6. Duvet day

We finally had sunshine and what did I do? I bailed out of two days of park/pub in favour of a couple of pathetic duvet days. Two whole days. Pathetic because they weren’t even proper duvet days! A proper duvet day would involve Cary or Audrey, or at least a bad Jen Aniston rom com and left over pizza. There was no milky hot chocolate, no gin, no wine. And definitely no hot body beside me. Instead picture a ‘successful’ grown-up spending two days at her laptop catching up on Saturday Kitchen, Nigel Slater and Graham Norton* while going through the finances, replying to emails, creating a new blog and drafting a 3,000 word essay on critical thinking. All of the above might’ve been acceptable IF I had been at home in the garden or in my own bed. I wasn’t.

Here’s the thing, it’s not a duvet day when you’re in your mid thirties and you’re staying with your parent. Or when the reason that you didn’t go out was that you had a mini meltdown. Btw don’t worry I’m OK now. Back to normal: I pop down to check on Lovely Parent, ‘yes darling I’m fine thanks I’m watching Formula One. Oh darling, darllllllinnnnng, can you pass me my… and make me a cup of tea. Oh and there is that X in the fridge. Maybe, if you have time you could…’ Yessss Lovely Parent. This is why I should always leave here at the weekend. When I finally get back to my work/Nigel- there’s something apt about the ordinary looking food writer from Wolverhampton championing ‘Unsung Heroes’ – I realise that Lovely Parent’s guest has arrived and that if I want peace and quiet I’ll have to plug in to Sam and Dave. Not entirely conducive to writing. Argh.

I am slowly learning to be selfish, kind, and to accept that I can’t do everything for everyone. That’s therapy for you.

*The Graham Norton Show, BBC:  Will Smith etc. were funny last night but the episode with will.i.am, Miriam Margoyles and Greg Davis is an absolute classic.