Another month out of Cyprus whizzes by...

I think this has been the longest time I've been out of Cyprus since we moved there. When I eventually return, I will have been away for over two months in all, happy to have missed most of the summer - not to mention the acquisition of two kittens, and Timothy moving out - but most of all thrilled to have been able to spend so much time with my grandson. Those last two words are just beginning to sound natural, although as I only feel about 26 on the inside, it's still a bit surprising to me that my sons are in fact around that age, and that I am now a grandmother...

I have travelled the length of the UK twice since I last posted on this blog - so as I don't want this to be an epic post, I've selected a few photos to illustrate the past five weeks.

We left Carlisle early July, and went to stay with my father in Alcester. While we wanted to see him in any case, the date was chosen to allow us to attend the wedding of one of my longest-standing friends in Birmingham:

It was a wonderful day. A packed church with a moving service, and then a relaxed reception, where we were able to catch up with various people we'd lost touch with. As the minister said, it was a taster of Heaven. 

While in Alcester, we were delighted to discover that we had hit raspberry season, and picked a bowlful like this almost every day: 

This is significant because fresh raspberries are almost impossible to find in Cyprus (and extortionately expensive). 

After a week in Alcester we travelled down to Sussex, on the south coast, to stay with Richard's mother. We spent a lot of time looking at old photos of Richard's ancestors, and went out and about too. But I didn't take any relevant photos that could give a taster.

On July 15th we drove to Gatwick Airport, and returned our rental car. Richard then flew back to Cyprus - with vast amounts of luggage - and I waited around in the airport, reading a Kindle book, until the evening coach [that's a bus to American friends....] to Carlisle. It was a long journey, and although I hoped to sleep it was almost impossible as I didn't have much room on my seat, and when I finally dropped off it was time to stop for a rest-break.

It was wonderful to see Daniel waiting for me at the coach stop in Carlisle at 5am; we walked back to his house (about a mile away) and I had a nap. 

I also had a siesta, knowing that I would not be able to go to bed early; the wonderful Adrian and Bridget Plass were doing a show at the local church, and I was determined to enjoy it. As, indeed, I did; very much: 

Of course the main reason I'm back in Carlisle is to be of some assistance to Daniel and Becky as they struggled with David's nocturnal habits, unpredictable crying and colic. He's a lively, wriggly baby with very little patience, and they would often start the day in a daze of exhaustion. It's astounding how one tiny 10kg person can disrupt the lives of all the adults around him... while also charming us utterly :-) 

When we were in Carlisle at the start of July, we bought a 'Babasling', as recommended by the NCT.  In our absence, Daniel had started to use it when David needed to be carried around, to give him a hand free for other things. David's not the kind of baby who wants to be in a sling all the time; he likes his hands and legs free to wave around, and he's extremely wriggly. But when he's tired, and wants to be held, it's ideal: 

A few days after Richard returned to Cyprus was the date of our 34th wedding anniversary. We had a brief chat online, and I'd almost forgotten about it when this gorgeous bouquet arrived: 

It lasted over a week.

Meanwhile, David has been growing, slowly - on the whole - getting over his colic, and becoming, generally, a more settled baby. I take him out for a walk in his pram most mornings, and he's started sleeping at least slightly more at night than during the daytime. 

He was given a little sunhat, which makes him look a lot older - here he is in his carseat, dressed to go out a few days ago: 

Of course he likes sleeping on people during the daytime; I take my turns willingly: 

Saturday was an extra special day, my father and his wife were in Carlisle for the weekend, and spent several hours here so they could meet David. We made sure to take several four-generational photographs; this is my favourite: 

I leave Carlisle on Saturday morning, and am going to miss this little guy far more than I would have thought possible.