Saturday Fun

Lucy is back. Seb's riding instructor went to another stable for a couple of months (basically since Christmas). He's had a couple other instructors during the interval but none of them quite connected with Seb the way Lucy did. Well, we don't have to worry about that anymore. Yesterday, they decided he needed a different pony so we are saying goodbye to Manny and welcoming Penny. Also, Lucy and he have agreed a goal for his first riding competition in September. He's excited. I'm nervous!

Our neighbour, Jill (the woman who used to own our house), Abigail, and I went to the fabric store to get our fabric for doing our sashing and borders for the quilt blocks we did last year. Jill's got totally different colours (pinks/blues/purples) than I do (burgundy/greens,/yellows) and it was fun getting lost in the fabric store hunting down the perfect matches. Jill and I both agreed that getting lost in a fabric store is almost as much fun as getting lost in a library!

I forgot in my book group post last week to Congratulate Maria & Martin (and India) on the birth of their gorgeous little boy, Finlay. Marc & I made dinner for them and took it round to their place. Marc actually did all the cooking. He makes this most wicked Prawns in Coconut Milk served with Ginger, Turmeric & Coriander Rice. It's an excellent meal to drop round to the home of sleepless parents. India, the big sister, the coping well with her new role of big sisterhood.

I went out last night with some girl friends. It is amazing how circles of friendship get formed and grow and intertwine. Keeley, Kate, Melissa, Amy and I all met at our NCT (National Childbirth Trust) birthing classes when we were pregnant with our first children. We bonded in the strangeness of being taught to pretend to write our names in the snow peeing standing up (fully clothed, of course, but no less humiliating given we are women, not men and had only known each other for about 6 hours). Vanessa joined our group when we met her in our water aerobics class and the birthing classes put on at the local hospital, which Marc & I went to to make sure the NCT had "nut and berried" us to death. We just wanted more than one perspective....but that's another post. Vanessa is also a midwife. A very good midwife. I do believe she has actually delivered a couple of our babies. I, for one, know, for sure, I felt better having access to her infinite birthing wisdom. And Adrienne met Keeley and Amy at the NCT classes they took with their second child. Adrienne, Keeley and I all live on the same road. We find our circles of life interact often.

The girls met up at a Greek restaurant, Anatayla , in Windsor. The food was great. There was lots of wine. And the entertainment was impressive. The belly dancer only managed to get Adrienne to her feet and she gave it a good go! Later in the evening after copious bottles of wine had been consumed we did get up and dance in between the tables. I find the whole dancing in restaurants thing odd. In Colorado you can't dance in a place that doesn't have a cabaret license. Typically only nightclubs have cabaret licenses. Nobody cares here. Kate told me to imagine I was in a miniature nightclub. With no men. That's right, there were very few men in the restaurant. and the ones that were there, weren't dancing! We had loads of fun and the taxi driver got a kick out of the fact that he dropped 3 of us back along the same street. Thanks to Amy for getting us all organised and booking the restaurant.

In our drunken stupor a few plans were made (short, medium and long): all the girls are going to go see Melissa perform in The Full Monty in the Old Windsor Memorial Hall in June, Adrienne, Kelley and I agreed to run the Windsor 8K in September (so now is the time to start training again), all the girls are going on a short break skiing in February 2008. I think there was more but my head is a bit heavy and my memory is a foggy.

I'm feeling a bit worse for wear but what a fabulous evening! I loved the giggles and Keeley is an amazing dance partner!