And then there were 4.

 

At the beginning of this week, I was feeling pretty tense, wondering if I had taken on too much?

 

An intimate supper with the owners of the company the Big Man works for… meeting them for the first time:  would he still have a job after an evening with all the Mortimers?!

 

A weekend with my Dad’s new girlfriend… meeting her for the first time:  would we do him proud?  Would I like her?  Would she like us?  How would I feel seeing my Dad with another woman that wasn’t my Mumbo?

 

Well James still has a job…

 

And I feel very relaxed and content and so far from the tense I felt before the weekend.  Edna already feels like part of the family.  My Dad is happy.  I am happy.  And relieved that he has someone to plan the rest of his life with… someone to laugh daily with… and hold hands with.

 

After a final family Sunday lunch with the 8 of us and waving a fond farewell to Grandad and Edna, the usual Sunday afternoon routine is restored.

 

The 3 boys head for a Sunday swim, while I tackle the weekly build up of ironing and my backlog of trash tv; a guilty pleasure to get through a mountain of shirts.

 

The bags are packed – the Big Man’s yearly epic cycle trip for charity and Tom’s first trip to Cubs ‘Packmania’.

 

The Big Man mows the lawn, the boys read followed by a quick and easy supper.

 

And then there is the Sunday Sofa.. 4 of us piled together. Relaxed, restored and ready to start the new week.

 

And then there were 2.  With the odd visit from 1 wanting just one more kiss goodnight.