The days keep rushing by …
It’s been a busy time since I last wrote … some of which has been spent trying to get photographs on to the blog (unsuccessfully). I DID find the photo of the bbq I mentioned (3 July) … but it refuses to appear here.
And yesterday, during a quick visit to Marks and Spencer, I stumbled across “Bum enhancing shorts” which cried out to be photographed, but is now stubbornly waiting in the wings until I can find a 4th, patient tutor to sort me out again. No - I couldn’t believe it, either!!
I’m sitting up in bed writing this … now staying with Caroline. Her dad and my mum were cousins - both “only children” - so, by our reckoning, we are 2nd cousins. On the other end of that “branch” is the un-cuz Sevenoaks family … but we are all related to mutual “cousins” in the middle. I trust you are now just as confused as I am but meanwhile I’m enjoying claiming all and sundry. There’s another branch in Wales (dad’s side) that I’ve always claimed as well - I’ll introduce them nearer the end of my stay.
But meanwhile I’ve missed telling you about being picked up in Sevenoaks by Emma - granddaughter of my dad’s friend “Dickie” from war service in the Middle East, all those years ago. We carried onto her parents’ house (near Headcorn) and had a lovely day together in the garden. Ingrid has always been a great hostess and that day was no exception. We sat in the garden, with Emma’s two (Thomas, about to turn 6, and Charlotte) providing entertainment in their paddling pool, getting a splinter, climbing trees and bars, playing hide and seek and generally keeping their grandparents on the move). A lovely day, in all respects and great to see their new camper van and catch up with their family’s additions and activities.
The next 3 days were spent with Emma, Joe and the two children in Beckenham. I have knitted dressing gowns for them in the past, and Thomas was very keen to see “knitting in action”. I’d meant to take knitting needles and wool but that’s still at home with BOTH pairs of my black trousers. So a friendly neighbour was called and arrived the next morning with the smallest needles I’ve ever seen and almost a whole ball of wool. Thomas promptly instructed me to knit “something” which, evidently, started as toe warmers but eventually became an Easter egg handbag … could he have another one? But by then Charlotte was keen for her doll to have a scarf … more like a choker necklace … followed closely by a couple of pom poms.
It was a happy time, watching the children in their “swing”, wigwam and pool and generally catching up. We took Thomas to school on Monday morning and then we three remaining girls spent a couple of hours playing in the sandpit at the local, huge, Beckenham Place park, watching Charlotte devour an ice cream and then (sugar fix) watching Emma run quite some distance to capture a very speedy three year old on her way back to the car.
From there to my present bed in Bromley… though I’d been telling Emma I was going to Croydon. It will come as no surprise that I’d got that wrong and in fact, it was less than an 8 minute drive away. Evidently, Thomas has since asked his mum to come and get me back. He must have another designer garment in mind.
Meanwhile, back in Bromley, Caroline and I have hardly come up for breath. It’s been good catching up with all the family news and we’ve had some good belly laughs as we’ve recalled past family details and where we sit on that “tree”.
It’s so good catching up with family and sharing stories and memories.
Tomorrow we’re going into London for lunch and a 4.00 pm show - “Six, the musical” … about Henry 8th’s wives. Not sure how they are going to sing, with a head rolling off the guillotine … but I’m about to find out, I guess.
Very spoilt … Caroline always finds exciting things to do - perhaps with the exception of “Bum enhancing shorts”