Monday, June 10, 2013

#T'YOUsday: Reading Again

New-Mum-Online
I used to be a reader. When I was quite young I would stay up all night sometimes rather than leave a book. I couldn't leave it sometimes, I was so entrenched in the place and the story. I was Heidi, I was Charlotte Sometimes and I was Jean in A Pony For Jean and its two sequels. Later I was at Flambards and anywhere that Noel Streatfeild went, went I. I have still have all the books to prove it - except Jean. I wonder what happened to Jean?

I stopped reading during my O'level and A'level years. Too much guilt about unfinished homework. Whenever I wanted to read a novel I would be painfully aware that I should be reading schoolwork instead.

Gap year on a kibbutz and I was, in my mind, conquering the stock exchange in NYC with Jeffrey Archer. Then, for a change of scenery and lifestyle I spent a week being Meggie in The Thorn Birds - which made our basic kibbutz conditions seem positively luxurious.

Back to college and guilt years all over again. My social life didn't suffer you understand, just the reading.

Finally, no more exams and I was a reader again. And I was a spinster single teacher, which meant long lazy summer holidays with no hint of routine. Read until you fall asleep, get up to shower and eat and read again until you fall asleep. That was pretty much how I spent my 30s.

And then DD came along and then I gave birth to Midlife Singlemum. Reading couldn't compete with these two demanding babies of mine. I rarely had my bed to myself - either DD or the blog would be taking my attention on any given evening.

My friends mostly bought me books for my big birthday last year. Here they are. I was so excited when they arrived from Amazon. But I never read any of them. Not one. I had got out of the habit of reading. I wasted all my free, me time online.

Some of my birthday presents from last September
After a long cold winter spent huddling together under the duvet, our trip to England, moving out for renovations, and moving back in to chaos - I've finally got us sorted out and firmly established our separate rooms. (Sometimes this still happens but mostly it doesn't.) In the past two weeks, in the sanctuary of my own bedroom, I've returned to reading. I've read four of the books in the photo and used up the remainder of the gift voucher with an order for two more books.

It's good to be back.




This post was written for the T'YOU'sDay linky. Follow the links below for more posts about mothers who make 'me' time. This is a blog hop after all. 

10 comments:

  1. I can relate to this so much. Oh and I LOVED the Thorn Birds - had it on VHS too.

    Yes I often could be found in Aaron's first two years saying because of him I never have time to read, but yet I had time to blog - clever you saying it means we have two babies - you are right!

    Things got better when I got a kindle, as it had a night light and I would lie in bed next to Aaron and read it - the light ONLY faced the "book" so did not at all illuminate/disturb him.

    What was ironic was the time that I read the most: last year when my employer was going through administration I read ALL THREE of the 50 shades of grey books, on the kindle. I was working 12-14 hour days (3 days a week) but devoured those books as I needed a distraction.
    My job had also been like a baby.

    BUT the light was attached to the cover of the kindle which Aaron broke. So that lovely pattern came to an end.

    I replaced the kindle but never the light, but did get back into reading, a few months ago and even read a book (Honour) for Brit Mums book club.

    I now make time for reading as I know my sanity needs it.

    Great post m'darling and thank you for taking the me time to write this post.

    I hope to see you dive into those books.

    Liska xx

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  2. The only bit of the post I did not read before commenting was the last paragraph and I now see you have already read 4 of the books.

    GO YOU!!!

    xxx

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  3. Ohh good for you, I love reading and will happily turn the computer off and head to bed with my book. IN fact I'll be doing that in about 10 mins. Mich x

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    1. I'm just rediscovering that pleasure. It's strange how an addiction (my online habit) can go on even when it's less fun that doing something else.

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  4. I hope you'll write reviews of some of these. Always looking for good reads! Glad you have found the time to go back to something you loved.
    GIlly

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    1. Thanks Gilly. If I find a book I really love I'll definitely review it. So far they've been very very good and I've enjoyed every one but nothing mind-blowing.

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  5. My reading habits changed when I needed glasses and then verifocals, couldn't get comfy in bed with a book any more! Glad to report I now give myself lots of daytime guilt free reading and ignore the housework :)

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    1. I thnk that was a factor for me too. I didn't read for a couple of years when DD was small but I think some of the problem was that it coincided with needing reading glasses. I'd forgotten all about that.

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