I feel love

There’s a lot on my to-do list at the moment. I want to take Oscar to the aquarium at the Hornimum Museum, I want to see the Taryn Simon exhibition at the Tate Modern, I want to see FELA! at Sadler’s Wells before it closes on 28 August. And there’s plenty more.

You’d think I’d have loads of time to do all this, being a stay-at-home mum and all, but seriously, my days just vanish. Along with my complete naivety in thinking that Oscar would only play with French wooden toys (no, my once-tasteful abode is now adorned with brightly coloured plastic shit) and sit and read books rather than eating them like sandwiches, was the assumption that I’d have loads of time on my hands when I wasn’t at work. I soon realised that actually, I am at work. Looking after my little mite, entertaining him, deciding what he’s going to wear, organising his social calendar (which is markedly more exciting than mine) and puréeing organic veg is more time-consuming than one might imagine. Combine that with trying to keep the flat in a habitable state, being a decent girlfriend, doing a little bit of exercise and seeing my family and friends every so often and that’s it – time = gone.

Christian and I have made an effort to go out recently though and it’s been amazing. We are lucky enough to have family close by, so we can pack Oscar off to his grandparents for the night and let loose a bit. Back in June we went to a Beyond the Clouds party at Corsica Studios which was pretty incredible. For me, there’s always a high point, and when Lil’ Louis played Donna Summer’s I Feel Love, everyone went totally nuts – the atmosphere was blissful and there’s something quite euphoric about being part of a moment like that…I found this clip on YouTube of said moment on said night, and I’m getting a bit tingly watching it again:

Last Friday we did the same. Oscar went off for another mini-break (this time with his Uncle Jack & Auntie Alessia) and we headed over to Shoreditch for Derrick Does Disco Dammit for a party with Chicago house DJ, Derrick Carter. By the time we got there about 1, the dance floor resembled a rammed Swedish sauna. Seriously, it was so so hot. Making your way to the bar was like crawling through the Sahara, desperate for a drop of water, and it was clear that we either needed to embrace it and sweat our faces off, or leave. We chose the first. Once I got into it I was actually loving it. Yes, I was huddled in a scrum of wet-clothed men, but the music was obviously great and I was happy enough with the opportunity to relax, let go and have a good dance. Furthermore, I’m told (by those wiser than I) that Derrick Carter’s skills were pretty phenomenal too, so desert-climate aside, we managed to keep partying till 5am.

So maybe I’m not doing too badly after all – I have an awesome little boy, a great, great boyfriend, lovely family and friends and the opportunity to go out and dance all night. I’m quite a lucky girl really, hey?