Fantasy Land in NW6

COOK is a relatively new chain of food shops which sell homemade frozen ready-meals without additives or E-numbers and branches are sprouting up everywhere in the UK.

This one in North West London is where I purchased a tasty and wholesome lasagne yesterday as my London-based daughter had planned to join me at my Airbnb apartment.

These 24hr visits I make to the capital started about eighteen months ago as an opportunity for daughter to fleece my purse and save one night’s meal budget having started studying in Westminster, and for her to dilute any loneliness worries having left home and the quiet farming countryside where she was born and raised.

My visits – occasionally accompanied by Man of the Woods but mostly alone – initially helped daughter to feel that ‘home’ had travelled to her for a mid-week treat. I was always careful not to make the visits too regular; once a month perhaps in order that she should continue her journey to independence, with a small set of stabilisers (which she no longer needs but still enjoys nonetheless and let’s not forget, she is just 19).

A year on and I still book an Airbnb room/apartment now and then, though they have become more mini writing retreats for myself; short me-time minibreaks, away from my business workshop which is right outside my backdoor. There are many positives about working from home, but one slight negative is that you are never ‘off duty’ compared to people who leave their place of work and come home to relax and unwind.

Man of the Woods accepts these mini breaks now as part of his wife’s outlook on life. While I am the wife of a farmer, I was never cut out to be a traditional farmer’s wife. I admire his amazing mother who cooks three meals a a day for his father, but that’s not just not me. And that’s ok.

So here you find me, people watching, about to have my nails done because nowadays I make time for myself, and I’ve learnt to smile and wave at any opinions from others who see that as selfish. Hard to break the habits of a lifetime, those of guilt for spending time like this.

An Earl Grey with milk, the buzz of London, my present read and I’m in heaven.

Guess who I saw today?? OMG this area is littered with famous actors it seems …

My daughter and I had lunch in the cutest rustic Mediterranean cafe, newly opened, and in walked Paul McGann… He’s done loads!!

and later on, after daughter returned to her office and I moved to another cafe and sat having that cup of earl grey, I was only half concentrating on my novel, I glanced up as a man walked his two children across the road and caught his eye… he smiled. HE smiled AT ME!!! Robert Webb, from ‘Peep Show’ and ‘That Mitchell & Webb Look’ … very funny guy 👌🏼

(He’s a polite man, that’s all 🙄).

Nothing frigid about me – quite the opposite. I’d have had his babies there and then 😂😂🙈🙄

Right. It’s Friday morning.

Phone down missus. Type another chapter …. 👍🏼

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/frigid/”>Frigid</a&gt;