Happiness: Family and Friends

 Dad, Eve, Grandad Col and Great Uncle Robert

The rains came on Friday whilst I made my first journey by train to the Gasworks Studio in St. Werburghs. I'll be studying a practical course in sustainable permaculture there in September and wanted to do a quick recce. Other than getting wet I had a nice time wandering about different areas of Bristol during my day off.

I have 7 days left in my current job of nine years. I am super excited about this big life change which is fast approaching. To say that I'm not nervous would be lying, it is a real leap of faith. I am hopeful about the future; I really want a different lifestyle for my family.

Saturday was no different to Friday, and the rain poured off an on all day; we got caught out in it as we walked to Brislington with Eve, to see Dan, Katrina and George for the afternoon. 

Although we hadn't seen George for some time, he and Eve have known each other since they were babies. This could be seen in the easy way that they played with each other.

Eve had a nice time playing with George's toys, and they both enjoyed jumping about in the garden trying to catch bubbles! 

Eve had such a lovely time at George's and laughed most of the way back to our house. When we arrived at home she was completely beside herself to find out that Mike had come to stay with us for the night. Eve absolutely adores him, so it was cute to see her having fun with him.

The following morning Eve was very good at being quiet whilst Daddy, and Mike slept. I prepped our wellies and general gear as we were shortly to head off to Grandad Col's for lunch.

As we pulled into their driveway the clouds cleared and the sun shone. Colin's brother Robert and his wife Amanda (Eve's Great Uncle and Great Aunt) were visiting from Australia. We decided that the last time we saw each other was 11 years ago, so it was really nice to catch up and spend some time together.

After cups of tea, we put on our wellies for a walk through the garden. Grandad Col and Jeggs have been working hard, so we were interested in how it was coming along. Seeing the water lilies in bloom on the pond put a big smile upon my face...

Beautiful lilies on Grandad Col's pond

We had a look inside Grandad's greenhouse and helped him pick some tomatoes. The scent in the greenhouse was divine, and eating freshly picked raspberries from the fruit cage was even better!

Grandad Col's vegetable garden

Picking Beef tomatoes

Daddy and Eve

Playing with Eve in Grandad's garden was truly wonderful - there were some of those moments that you know will stay in your heart forever. 

Back at the house Eve enjoyed playing with a wooden car that Grandad had made for Sam when he was a boy. Memories floated across the generations as Grandad thought about making it, Sam thought about playing with it, and Eve pushed it to and fro on the lounge floor. 

Lunch was a feast of treats from the garden: really healthy, yummy summer salads.

Eve was well behaved and sat contentedly with us at the table for most of lunch time. She was especially happy that Grandad had bought her a special chocolate pudding for dessert.

Before driving home, I took a final walk down to the greenhouse with Eve; just me and her. She held my hand as we walked around the garden, and enjoyed going under the canopy of the willow tree. Weekends are made for these moments: moments that I can properly immerse myself in her brightness, and experience the fullness of life.