Oops! Where did the year go?

I can barely believe how long it is since I’ve posted here — almost a year! — but it’s All Good™. Life is good! I’m (obviously) a year or so older, and frankly, that’s the main difference. Really, a year is not such a long time when you’re my age — the poor, doddering old thing that I am. I mean, my daughter has just turned 21. That makes me ancient by definition, right?

Gemma spent her 21st birthday in the snow at the top of a mountain in Switzerland. I’m guessing there are worse ways to spend your 21st. (It was certainly a darned sight different to my own.) I picked Gem and her dad up from the airport last night when they returned from their 3 or 4 weeks of holidaying in Europe. Despite the plane being delayed 3 hours and arriving at 1:45am (which added up to a total of 39 hours in transit for them, so was a far worse thing for them than for me) Gem was happy and excited and that’s a rather satisfactory thing for a doting old mum to see.

As we were heading back to the car and I was rummaging in my handbag for the parking ticket, my ears beeped. Oops! I’d accidentally pressed a button on the remote control which — uh — controls — my speech processors. This remote control lives in the deep, dark recesses of my handbag. I fished it out (eventually) and reset it.

Wow! Loud noise! Much, much more sound coming from all directions. Double oops, then. I recall the many times recently I’ve missed hearing softer noises that I normally would hear, such as the “ding” of my iPhone when a text message arrives when it’s in my handbag or in another room of the house. I’m guessing that the last time I was in a noisy situation and switched the program over to the one that dulls down background noise so it’s easier to focus on speech (probably a week or two previously) I forgot to switch it back again. Sadly, I’d even considered the possibility that this had happened at the times I was actually aware that some sounds seemed a bit muted (or totally absent) and thought that “next time” I was near my handbag I’d check the remote. Then forgot. Oops oops oops oops oops.

Unsurprisingly, I was really struck by the difference in how well I could hear everything after the reset. (Rather handy, given that I had to drive home with an excited chatterbox in the car that I now didn’t have to strain to hear.) Duh. Oh well, live and learn!

Gemma and her dad were duly deposited at their home and, after inspecting Gemma’s important new acquisitions of a rather gorgeous soft leather jacket from Paris, and some stunning Gucci heels from Milan (while all the time making suitably approving noises as expected of a mother under such circumstances, but as quietly as possible so as to not wake my sleeping son) I returned to my own modest little haven for a wicked, wanton and wondrous BBBB before finally turning out the light around 4:30am.

Ahhhhhhhh. Despite the fact that my kids being older is a poignant reminder that I’m not the spring chicken I once was, there’s rather a lot to be said for not having wee bairns underfoot anymore. Besides which, all three kids are really wonderful young people. I wouldn’t go back for anything! And in spite of my (rather numerous) “Oops!” moments, I can’t help thinking that they, too, ultimately just lead to better things.