Day 364: Scotland

Where I was

Thank you for such an easy, pleasing trip to visit my sister and her family. My nephew and niece were very different delights. They both pleased me massively. He is clever and sweet and funny – poet, artist, musician, science boffin. She is headstrong and giggly and hilarious – a real performer and still only two, so her specific tastes and preferences are still to be discovered.

My sister seemed at ease and Si was as he always is. I like him a lot. Anna’s very good indeed with her kids. Not that it’s up to me to say that, but it’s what I think. She’s firm, kind and calm. She has huge amounts of patience and is always loving. They both praise their children constantly, especially for what they’ve done, so ‘well done for xyz’ or ‘you did xyz really well (+ specifics about how)’ rather than ‘you’re a good girl/boy for doing xyz’. It shows.

Just because I can.

And then I went to see lovely, lovely Jess and Danny at my flat. They are just so very nice. I had a huge go on their dog and she even let me sing a little bit into her forehead (a rare treat, apparently, as she doesn’t usually let people put their heads near her head). I do have work to do there, but I’m so happy that they are the people living in it and that they’re so happy there. They have filled it with plants and made it look loved. They have given the dog a room of her own. They all welcomed me warmly. I left feeling buzzy, even though my next move is to call in a roofer/plumber to fix damp in the kitchen, which may cost quite a lot of money. Now THAT’s a result.