First day

  First day

Ariella is four years old, the daughter of my second granddaughter. She is more than ready for school! Here she waits under a tree in her all-new uniform, keen to start the day. I love the boots!

Big cousin Fergus, nearly 11, is looking after her. He delivered her to her classroom this morning. He is starting Year 6, his final year in primary school, and Ariella is starting in Reception class.

It was a lovely sunny morning in Dorset, but Ariella carries her own sunshine, anyway!

Isla joined Fergus and Ariella for a photograph. Isla is twelve and at secondary school. She is my oldest great-grandchild and almost the same age as my seventh grandchild, Frankie. I cannot believe she is wearing a tie. I didn't think schools were still so unenlightened.

Ariella is very fortunate to have her cousins living so close. I'm sure her grandmother, my eldest daughter, appreciates how lucky she is to have all her family near . . . and handy for baby-sitting duties!

I don't suppose Ariella will look quite so neat and tidy at the end of her day. See here for a more realistic expectation.

 

The Dorset Family

No photographs of the Dorset Family! No opportunities, so here's a photograph of Arthur this morning, saying, 'It's about time we went out for a walk!'

On Tuesday evening I had a call from my eldest daughter, asking if it would be all right for her to visit the following day. She had been intending to descend on us without warning, but her elder daughter said, ‘Mum, haven’t you read Janice’s blog? She said that it's lovely to see people, but a little advance notice would be helpful.’

I was surprised at that. I didn’t know that Marnie read my blog. Anyway, Gillian took the advice to heart. On Wednesday, Gillian, her daughters, one son-in-law and all six of her grandchildren arrived. Their dogs remained in Dorset.

Five-month-old Hailey was passed to me and sat happily on my knee watching her cousins. The other three girls, Marnie’s daughter, Isla, who is twelve, Kiri’s daughter, Ariella, four, and Callum’s daughter Melia, two and a half, did what girls usually do. They settled down on the floor with paper and coloured pencils, then gravitated to construction toys with gears and cogs. It’s clear that they spend a lot of time together, giving, taking, and working cooperatively.

Fergus, who is nearly eleven, concentrated on playing with the dogs, particularly Gilbert. He is very much at ease with animals.

 Luca was busy pressing buttons and investigating the contents of cupboards and drawers. He will be three in October and is ‘into everything’ as the saying goes. He needs a dedicated full-time adult to monitor his actions, and prevent them if necessary possible. He found the cat litter tray especially interesting. The texture of the granules was pleasing as it poured through his fingers. Naturally, the more he was dissuaded from investigating it, the greater was the fascination. Fortunately, the tray only contained unused litter! The cats were prowling around, quite unaffected by the sudden influx of people, particularly small ones.

Gilbert and Arthur were intrigued by the baby and gently licked her toes, which she seemed to enjoy. Roxy, of course, is an old hand paw with little humans, and knew which ones to attend, principally Luca, who was waving his food around in a tantalising manner.

Barry took Marnie and Dean into the garden, to pick apples and plums, of which there are an abundance. All the children, apart from Hailey, had a turn around the garden – such a Regency phrase!

Our garden is no longer a children’s space, in the sense that they cannot play football, cricket, or tennis in it, or ride their bikes, but it is full of interest. We have tried to divide it into ‘rooms’ with a winding path and arches which support a variety of climbing plants. Actually, it’s more the case that the plants support the arches now.

Marnie was in seventh heaven. Her ambition is to have a self-sufficient garden. She already grows a few vegetables, but has plans for much more when she and Dean can acquire a house with a bigger garden.

She came back into the house laden with fruit, a branch (!) of bay leaves to dry, thyme, oregano, a number of different mint plants, which she can root on, and a great quantity of cobnuts. She and Paul, her father, have been engaged in creating chutneys and pies. The crab apples are not ripe, so she will have to make a return journey to pick those for crab apple jelly. I haven’t made that for some years now as somehow everything in sight gets covered in stickiness.

They had to leave early as Fergus had a football match near Blandford. He’s a tall boy and plays goalkeeper, like his sister, Isla, and just as his mother used to.

All too soon, the house was relatively empty again and peace descended. The dogs and cats slept well, Gilbert retiring to (our) bed shortly after his supper at 6:30.

Tonight, there will be more upheaval for Arthur when Susannah returns. He will be so excited. He’s a lovely little dog, very faithful and affectionate and we shall miss him when he returns to London with Susannah and her cats.

Visits

 

Visits

Push-up puppet. I love these little toys! He looks as if he has strange growths on his legs, but they're tree branches behind  him.

I had an ophthalmology appointment last Wednesday – just the usual annual check – but I postponed it as I’m still learning to walk without falling over (I jest!)

It was fortunate that I had, because our eldest daughter, Gillian, arrived unexpectedly with her younger daughter, and three of her grandchildren. Gillian has three children and six grandchildren, ranging in age from one month to twelve years. So, we had Ariella, a very competent four-year-old, and her brother Luca, who is two and a half, and their cousin, Melia, who is two. Melia had broken her arm in two places a few days previously, and had a half-cast on it, but it didn’t stop her doing everything she wanted to.

We had a delightful time with them. The children are all very accustomed to spending time with big dogs, so Roxy and Gilbert were simply accepted as part of the furniture. The cats were more of a novelty, but are unfazed by children, and can swiftly take to the heights if necessary.

