Boxing Day 2011

my 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren

 I work in a hospital and as I work weekends and Christmas day fell on a Sunday I was working on Christmas Day. I came home and had a fairly normal meal prepared by daughter No2 who had invited herself over for the duration and we then unwrapped our presents to each other.

my great niece E reading her new book

So on Monday I got to celebrate Christmas with daughters No 1and 2, the two grandchildren and a pleasant surprise of my oldest nephew and niece and my youngest great niece, and how lovely it was to see them.

daughter No2, nephew Carl and great niece E.

When the children were all young my sister and I stay at opposite ends of the country and when the children were growing up we (sadly)saw very very little of each others children. My sister and her husband use to work long long hours holding down jobs and starting up their own business and they only closed down the business for 2 weeks over the Christmas period which is when they went away on a family holiday. I think the last time we got together as a family was over 20 yrs ago. Some of us did meet up for my mums 60th birthday party, which due to an accident I didnt make, and then my mothers funeral 10yrs ago, so this is really the first time I have seen my nephew and niece as adults.

after the great unwrapping

 We all got together at daughter No 2's house as it the best size and design to hold us all in comfortably, and the guests are staying there for a few days so it made sense.

Carl and E

 We had a pleasant day exchanging gifts and catching up, plus getting to spoil my great niece, E who is 14months, seems so long ago since Bob was that age.

my niece with her niece E

Bob reading E's new Gruffalo book

So thanks T for a very nice dinner, and here's hoping this generation of cousins may see more of each other than the last lot did.