A Lovely Afternoon

Danni, Ella, and Jack joined us for one of Jackie’s splendid salad and cold meats lunches; once Ellie woke she and her parents accompanied us, as Elizabeth did later.

We were able to give Ella her birthday present, which, having unwrapped it with suitable glee, she propped, unopened, on the arm of the sofa and carried on putting together the body parts puzzle which she had extracted from the toy hamper as soon as she arrived.

The next game involved a telephone conversation between her mother, Danni, who was in her own home, viz my chair, and Ella, in her own home – or rather the sofa at the far end of our sitting room.

When arranging a sleepover at Danni’s house, she pointed out that she had a lot of children and was that all right? She needed also to seek permission from G’ma, Elizabeth. This meant a call to her,

having checked her phone number with Danni.

Permission granted,

she enjoyed her sleepover.

Ella had looked forward to meeting Ellie once more ever since she arrived here. She was delightfully tender with her cousin.

Leaving Jackie at home to recuperate and prepare this evening’s dinner, the rest of us took a trip to the mild-weathered Milford on Sea, beginning at the children’s playground next to the Needle’s Eye Café,

where the slide was enjoyed by Jack,

and by Ellie, each aided by parents.

Ellie

Jack,

and Ella, keen to display her ability to propel herself to a great height, all enjoyed the swings, although Ellie wasn’t quite sure what was happening.

While I sat on a wall above, the others wandered along the shoreline;

Ella gathering handfuls of pebbles and throwing them into the water.

Two other children splashing, caught my eye.

We returned home shortly before sunset.

Later, Danni sent me photographs of the rest of us on the beach wall,

and also from behind. Note Ella’s collection of missiles.

Danni took her children home soon afterwards and Elizabeth stayed for dinner which included tender roast lamb, crisp Yorkshire pudding, boiled new potatoes, crunchy carrots, firm Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower, with tasty gravy accompanied by Hoegaarden for Jackie and Swartland Shiraz 2020 for Elizabeth and me.

83 comments

  4. You guys sure know how to have fun. I especially love the photos of Ella and Ellie together and the sunset. Ella looks quite graceful throwing pebbles in her skirt and boots. Great post!

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    1. Thank you so much, JoAnna. That set of photos was unposed – Ella may not have been aware I was focussed on her

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  6. I love the beautiful family photos, Derrick! The babies are so adorable. Your sunset photo is fantastic! Great job. ❤️🇬🇧

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  13. Ahh … a wise Ella, to have a good collection of stones is very important for a girl at the waterfront … these are two wonderful photos that Danni sent you, Derrick …

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  17. I wondered at the children splashing in the water. It looks rather cold there yet, but I suppose they have the same kind of ‘insulation’ I remember my from younger years, when cold didn’t bother me so much. The sunset photo is glorious, but I really enjoyed the ‘ducks in a row’ photo of your family all lined up along the seawall.

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    1. Thanks very much, Linda. That wall picture was well spotted by Danni – I hadn’t realised we were all in a row.

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  20. What fun! YAY for making memories! 🙂
    The little ones are growing so fast! 😮 Glad they can spend time with each other and with the well-seasoned ones. 😉
    Love the line-up on the wall! 🙂
    Gorgeous sunset! We had snow…so no sunset for us.
    (((HUGS))) 🙂 ❤️

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  23. Your title says it and your photos illustrate it. I think this would be a day to remember, made up of small wonderful moments.Ella’s phone game made me think of my own children, and I love how delighted she is with her cousin. The sunset is stunning, but it’s the family photos that touched my heart, though the beautiful weather made your get-together even better.

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  27. Oh what JOY to see such happy children and smiling faces Derrick… What a perfect Day and Birthday gift… Really enjoyed the photos of your families outing ..
    Much love to you Derrick <3

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  28. This post was pure delight, and I smiled from beginning to end. Adorable children! And somehow, throwing rocks into water is satisfying no matter how old you are.

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  33. Children grow so fast! I agree, the time is precious. I looks like you had a nice day there, and not too cold. It was 21 degrees Fahrenheit here this morning. We had a little snow in the wee hours on Tuesday morning. Most of it has melted during times when the sun has emerged.

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  36. I never cease to be amazed at the string of left-handers in your line. No wonder Ella is so imaginative and probably creative, too. She certainly has developed her own look, becoming a young girl now. Was that her fourth birthday?

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