A Rainy Saturday

24th September

A little capturing of one day in the week that we looked after five grandchildren.

And Then Came The Rain

For weeks there’d been gorgeous weather, temperatures comparable with the Mediteranean.                      Day after day waking up to a blue sky, early morning sunshine warming the earth of the new dawn.                                                                                                                                                          Day after day washing drying outside, with a slight breeze on occasions to help it along, with  the song of the robin in the background.                                                                                                                    Day after day lazy picnics on the beach and keeping cool swimming in the sea.                                                                                         

Then, on Saturday, black clouds descended over Blackberry Way, bringing wind and torrential rain to wash away the summer.  Five little faces pressed noses against patio windows and peered out.  Grandma and Grandad wondered how they were going to entertain them.  It was six thirty am; they’d eaten scrambled eggs, they'd had stories, and  now were asking what they could do. The grandparents thought about the cinema, but apart from the age range of the children making it difficult, there was the cost. It was money too that was inhibitive when they considered the swimming pool and the children’s play center.  

So that’s how the grandparents happened to be walking by the sea with five little  grandchildren in wellies and raincoats, on that blustery day.  The parents,  having gone on holiday for a week,  had left the children with their, “more than capable” grandparents.  It was now only day three and it wasn’t the children who were counting the sleeps till the return of mum and dad.  They watched the children running across the shingle, arms waving and shouting into the wind looking as if they might take off at any moment and soar into the dark sky.                                                                                                                                                           “Tastes like salty,” Lily- Mae laughed, licking her lips as sea spray wet her little face.                             

Granddad had told them that they could walk along the edge of the sea in their wellies but they were not to get water inside them. Well, with waves crashing in and their excitement mounting it’s no surprise that they were soon all soaked to the skin.

“Hey, grandma, look,” Cohen pointed up to a group of kite surfers skimming on the high winds over the ocean.  Five open mouths stared up in their direction.  Walking further along the beach they spotted a lone a kite surfer preparing to go up.  For the best part of thirty minutes grandparents and grandchildren were mesmerised as they watched him assemble his kite.                                                                                                                 

“What’s he doing?” asked Lily-Mae, over and over again.                                                                             “He’s making his kite so he can fly it, like those ones you see up there, look,” Grandad repeated patiently.They all cheered as the kite surfer finally took off and rather tentatively rose to join his companions in the clouds.

It wasn’t long before the children got cold and it was time to go home.

After a change of clothes, they all had a mug of hot chocolate and some hot, buttery toast ,while they sat around the table, writing  and drawing pictures about their adventure to show  mum and dad when they got home.

And Annie said,

“That was the most bestest day ever since you came to stay Grandma.”