Yesterday evening Tess gave birth to an, as yet, unnamed baby girl. All is well, and she is a second shared grandchild for Jackie and me. Ever the cryptic wit, Mat, when giving Becky the news, said ‘Mum’s got 2, Dad’s got 7’. He left her to provide the solution: ‘a girl’. My other two grandchildren are a young man and a boy.
There are two reasons that we cannot visit them immediately, one quite bizarre. The first is that I am probably now the only reasonably germ-free member of the party.
Five days ago, at the Shoreham Air Show, a plane failed to come out of a downward loop, and, exploding, crashed onto the busy A27 road which is our route into East Sussex. Continuous torrential rain has hampered the clearance of the wreckage and discovery of charred bodies of cyclists and motorists. The route therefore remains closed.
The first of the following pictures was my view through the patio window at around 11.30 this morning; the other three Becky shot of her car being directly pounded by the rain and sprayed with gutter-silt by passing vehicles.
The accident itself was unusual enough, but the extent of the rain, shown by these photographs show just what is hampering investigators, and sending holidaymakers home in droves this week. At Mr Pink’s yesterday evening, a family incongruously clad in summer clothes, were buying fish and chips for sustenance on their way back home to Stockport, 250 miles away. They had given up.
The perversity of our weather was demonstrated three hours later, when the skies cleared, and the sun emerged.
Small White butterflies frolicked among the bidens.
In the ten days I have remained indoors the ginger lilies have bloomed,
and the well-watered apples are ripening.
This evening, Becky produced a delicious deep 15″ ham and vegetable pasta bake for our dinner.
Four filled dinner plates,
didn’t make much of a hole in it.
Ian drank San Miguel; Jackie, Hoegaarden; and Becky and I, Teroldego Rotaliano riserva 2011.
Congratulations and best wishes to all…
Many thanks, Cynthia
Amazing butterfly photo! Like all photos 🙂
Thanks, Anna
Congrats on the grandbaby!
Thank you, Ashley
Your life seems very interesting to me because you find wonder and interest in every corner. Congratulations on your new grandchild 🙂
Many thanks, Weekly
Congratulations on the new addition to the family! That torrential rain doesn’t want to give up…!
Thanks, Matt
Premium news is the birth of another grandchild; tragic news of those killed and injured from that crash…And that butterfly has a great face as well as all else. Rain! How we long for it after our horrendously dry Oregon summer with wildfires.
Thank you, Cynthia. Glad you noticed the butterfly’s face. It’s the first time I’ve managed to catch one.
The apples are beautiful and look so good and crisp. Congratulations to you and the proud parents
Thank you Sylvie
Ah, congratulations on the new baby. It’s nice to have some happy news this week, after Shoreham and then today the killings in Virginia.
Hope you’re both feeling better very soon and you can get to visit your new family member. Photos please!
Thanks, Jenny. Unfortunately, Mat is not at all techie, so we will have to wait for Tess to do the necessary
Congratulations on the new grandchild 🙂 looks like the apples certainly appreciated that horrendous rain.
Thanks, Bianca
As ever a superb blog, full of brilliant photos. Well done!
Many thanks, Ian
Congratulations to all. Hope the weather improves.
Thanks, Quercus. I don’t think it will rain today
Big welcome to baby:
Greeting (Leonard Bernstein)
When a boy is born, the world is born again,
And takes its first breath with him.
When a girl is born, the world stops turning ’round,
And keeps a moment’s hushed wonder.
Every time a child is born, for the space of that brief instant,
The world is pure.
Thank you, Mary. Nice thoughts
Congratulations!
Thanks, T Ibara
Congratulations! The rain is called a baby shower perhaps!
Thanks, Bruce. Yes
A baby shower! Well, congratulations on your grand-daughter. And the apples, the butterfly and your recovery. What a wonderful world, even when punctuated by tragedy.
Thank you for your insightful comment, Lisa
Congratulations!
Thank you, Laura
You’re welcome. 🙂
Congratulations! Beautiful pictures and glad to see everyone is getting better:)
Thanks, Cynthia
April showers bring May flowers.
August storms bring newborns.
Congratulations to you both and of course the happy parents. Hope the road reopens soon do you can meet the yet unnamed child.
Thanks, Oscar. Nice opening couplet
How wonderful to hear you are again grandparents, lovely news! According to a Goggle search, number one name for girls in 2015 is Emma, followed by Olivia, Ava, Sophia, Isabella. It’d be so hard to pick a name, I love them all. I always thought, if I ever had a girl, I’d name her ‘Raquel’ I always loved the name and I think there’s not too many around. When I worked, we had a company phone directory of over 5,000 employees but there wasn’t a single ‘Raquel’. I hope you’ll get to meet her very soon, how exciting. Congratulations and best wishes to all.
The Air Show accident sounds devastating. My gosh. This seems to happen so often at these events. I’ve never been and honestly I’m too scared. Loved the butterfly on the Biden’s, you’ve gotten so close.
Many thanks, Boomdee, for such a full response. I think you are right about the frequency. The awful think about this one was that it struck a busy main road.
Congratulations! How exciting. That Apple photo is stunning.
Thank you, Luanne
Congrats to the new grand daughter!
Thank you, Hutowner
you’re welcome!
Huge congratulations to you and your family. The birth of a new born is word er full news. Wishing love and happiness for the future.
X😀x
*wonderful
Thank you Only
Many thanks
Lovely news 🙂 congratulations Derrick xx
Thank you, Nina X
Congratulations Derrick – to you all!
Great photos – I see England staying true to form with the rain then the change! The garden looks good even in the rain! As for supper… Well! Wow! 🙂
Thank you Rob. Becky pleased about the supper comment
Brilliant! 🙂
Congrats! Congrats! Congrats!! and cheers – >-I
Thanks, GP
Oh congratulations, congratulations! What a joyous event to have a new addition to the family. The apple looks scrumptious. And sorry to hear about the accident and all the rain. However, soon you’ll be kissing that baby.
Many thanks, Laurie
Congratulations, what a wonderful blessing to have a new granddaughter, sending my best wishes for all! <3 My daughter is expecting in February, and we should be finding out whether the baby is a boy or a girl around the end of September. By the way, you're the first to hear of this, as I haven't shared about it on my blog – nor with many others for that matter. It was unexpected and not planned, but I'm excited to become a Grandma! 🙂
Thank you, Julie
I am running very behind Derrick and thought not to comment today, but there is no way I shall pass by the birth of a new grand child with a mere ‘like’! Congratulations to the joint grandparents and new parents.- a new baby is such a wonderful gift! I am sure the story of why you could not meet her immediately will eventually pass into family folk-lore and be accompanied by the thought that even when in the midst of life, there is death. What an awful tragedy for all involved!
Thank you for making the time to comment Pauline. Yes, the juxtaposition was not to be missed.
Congratulations and best wishes!
Love your photographs in the rain 🙂
Thank you, Inese
Oh Manny congratulations my friend, for your whole family! Such happy, lovely news! Photos to come! Well done all! Glad tidings of celebration, felicity and health for the new born. Xxxx
Thank you, Candice
Awesome news! Congratulations to all Derrick ~
Thank you, Mary
Congratulations! The rain does let up sometimes. Loved the butterfly photos.
Thank you both
congratulations and best wishes…:-)
Thank you sriramjanak