'Granny Grumble' on tour!

My first 'granny grumble' day was lovely...the sun shone...we walked miles and T was as happy as a chubby baby without a care in the world could be. We wandered through the woods along the old railway line and T avidly watched the leaves on the trees moving in the breeze. When we hit the tarmac again we seemed to attract baby watchers like bees to a honeypot...what should have taken me an hour took nearly three because the world and his wife wanted to see the baby, have a natter and tease me unmercifully about becoming a granny...'I can remember your mum taking you to school...' (so can I ...she used to make me run if we were late!) 'OOOoo what a lovely little girl..whats her name?' (blank look ....he is all in blue with a blue monkey..perhaps her eyesight is going..bless) I was even presented with an L plate ferreted from a garage shelf....cheeky!!

Noticed the blackberries in the hedge by the farm gate ...so had to dash home to get plastic bowl and then teamed up with a real 'professional gran' She had arrived to take care of three while mum went to work and had had another couple dropped off as well....she was totally relaxed about it all....she was actually hiding by the rabbit hutch sucking well on a Benson and Hedges when I spotted her! Off we went looking like the raggle taggle gypsies (can I say that these days?.....too late just did....sorry to anyone offended...none meant) a good natured Grandad was hauled out of the TV to join us ...useful for the high ones. We spent two hours laughing at the kids squabbling over 'the biggest blackberry'...we all got stung by nettles and had to find dock leaves...left the spitting bit to the grandad. We stood and watched the buzzards wheeling and mewing above us...the grandad doing the nature study lesson for all the little ones...he was very good and they were mesmerized...back to the job in hand...we picked loads. The pram was weighed down with plastic cartons of all shapes, colours and sizes...well that's what prams are for aren't they? So many nifty numbers appear to be fashion accessories these days with scant regard for the actual comfort of the poor child. Mind you I sometimes wonder if some babies aren't just that as well but we wont go there...no rant today, the rant has gone away...bit of an old tune there...was it the Kinks?

So far this year we have picked strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants, whinberries and now blackberries...still to come are the crab apples and the nuts...think I may need a bigger pram! T of course slept...oblivious to all the shrieking and laughing going on around his chariot. We free wheeled home down the bumpy lane watching the children playing horses on sticks they had found in the hedgerow. Professional gran sneaked another B&H on the way ...S has forbidden smoking in the house...gran's not offended...understands perfectly but enjoys her crafty fags.

T slept ..flat out in the shade of the tree until it was time for tea but first two doting uncles had to have a play time so there were shrieks and giggles that could be heard all over the village as they proceeded to vie for his attention. He has a toy mountain at home but looking at the amount here as well we could probably set up a stall. All these toys available and yet this afternoon we watched as five children between 6 and 11 played horses with sticks..they can still do it.

Most of you will have seen the picture below when Jackofall and I were hysterically trying to put pictures up in the common room using the wrong codes so I apologise for it..... but BOD...RAN...where are you....won't have seen it because she was away at the time and somehow didn't realise until the previous post that I was a real live granny grumble!