Thursday, June 22, 2006

This morning

I checked that Johnny was still cuddled up to Mr Monkey in his cot in the sitting room, and had a bath. Pulled on some clothes and went back in to the sitting room, have a look into the cot. Johnny's now wide awake, giving me his usual big smile from the bottom of the cot, both arms stretched out. As soon as his shoulders are off the sheet he straightens his back and legs to get on to his feet as soon as possible - this is new in the last couple of days, he's so keen on being vertical that he'll pretty well refuse to sit down or lie down. He sits in my left arm as I pull back the curtains. It's a London kind of day, nothing special, a bit grey, but as usual we inspect the world quietly for a bit, cheek by cheek. I like the way that someone normally so full of beans can appreciate the quiet moments too. Then it's time to switch on the radio (without letting Johnny grab the remote control), change a well-filled nappy, feed him, chuck him in bed with his sleepy mother, and head off to Brixton tube station.

Why am I writing this here? In case I should ever forget.

3 comments:

Beatrice said...

Awww, maybe you have a future sportsman on your hand!

Anonymous said...

Nice. Without wishing to spoil the moment with analysis, blogs are special in this way. They allow people to share such moments without involving pretence or presumptuousness. Blog postings remind me of displayed photographs, they are public snapshots of one's thoughts and experiences and their display involves placing no obligation upon the viewer. Visitors are free to stop and contemplate or else to pass by.

Francis said...

Yes - I think that pretty well hits the nail on the head. I'm not entering any prose competitions, I just want to put up something that people who recognise the feeling will share, and the rest will ignore.

In a world where every form of self-expression has been professionalised, it may take a little effort to support the real voices of real people, but I think it's worth it.