We spent a day with the Hands in Leeds last weekend – my first visit to their new house in Horsforth. Andree joined us, and thanks to an early start we arrived shortly after 10am. Already Si and Florence had been to Saturday morning ballet, and Bess and Claire arrived back from a shopping trip shortly afterwards.
The new house is bright and cheerful, with a small garden, and with networks of paths through woods just a minute or so from the front door, which meant that dogs could come too! After a cup of tea, we explored the woods with the dogs, returning home via a circuitous route, and then headed off for a pub lunch. Claire was cooking a meal later, and so I was under instruction to have a light lunch. I abandoned the favoured large pie, half filled with beef, and half with chicken, and as instructed, opted for a much lighter meal. Mince and kidney suet pudding. Well, at least it was a smaller portion than the pie would have been. We were able to eat outside, where Bess played in the play area, and Florence slept close by in the car. After 2 weeks of fizzy IPA in Canada, I was pleased that a nice local West Yorkshire cask ale, Saltaire Pride, was available. Chantal drove me back to Claire and Si’s.
We settled the dogs in the garden with a bone each, and sat down to play with the Bess and Florence, and to catch up with the family gossip. Tia had other ideas. She wanted to be with us, and so barked. And barked. And barked. Once it was clear that she wasn’t going to settle, I once again set off with the dogs to explore yet more paths in the woods, returning to the house an hour or so later to find Claire cooking, Chantal and Si gardening, and Florence playing happily in the garden. Bess had opted for the traditional post-pub lunch activity of a snooze. With company in the garden the dogs settled down with their bones, and I joined in with the task of pruning a very high and very prickly Pyracantha hedge.
By dinner time it was cool enough for the dogs to settle and sleep in the car, and we had an excellent roast meal. Afterwards it was clear that the girls had had quite enough of grown up chatting, and, quite rightly, felt that it was time for them to participate. Well, I am afraid that Grandpa Coops did get a little bit silly, aided and abetted by Grannie Chas and Daddy, what with clowning around, and making some most peculiar noises when the granddaughters pulled his hand, and everything got quite excitable. Its what grandparents do, you know. Wind up the grandchildren just before bedtime, and then go home….
We did have time for some storytelling, and to sing some good old fashioned nursery rhymes, with the assistance of Grannie Chas (Si admitted that he didn’t actually know some of the tunes!) before we headed back south again after a lovely day. See more photos in “Our Recent Photos”
Technically we live in Oaktree House, but sadly the tree had to go.
We now have a thriving Oakstump at the front of the house.
