Feathering My New Empty Nest

Got weighed - put on 1/2 lb Won woman of the year at Slimming World Ate at The Beech House with the boys Continued to clear out the crap Went to Ikea Called in on Michelle for a catch up Drank a Diet Coke Played Twist it with Max Spent too long on the internet Marked up the floor for my new teaching room Ate a SW Fruit and Nut bar Made a list of Ikea items I wanted to buy Charged my phone Weighed myself a lot Drove home when I shouldn't have Spoke a bit of French Ate a pizza Tried Max's Fade Away cocktail - delicious Bought Korean BBZ seaweed thins Took Ellen and Jasmine to the airport

Nothing like a clearcut to realise that you've acquired some bad shopping habits along the way. The legacy of the lean years was to buy cheap stuff that seemed like a bargain. The 'cost' of this has robbed me of hours of my life and acres of my decision making capacity. Every cheap pencil, pack of paperclips, pencil case and notebook ( to mention just 4 of an enormous collection of 'things' ) required a keep, chuck or use decision which exhausted me and I'm only probably 10% of the way through the pile of crap that amounts to my life. I must own over 100 files, 20 pencil cases , a dozen calculators and god only know how many textbooks. It's been tough parting with somehow that might come in handy one day but with a declining number of days , it just isn't worth the bother. The real value in this objects will be the giving away of them in the almost certain knowledge that in a few weeks time I will have a need for at least a few of them. New Rules:

Spent hours trawling Ikea office furniture on the internet Cooked pork steaks for dinner Cried some more Read the weekend papers Watched the Kennedy lost tapes on TV Painted my teaching room white Went to Costco Phoned Theo Sent emails to Tania offering A Level maths books Ate sushi for lunch Listened to Billy Collins' masterclass Fed the cats Deadheaded some flowers Watered the herbs Stroked the cats Drank some red wine with dinner Checked my emails Threw out all unwanted notepads and stationery crap Bought sliced mango Applied Vics to my mosquito bites 

Thank you Billy Collins for this suggestion. I cried a lot I spent too long on the Mac I didn't eat any lunch I painted my teaching room for a while I listened to Billy Collins' Masterclass I stayed home all day I didn't read the newspapers I watched the Rolling Stones Live from the Fonda theatre ( recorded )  I cooked cod for dinner I got bitten by mosquitos I took an anti histamine tablet I washed shelves I threw out maths books I cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast but didn't enjoy eating it  I sent a text to Hedy thanking her for the previous evening I had a hangover I weighed myself I sat staring at the bees on the lavender I drew chalk lines on my teaching room floor I lay on the bed staring out of the window and let the tears fall

I attended a TEDx event a couple of years ago mainly because I wanted to see inside the Royal geographic Society  There was a very decent lunch on offer   I was bored out of my mind with my day to day existence All this for around £40 seemed to good to miss The speakers were mixed .The worst was a self publicist banging on about what she's done for London.  Unsurprising that I can remember more about what she wore ( sunflower yellow ) than what she said. The whole point of giving a TEDx all is that you must give your audience something to take away and think about . She gacve nothing but took our precious time. I rather vainly fancy giving a talk. The subject changes each time I revisit this subject. At the moment it's 'Managing Change' but not in that dull businessy way they bang on about at Corporate away-days. This is the change that we must adapt to when , as mothers, our nests empty and we are left reeling from the shock of having fewer people to care