Tea-totalling fun

Hi there, Reader!

How are you? Did you have a good summer? I sincerely hope so. Haven’t we had some exceptionally fine weather? I got to do one of my very favourite things this summer, but I’ll come back to that later. Having resolved to give up drink for the month of September, I’ve been forced to reflect on fun things to do, that don’t require* any alcohol.

*Technically, nothing actually ‘requires’ alcohol to enjoy it - ya know; dancing, weddings, meals out...technically, they can all be enjoyed when you’re not drinking. Am just mentally sifting through the weddings and events that I attended (as an adult) and didn’t drink and usually this was because I was a) hungover OR b) Pregnant (but never both, what sort of person do you think I am??). But we don’t actually need to drink, do we? Have you ever been at a wedding and witnessed the kids, skidding across the shiny, parquet floor on their knees (before being hoiked up by some killjoy adult)? They didn't need booze have a good time, did they? Chances are, they were having a far better time than you were - you poor, drunken sap! (Sometimes, in the quest for a natural ‘high’ I have been known to copy my kids and roll down hills or climb trees, it doesn’t always end badly.)

Two days dry now and am still waiting to be suffused with feelings of wellness! I thought that I wouldn’t meet my first hurdle until tomorrow, when I’m going to a big, family lunch (where the wine usually flows like water). But actually, my first hurdle came last night when I went out for dinner with the immediate family. I don’t drink much when I go out with the children, but I would usually have a glass of wine and had to content myself with a cranberry juice instead. (If you think that giving up drinking for a month is not really worthy of fundraising: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Shyama-Kasinathan-dryathlete2016, especially when compared to running a marathon or shaving your head, may I suggest that you try it yourself; it’s quite scary to see how much alcohol plays a part in your life.) And this morning, how unfair is this, I felt hungover without having touched a drop. Perhaps it was the rich, heavy meal, but I slept very badly last night and woke up with a dry mouth and fuzzy head (and was plagued by demons in the early hours).

So, anyway, enough moaning, back to the fun things:

1. Swimming in the Sea (One of my favourite things to do in the world, ever!)

You don’t need drink to enjoy this, in fact, I (and everyone else) would strongly advise against it. I’ve always loved swimming in the sea and this year did it on the hottest day of the year, after a relatively warm summer, so it had the bonus of not making it feel like I was going have a heart attack when I first ventured into the water.

Why is it so brilliant? The sense of peace, the feeling of space (when you look out to sea), and, sorry to get all hippy-dippy about it, but the feeling of being connected to/ at one with nature.

2. Walking through the park, or any other green space

I have to strongly resist the urge here to say that nothing finishes off a nice long walk better than a nice pint of bitter shandy/glass of red wine/ice-cold beer.

Imagine a long walk on a cold, frosty day, finished off with a warming hot chocolate/pot of tea/coffee/pint of foaming nut-brown ale (no, no, no - sod off you - voice of the lush!)/peppermint tea!

3. Seeing a really good children’s film at the cinema

I worried at first that trips to the cinema with the noisy little blighters would be fraught, stressful affairs but I needn’t have worried. When you go and see a children’s film on a weekend morning, ALL the kids are noisy, so you don’t have to worry too much about shushing yours. Go and see the film towards the end of its run and you have the cinema to yourselves. (Take a big bag, sneak in your own, cheaper snacks - you don’t really need me to tell you this, right? Everyone does it, don’t they?? But, shush, don’t tell anyone that I advocated it.)

Best films seen recently:

Paddington

Minions

Finding Dory

4. Reading

Have you ever tried to read when you are drunk? On the way home from after-work drinks, maybe? It’s a disaster, you can’t remember where you got up to when you pick the book up again, the next day. Don’t read and drink, folks, enjoy your Kindle responsibly.

The perfect accompaniment to a book? A cup of tea - NEWSFLASH - tea retains its heat better than coffee, I think this might be a scientific fact, but I can’t be bothered to research it. Try it now - go and make yourself a tea and a coffee and see what happens.

5. Afternoon Tea

Some people might argue that an afternoon tea is only topped when it comes with a glass of champagne. (Not me, now that the voice of the lush has been kicked into submission.) I mean, who needs bubbles when you have crustless finger sandwiches and little cakes and scones and things…..?

Are you convinced yet? (Am I....?)