Meeting The Grandparents

Dillon has sent us all a number of photographs from his daughter’s first week of life.

He and Flo happily brought her home when she was just 14 hours old.

Grandparents Becky

and Ian drove them.

Our great-granddaughter was then introduced to Jackie

and me.

Naturally we jumped out of bed and came downstairs in our dressing gowns.

Early this morning I sat in the car outside Tesco where Jackie shopped while I began the daunting task of reading Samuel Richardson’s ‘Clarissa’, a vast tome containing “well over a million words” according to Angus Wilson’s introduction to my Folio Society edition. This may take me some time.

A further heavy shower hammered on the Modus roof and raindrops ran in rivulets down the windscreen. Fortunately this had ceased by the time my lady emerged from the supermarket, and we were able to unload her purchases before the next one, which accompanied us on a drive around Bisterne Close via Holmsley Passage.

Conkers and acorns will soon be ready to drop, clattering on tarmac or thudding on the sward of slowly greening fields and verges, the more succulent grass enjoyed by ponies and foals of varying ages.

Along Bisterne Close a posse of pootling ponies with a skittish foal interrupted the journey of a Range Rover Defender while we sat and waited; around the next bend an enormous giant-wheeled tractor towing a container loaded with a large item of farm machinery filled the lane until, after a while, the considerate driver brought his huge juggernaut to a halt alongside a gravelled drive, allowing us to pass before continuing his measured journey.

This evening we dined on Red Chilli’s excellent takeaway fare. My main choice was Tandoori King Prawn Naga with special fried rice. We shared poppadoms, Peshwari Naan, and onion bahjis and drank a toast to Ellie in Prosseco.

95 comments

  1. Lovely pictures of the latest edition. Isn’t it about time for the piggies to be let lose to forage, since the acorns are falling? Congratulations on getting some rain.

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      1. I read her enlightening comment. Although we have had plenty of rain locally, one of the neighborhood dogwood trees has already turned it seed pods (otherwise known as crown of thorns since legend has it that Jesus was hung from a dogwood tree) turn red about a month early.

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  2. What a beautiful set of pictures of your Great Grand daughter’s first meetings! And how perfectly matched she is with her Grandmother – both beautifully seasonal in their Autumn Orange!
    We certainly have had huge rain storms recently; helping to green the grass up after the summer’s drought. I wonder if the weather contributes to the Skittish behaviour demonstrated by the foal today..?!

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  4. Ellie is so beautiful and sweet! And so lovely to capture those first moments of her meeting special loved ones! She is fortunate to have such a wonderful family…parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. 🙂 ❤️
    Oh, and I’m so glad you all got some rain! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) 🙂 ❤️
    PS…“Sometimes the littlest things take up the most room in your heart.” – A. A. Milne ~ Winnie the Pooh

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  6. Congratulations to Jackie and to you, Derrick, for this degree of great grandparents you got .
    I imagine you huddled in the Modus crumbling under the showers and wondering how Jackie was going to be able to leave the supermarket without being soaked! 🙂
    In friendship
    Michel

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  7. Absolutely lovely moments from Ellie’s first day of life, so special.

    I noticed a comment about the pigs and acorns. A news item tonight explained that we are experiencing not early autumn but what is known as false autumn. The dry summer is responsible, the trees respond by shedding some of their leaves to preserve the water.

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  17. Thank you for the sweet photos of you and Jackie snuggling with your new great granddaughter. I hope the recent rains have ended, or least eased, the drought.

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  19. Those are beautiful family photos, Derrick and Jackie. A new life enters the fold, and is lovingly embraced by the generations.

    We are waiting for the autumn rains here. It is still quite dry, and hit 94 degrees on the porch this afternoon.

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  21. ‘Clarissa’! Oh my … I recall ploughing through those volumes in my third year at university. We were the last of many generations of students to study this tome – taught by the same lecturer. The latter had garnered a reputation for being highly embarrassed at what was widely known on campus as ‘the rape scene’. Students from other faculties would keep tabs on the progress of the novel so that on THE day the lecture room would be crowded (not even standing room) by students from every department you can think of as we watched Batty Patty stride back and forth trying very hard to ignore us all and get through the particular scene she had probably been dreading since page 1!

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  23. Your great granddaughter is blessed to be born into such a gracious, loving family with a great grandpa who has such a marvelous way with words. I hope she sees and hears many delightful sights and sounds at your knee. I especially loved “ a posse of pootling ponies with a skittish foal ” today, Derrick.

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  24. Oh the joy of a newborn and all the more as a great grand child
    Congrats to all!
    And I am still smiling from the newborn images
    ☀️😊
    Oh and good luck with reading Clarissa- whew – sounds wordy (ha)

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    1. I’m only going back to the book in response to Leslie Stephen’s piece which is well written and complimentary. Thank you very much for the congratulations, Yvette

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  25. Beautiful photos, Derrick. I particularly like the one of you with your great granddaughter. Dinner sounds delicious, and how lovely that you toasted Ellie.

    Clarissa is another novel I’ve skimmed through, as it is important to 18th century studies. I remembered that the 18th century Maine midwife Martha Ballard had family members named Clarissa and Pamela. 🙂

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  33. Hi Derrick, delightful pictures. Your comments about the rain have me thinking. I’m not sure how long the drought was but only about three months, I think. Here in Johannesburg, we don’t get rain from the end of April until the end of September. Some years the rains only come in late October or early November and we have droughts that last for years. It is so interesting how climate and weather varies throughout the world and what constitutes a drought in the UK is normal here in SA. Of course, our non-rain months are during winter and not over the growing season.

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  34. You have such a way with words Derrick. I love this: “Along Bisterne Close a posse of pootling ponies with a skittish foal interrupted the journey of a Range Rover Defender while we sat and waited” Seeing all of the proud and adoring grandparents holding a new life gives me hope for the future.

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  35. Oh conkers are my absolute faves. How I wish dearly I could have some. They are very good for keeping spiders out of the house and they smell good (to me). I love horse-chestnuts on a brazier also. Congratulations dear D on the little (and extremely cute) latest member to the clan – and congratulations to dear J also. xoxo

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  39. Pingback: A Boozy Knight – derrickjknight

    1. It is, but my stats just start from the new one. No matter. Followers are all able to see it in the Reader and comment. Thanks very much, Yvette

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