Frazzled Catch-up

It's been far too long so this is sadly lacking in detail.

Saturday 21st
Freya went to new LAMDA drama session - for the previous 2 LAMDA exams, she, L and M formed a little group who went to M's house and did their drama lessons there, just the three of them, but now M has started a group on Saturday mornings. Although I miss the chance for a lie-in, it's working pretty well so far as I can usually have coffee and chat with someone for that hour and it's a chance to pick up anything I need in town and still only 11.15 when we get home. It's a bit of an adjustment for Freya and for L being in a bigger group, with older children and both sexes, but it seems OK so far.
Back home Freya had a bath (and we had a bit of an unbloggable thing) before we went to the pool where she was meeting a group of other girls for N's swim party and sleepover.
They all had a lovely time, with a swim, pizza and a film. J and I watched some things and I think I made some home-made burgers, or did we have curry?

Sunday 22nd
Picked daughter up, and in the afternoon we went to Apple Day, which I really don't like, so I mainly did sitting at the cafe bit and complaining about it on Facebook. 
It's a chance for Freya and friends to wander around with a bit of independence though, and I had some nice chats with people. And a portion of apple crumble, so no harm done.

Monday 23rd

Freya had her first Geography session. A teacher comes to K's house Monday mornings and there are 4 girls in the group. So far she is liking this too. She was invited to stay afterwards to play. When I picked her up I was invited in for a Red Rose Restaurant experience (see previous bloggage or you might have seen photos on Facebook). This time round the food was a bit less experimental and very good indeed!

Tuesday 24th
Think we had a day at home, but I can't remember, really should have kept up better, damn.

Wednesday 25th
Freya had Forest School, then a quick bath, then off to Brighton by bus for French, back for Fencing - it's our most difficult day for logistics, but luckily Fencing guy R is very genial about us being late, so the stress levels don't get too high overall. I usually get to spend an hour at A's having a cuppa and a catch-up, which I like, too. 

Thursday 26th
Took Freya to Dancing, had a nice sit and chat at C's, with C and M. Later on, took Freya to Guides, and I went to see my mum, who was happy and healthy. There were some beautiful big photos in the lounge of film stars and other pin-ups, such as Ava Gardner, Clark Gable, Audrey Hepburn, Elvis and others. So we did a bit of looking at those and talking about them. Freya had a good session at Guides.

Friday 27th
Friday Club - the 2nd of two Magazine making workshops run by M. They all took in their pages to put together. The finished magazine is great, massive variety of ideas in it. We popped back to K's for an hour or so.
Strictly and Curry in the evening, hooray! Maybe some Breaking Bad later, can't remember.

Saturday 28th
Took Freya to LAMDA drama, had nice coffee/chat with C amid complicated phone and text arrangements for swimming or not later. 
M's mum M kindly took Freya to the pool in the afternoon and back - slightly different group of 6 there, for the usual Super Splash inflatable obstacle course.
J cooked even though not his turn, which was much appreciated - I am often getting dinner for us on Thursday from the kebab shop (wraps, falafels, houmous, grilled veg, salad, chilli sauce...), when I pick Freya up from Guides.
More Strictly, hooray again! Liking this year's group.

Sunday 29th
Working day for me I think, trying to remember. I certainly had a ton of work on. And more curry in the evening, oops. Busy busy.

Monday 30th
Again, Freya had Geography (mainly at the moment studying water cycle and rivers), and she stayed afterwards to play. Back at home, I worked like mad, as I was gradually realizing I'd taken on a bit too much.

Tuesday 1st October
We had M dropped at ours earlyish to hang out for an hour before I took them both to Creative Writing. I came back and worked like mad again. Freya was being picked up by C to go back and play with L and M at theirs, so I had a long working day, which I needed.

