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Libby Page

Author / swimmer / optimist

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Events

Upcoming events

15th June, 1pm, Hillingdon Libraries, free online event

17th June, 7pm, Sturminster Newton Libary, free online event

23rd June, 6:30pm, Mostly Books, online event, £12.99 including a copy of the book, £5 just for the event

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  • Cook books: a reading and eating list
  • Honeymoon reading – October 2020
  • What I’m reading – September 2020
  • Why I’m proud to be a Pirate
  • My colourful life (or why I dress like a rainbow)

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Enjoying books and baby cuddles… Over the past couple of months I have watched a LOT of TV as a way to fill time and stay awake during feeds and the times when my baby only wants to nap on me (and when I just want a cuddle too!). But I’m trying to get back to reading as well. I’m currently enjoying a proof copy of The Impulse Purchase, the new book by @veronicahenryauthor which comes out in February. It’s about a woman who buys a pub in Somerset and I just love the cast of female characters as well as the gorgeous descriptions of food and countryside that are key ingredients in any Veronica Henry novel. I recently finished and adored Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heiny, a beautifully-observed story about love and family that was full of great characters and touching kindness. Another I’ve enjoyed recently was Spirited by @juliecohenauthor - a gripping historical novel involving mystery and forbidden love. It feels great to be getting through some books again. What’s on your current TBR list? 📖📚
This weekend we celebrated my baby’s two month and my husband’s 29th birthdays 🥳. Yes I did make us all dress in matching outfits. In the really difficult first few weeks of motherhood they told me it would get better and they were right. Now, the first thing Robin does when he wakes up in the morning is grin at me and it’s better than I could have ever imagine to see that goofy smiley face. 💛🐝
My first wild swim since having my baby 💙. A wonderful friend looked after him on the bank while I floated and swam in the river with the most enormous smile on my face. Over the years swimming outdoors has become such an important part of my life - it does wonders for my mental health and brings me so much joy. So it felt amazing to get back in that river. After a traumatic birth and the huge changes my body has been through during and after pregnancy there’s something about being in water that feels so healing. The river is my happy place.
Yes I did dress my baby to match the cover of my debut novel… It may have been a few years since The Lido came out but it’s lovely that each summer I spot reviews from readers discovering it for the first time. There have been some extremely kind reviews shared recently for The Island Home recently too and although I have been in baby land so have not been so great at replying to lovely messages and comments I see them and they mean a lot! My little one is now eight weeks old and having thought I’d want to take a good amount of maternity leave I’m surprising myself by how much I miss writing already! But then I guess I’m so lucky in that writing is so much more than my job, it’s my absolute passion in life and what I’ve always done for fun and to help process my life and experiences. So going without it for a while feels like missing a part of myself, even when I’ve gained a huge amount in my new role as a mum too. So far that’s what parenting feels like - loss and gain all at once. I’ve lost so much of my ‘old’ life: the ability to leave the house without thinking, my weekly wild swims, evenings out, my core muscles and pelvic floor… But I have gained a wriggly creature whose smiles make me well up and who is giving me a new perspective on life and a new identity as a mother. Hopefully before too long I’ll be able to be both things at once: a mum and an author. Because having thought I could switch off that side of my brain for a while I’ve realised I can’t, the ideas just keep on whirring! ✒️📖📚
Today I went for my first swim since having Robin. Last time I swam at my local lido @shepton_mallet_lido I was heavily pregnant with him, so it felt so good to be back again, this time with him in the pram on the side while my kind sister looked after him. It felt wonderful to do something for myself and that made me feel like the ‘old me’. I love my baby and he is totally gorgeous but I am finding looking after a newborn really tough - it can be exhausting, frustrating and overwhelming as well as just plain boring which I think a lot of mums might feel guilty to admit. I feel very excited about our future together - taking him swimming, reading together, watching him become his own little person and going on adventures. But right now it often feels a lot like just getting us both through each day in one piece is a big enough challenge. So the swim meant a lot, it helped me clear my head, reminded me that I am more than ‘just’ his mum, however lucky I feel to be his guardian and protector. I think long term I’ll be a better mum if I make time for myself and my passions too like swimming and writing. And I cannot WAIT until I can get him in the water with me!
One of the things I most looked forward to about having children was reading with them. And Robin is finally getting engaged enough to listen through a whole story! We read Green Eggs and Ham together today and he kept his eyes focused on the pages, seemingly enjoying the high contrast pictures and sing-song rhyme. It makes me so excited thinking about introducing him to the world of books and stories, a magical world that has provided joy, an escape and a purpose for me over the years. I can’t wait to find out what his favourite books are going to be. His own book collection is growing all the time (I just can’t help myself!) and he is now the proud owner of a library card. What adventures await! 📚📚What are your earliest memories of books and reading?

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