Monday, January 25, 2010

Blues and the Red Tent!




Eugh! If there is one month I really loathe in a year, it's January. After a lovely Christmas, lots of hunkering down with family in the warm, home cooking, playing games and laughter, everyone tootles back off to school and work and I'm left with the grey sky and endless mounds of washing.
It's a looooong month and everything always seems to be dragging it's heels and getting off to a really slow start.

My midwifery interviews seem like aaaaaaages away and now I'm worked up because, despite getting the interviews and doing OU Human Bio next year and getting 80 and 90% on all my GCSE Biology assignments so far, I'm all bothered that I won't be "science-minded" enough to do it, despite the fact that I'm strongly of the opinion that midwifery is a holistic vocation that slots neatly into both art and science. I don't know if I'm just chomping at the bit, anxious to get started, or really bothered about this. Too many grey days where I can't get out and get dosed in Vitamin D is doing something to my confidence.



Still, we've booked our summer holiday, which really is something to get excited about. We have decided to have a big blow out holiday this year as from next it'll be unlikely that Mr Beehive, myself and the kids will be able to have two straight free weeks together for a while, so...we're going to Kenya! I'm really excited. The boys have always wanted to see the animals in their natural habitat, so we're having a week in the Masai Mara and a week in Malindi - whoop whoop!



I'm also reading a great book at the moment, which I have to share with you; it's The Red Tent by Anita Diamant It tells the story of Dinah and her family (she was the only daughter of Jacob and Leah in the Bible) and the Red Tent, the tent used by all the females in the family or commune during birth, their menses or postpartum. It weaves a wonderful tale of the solidarity of sisterhood and motherhood, kinda like girlpower in the old testament!
This was the place the tales of birth were told and witnessed, stuff that used to be handed down from generation to generation and now comes from NCT classes or the NHS in the form of a handout, no wonder birth has become managed and clinical!

Well, it's time for me to get under my duvet with a cup of tea and my book - I'll see you when I come out of hibernation in the Spring ;-))

No comments: