Letters to my Grandchild

Hello my darling, Every time I see you seem to have grown up a little bit more.  We didn't get to your Christmas concert this year but Mom sent me this photograph of you looking a grown-up model with lipstick!  Gorgeous girlie! We don't get to see much of you anymore.  From the time you were a baby until you started school we saw you nearly every day.  I used to push you around the garden in your pram and the rocking motion would put you to sleep.  When you started sitting and taking notice of things around you I would show you all the flowers and Strelitzia was almost your first word, followed by bougainvillea and Petrea!  You still love to play with the little 'helicopter' flowers, twirling them till they spin and float. In 2010 you started attending play-school across the road from our house a couple of days a week and we saw you regularly during the week.  Once you started pre-school, then Junior Primary with afternoons at swimming, physio, OT, Speech, Re

Hello darling Emily,   It is your birthday month - 8 years old!  Wow!    On the 7th October you went for your treatment.  You are so brave when they put in the port and you don't cry or complain.  Tam and Gail stayed with you and you were allowed to have a chocolate ice cream during the infusion.     Your Mom and Dad bought a big new King size bed.  For a few months you have been going through to their room at night and getting into bed with them.  There wasn't enough space in the double bed and Mark said you were kicking him in the 'you-know-what' and his head!  This bed is huge and you can all fit in it.  Tammy usually puts up a side protector but this time it wasn't up.     On Friday you were given a Happy Birthday rosette to wear at school all day.     Sunday was your actual birthday!     You had two parties!  One for the children at your home with bean bags and dress up; and one at the SPUR on Sunday for the oldies

Hello my darling Em, Whenever you come to our house we try to go for a walk around the block before playing all sorts of indoor games.  Sometimes we play camping and we have sleeping bags and make a tent using the chairs.  Other times we play dress up games.  You like to put on a sparkly top and a long scarf, an Egyptian green box hat with a chiffon scarf.  I follow you around as your sister or servant! When you came a couple of weeks ago you wanted to paint my face so we did face-painting before going for our walk. September 16 was the Sunflower bandana day.  You looked gorgeous in your purple bandana which you were allowed to wear to school.  The Sunflower Fund raises money and awareness for a bone marrow registry for people suffering from illness like leukemia (a type of blood cancer) so you did your part to help the fund.     Mark works for a company called Derivco.  He's been there for 10 years and on 20th September they had a wonderful 20 year anniversary cel

Hello my darling Em.   When you came to our house the other day you had to practise your poem for a Speech day at school.  We took a video of you doing the poem and I must say that you did it wonderfully!  At school, the adjudicator gave you this report with an A !!  Well done my darling!       It was my birthday on the 6th August.  We booked a table for lunch at the Chez Nous restaurant in the Westville Junction.  When we arrived we were taken to a table that was beautifully decorated with pink serviettes, sparkles, flowers and party masks.  You and your Mom had gone there earlier to decorate the birthday table!  Thank you so much - it made it a very special birthday lunch for me.     Tammy bought me a red velvet cake which we had as dessert.  You helped me to blow out the candles.   You had a play-date with one of your oldest friends - Tayla.  You and Tayla have known each other since you were born and when Patty was living in Cowies Hill you had m

Hello my darling Emily-Ann,   I went hiking in Switzerland and Italy from 23rd June to 27 July.  While I was away, Tammy posted photographs of you with Gumpie at Botanic Gardens. It looks as though you three had a good time!   I started my hike in the Swiss Alps, crossed the Grand St Bernard Pass (where the famous St Bernard Dogs are) and  into the Aosta Valley in Italy.  Then we got a bus to a hilltop town in Tuscany called San Gimignano and hiked from there to Rome.  I loved the walk but I missed you very much.  Every time I saw a little girl with blond hair I wanted to give her a hug.  By the time I reached Rome I thought that maybe at 69 I was getting too old for this sort of long-distance hiking but there were other people five years older than me at 74 years.  So, I might have to carry on for a few years still! After I got to Rome, Gumpie flew to meet me and we walked 110km together to Rome.  He did very well but I had a fall and broke a rib on the