In just over a week, I will be staring maternity leave firmly in the face and, whilst I’m undeniably excited, the thought of putting my career on hold for a few months is panic-inducing to say the least.
Although I no longer live in London, doing without the buzz after ten years in the capital is something that will take adjustment. When not in the city, I have been in the classroom: again, not a job conducive to having time on my hands. 
The indications are that having a baby will be the toughest job in the world and I won’t have time to think, sleep or eat, let alone miss working. A man on the train (bearing in mind this was First Class) told me yesterday to get a maternity nurse. “Best money (they) ever spent.” I smiled and nodded: a nice thought that within days of giving birth I might be able to watch The Apprentice and go to bed for eight hours, blissfully unaware of nocturnal disruptions … but not an option.
Everyone tells me to enjoy the lead up as it’ll be the last opportunity for a while. So this is what I plan to do:
Writing
Yes, the writing has taken a back seat whilst I sort out the car one, etc. But whilst blog posts have dwindled, I HAVE been working on book number 3. It’s called Foxtail Lily – there’s a bit to do still but, well, watch this space …
I am also investigating getting Rosy George (still a total bargain at 77p) and To Be Honest available as print on demand as there has been a
lot. Thanks to all my readers and everyone who has enquired: these little gems are mine and have pride of place on our new (straight!) shelves but with any luck, soon there will be enough for anyone to order a hard copy. In the meantime, do your bit for the environment and restrict your purchasing power to t’internet:
Sewing
The Great British Sewing Bee (yes, yes, somewhat deludedly I applied: my rouleau straps are more tagliatelle than spaghetti) but that Threadneedle Street studio looked so amazing and the tasks so tempting, I had to give it a go). Anyway, I’ve made a few things and, inspired by my friend Katie, set up an Etsy shop, LittleBearStitches. The photos are crap but it’s a work in progress. My current favourite thing to make are personalised, monogrammed hats. Very therapeutic. (Katie’s wonderful shop can be found here).
Reading
Forget the ‘new parent’ books – there’s only so much conflicting information I can take. But I came across a new mother’s thread about people wishing they had read more for pleasure before having a baby. So I have gone out and borrowed / bought:
- Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn – too many people have told me to read it to ignore them
- Apple Tree Yard, Louise Doughty – again, the reviews are impossible to ignore
- Bring up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel – never a great one for historical fiction, I am nevertheless giving this one a go. Two Booker prizes can’t be a mistake.
- Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, David Sedaris – bought for my father for Father’s Day. I’ll wait ‘til he’s read it
- Mary Barton, Elizabeth Gaskell – a chilly classic and one I missed at Uni
Watching
I’m not a massive fan of TV – unless it’s The Great British Sewing Bee. But despite agreeing with most of the content on Stylist magazine’s top fifty box set list last week, the ones I’m interested in aren’t all on it. I’m going to 
get Jeeves and Wooster (which I see is coming to the West End with the lovely Matthew MacFadyen), re-watch Summer Heights High and My So-Called Life (which did make the list). I recently finished watching the only ever series of Freaks and Geeks, which I can’t rate highly enough – watch it.
That’s the plan. Of course, in the famous words of the Duchess of Cambridge, ‘babies have their own agenda’. So we’ll see.
PJ Young Books 