Visiting Greenwich

A couple of weeks ago I took my daughter to Germany for a few days.
Now it was time to have a mother-son day with my 16-year-old. We decided to visit London and to go somewhere we had not been before - Greenwich.

The first thing you see when you arrive in Greenwich is the Cutty Sark, a famous tea clipper, which was once the fastest of its time and which has now been restored to its former glory. We did not go in, but here is a picture from the outside.

I also sneakily managed to take a picture of the two of us in the glass structure which surrounds the ship.

We visited the Maritime Museum and the old Naval College and then climbed up the hill to the Greenwich Observatory. We decided not to join the throngs of tourists who were queuing to have a picture taken whilst standing on the Greenwich Meridian Line. You can see it for yourself here.
The view over London from the Observatory is fantastic!

Then we treated ourselves to lunch in a noodle house and a trip down the Thames towards Westminster. In all my years in the UK have I never been on the Thames, so I really enjoyed the experience.
There is something very profound and spiritual about rivers ...

Having arrived in Westminster we had planned to head back towards Euston station and go home ... but there were severe delays on the Northern Line, which meant we abandoned our plan and leisurely waled up towards Euston instead.
We enjoyed the street artists on Trafalgar Square and Convent Garden.

Especially this guy managed to draw the crowds.

We finally arrived home in the evening, tired and ready for bed.
It's quite rare these days to spend quality time with my 16-year-old son, who can be quite surly and non-communicative.

So our visit to Greenwich was really quite special!

Visiting family

I spent the last four days in Germany, visiting my family. It was particularly special because my daughter came with me - her first trip to Germany in four years!

We had some fun with some German signs - such as the English notice on the lawn saying "Keep of the lawn" and the ice cream called "bum bum". We greatly enjoyed the weather, sitting by the edge of the Rhein in the breeze and eating copious ice cream. Why oh why do we not have spaghetti ice cream in England??

I also loved being with my mother. Our first proper visit since the funeral of her second husband six weeks ago.
Three generations of women bumbling around, enjoying each other's company, cooking, chatting, walking and visiting.

Although it was only a short visit and the over-night coach trip is a bit of an ordeal, it was worth every moment!
Bis zum nächsten Mal!

Leaving home

She is sitting at the kitchen table, absent-mindedly stirring her coffee. It is still dark outside and the house is quiet – at least another hour before anybody else is going to stir.

Weekend. Today is the day she has been preparing for for so long – and yet she feels entirely unprepared. Unprepared and filled with a certain amount of dread.

Today her daughter will be leaving for university. Her baby!

Suddenly the last 18 years seem to have evaporated into nothing.

She remembers times when life seemed to drag on, when she felt overwhelmed with the amount of work and responsibility and stress of parenting. Times when she secretly hoped that this time might end, her children leave home and she “get her life back”.

How foolish of her! What life had she wanted back, exactly?

Suddenly she is flooded with the clarity and understanding that this has been her life. Her family, her husband, her children ARE her life!

She remembers the day her daughter was born. Holding her in her arms for the first time. The difficult and stressful period for both of them, trying to get the hang of this breast-feeding thing – and then never looking back and enjoying the closeness and the bond of the nursing for the next year.

She remembers leaving her at the school on her first school day, and crying when she got home. As if deep down she knew that this was the first glimpse of the pain a mother feels when she lets her children go …

She remembers picnics in the park and holidays at the seaside.

She remembers the first bicycle and the tears and bruised knees that came with it.

She remembers sleepless nights and caring for her sick child.

She remembers cuddles on the sofa and songs in the garden.

She remembers arguments over homework and household chores.

She remembers … and she realises that they have been on a journey all along, and that this is only another step on this journey.

She looks into the darkened sitting room and her eye catches the sight of the packed bags and filled boxes. Not long now …

She hopes that despite the distance and the new life her daughter will be making for herself, they will still be friends and continue to share their lives as they unfold.

She hopes and prays that they have taught their daughter well, and that their teaching and love and protection has prepared for the world out there.

She prays.

The she hears a sound. A door opening and soft footsteps across the upstairs landing.

She gets up from the kitchen table, wipes her eyes and turn to put the kettle on.

Today is the day she has been preparing for for so long ...