T-minus

Things I will not miss:

1.  The endless shitty nappies.  I estimate about 435 in total.  That's a huge pile of poo.

2.  Pushing 35kg of children-plus-buggy over cobblestones and botched pavements in heavy rain, and occasional heavy sun.  With whining.

3.  Being smeared with foodstuffs and nasal emissions on a daily basis.  Being thoughtfully passed bogeys for disposal.

4.  The utter, desolate boredom of playing with cars.  

5.  The hair-trigger, monstrous tantrums.  Theirs, not mine.

6.  The boca del infierno that is Schuman metro, and all its immediate environs.  I loathe the Schuman quarter deeply, from the dark, brown, greasy, foul escalator that brings you up to the surface; to the quasi-warzone it resembles when a summit is on; to the clumps of heeled and tagged EC visitors clotting up the bad pavements with vapid conversation, and not getting out of my fucking way.

7.  Always being in a monumental rush, and eating lunch (often crisps) in a ten minute window between jobs.

Things I will miss:

1.  Baby C.  I don't want to think about how much I'll miss her.  Everyone adores her.  She is a funny, sparky, cuddly little monkey.  Up till now her words have been mainly giggit (biscuit), goggot (yoghurt), cheese (cheese).  Yesterday while I was changing her she said quite clearly "CROCODILE".   She tells off children three times her size with a wagged finger and "Non! Non! Non!".  And she likes to snuggle against me, giggling.

2.  Oddly enough, the exercise.  Pushing children around all day is exhausting but it has been a great workout.  Might have to find a bloody gym.

3.  Sitting in tall, green parks in all weathers watching the birds.  My swan, A85 (or Naomi, as I call him.  He will often turn up really late, just as I've finished feeding all the crows and geese and then get all hissy that there's no bread).  Peaceful times spent sheltering in copses during a downpour.  The Canada Geese and their ambulant crèche, looking like something out of Jurassic Park.


And that's about it.  My families have been good, and kind, and fair.  And I am grateful to them for the secure foothold they have given me in these first few months.  

One more week now.