Sometimes I fantasize about going into the supermarket and buying a big box of Sleep. You know, the super strength version.
"Four hours or eight?"
"Eight, please".
"Did you know that's a Two For the Price of One, so you get a second one free?"
"Cool, thanks".
Unfortunately no supermarket has yet brought out this fine offer.
Usually it's Caitríona who wakes me up. She keeps waking up at 1 or 2 in the morning and complaining loudly, so we take her into our bed to sleep.
Unfortunately she a restive sleeper, moving around in her sleep. Two nights ago I kept being woken by a little foot kicking me in the head.
Last night was not so bad, as even though she lay crookedly across the bed forcing me to lie on the edge trying to cover myself with half an inch of duvet, and I managed to get off to sleep for several hours.
Then shortly after 4am, I was woken by a noise. Not Caitríona, who was still sleeping. I could hear a noise under the bed, just by the window. There was a rustling and the patter of tiny feet.
I thought it was a mouse. I turned to Susanne, who had just woken up. "That's too loud to be a mouse," she said.
"It must be a mouse," I said, dreading the alternative. Then I looked down. She was right.
It was standing there, cool as a cucumber, on its hind legs and surveying the scene. It wasn't a mouse. It was Cuddles, Philipp's hamster. We have no idea how it got down the spiral staircase, but that wasn't important right then. Susanne crouched down on the floor and eventually caught Cuddles and put her back in the cage.
I drifted back to sleep. And dreamed of buying the special 16-hour Ultra Strength version.