Spices

They say Variety is the Spice of Life.

The spicing of my life has been a bit sparse, lately.
Routines sneak in, & you lose sight of the interesting, bizarre, events, places, & people.

I expect my impending trip to NZ will 'spice' my life considerably. I will get to see my nephews, who were so young when I last saw them. My BB tells me the youngest, who was 8 when I last saw him, is now over 6 foot tall, (I still think in the old measure- OK, that's because I am a quilter!!). He is 18, and a man now. So it will be interesting to comapre him to my almost 18 year old granddaughter.

She tells me she has recieved her enrolment papers for voting! How can this tiny little girl, who came into our lives & stole our hearts, be of voting age already??
I was there for her birth, & cried with relief when I saw her, & saw that she was ok, after her difficult drama filled arrival. And cried at her unbelievable beauty. I think, you know you are going to love your grandchildren, but you dont realise just how MUCH you will love them!

She has ended her searching of the 'Religion of Strange Beliefs', and is thinking perhaps, of investigating another, of equally 'Strange Belief'. I suspect it is really a search for her 'place' in the scheme of things. She is not a girl who has a bunch of girlfriends, tending to have one or two best friends. One of her best friends from her first school days here, was a girl of another colour & culture, who was never allowed to come to stay, or go on outings with other girls. A very beautiful girl, with her dark glossy hair, & wonderful brown skin, & the most beautiful velvet brown eyes I have ever seen.

They inevitably drifted apart, as they grew older, which was really a pity, for both of them. AAG developed other 'close friend' relationships. She dreams of being married, having children, but she hasnt really lived any of her life yet.

I suspect part of the attraction of the Religion of Strange Belief, was the strong marriage belief they have- (that is a woman's role in life) -classes to plan & prepare for the birth of your children?? At age 18. Before you have even met your 'intended'? Who, of course, must come from the ranks of other 'believers'. All a mystery to us, her family. And, I suspect, largely a mystery for her also, as I have the feeling she 'didnt get it' when all was said & done, in spite of 'praying for the answers'.

I try to keep an open mind for such things. I remind myself of the story of GOM & I & how different we were/are. How we were told -assured even,- that it wouldnt work. A lack of religion is something GOM & I do share- in spite of backgrounds with similar vague religious 'labels'.

I have very happy memories of attending Sunday School, at a Church with no connections to any of my family. I enjoyed it, & loved singing the songs, but as to anything else.. well I still have the little book I was presented with, as the end of the year!

I dont know that GOM's parents ever went to church either, but they considered themselves a certain 'Religious Denomination,' Which I find hilarious, since they never 'attended' it.

I guess like a lot of others, I tend to think if there is a god it is in the wind, trees, miracle of babies, flowers, & our mere existance.

Our weekend was a spice! We had a lovely family lunch yesterday, & SG had a great day! He was so happy.
I had made some pies, & he got the leftover pastry to play with, & used his sister's little rolling pin set, given to her, by their GreatGrandmother, who SG will never meet, because she is gone.
It was lovely to think he got so much pleasure out of it, as his sister had done, so many years ago.
I am not sure why it has always lived at our house, but it certainly provided joy for SG yesterday, & he was doubly delighted when I cooked his creations!
"Some bacon & cheese would be a good idea, Nan" 'Well, we dont have any bacon, but there is cheese you can sprinkle'. "I am a Chef, everybody!" as he patted & rolled & cut out his little shapes- then changed his mind & re-formed them. And he anxiously prepared his tray for baking, & trimmed the paper to exactly fit the tray. Which I then had to spray for him, & he laid out all his shapes. Then took them all off again, to reform.
And I consoled myself that they would be steralised when they cooked!
And the dogs circled, watching, in case some pastry fell their way! Or better still, cheese! Granddog Oscar had come for the day too, & though he tires, he still had a great time with his brother & little 'sister' Honey.

Honey had the BEST time. She loves Son B, & it is mutual, so she was in heaven when he arrived. Then on Sunday when SIL arrived she wet herself with excitement, as she loves him also. She is a bit of a tart that dog, much prefers males!

I even got a kiss from SIL for making him an extra pie for him to take to work. DJ & SB had a good chance to catch up with each other, & it was the kind of day I love. Having my family around me.
The weather 'came to the party' too, & it was very pleasant.

My only disappointment came with the realisation I forgot to take any photos!

And now, I had better get back to some quilty things!