly not, merely an apt description.

I know where I am going to live next year.
Hurrah!

I blogged earlier this summer about Patrick Gale’s Notes from an Exhibition. Since I had enjoyed that so much, I bought another of his books: Rough Music with some vouchers I had been given. While not quite as sad as the other one, it still tugged at the heart strings and is worth the effort. I then re-read Notes and found it even better second time round.

I’ve also re-read Harry Potter 7 and Artemis Fowl 3 (I think).

This week I’ve started The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho* Davies. Quite enjoyable, but a bit low on plot. All theme and characters.

The next book to read is The Book Thief

Today I am sitting on the top floor of my parent’s house utilising the wireless network I just installed. The rain is lashing against the windows, straight off Cardigan Bay. I am keeping lovely and warm due to the hot bundle of baby I have strapped to my front. He has taken possession of one of my fingers so I am having to type one-handed. Life is good.

*as in Thundercats… Ho I assume. That is how I say it in my head.

This week I’ve been indulging my geeky side and trying out a new browser: Flock. It is based on the same code that Firefox uses, but interacts much more with Facebook, flickr, del.ico.us, blogger etc. As with many internet related things, I found it utterly captivating for the first few days, but now find that it doesn’t keep me occupied for long, leaving me time to do the things I normally do on the internet. I’m using the Flock 2.0 beta because it is based on Firefox 3 rather than the current stable release which is FF2 based. Have a go… you might like it.

In other news, the baby is now 9 weeks old and currently engaged in the thrilling task of catching the wooden rings on his baby gym and making them swing. He is definitely more effective than he was a couple of weeks ago. Can’t quite believe how fast he is growing and changing. The summer is going by all too quickly. I’ll be back at college and he will be at nursery before I know it. Best make the most of it while I can.

Yesterday I went to the wardrobe to find something to wear. Feeling a little more adventurous than the jeans and top approach to sartorial elegance that I have been modelling for a fair while, I looked in the side of the wardrobe with skirts, dresses and general smart items that require coat hangers rather than folding. Hidden among the suit* I found an item that had clearly never been worn since it still had a tag on saying Sale – £7.50. Hurrah! Surprise trousers and very comfy they are too. They are blue and the kind of lightweight cotton that is great for days spent half sweltering in the heat and the other half running to get the washing in from a sharp shower. I have no idea when I bought them or why I didn’t wear them straight away. Still, mustn’t grumble.

I’ve been meaning to blog about Last Choir Standing for a while now, but I kept thinking of other things to blog and didn’t want to waste two ideas in the same post (ideas being rather rare at the moment). What a cracking programme for a Saturday night (and now Sunday night as well – hmm they want two of my evenings?). I loved the audition episodes at the beginning, but I’m finding elements of the studio heats a little annoying. First of all, why all the choreography? Would you not get a better sound from the choir if they were concentrating on the music? Secondly, why do they have to learn all the music? Most choirs I have seen (or sung in) sing from books. Is this limiting the type of choir that can join the competition? These niggles probably stem from the realisation that I can neither remember moves, words or music without them being written down in front of me.

This evening’s show was somewhat interrupted by getting the baby to go to sleep but I saw each of the choirs sing once. Although I want the City of Bath Male Choir to go through, they just weren’t good enough tonight. Hopefully the lovely Grenville will inspire them to sing better in the Sunday show. I was rather chuffed that I guessed both the choir going home (thank goodness) and the one going through.

* not a typo – I have only one.