The Gruffalo

Jackie spent this pleasantly sunny morning completing a line of granite setts edging the lawn. I carried a few down from the back drive, so I know how heavy they were.

Here is the work in progress;

and here, the completed job, and finally the semi-circle around the gazebo planted up. The penultimate image offers Where’s Jackie? (9)

Danni and Ella came to lunch, which, as the wind was becoming furious, we ate inside. This included a birthday cake Danni had brought for me along with a good bottle of Barolo, and a card containing drawings of monsters by Ella. Because Danni had been pinged by Track and Trace they had been isolating on the actual date.

As usual, Ella made a beeline for her toys and was soon

reading a book with sound effects on the sofa with her mother.

Then, phone in hand, she demonstrated that she has begun to pose when a camera is trained on her.

After lunch we watched

on BBC iPlayer.

Our great-niece has reached the bossy stage, so adults in turn were led off “to school” in the library. She has a few older friends who are already attending school and would like to join them. This is perhaps the next best thing.

Elizabeth had joined us after lunch and was given a tour of the garden by her granddaughter. GeeMa, as the grandmother is known, and I were in turn sent off to replenish the duck irrigator as Ella watered flowers and replenished the fountain standing in the Rose Garden beside rose Twice in a Blue Moon which had been given to us by Becky for the Anniversary of our second wedding. Lady Emma Hamilton rose and very tall sweetly scented lilies are also blooming well.

Neither Ella nor GeeMa was permitted a peaceful rest because they were being chased around by “a big pile of poo”.

Eventually the windspeed escalated enough to start blowing things over and smashing them, so we were forced to take the normal battening down the hatches precautions – somewhat late.

Our visitors left at about 4.30 and Ella, who had refused to say goodbye, was asleep before reaching Pennington.

This evening we dined on our second helpings of Red Chilli takeaway food with which Jackie drank more of the rosé and I drank Recital Languedoc Montpéroux 2018

83 comments

  3. So many sweet and lovely photos today, Derrick! Your family is beautiful. I love the grassy area, so inviting! ❤️🇬🇧

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      1. You seem to be having much rougher weather than we are at the moment. W have just had a couple of twenty minute rainstorms – then mainly dry and calm for the rest of the day.

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  6. I love the way that Ella always refuses to say Goodbye!
    Watering plants must be the most satisfying and popular of all toddler activities – precious!
    I love the bleached looking white tree / trunk with hanging baskets, just by your very smart setts.

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  8. I found Jackie, but only after searching hard. I had thought her shirt was flowers!

    I love to see your visits with Ella and Dani and Elizabeth. Always so fun to see what Ella is up to. She’s precious. I love her curls and her perfect little face.

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  10. Bossy children? Whatever next! “No Grandpa!” is my granddaughter’s most frequently used phrase when I am about.
    A beautifully illustrated day today.

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  11. HA and AW! It’s always a great day when Ella shows up and brings the party with her! 😉 😀
    She’s at a wonderful age…bossy, hmm…but so so SO entertaining! 😀
    Having had a career teaching Kindergarten, 2-6 year olds are my people group! They could rule the world! 🙂
    Chased by a big pile of pooh… 💩 …YIKES!!! 😉 😛
    (((HUGS))) 🙂
    PS…sorry I didn’t comment on the flowers or garden…when Ella is present they pale by comparison! 🙂
    PPS…Jackie is well camouflaged! 😀

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  13. I like how there are flower baskets hanging from a tree. Ah well, our poinciana tree will be big enough to hold one or two in another 5 years maybe.

    Ella is certainly growing up fast.

    Pinged? is that where she may have had casual contact or entered a venue where someone who was a positive entered same venue?

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    1. Yes, it was from a venue where she didn’t know or speak to anyone else. The pinging over here has become a real nuisance, taking many healthy people off work. Thanks a lot, Chrissy.

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  17. Jackie is hard at work to the left of the wheels and behind the planted semicircle. Ella is growing up fast. Soon enough, she would dart trough those flowery paths and hide in the plants. Lovely photos.

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    1. Thanks very much, Uma. Well spotted. There was a moment yesterday when Elizabeth and Ella were on different paths yesterday calling out to each other to find them. 🙂

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  18. I had a question, but you’ve already answered it. I was quite taken with the trees on the right side of the “where’s Jackie” photo. I see they’re eucalyptus. I’d wondered if they were crepe myrtle because of the bark, but it made no sense that you’d have crepe myrtle.

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  19. A wonderful collection photos today … It’s just after lunchtime here (yes I’m having one slow sluggish days). and Ella’s antics made me, and brightened up my day ..

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  20. So many adorable pictures of Ella! Watering the flowers is a perfect task for little children.

    Happy birthday.

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  21. “O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” How wonderful to be able to enjoy such a visit – a pity about the strength of the wind, yet you were all able to spend some time in the garden. Thank you for sharing your joy.

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  25. Ella is sure learning to pose! She seems to learning gardening care, she’ll be an apprentice gardener for Jackie real soon, eh?

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  31. Such lovely garden and family photos. Ella is adorable, and Jackie as a garden creature is enchanting, too. (In the where’s Jackie photo, she looks like she is part plant.) 😀

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  32. The garden looks fabulous. I love The Gruffalo. I read it to my young students!!And the film is really well done, I think. Looks like you had lots of fun with your visitors. It’s so nice to be able to open up our homes and gardens again, isn’t it?

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  33. Jackie is a bit left and a just a tad up from the center, facing right.
    Your roses are spectacular, Derrick, and so is the adorable Ella who grows more adorable every time we see. her.
    Who is Gruffalo?

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