Wed like to thank Jude Van Vroenhoven, one of the many mums we support for sharing her insight into her recent stay at our Mums Sleepover.... To be honest, I was nervous about attending the mum’s sleepover at The Bluebells. It wasn’t just the trepidation of being in a group of circa 30 strangers - it was also the guilt I felt about leaving my daughter, Siena, aged 5. You see, it was to be the first night I spent away from her since her fateful accident which happened in May 2014; while on holiday in the South France. We nearly lost our little darling girl from a near drowning accident, which ripped our world apart in the matter of minutes, and which was likely to have consequences lasting a lifetime. It was all still fairly raw, having only been a matter of months, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to muster up any kind of decent conversation and engage even at the most basic level. On the morning of the sleepover, my husband reassured me all would be well, and talked me in to going (again). Walking to the car, I must have looked like a scared child about to make their debut to school. I arrived at The Bluebells at 10am and was greeted by a sea of smiley faces, freshly cooked hot breakfast and Bucks Fizz. It felt good, and I was at ease. After breakfast we were take on a ‘mystery tour’. A coach came to pick us up, which resembled the Mystery Machine Bus from Scooby Doo! That got a few laughs. As all us mums clambered on, I overheard someone say ‘this coach looks like the inside of my Nan’s flat’, which tickled me no end. We arrived to our destination about an hour later; we were in Reading and were going to a bar, to learn how to make cocktails. It was great fun – we had the entire bar to ourselves, as well as 3 mixologist’s (posh word for cocktail-maker). The poor guys had their work cut out with us lot, but they took the banter well and a good time was had by all. It was back on board the Mystery Machine Bus where the poor coach driver had to endure ladies who’d been consuming cocktails (yes, we also got to drink them too!) for the best part of the afternoon. Back at The Bluebells, we devoured freshly backed scones and sat in the garden to chill (some of the others used this time to have a leisurely swim in the incredible hydro pool), waiting for the evening antics. I began getting anxious about Siena and wanted to go home, a very lovely mum that I got chatting to said for me to call home – I did, and guess what? Everyone was fine. A little later the bubbles were poured and our night started, conversations flowed and so did the laugher. I met so many great people and it was good to chat in such incredible surroundings. The thing is, all us mums have ‘our story’, which laid the pathway for us in to the Bluebell family, and I’m grateful to be a part of it. I was lucky enough to hear some of the other mums’ stories that night, and you know what, I think we are all incredible, strong and brave, and it’s ok to have some ‘me’ time now and again without feeling guilty about it. We were all given the VIP treatment by the wonderful staff there, it was all about us and instead of us being the carers, they become our carers and looked after us in a spectacular fashion. Conversations and stories told... it was now time for the pop quiz! That was much fun – I remember getting all competitive, so typical me! Anyway our team lost so I drowned my sorrows with more bubbles and got back to mingling....
Posted on: Sat, 18 Oct 2014 09:00:00 +0000
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