Leaves and sisters and stuff

Ok, it's not a very spectacular photo. But it is a brave one. Despite my misgivings I stopped on the walk to pre-school this afternoon, ignored the teenagers making their way home from school and passing cars and bent down to pavement level to take a picture of these fallen leaves. I think this is progress, of a sort.

Picking Little G up from pre-school is a highlight of my day. Not just because I get my son back. More because his sister is so excited to see him again. There is something geuninely heartwarming (I can think of no better word) about witnessing your younger child run across the pre-school floor to greet her older brother. It's not always like that - sometimes she's asleep in the pushchair - but more often than not, it is. (Note: I choose not to interpret this as a sign of how boring mummy is, but of how much she loves playing with her brother)

One of my earliest memories is of walking with my mum to meet my big sister from school. My little sister was always the first to spot her from her pushchair, and we were both pleased to have her back. (At least, I think I remember that - it may just be a family story that I've adopted as a memory.) In a week where my little sister has become a mummy for the first time, I've been thinking a lot about childhood and family and memories... I just don't have anything very coherent to say about them yet.