They left for the homeward journey with Kiri’s car loaded with last Christmas’s presents and a selection of toys, books and bedding no longer needed in our house. We still have plenty left!

Blue Power Ranger. Apparently, he is autistic, I've just discovered! I think we have some different Power Rangers, too.

On Easter Sunday, Bethan and Robert came for lunch with Charlie and Jack. Barry had promised to cook a roast beef joint ‘sous vide.’

‘Sous vide is a cooking method where food is vacuum-sealedin a bag and then cooked in a precisely regulated water bath for a prolonged period at a low temperature.  This technique ensures even cooking, tender texture, and moisture retention in the food.'

The joint was ceremoniously placed in its water bath on Saturday morning, where it remained for twenty-four hours. While Barry went out for a walk with Bethan and family, and the dogs, I continued preparing vegetables. When they returned home, it was time for the moment of revelation.

 As Barry lifted the meat from the sous vide bath, the bag containing it split, and the beef ended up on the floor. I was so glad I wasn’t responsible for it and just cackled with laughter. It was swiftly picked up and run under the tap and patted dry, ready to be sealed in the frying pan. Roxy and Gilbert were delighted, and spent a long time licking up the juice, which otherwise would have supplemented the gravy. Barry will double-bag the meat next time!

 The meat was delicious, very tender, and moist. Bethan had made an apple and blackberry crumble, and I had made a fruit trifle, so we ‘filled our boots’ to capacity after the main course. We don’t usually eat much during the day. Barry has breakfast and supper, and I normally just have supper.

‘Sous vide’ requires forethought and planning, not something for which I am renowned. I’m more of a ‘look in the fridge and see what’s available’ cook.

Jack had made a collage for me, entitled, ‘The city and the sun’ and I’ve promised him that I’m going to mount and frame it. He also made me a birthday card, which made me laugh. 

Charlie made one, too, but he forgot to bring it with him. He said he'll bring it 'next time.'

Nearly everybody in our house slept very soundly last night. I had several bouts of cramp because I had been on my feet more than usual. It was a small price to pay for the privilege of spending quality time with family.

Tonight, we’re having cold meat and bubble and squeak, followed by fruit crumble and/or trifle. Then we’re returning to our usual light meals. It’s fun to have a blow-out now and then, though.

Wednesday surprise

 

Wednesday surprise

Ariella with Gilbert

The dogs looked up, alert, as they heard a voice and some scuffling. Then they realised it was Gillian and two of her grandchildren. Roxy and Gilbert greeted Gillian enthusiastically.

                                                              Luca

Roxy was very happy, as experience reminded her that little children are closely associated with food and sticky fingers. Gilbert has never experienced little ones so he lay down close to me and watched carefully.

Ariella with the Quintopus

 Eventually, he realised that they can be fun, especially when Ariella, who is three and a half and accustomed to many dogs in her life, began playing with him with his Quintopus. Luca, her little brother, will be three in October, and he did what most children his age do, and that is, followed his own agenda.

Gilbert realises that small children can be fun . . . or, at least, the source of food!

Ariella with a reindeer push-up toy, which she was determined to master - and did!

We had a lovely and totally unexpected day with them, thanks to Gillian, who has form for turning up unannounced and full of enthusiasm. They are delightful children, both blonde and blue-eyed, as is all of Gillian’s family. It is invigorating to spend time with young minds and inquisitiveness. 

Gilbert watches . . .

It was a grand tonic for both of us, Barry, in particular, who continues to improve daily.

On the way home, they called in to see Susannah, Gillian’s younger sister, who lives less than ten minutes away from us, so her day was brightened, too, as it needed to be.

A pensive Luca

Thank you, Gillian 😊💖

A busy weekend

 

A busy weekend

It was Barry’s birthday on February 3^rd, a significant decade marker. He was born on the day Stalingrad fell during the Second World War, though some authorities have it as February 2^nd.

We had a gathering of the clan on Saturday and were only missing a few members. The oldest was, of course, Barry, and the youngest, Luca, four months. There were seven under elevens, eight in their twenties, eight forty to mid-fifties and two over seventy. We also had three visiting dogs to add to our two. If everyone had brought their dogs there would have been twelve in the house, rather too many and too much of a trip hazard!

Since Jellicoe is now an honorary Labrador, we had to shut him and his brother away in our bedroom, otherwise he would have wrought havoc in the dining room, where food was laid out on the table. Ariella, nearly two, and Jack, four, both love cats so had a special trip to the bedroom to see Jellicoe and Herschel. The cats were worried and wide-eyed at being shut out from proceedings.

We had opened the double doors from the sitting room into the dining room so that people could wander in and out at will, helping themselves to whatever took their fancy. Susannah took control of feeding people and Callum was in charge of drinks. Barry and I relaxed and enjoyed catching up with our extended family.

It was lovely to have such a crowd of young people in the house, and so many of them very tall!  The young adults were as amusing and entertaining as ever and the little children were each caught in their own egocentric worlds, and equally entertaining.

It is rare for us all to get together and each time we say we must do it more often, but life is busy. The next organised occasion will be Susannah and James’ wedding later this year, in November. We are all looking forward to that.