Catching Up With My Ickle Niece

I am back on the right side of the pond, which is to say back in England, my England. The view from one of the three trains I got form the airport to my sister's in the south west.

Needless to say, it has rained pretty much non-stop since I arrived. I love it!  I have really missed proper clouds and rain.

I gave Jasmine the i-spy quilt I made her and she took to it immediately.

Another thing she took to was the glitter wand thing I picked up on some shopping trip. I have been hit - mainly in the face - by that thing more times than I can count in the space of 48 hours.

Since I saw her last Jas has started saying phrases and attempting whole paragraphs of conversation. She has a very precise way of saying "Yes" which she combines with "Let's do that" or some other random phrase she's heard someone say and has stuck in her little head. She is just as inquisitive as ever but now, rather than simply emptying and refilling whatever bag she finds, she wants to know what everything is. I thought I might be able to use this to my advantage when she found my EPP pouch.

I explained what all the pieces were as she held each one up and then asked whether she wanted to try sewing. "No" was all I got in response. Very disappointing. I'll keep trying, although possibly using the lace-up cards Jan from SewandSowFarm suggested first.

Yesterday we went into Bath and got Jasmine some new wellington boots - not an easy task since the first pair she tried on caused her to howl with anguish. No doubt that it is not easy being two years old. Fortunately Clarks had some rabbit ones as well as a number of women to measure her feet.

Jasmine wore one of her patent "what's this woman doing to me?" looks through the whole thing but her enthusiasm about the wellies was the real indicator. While paying I asked the woman at the counter whether most children were happy about buying shoes - since when I was young I hated it. She said it was completely random and sure enough, as I got back to Jas and my sister, Jasmine was beside herself with woe because she was once again wearing the wellingtons she'd been so keen on 2 minutes earlier. Luckily by the time we got back to the house she was in love with them again and has hardly taken them off since. I even got an impromptu drawing lesson from her in them.

Today saw us arriving at a family friendly spa in Worcester which is a wonderful place. It's clearly been a country home for a family in the past and the set up is of that ilk circa 1910. Velvet covered sofas cover the ground floor rooms, decked with multiple cushions in all sorts of patterns. A huge carved mahogany fireplace sits nicely with the ornate grandfather clock and bar. I feel like we've done nothing but eat since we've got here although we did go for a swim this afternoon and Jasmine and I explored the large gardens earlier while Sian had a snooze. She got onto a trampoline for the first time and after some hesitancy was bouncing all over the place.

Because the place is aimed at families with small children there are some very nice touches like free milk and the place settings which echo those for the adults.

I am loving it - especially high tea this afternoon.

My sister is not quite as relaxed. There is a listening service so the little one can go to bed and you go back and have your dinner and, perhaps (she says with one at her elbow), a cocktail. However, Sian is convinced it will be Madeleine McCann all over again if she leaves Jas in the room by herself so I will be dining alone tonight. Not that I'll be eating that much. Not after that tea.