Two years pass by

Just logged in to realise it is two years since my last post. That must be something of a record, obviously it didn't take long for my brain to shut down once I left work. It really is time I tried to reawaken the grey matter. Since last writing I have had a second daughter and am still officially a stay ot home mum. It is fun but hard work and I think it would probably be a good idea to have something else going on in my life also.

The Dream

When Jake opened his eyes it was gone. He knew it had been there just a moment ago, but now all trace of the dream had vanished from his memory. He climbed out of bed and made his way downstairs to start the day. If only he could remember a few seconds from the story that had been unravelling in his sleep. It had left him feeling as though he had missed something, as though there had been some sort of revelation revealed in its telling. As the day wore on he became increasingly agitated. Now he was certain there had been something really special about this particular dream. If only he could remember what it was.

Chapter 1

She opens her eyes with the usual reluctance on hearing her name shouted up the stairway. Some query about papers connected with work. No reference to the day just beginning and the potential for joy it could bring, or even a notion that there once may have been some affection between that voice and her own. She answers with the same tone of reluctance, thinking that once their conversations were littered with reference to political leaders and poets, sometimes turning in a flash to raised voices and excited arguments. Now their arguments were purely of a domestic nature.

Rachel where are those papers I brought home last night?

In the desk where you left them.

Was this really where all those dreams had brought her? Struggling to force herself out of their bed not because he was drawing her back into it, but because what lay ahead held no attraction for her.

He has left the house now, gone to his other life of which she knows nothing. Only that some days are worse than others and that some days are longer than others.

Staying home

Have now been a full-time mum officially for over four months. Originally I left my paid work with the intention of taking up some freelance work here and there and writing from home - but with a two year old running around the house motivation and free time are increasingly difficult to find. Of course you might say 'but you're writing this aren't you?' but really it's not the same as calling up several people to beg them for a few scraps of paid work.
Motivation will eventually come in the form of bills I expect but for the moment there's still some redundancy money in the bank and it just doesn't seem all that pressing. I have to say I really do not miss the office envioronment, but maybe I do miss the opportunity to do something completely removed from domestic life or even dare I say it slightly more intellectually challenging than teaching the numbers one to ten and the various other challenges of keeping a youngster amused.

Real life in Leeds

Leeds has really hit the headlines in the past few days, in a way that could never have been foreseen. The sad thing is that for the last fifteen years or so there has been a massive amount of work done by the people who run the city to bring some major regeneration to what was becoming a faded industrial town. And to be fair there has been a great deal of successs.

To many people living in the UK now Leeds' name has become synonomous with those who love to shop till they drop and to party all night long. It is also now home to many financial institutions as well as big business. Wal-Mart's Asda is based here, it is the home of Ananova news service, and property prices reflect the kind of people the area now attracts.

What a shame then that all most people across the globe will think of when they hear the name Leeds is the home of the London bombers.

Intelligent life anyone?

Came into this blogging business in the hope of finding some real-life intelligence out there in the world of the web. By that I mean comments that go deeper than the sell, sell, sell of advertising or the chit-chat about where to buy shoes and who's sleeping with who.

At the moment I do not have a paid job, which means I spend my days looking after my duaghter. I love her dearly and cherish every moment spent in her company, so do not read this as a rant about toddlerdom, but still occasionally I feel the need to stretch my mind a little further than the average recitation of nursery rhymes or run round the garden.

I thought that web chat would mean endless hours of dissecting literature and musing about the meaning of life - not really wanting to sound too pretentious of course - but so far have been disappoitned by what I have seen and read.

Contradictions to these comments welcome of course.

Virgin Blogger

Must be living in the dark ages but this is the first time I've entered the world of blogging and am wandering in the dark so far. Maybe I'll pick it up as I go.