The Grandparents have landed

Well, half of the 2 sets anyway.

Main event of the day was the moving of my parents. They have moved house from over 200 miles away to less than 20 (not coincidence of course, it was to be nearer us – well grandchildren really I suspect) It’s been a longish term plan of theirs, they’ve just been waiting for us to settle on where we would be living.

Nearest I lived since leaving home is about 70 miles, but for the last 10 + years it’s been about 250, so a bit of change there, kind of weird really. Stringbean is of course excited. I’m sure that there will be time of adjustment, but I’m pleased that they are nearer. My Dad has found long drives incressingly difficult in recent years. Now as well as us they are much nearer other relatives, so much less travelling for them. And it’s quite likley that he may have to give up driving at some point , so they are much better situated for coping with that (my mum doesn’t drive, though she once rode an orange moped). So me and SB were waiting today to pop over and visit them, but it was bit later than planned.

SB not been entirely well today, complained of painful throat when eating and didn’t have much breakfast or lunch, though seemed ok otherwise, though not keen on normally ‘keen on things’ such as baking cakes, so didn’t do that. Did make card for Nanny and Grandad for their new house, and we remade the Happy Street track (yep, still there Jax) that ‘Butterbean the Marbeliser’ had demolished last night like a mini Godzilla, and read few books before trying to entice her into breakfast. Me and BB had breakfast whilst SB fiddled about and ate half a small Petits Filou. She disappeared off to ‘Happyland’ and played for a quite bit by herself, so me and BB grabed the opportunity to have bit of one to one time playing. Always fun, as she is such smiley chuckly girl. She also enjoys a bit of rootling about on the floor, so she did bit of that whilst I did few a domestic chores, her baby grow distubingly grubby afterwards though (I hate kitchen floors, they just get to dirty too quickly….).

SB moved onto a Muzzy CDROM on the computer, and then onto the CBeebies website, BB had some milk and went off to sleep, so then I sat and helped SB with the above. After a bit, we went outside and poked around in the garden, looking for beasties, talking about Autumn and winter, where the weeds come from, what we are going to grow where etc. She was now flagging bit, so inside for some lunch, of which she ate little. So dosed up on Calpol, she settled down under a duvet on the sofa for an afternoon of vids and DVD’s.

When Helen came home later, she had perked up a bit, esp. as mum came bearing gifts of magazines, and Playdough (And Mmmmm, it was real Playdo, there is nothing like the smell of the real thing) Eventually my mum rang to say they were in their new house, so I got ready to go over (I had to collect some goldfish they had brouight up from their pond) SB had been goign to come, then said she was goign to stay, then decided at the last minute to come. She did a really good job of trying to stay a wake in the car in the way – just dozed off near the end. Saw the new house, sorted out a couple of simple things for them, had litle bit of chat etc. popped to the chippy for tea, SB ws trying to eat her chips, but was really tired by now, she was almost falling alseep over them – ‘can we go home now’…I think she fell asleep in the car in about 2 minutes.

House seems quite nice if you ignore the decor in some (most?) places. a bungalow would ahve been the sensible choice, but they could find one suitable in their price range. My dad has got his ‘bionic leg’ as we joke about it- nothign quite so grand really. He is paralysed down one side, and for many years now has had to wear a leg caliper to support his foot, but this is heavy and awkward. His been fitted with pretty new thing they are trying out, which basically stimulates the muslces in the duff leg to lift the front of the foot as he walks, which stops him tripping, and means he doesn’t need the caliper. He only got it this week, so early days but seems to be working well.

We are now getting to the stage where I am more likley to be popping to them to sort something out, rather than them helping us to do stuff, which feels a little poignant, though my Dad is disabled he was always active, and in my head is still the person who was up on the roof fixing it when I was teenager, or helping us fix rotten windows and build brickwalls in the garden in the old house. Though he’ll not be doing that now (though they did help us with the fixing up of the old one before we sold it). It’s Helen’s Aunty Peggy’s funeral tomorrow, what with this, and all the things happening for Little Nanny thisd year, there is a bit of a sense of the generational baton gradually being passed on here I feel.

BB looking very grown up today (though not as much as josie, not enough hair), pulled out a load of next size clothes to sort out for her. I put her in one of the favouritist pairs iof dungarees we had for SB, still looking cute Bit of a tear in my eye though as I remembered SB wearing them, was she really so young not so long ago – less than 2 months to BB’s first birthday – excited, sad? I’m not sure.