Past, present, future

I was rifling through one of my many boxes filled with paper goods and discovered a class photograph circa 1984. The girls sat on benches at the front in two neat rows, behind; two rows of standing boys. We all needed a haircut, and uniform hadn't been introduced. One girl, who had the rather amusing (at the time) name 'A. Bird', is sporting a delightful Boy George sweater, pleated skirt and patent shoes. Another girl who I played an imaginary game with for 3 years featuring horses (of which I'm allergic and very cautious around) is wearing a velvet royal blue dress with a satin crimson pussy bow neck tie (imagine an 8 year old wearing that now!). My favourite outfit is a crushed velvet fitted, short red dress, knee high socks and cheap white trainers. This girl was STRANGE, she kept slow worms as pets, cut her knees purposely most days with seemingly blunt stainless steel scissors, and enjoyed  stemming the flow of blood with blotting paper. In the photo there is evidence of self-harm in the form of two unsightly gashes. The last I saw of her was in a real-life magazine, she was show-boating as she'd been to Turkey for liposuction and a tummy tuck.
With a few exceptions, we're all mums now and most live within a 10 mile radius of our childhood home. I regularly see one of the girls from the photograph, she comes over for coffee (never tea) every other Wednesday afternoon. I have little  in common with her 'on paper'; she is childless, lives with her mum and is very good at all the things I'm not  very good at. We lost touch for a while when she went to uni, then lived in various locations for a few years after.  Getting back in touch was easy once we both ended up living within 5 minutes of each other. I like having contact with people whose lives are different to mine it's exciting watching her future unfold fortnight by fortnight.
I think of all the things I wish I had done more of before I had children, and urge her to do these things. Travel! Revel in self-absorption, do things alone, don't wait for an accomplice.  Go to parties, meet people, stay out really late and sleep all day.  Study now if you want to better yourself, don't live a life of financial hardship, capitalise on your talents.
This advice is pretty rubbish. All anyone seems to want to do eventually is settle down and have a family. I recall getting fed up of nights out when I first bought my house and my eldest went to his dad's at the weekend. I couldn't handle the solitude if I stayed in, yet felt uncomfortable and lonely when I went out with friends to pubs. I'm not one for TV so if I stayed in, I'd spend a bit of time on the computer, then 'pace' the house like a caged lion. I had one great party which I tried to re-create, but as   is often the case, round 2 was a flop (I supplied too much alcohol; broken glass, a river of wine and several unstable revellers trying to dance - treacherous).
Now, I often crave solitude, just one weekend all to myself. I don't know what I would do, maybe sit and soak up the sound of the freezer whirring. Perhaps spend guilt-free time online. I'd look around all the charity shops, go to a cafe and read the paper.  I would eat a meal slowly, follow it with a cake I don't have to share. I'd paint my nails, pluck my eyebrows. Read, but end up feeling restless. Do you know what? I'm already bored just thinking about it. I only have myself to blame for ending up with a home bursting with noise, activity and chaos.
What would you do if you had a whole weekend to yourself? And those who can look back to the point I am now at in life - what advice do you have for me?