Summer

The first clan gathering since Easter. A bit of a kick to have spent a sweltering week in London only to head to the  country for rain and more rain. My vision of badminton and barbecues and lounging in the sunshine turned out to look  more like cosy piles of my people on the sofa playing cards. While muddy dogs snuck off to quietly creep into my freshly laundered bed. The gorgeous nieces arrived with their usual effervescent energy. They fill the house to the brim with their love and their tales. The bickering and endless giggles. They have a very particular physicality with one another and with all of us. Arms and legs entwined on the sofa as they instagram. Twirling each others hair as they watch the tv. Jostling, pushing, hugging, cuddling. I had at least one of them draped across my body all through the day. It’s impossible not to get swept up in the bliss of it all.  At some point over the weekend I saw each one of them playfully slap their father in the face, He is a slave to their love. Always a feigned look of hurt in his eyes disguising his utter delight in them. It is a bit terrible and a bit beautiful to behold. They departed like a tornado, the house in a spin. The quiet was nearly deafening as the door shut behind them. 

Maggie came up to see our old man, the Patriarch. First loves and a lifelong friendship. She told us yesterday that at this point in both of their lives theirs is the longest remaining friendship. The tenderness between them is so poignant. It gets me right in the centre of my heart. Such awful timing that he should meet with a cursed oyster, poisoning him and stealing his last bit of vitality. It was hard to see him looking so frail on Saturday and such a relief to find him much more himself this morning. We knew it must have been very bad for him to decline dinner last night but it did mean that we got Maggie all to ourselves and that could not have been better. She has enriched our lives immeasurably. I am not sure you could ask for a more wonderful or entertaining guest. Even if she did forget to sign the guest book this morning. 

Back up to London for the day tomorrow. My girl is DJing at the rave exhibition at the Saatchi and I will not miss that. I will try to be incredibly cool but not quite sure I can pull that off. I hope she will let me photograph her doing her thing. 

Still finding my images looking soft on upload. Any advice?