Wednesday 2nd October
Freya went to Forest School and C kindly took her to French for me, due to my scary workload. I worked and worked, took Freya to Fencing later and took my laptop with me. M made sure I didn't miss out on a photo opportunity and took this:

Thursday 3rd October
More work for me, having had 2 hours sleep, not the easiest of weeks. Was supposed to deliver at midday but had to ask for an extension. Fortunately a very reasonable and understanding client. I took my laptop with me when I took Freya to dancing, sat and did a bit in the doorway area! Then home briefly before heading out to another new activity for Freya - an art group. Really good, she went to a couple of summer workshops there a few years ago and I thought it looked good then, but couldn't really afford it at the time. Two of her friends go. 
While she was there (2 hours), I sat in Costa and worked more, feeling very stressed and tired and frazzled really and facing more of the same as would need to pull an all-nighter on top of only 2 hours sleep the night before. When Costa was closing, I decided to go and sit in the church near the art group venue - it has beautiful stained glass and I knew it would be cool and dark and I needed a moment just to sit and do nothing and breathe. So I went in and sat down, still having to lug my laptop (have to have the big heavy one for my work as the little convenient one can't run the software), plus Freya's Guide uniform, ready for her to change after art. 
Gradually felt the calm of the old church creeping into me, was lovely. Just reached a proper stopped feeling and then my phone rang and I panicked as it felt all wrong to have to talk on phone in church, dropped my bag with laptop in, in efforts to rush out whilst saying hello to J, who wanted to talk about dinner, nearly tripped over bag, said 'bugger' then a sort of 'oops' about saying 'bugger' in church as I reached the door. Calm destroyed!
Was nearly time to pick Freya up, so headed over there. They had been preparing designs to paint on their chairs and then painted the chairs white, ready to paint the designs.
Picked Freya up and we walked to Guides, realized I hadn't brought any snackage or drink for her, and she really could have done with it, so not an easy walk at all. 
She enjoyed Guides though. I lugged my laptop (survived encounter with hard church floor, probably protected by Guide uniform) home, and came out again 20 mins later to get dinner and pick her up.
Freya had been making a magazine to take into Friday Club, all week, so she and J stapled those whilst watching some Quantum Leap episodes, instead of me doing a 'bedtime'.

Friday 4th October
Finished work 8am or ish, what a relief! Shame as it was a fun job, but not the best week for it really, but just the way it turned out. 
Then planned Book Club very speedily, had already got most of it but needed to pull things together and print out some things.
At Book Club, Freya gave out her magazine, which was well received. It has an interview with J and I about our propensity to wear black, a bread recipe, how to draw a Minion, a guide to onesies, anagrams to solve (of Strictly Come Dancing people) and many other great articles/items.
Book Club was on the theme of "Growing Up" and we had read "Geek Girl" by Holly Smale, "Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret" by Judy Blume, and only a couple of us had read some of "Every Soul a Star" by Wendy Mass.
We got off to a late start, discussed the books very vigorously. We do questions for discussion on pieces of paper, folded in a cup. The first question took more than 20 mins as so many of us had lots we wanted to say, so had to speed up a bit after that. We still didn't get through everything I had planned, so am going to carry the subject over. I was assisted by L, who gamely joined me in answering personal questions live e.g. "did you look forward to growing up?" "what did you want to do when you grew up?", "what do you like best about being grown-up?" and stuff about periods and crushes and posters on our walls...
The discussion got very loose in the last half hour, but the girls wanted their say on a lot of experiences they have as part of increasing independence. The details they mentioned really brought that age back to me, how the realities of growing up aren't so much about your body changing at all, often more about the mystifying world of other people and analysis of interactions in detail. Anyway, it was all very lively as usual, and interesting.
Afterwards Freya and I went back to K's for an hour or so, where I had a good chat with K and Freya had a good time with N.
It was nice to get home and actually not have to do work and I tried to watch Breaking Bad later but had to go to bed, unsurprisingly.

Weekend
Saturday Freya had LAMDA drama again, and I had another lovely chat and coffee with C. 
Came home to find J making bread - yum! In fact I think I'll have a bit of that toasted in a minute!
I did a nice veggie bake for dinner, with marrow, potato, carrot and a cheesy (not cheese though) vegetable sauce. And we watched Strictly.
Sunday we met old friends in Brighton for a pub lunch, which was lovely. Good to see them, must be a couple of years or more I think. Good food, good company, lovely day.

Monday 7th
Had a bit of work, which I did whilst Freya was at Geography and playing afterwards with N and L there.