Waiting for Esther....Part Two

This is what I've been waiting months to see....& it finally came true last Friday! Life has been a whirlwind since then...trying to fill every moment with memories that will have to last a long time until we're together again...

But I'll begin where I left off!

The view from the windows doesn't need changing one bit....but you saw the 'Before' pictures...the attic room in disarray....a lot of this was due to all the books that we have, many of which I'd forgotten about as they were all piled up or in boxes. So we asked the carpenter who made our built in bookshelf downstairs to work his magic again...

and we now have these in both alcoves of the room...MUCH better! The other problem was various pictures and photographs, in frames, that just rested up against things. I got the hammer out and...

voila! The hand & footprints of my niece & older nephews....a wonderful painting my niece created aged 6...and (bottom right) a photo of the cake my master baker grandfather made for his own wedding in 1934 (4 tiers!)...special records of precious lives...
So, with a bit of juggling and putting boxes back in the loft space, the floor was clear. Next was a decent bedside table and lamp...

I bought the books for Esther...she loves history and stories that bring events to life...
All that was left was to vacuum, dust and then fit beds for 4 into the room...a tight squeeze but...

with the help of two foldaways and a double sofabed...there's a cosy & comfortable place for my darlings to sleep!
We drove back from the airport to the farm at 6.30am...the small country lanes were still quiet....but Granny & Grandpa were up and dressed and eagerly awaiting our arrival! The kettle went on and a huge breakfast of toasted crumpets, croissants, milk and bananas (which are hideously expensive in Australia - they grow their own, and bad weather has seriously sffected the crops, driving prices way up. The children couldn't believe that here they are one of the cheapest fruit....and you can guess the rest!!) We couldn't believe how wonderfully these jet-lagged children behaved...sunny & still full of energy. They fell in love straight away with William, their 3 year old cousin, who was only 8 weeks old the last time they met. He was to be seen holding hands with one or the other of them all weekend and chatting away happily!

A trip to London on Sunday...the Natural History Museum...DINOSAURS!...a picnic on the steps outside later...riding on trains...and in black cabs...horseriding...a family football game (boys against girls - 4-4, so no arguments!)...Esther & I to the movies (blissful)...Uncle Paul taking Kip (7 1/2) to his first soccer game...and that's just the first 3 days!

Yesterday, Esther brought them all to our house...they will stay here for a few days early next week. Alice coped brilliantly with this sudden influx of noisy small people...the children have grown up with dogs so know how to treat her properly!
They rushed up to the room they remembered from their last visit...and suddenly, the makeover was complete...

Scout started drawing...

Kip started reading...

and Alfie started bouncing! Alice looked on...bemused....

And the adventures continue! See you soon and I hope you're having a wonderful week xoxo