18th June

I’ve been looking forward to today. My youngest grand-children came to visit for a few hours which is always a pleasure although just a tad noisier than my normal routine. And their toys and books seem to explode all over the house which is actually quite wonderful! I don’t find young children easy to connect with and so there’s a certain satisfaction when I manage to break through into their world. They were both a little emotional at different times and I suspect they are still trying to understand about Nana no longer being here but Jaffa cakes for a snack followed by home-made chips and then ice cream seemed to help them settle in… if only life were that simple for the grown-ups.

So the plan was to take them to the Fire and Rescue Event on the park. We sort of got there but they seemed far more interested in the fun-fair – horrid things I reckon – and then the paddling pool. Anyway there they were in their little raincoats keeping dry from the rain, but getting rather wet from splashing around in the pool. Aren’t children strange? I’m really not sure what to say about mum who couldn’t resist joining them for a march through the water! Oh to be young…

I couldn’t stop the tears though as 40 years of memories of me and Jane visiting Markeaton Park intrude so powerfully on the day. I can remember quite clearly a walk there the day before my daughter was born over 30 years ago. Jane was overdue and we reckoned the walk on the park did the trick.

But the hardest part of the day was driving my daughter and children back to Loughborough. For several years Jane and I made the journey every week to visit them and it was our special thing that we did together. On the way there we pass the turn to an organic farm which is where Jane and my daughter quite recently made arrangements to hire a room to run their art workshop away-days. It never happened.

2 Corinthians 5:7-10 ^‘For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.’ (NLT)