Friend magnets

Now Audrey is sleeping through, I wish I could start sleeping through too. Last night was pretty special. I slept walked and turned all the lights on upstairs on one of my many wakings. I woke up fully clothed, lying on top of my bed an hour later at 3am. What is that about? I guess it must be the stress of being home alone and worrying about Audrey. I also creep in her room several times a night to check she's breathing. I wouldn't mind if she was newborn but she's seven months old!

The snow had fallen on Chorlton this morning. It was more of an icing than the rest of the country by the sounds of it but it was enough to scare me into not driving. I hate driving in the snow and ice. So ended up not going to an NCT lunch in Didsbury as a result, sadly. I sometimes wish my NCT friends were more Chorlton-based as it really is a bit trickier for Audrey and I to just pop along somewhere as we have to drive each time.

We did go to the Chorlton library playgroup this morning though. A lovely expressive lady called Kay reads stories with a group of enraptured toddlers at her feet each Friday morning at 10.30. Mums with babies sit on the chairs around her in a semi-circle. It's my usual idea of hell but I know it benefits Audrey so my New Year's Resolution was to start going. And do you know what? It was actually really enjoyable. To see Audrey's face alone was worth it. She stared at Kay and the other babies and loved it when I involved her in the actions.

Have started to recognise a few faces in there too. Someone called my name out when I arrived and it turned out to be Zoe who runs the design agency I've started hotdesking at. I had only met her at work on Monday and now here she was sat in a playgroup with her toddler Milly and her baby (the same age as Audrey) called Imogen.

Small world. She also knows a mutual friend of a friend called Tess (ex L'Oreal PR girl who has recently moved up to Chorlton from London) who was also there so we all joined the dots on how we knew each other.

I don't know why I'm so surprised, Chorlton is that type of place. It attracts the creative types! Nice to be making more acquaintances though. We moved here only knowing one other couple and now we can't walk down the street without saying hello to someone. Babies = friend magnets.

After the library, Audrey was tired so I stayed out with the pram so she could sleep and we headed to a frosty Longford Park (see pic) before hunkering down for the afternoon in the warm at home.

Audrey went a bit stir crazy by teatime. There's only so much reading books and rolling around on the floor you can do!

As my husband's away, I've lit the fire, cooked a hearty tea and am on the sofa with Dairy Milk and a glass of wine now that she's in bed. Snow, do your worst. We're cosy inside and we don't care...