Today is a day that Amelia has been waiting for, longing for, anticipating for such a long time. It’s the day that her Grammy returns home to The New Old House (what she named our home when we first moved into it 4+ years ago). We are three generations living together in the same house. I suppose this is where I might be expected to start justifying the reason that my mother and I live together, but I don’t feel the need. We like each other, it suits us and quite frankly most of the rest of the world lives multi-generationally so why shouldn’t we? So there, 😛 But back to the excitement at hand, the arrival of Grammy, a.k.a. Mum!
Mum gets to go off and work in exotic places. One of these days we’ve been promised passage to one of these far off and lovely places, but for now we have to content ourselves with bring homes and picture postcards. And we live vicariously through pictures and skype calls when she’s off and gone. These are rather poor substitutes for a real cuddle on the sofa or a snuggle in at bedtime, so getting to have her back after an absence of 3 + weeks is worth celebrating. Amelia and I do pretty well for ourselves when we have to rough it without an extra set of hands. But as the time gets nearer to Grammy returning we both feel it and patience starts to run a little thin. And I try desperately to hold in the urge to yell, “TAG, You’re IT!” as soon as Mum walks in the door, bags in tow. I do try to let her have some time to be jet-lagged. And then we start the process of getting the rhythm of the house back to what it was before she went away. It’s not always so easy to let another person into the intricate movements of the home as you’ve changed them to be over the past weeks and days. Fortunately, we work together and let each other know if toes are being trod on or feelings are being hurt. In the meantime, we anticipate Grammy’s arrival home!
Amelia has planned this moment for days, which really means weeks, in her mind and occasionally shares her plans with me. Last night we made a Victoria Sandwich (http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1997/classic-victoria-sandwich) and a surprise for her and Amelia asked if she could be the first to walk in an greet Grammy when she gets home from art camp. This means, as I am well aware, that I will become “persona non grata” for the next few days and that is fine.
Wendy's Tale this Side of Neverland 
Awwww. What a sweet and wonderful opening to your blog! I really enjoyed it. All the best and thanks for including me.
Somewhere in the vast space between here and Neverland is a line separating wise and foolish. Thank you for letting us be spectators. Love, Uncle Bruce