Being human...

Ok, it is official...I am frigging cold.

Not just on the odd occasion, all the blooming time. I am really feeling the chill in the winter air, around my nether regions and in my bones. Do you think this is an age thing? Am I able to ask the government to support me with my heating costs?

I have visions of me wrapped in a blanket, with one bar of heating on in my lounge and the door shut just so that I can keep the heating costs down and my body warm.

Ok, so things haven't quite reached that extreme, but I think I am the only one feeling it in my house. The hobbits are still wandering around in t-shirts at home while I have four layers and thermal underwear on!! Attractive bird me!

I went to our works Christmas do last night, so on the way home from picking the hobbits up from school we did the fish and chip shop run, purely for convenience.

Simply leaving the car and walking to the local chippy made me feel cold. The trouble is I can't seem to get warm again.

Thankfully there was a solution in the chip shop.

There are two chairs in our local chip shop, so I snuggled down in one with my scarf wrapped around my chin, trying to warm through.
"Come round this side and warm up," says our local chip shop man laughing at me, "you won't feel the cold behind here."
"Maybe not, but you'll make me work for the privilege." I said, hugging myself tighter.

At this point a woman of about 70 walks in, makes her order then seeing me sitting comes to join me. Inevitably, seeing my pathetic attempt at trying to stay warm she mentions the cold wind. We make polite conversation and she seems nice and friendly.
"I need body heat," I say, "you know like they do in extreme cold. All huddle together and keep warm."
"Cuddle up to me dear," she says.

So I do. She is warm and smells nice, like grannies should.

We probably sit like that for a few minutes chatting about her day, while the chip man shakes his head at me, smiles and prepares the hobbits order. Moments later another lady comes in and getting the gist of what is happening suggest that we all join up.

Can you imagine the headlines? Scandal...three generations of girl on girl action at the local chip shop?

Thankfully my order is ready, as I may have been a bit put out having to share my hot water bottle of a granny. However, it was nice just to be sitting there with her, shooting the breeze and getting to know people in the community.

We are all so busy, that there is a part of me that misses that feeling that the community know who you are and care about you. Ok, so the chip man knows me, and he knows that two out of three hobbits like fish and one like nuggets, and that they always have apple juice with their meal...but the old days when people really knew each other, and looked out for each other, whatever happened to that?

It is a British thing you know. Having lived in the Canaries for many years I immediately saw the difference on my return. The Canarians are incredibly warm and friendly people. Totally family orientated and will look out for you and the children if they are out.

The British (not all) are genuinely quite a distant bunch, and quite hard in their judgement...every mother here knows that if your child plays up in the supermarket what sort of looks we get from passers by. How many times have you exasperatedly said to your child for the millionth time, please don't do that, stay near the trolley, don't pick your nose, before losing it altogether at the moment someone walks past you and tuts at your impatience and disgusting behaviour to your child?

My hobbits played me up in a very big way the other day. They are of course excited about Christmas, tired from the school term...but everything I asked of them, they effectively stuck their fingers up at me.
Finally I lost it..."GET IN THE CAR NOW!!!! I AM LOSING THE WILL TO LIVE!!"
Consequently scaring the crap out of them.
At this point another mother I know from the school walks past and catches at me at my most vulnerable moment...a hobbit induced stress out.

She was actually quite nice, and as I apologised for my stress and alerted her to the bad mother award I was about to receive, she just shook her head.
"We are all doing it hun, don't think it is just you."

Thankfully someone who recognised that I wasn't just being a bitch, I was just at the end of my tether. Kids push, and push, and push...and sometimes we stay up...but on other occasions we topple. Doesn't make us bad people...it makes us human.