Thank you all for your comments - it was not one of the best experiences in my life, I can tell you with absolute certainty. However, the weekend has been glorious. Beautiful sunny hot weather, blue skies, and bbqs as well. Anyone would think it was mid summer. The temptation to plant all my baskets and vegetables is almost overwhelming, but I am only too aware of the vagaries of Spring weather, so I am being restrained. Mind you, everything has been growing like weeds. (And so are the weeds, of course!) David is home for a break before his final exams in a few weeks time, so this weekend was spent collecting him from Andrew and Ann's home, so that meant time with Missy too. Now that is always going to be a highlight! She gets cuter by the day, and insisted that I get up from the couch at all available moments, and go and slide her dolly down the slide, watch her ride in her little car, jump off a step (she is a very good jumper), fill the watering can repeatedly, and do all those things Grannies are supposed to do.
Including, of course, reading stories. She has a really good book of 100 first words. The illustrations as great. EXCEPT for the family page, which would always be a problem as the "mummy" is clearly not HER Mummy etc etc. And then we got to THIS photo.........Grandma. I THINK NOT!!!!!!!!!!! I do not even vaguely look like this. Do I?? I even took a photo to prove that this is a VERY CONFUSING BOOK for a little 2 year old. See? So we skipped that dreadful page and moved on to toys and food and animals and bath time instead. That I could cope with.
David and I went to see if we could see the QE2 Bridge. This is the Dartford Crossing of the M25 - I think it is the busiest road in the world - And as it crosses the Thames, coming clockwise you go over the bridge and anti-clockwise, you go under the river through the tunnel. It is a toll crossing. Ann mentioned that the view from the pedestrian bridge nearby was supposed to be good, so off we went. That is David on the bridge and the M25 underneath. That is the bridge in the distance. That small thing. In reality, it is big. I know. I have been over it many many times. And then I zoomed in, and noticed the big freight ferry passing under it. Ann pointed out the green bird which she has seen around too. I have no idea what it is other than the fact that it is indeed green. And a bird. Of course I intended taking the photo of the bird. (I hadn't even noticed it till Ann pointed it out!) The blossom on the trees was beautiful. And every tree seemed to be covered. Sigh. I love Spring. Grandma...... I am sure that poor lady is very sweet and no doubt a Grandma par excellence. But she is NOT TYPICAL. And Missy's grannies look totally different......
I hope you're feeling better after that awful experience but I expect the time spent with your lovely girl will have helped you.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of the weekend!
They usually picture us in rocking chairs with big glasses on too. Oh dear, could it be that we really DO appear that way? I hope not.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that Missy kept you really busy doing granny things. She is at such a fun age.
The pictures are gorgeous. Do they call it the QE bridge because the ship goes under it?
Everyone looks younger than our grandmothers did when they were our age. I'm sure you must love having your sweet granddaughter visit in the springtime. It looks so beautiful where you are...
ReplyDeleteWhen I look at pictures of my grandmothers (they were both born the same year), they always look so much older than I think I do. One thing I can say is that you definitely look much, much younger than the grandma in the book. Some grandmothers look so young that they look like the mother. My grands other grandmother is ten years younger than I. Your little granddaughter looks like a very happy and contented child. It must be great fun to visit with her and your son and daughter-in-law.
ReplyDeleteThe bridge is named after the Queen, who opened it in 1991. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_II_Bridge
ReplyDeleteThink the bird is a ring necked parakeet - they're becoming quite common in the south (loads in Richmond park) and we used to get them in our garden when we lived in Croydon. They're very noisy!
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