Easter 2010

The Easter Bunny visited our house yesterday, leaving large bunnies for the children and smaller ones for the adults. They were waiting on the dining room table when we sat down to a late lunch. Later, in danger from prowling dogs, some of the smaller ones that had survived human jaws migrated to one of the book shelves, seeking education, boning up on  History.

Bethan and Rob joined us and it was good to have half our children and grandchildren at home to share a meal. Gillian and Paul are staying for a few days. Gareth and Nina had made other plans and Susannah is on a shoot in Bogota. She gaily told me she had sorted out her kidnap and ransom insurance so was fully covered!The Easter tree was also in the dining room. On it there is a rabbit that looks more like a hare, lots of painted eggs and some pig pegs. I'm not sure what the connection is between pigs and Easter but we ate roast pork and chicken, so there was a connection there for us, yesterday at least.

We didn't have any Easter eggs but we did have chocolates. Thornton's chocolates are very more-ish.

Not many left . . . but there were nine of us sampling them and only one layer!

Elliot, Eve and Louis gave us some handmade chocolates.

They're too pretty to eat, aren't they? I love the little bee!

I recollected the Easter eggs my parents used to sell in our shop in Kent. There was the usual Easter selection that can still be seen today, the chocolate moulds being covered and filled in different liveries through the decades to reflect 'popular' culture. My parents also offered for sale elaborately decorated chocolate eggs, varying in size from golf to rugby ball, sometimes even larger. They bore delicate sugar and marzipan flowers and dainty ribbons in Spring colours of yellow and purple and green. My favourites, which I have never seen since I grew up and left home, were finely spun sugar eggs with a small window into the hollow interior in which would be set a pretty scene from Nature. They came in different sizes but each one fascinated me and I never tired of gazing through the tiny apertures at the magical, fairy-tale scenes before me. I wonder what memories my children and their children will retain from childhood? Easter egg hunts were tricky to organise with dogs always in the picture but we did manage one or two. If the only thing they remember is laughing with extended family over a meal then that will be a happy recollection and chocolate bunnies will be the hook on which to hang the memory and place it in their history.