The Love Diary

Monday 18th March

As I drove to work this morning the sky held promise for the day. The pinks and blues were layered in the sky, the clouds the only movement as they floated slowly by.

I opened my window when I got to my desk and could just feel spring in the air.

It didn't take me long to decide to head home at lunch time and get outside, into the beautiful day and then finish working from home.

I knew mum was popping over to see Tim, Ellie and the girls today and I texted her to see if they wanted to go for a walk along the beach later and maybe get ice cream.

I cracked on with work and only picked up my phone to see the reply from mum.

They were in.

I left the office and did a quick swap at home, my work bags went in and Duke and Chester came out. I met them all down the beach.

I parked and walked along to where we had agreed to meet and knew they were close when the boys started to pull harder against their leads.

“Dudu…Ches…” I heard a little voice scream. Then I could see the little tornado running towards us as fast as her little wobbly legs could take her.

I moved to the right of the boys and crouched down so I could scoop her up as she got to me. She gave me a big wet kiss on my cheek before screaming,

“Down, down, down.” Repeatedly until she was back on her feet.

The moment they hit the ground she was running back to everyone and Ellie was watching her worried while Tim was looking at me laughing. 

I kept walking closer and she was demanding something from Ellie which she was finally given. Then Molly spun back to me and lifted her arms up showing me her prize.

“Did you have some chips?” I said to her and put my free hand on my hip. She nodded at me enthusiastically and then pulled a chip out the bag and passed it to me.

“Thank you.” I gasped and ate the chips smiling at her. “Oh yummy.” 

Then she handed me another.

And another.

“They're for you…” Ellie stage whispered at me as I had continued to say thank you and rub my tummy at every chip.

“For me?” I asked Molly and she nodded and thrust the bag forward slightly, sending a chip flying. I grabbed the bag her little hand held in my direction, just as she bent to grab the one that fell, saving all the rest from tumbling out.

She held the chip from the floor triumphant above her hand and I handed her another.

“You can give the boys one each.” She smiled and awkwardly turned her hands so the chips were on her flat palms and the boys gently took the chips from her.

She jumped away giggling and wiped her hands on her coat before running to Ellie and pointing at the dogs. She was talking so fast I had no hope of getting her story but Ellie smiled at her, nodding and cooing apparently at just the right moments.

I ate my chips as we wandered along and managed to finish them off just as we made it to the ice cream shop.

We managed to get in and out fairly quickly and Molly got her ice cream everywhere. Tim had held it until we got to the wall so she could sit and eat it.

When she was close to finished there was ice cream all over her hands and I turned my palms up and looked from her to the dogs.

My clever little niece smiled sneakily at me and she walked over to Duke and Chester with her hands out and they started to lick her hands excitedly. She giggled loudly and kept pulling her hands back before thrusting them forward again.

I laughed and turned to see mum holding in her laugh as Ellie and Tim were distracted by Megan who had started to cry. 

Mum grabbed a baby wipe and cleared the ice cream from Molly's face, I gave the boys a little treat each and Ellie started to feed Megan in the warm afternoon sun.

I got home and pulled out my laptop to work and decided to sit on the sofa with the TV on in the background. I flicked on Friends and before I realised, my tummy was rumbling and I was finished working.

I made sausage and pasta bake for the week and separated it out into bowls. When a stray sausage landed on the floor Duke gobbled it up I turned and saw Chester watching me.

Sad.

I threw him a bit of sausage before feeding them and sitting down myself.

When I finished dinner and had tidied up I collapsed back onto the sofa with the TV on and scrolled on my phone until my eyes got tired.

I got up and got myself ready for bed and feeling a little refreshed I grabbed my book.