The Magic of Freedom

Last Friday the boys visited their grandparents and stayed with them for the weekend. It had been arranged a few weeks ago and the boys had been looking forward to it, but not as much as the Hubby and I were.

We don't often get time on our own.

Other than a visit to Jamie's Italian in Nottingham we had no other plans and couldn't wait to enjoy our time together.

Morgan's Milieu | The Magic of Freedom: Wollaton Hall (round the back)
Wollaton Hall

After dropping the boys off on Friday afternoon and returning home the Hubby and I went for a long walk. We love walking (most of the time) but normally have to put up with the boys either playing and making shooting noises, or arguing constantly. It's never a peaceful walk. Friday's walk was, we walked along the canal near our house, enjoyed the sun, but mostly enjoyed the peace. It's amazing the topics you can cover when you're not being interrupted every five seconds. 

Friday evening was when we visited Jamie's Italian and had a filling and tasty meal, a belated anniversary celebration. Once we'd finished at Jamie's we strolled through Nottingham and headed for the Casino, unfortunately it was not a good visit and we soon left and headed home. A good movie and a bourbon and coke made up for the casino loss. 

On Saturday morning there was an eerie silence as I opened my eyes. No little person stood beside the bed urging me to get up at 6am, there was no one nagging me to get up and do breakfast. I rolled over and looked at the clock.

8:30am! 

A grin pulled the corners of my mouth and I stretched, I don't remember the last time I was still in bed at 8:30am. The great thing about it was there was no reason for me to get up immediately, but I did anyway. 

Instead of hurrying into the kitchen and making breakfast for three people before myself, the Hubby and I got straight into the car and drove to Wollaton Park. The sun was out, there was no sign of rain, and we thought it would be another great opportunity for a walk. 

We walked from Wollaton Park all the way into Nottingham, had a Pret sandwich for lunch and wandered around. We didn't have any plans, we didn't do anything in particular, just talked. It was lovely to walk around not thinking about where the kids were and what they were doing. 

When you have the kids with you you're constantly looking around to see where they are, checking they're not being naughty, or making sure they're still with you. My mind never rests because I'm always on guard, worrying, arguing, and ensuring the safety of my children. 

Walking through the city, with no kids in tow, was wonderful. I was an adult and the only person I needed to think about was me.

The whole weekend was filled with walking but it was brilliant. I was less tired after doing nearly 30,000 steps than I would've been after a 2 mile walk with the kids.

The best thing about the weekend was the freedom. The stress and pressure of caring for little ones was gone, we could just be ourselves. 

A couple, walking hand-in-hand, chatting. 

Morgan's Milieu | The Magic of Freedom: A silhouetted couple holding hands at sunset.


Just us.