“Why aren’t you at work?”

Firstly, a Happy New Year to all of you, thank you so much for popping by my blog this year, I really appreciate it and hope you enjoyed it.

New Years Eve 2002

“Why aren’t you at work?” I blearily said to Mum, she was in her uniform making a cup of coffee in the kitchen as I came in after celebrating New Year’s Eve.

“Erm, because I have finished my shift” she said with a slightly exasperated tone.

Blearily looking at the clock made things worse.....I understood what the hands said but not how it could be that time.

“Is it broken?” I wondered, (blearily) aloud.

“No”, sighed Mum.

Earlier that evening...

My best friend Lisa was home from Inverness and we had not caught up for about 2 years as we had been busy, she had travelled the world, updating me with the most amazing postcards and photos and I had married and had my first baby. So we had a lot to catch up on, we looked through photos and played with my baby. Then we put away the photos and passed over the baby and got ready and went out.

Disclaimer: This photo was from New Years Eve 1996 (I think)

A lovely evening in our seaside town catching up with old friends, finding out many of us were now parents, had proper jobs and were doing some fab things with our lives. Eventually we settled into a quiet-ish corner of The George & Dragon with a bottle of white and talked and talked and talked of hopes and dreams, of startling realities and a bit of good old gossip.

Eventually, tiredness overcame us and we wandered along our old haunts to home, I remember us giggling as to who was going to see who home, our parents lived either side of our local church and graveyard, we settled on half way through and shouting to each other.

…………………

“Is it broken?” I wondered (blearily) aloud.

“No”, sighed Mum....

“Well, I don’t understand....” I replied.

“You and Lisa have been out all night”

“We have not...have we?”

“Yes dear, do you want a coffee?”

“......”

Mum was a nurse and had worked the night shift, she came home at 6:30am closely followed by me. We genuinely had no idea of the time, hadn’t checked and just went with the flow. Fortunately, the baby was with my brother until lunch-time so I got a few hours shut-eye.

I will remember that night as one of the best ever New Years Eve, only beaten by the year 1999 into 2000 which as we were out watching the fireworks it occurred to me why I was feeling out of sorts and the warming spirits I had tried to consume before we went out had turned my stomach. I remember telling my husband that just maybe, by NYE 2001 there would be a new little Hart person.

And there was; my new millenium baby, Louis.

Thank you Sian for hosting Storytelling Sunday again. Perversely, I have less photos than normal. Although I think we can all agree that after seeing my sparkly silver cardigan, fringe and those bleary eyes we have had more than enough.