An Insomniac's hobby

Do you have trouble sleeping?
Is the only thing going bump in the night in your house your slipper clad feet as they bang into the corner of the bed as you try and perhaps walk quietly,( as  a cosy Ugg wearing mouse)in the dark, out of your bedroom while trying not to wake your partner, boyfriend, husband, cat or dog?

You are not alone....
I too am a bad sleeper.. always was..
As a child I was a smart kiddo, I always had a good book handy and a drawer full of batteries for my torch , it was the size of a brick and likely to cause arm strain unless it was rested on something which luckily it usually was. One of my teddy bears was called Ted... no I did not name him... He was blue and white and when I think back he was as ugly as sin but nevertheless he did his job well. He had a nice plump belly which was perfect for torch balancing.
Many a night myself and Ted spent with a good book when it was after bedtime. Enid Blyton was a favourite back then with me, and as I entered my teenage years the Point Horror books were my new addiction. Ohhh those books were great.. The Babysitter 1,2,3 etc and The Boyfriend... I could just go on and on..
There was a huge range of these books which were a fair enough price for what they were.
I spent most of my summer holidays when I was not working in the bog and helping on hay making days, mowing my mother's garden in exchange for pocket money to buy books. Each week  my mum and I would go to the garden centre and get some plants and then grocery shopping and I would walk down to the newsagents where there was a small area selling books.Here I sat on the floor looking through all the books while seeing how many I could manage to get with my  money this week while hoping the rest would still be here the following week when I would be back again.

These books would sometimes be cracked open on the sun lounger while in my swimsuit with a glass of ice cold coke if we got a nice sunny day.These days were pretty rare because if there was a nice day then there was work to be done but I did cherish those days. Reading outside with the sun beaming down as I heard mum prepare salad from the open door leading into the kitchen.It was lovely.
These days I have been sitting out at my pond reading. The noise from the waterfall and the fish jumping in the water make it a very relaxing experience. It reminds me of those days when I was kid and the joy books brought me ,they still do. The excitement is still there.

So if at night now I cannot get to sleep, I take myself,blanket and book and wander off to my library where no torch is needed( nor Ted) where if I should fall asleep with my book in my hand, and a half drank cup of tea by my side it won't be the worst thing in the world. Maybe being an insomniac is not so bad after all.