So, it’s been two years since I last updated my blog. Once
again I’ve been useless at this blogging lark. Does it make it any better that
I have regularly thought about writing posts for the blog, but the longer I’ve
left it the harder it’s been to actually get round to it.
If you know me, or you’ve followed my previous blogs, you’ll
know things tend to change a lot for me!! My last post was about me having met
a lovely guy (G) and being really happy and of course things have moved on
somewhat since then!!!
I’m no longer seeing him, we’re still friends as he is a
really nice guy, but two years ago I decided I wanted to be single and stay
single. I loved having my own space and spending my time how I wanted to and
not worrying about anyone else apart from my children. I decided that I would
stay single until my children were grown up and then I’d consider another
relationship, but until then I’d be happily single. There was no way I would
consider having anyone move in with me, as I say, I liked my space far too much
and really didn’t want to share it with anyone else apart from the children.
A week or so later I got a message from a friend I’d met at
dancing a couple of years earlier but who I hadn’t seen or heard from for over
a year. He wondered if I fancied meeting up for lunch and a catch-up…
Well, to cut a long story very short, despite me being
adamant that I was staying single and under no circumstances would be allowing any
man to move into my house we have now been living together for over a year.
Sometimes, no matter what you do or say, if you’re meant to be with someone
then you’ll end up together…. And yes, I
am happier than I ever could have imagined!!
One of the (very many) things I love about Adi is that right
from the very start he has been adamant that the children come first and has
always taken a genuine interest in them and wanted to get to know them,
accepting that each one of them is an individual and that they all have their
own quirks and likes and dislikes. The first time he came round to meet the
children they immediately took to him and there was a moment when my youngest
asked him if he’d play a game with him. Adi got straight down on the floor and
played the game with him and that little voice in my head said, “He’s the one!!”
It’s lovely to see how well all of the children get on with
him, he treats them with respect although he also regularly makes them groan
with his awful jokes. My eldest especially has developed a good relationship
with him and they will have a laugh and a joke, often at my expense, lol.
Apart from all of that excitement there’s been lots of other
things going on too. I’m no longer studying
with the Open University, instead I’m currently doing an Access course at my
local college and have been offered a place at Lincoln University which I am
incredibly excited about. I had signed up to do the Access course way back in
2009 but a wobble in my confidence about my ability to do it and no support
from anyone around me meant I gave it up before I even began, but studying with
the OU made me realise that I could easily do the Access course if I could cope
with the equivalent of second year at uni level study and Adi has been
incredibly supportive, to the point of giving up his job and taking a more
local one with flexible hours to help me out when I’ve needed it. I know if I’d
ever had a moment where I thought I couldn’t do it then he’d have done whatever
it took to make sure I didn’t give up.
In other exciting news I am now divorced at last. It’s been
six years but I now have that piece of paper that marks my freedom. Once I’d got over the initial excitement of receiving
the final paperwork I did feel a bit like when it’s your birthday and you don’t
actually feel any different to how you did the day before but every now and
then I have moments when I think, “I’m free! I’m free!” The children all took
the news well, as I had expected them to as it’s been so long since I left
their dad anyway. They did ask if I was going to change my name now but I like
my surname, I chose it for us when we all changed our surname about 10 years
ago because my married name was just so horrendously awful. So, the answer is
no, I’m not going to change it just for the sake of it.
As exciting as getting divorced was, something even MORE
exciting happened last year – I went to see New Order play live for the very
first time (for me, not for them!!). I’ve been a fan of theirs since the late
80s when I was growing up in Manchester and I still have very vivid memories of
listening to their CDs on my discman on the bus to college of a morning. Yet in
all that time I’ve never seen them live. Adi bought me the CD of them playing
at Bestival and I told him that next time they do a concert I’m going to see
them no matter how much it costs, so you can imagine my excitement when they
announced last year that along with their new album (which is fantastic) they
were doing a tour and I managed to get the first tickets for their
Wolverhampton gig as soon as they came on sale.
The show was amazing, not only were we first in the queue
(much to one fan’s disgust as he apparently is always the first in the queue
but we’d been there for an hour already when he turned up) but we also got to
the front of the stage and just happened to be right where Bernard stood for
most of the show. I can’t put into words how fantastic it was to actually see
them play live and to be in a crowd of several thousand people all singing
along together.
Of course, being human we’re never satisfied, and getting to
see them once wasn’t enough, next I decided I have to see them live in Manchester
where it all began. No prizes for guessing where we’re off to in July…..!!!!!!
I’ve seen quite a few music and comedy gigs over the past
year or so – Josh Widdicombe with my eldest was just brilliant. He is
absolutely hilarious live, we will definitely be going to see him again next
time he tours. Joe Lycett was really good too although I was really surprised
that he was on in such a small venue with only a couple of hundred in the
audience. Sarah Millican was good, but not as good as I was expecting her to be
from seeing her on TV.
We took my 15yo to see Imagine Dragons last year and they
were amazing. I have to admit to not knowing their music that well until that
night but the show was amazing and I am now a huge fan. We hadn’t planned to
take her to it, but I got two of my other daughters tickets to see Panic! At
the Disco and didn’t want M to feel left out so knowing she liked Imagine
Dragons I looked to see if they were touring and it just so happened they were
on in Nottingham the following Friday, hence a very quick purchase. It was M’s
first concert and it was so lovely to see her face, she absolutely loved it,
and I happened to bump into someone from college too Panic!
Was fab too. That was S’s first concert and she loved it too despite the noise.
Amazingly, although we were a long way back in the queue we managed to get into
the front row for that too so both girls were extremely happy!! Next week it’s
my eldest son’s turn and we’re going to see Muse which I’m sure will be great
too.
