Meeting a destination at a specific hour (OF THE MORNING!) with a baby is no simple task. Freddie and I woke to brave a public demonstration about natural nappies this week - Needing an additional two hours prep time to achieve this goal made getting out of the house something of a military operation. Amazingly though, we arrived on location spot on time - “Sergeant Majooor!”
I marched through the main entrance of the venue; Stoke Newington Library and proudly wheeled Freddie up to the enquiries desk to ask where we needed to be for our ‘Nappuccino‘. A young, shy looking library assistant wearing the archetypal beige knitted pullover led the way. He took us through a heavy wooden door which immediately faced a tower of dusty archives. Slightly confused as to what this might promise, I distracted myself from any doubt by negotiating our buggy through the acute angle at which the door was barely able to open. We found ourselves on the other side of said door sandwiched between stacks of heavily loaded metal shelving and the boundary wall. My guide trotted off through the narrow passage ahead whose pathway was further challenged by an assembly of cardboard boxes, files and loose documents balanced amongst piles of newspapers from yesteryear… As he did this I watched the back of his shrinking head in disbelief realising that I had little chance of success in following his steps…
Determined to reach our final destination, I decided to take on the obstacle course by convincing myself that other mothers had made it through with their buggies and as a result were sitting waiting for the talk to start. As I took considered backward steps, reversing our ’second-hand, already taken a few knocks three-wheeler’ through the chaos, I managed to pick up and drag various paper piles with me until eventually the library assistant turned to see my struggle. I looked at him with a bemused, perspiring smile and decided to assert myself with the following statement: “Gosh this is tricky” until something akin to ‘health and safety’ or … ‘circus’ sprung to mind. He reacted with a nervous disposition and suggested we turn back. (You mean this route has not been tried and tested by the buggy brigade? You want me to befriend that door again?) He instructed me to walk around the outside of the library to access a side door which he will now open… and off he went. So there I was, abandoned in the middle of a stuffy back room with lovely Freddie, snugly unaware in his buggy with paper tags twisted in the wheel spokes - (What the hell was I doing in there with a three week old baby?! … Actually, WHAT THE HELL WAS I DOING THERE . ?)
I jostled my way around the heavy door for a second time. As I reappeared in the public domain befuddled, I managed to catch the eye of a passing gent and acknowledged his curious gaze with a clown like expression which I felt matched the Alice in Wonderland adventure I’d just left behind. I quickly gathered myself, reformed a sense of pride and picked up a smooth gliding speed across the seemingly expansive aisles and headed for the exit.
Finally a sign with an arrow entitled ‘Nappuccino’ clearly indicated where we needed to be. I followed instruction and found the gathering which was a little low on numbers but whose hosts were friendly and welcoming. Breast feeding I might be, but with the offer of herbal tea or filter coffee after such a bazaar experience, I’m afraid I took the shot.
