Things to make and do...

A post (here) on a blog that I follow "Sew Liberated" led me to Google "Nikki McClure" and I found several books by her and also her website (here).  I love the idea of "Things to make and do" towards developing a more homely, less materialistic world to live in.  I wonder if that's the direction that this blog will take in the end... 

At the moment I appreciate that its a little haphazard, and lets face it, with another imminent arrival I don't think that's going to change any time soon.  Random thoughts / whatever I've managed to remember to take a photo of / an occasional recipe or craft item.

Today has been an odd sort of day.  Baby is now 37 weeks gestation and thus termed "fully cooked" and is allowed to be born at any time (but preferably not until the new car seat arrives or I've got some more of the stuff on my list done!)  This morning I woke up having a rock solid stomach for about 20 minutes (that's a pretty long and pretty uncomfortable Braxton Hicks contraction!).  

I decided a change of position might help ease it off.  It didn't.  I got an excruciating pain on the left hand side of my bump, low down near my hip which caught me so off guard that I shouted out loud (at 6.10am).  Big C found himself conscious very swiftly and tried to help me but lying still or trying to move was just agony.  Eventually he managed to get me rolled over and the pain subsided.  Who knows what it was, but he remembers that I suffered similarly the afternoon before I went into labour last time, and hopes it might be a sign of imminent arrival.  Sadly my shouts had woken Little C, but he was full of beans and ready to start the day at full pelt so I was able to put any remaining discomfort to one side and focus on my whirlwind of a son.

My original plan for the morning had been a trip to our local RSPB reserve to see what a "hide" is, look through binoculars, see what wildlife we could see, and have a hot chocolate and cake in the cafe, but having started the morning with such an unexpected pain and with rain forecast for the day I thought we'd give it a miss.  By about 9am though Little C had brought me his welly boots with an accompanying "walk, walk".  

We needed to get some milk, so I thought we'd drive to the next village, get the milk and stop for a short walk at an amazing gorge on the way back.  All went well, the gorge is still amazing and he loved stomping around in the mud, though I was a little cautious as there were steep drops to the raging torrent below.  Then we got back to the car - and it didn't start.  

It's been having a few problems starting over the last month or so, something to do with the battery I think, and I had been meaning to get it booked in for a check-up, particularly since I want to sell it soon.  Because I had come out only for some milk and a short walk I had only brought my phone and a couple of pounds - no filofax (with AA card and lots of phone numbers), no pushchair, nothing very useful at all for a 37 week pregnant lady broken down with a toddler.  My phone has only a few numbers in - I phoned Big C at work to get the AA number - no answer, he was busy sticking big needles into patients as it turns out, and probably best not disturbed.  I phoned my friend H, she came to the rescue with her girls and a spare car seat too.  I couldn't find the jump leads in my garage, so we decided to leave the car where it was until Big C got home, and we went back to H's for tea and cake (and then lunch).  When I got home Big C had left a worried message on my phone and the home number... he was a little concerned that he might have been out of contact when I went into labour.  I reassured him that I was well, and that it was just the car that was poorly.

Thankfully the remainder of the day went better.  A good long nap for both Little C and me, and then a long snuggle watching Winnie the Pooh, then Big C came home early, found the jump leads, got the car started, brought it home and all is well again.

I still feel a little frazzled, but since I've just ordered the fabric for all the projects in Little C's new bedroom, and am just about to tick off another job that's been on my "to do" list for ages, I'm hoping that by the time my head touches the pillow tonight I'll be in a calmer state of mind.  Also, since this morning's performance, apart from a good few reassuring wriggles from baby, everything has been calm in my uterus all day, so hopefully a good night's sleep on the way.


Random photos from my albums this time - just ones that I liked, because I've hardly taken any the last few days.