Last act

I rarely leave posting on here till the next day, but last night I was well out of it by the time I might have had a moment to blip - the words "we came home today" don't really do the day justice.

It began peacefully enough - tea in bed, bacon roll for breakfast - and as I'd done some organising the previous evening the final packing up wasn't too arduous. My very efficient daughter-in-law ensured that all our presents from the beginning of the week accompanied us out to Neil's car, and - looking after our welfare as she always does - included a bag which held not just our next dinner at home but also the makings of another dinner or three for the following week. And somehow the boot swallowed it all up and we were off on the road west at the time appointed.

Not that we were going home, on this benign morning with the sun appearing as we drove - nothing so ordinary. No: fortified by a coffee at Harthill we headed south off the M8 past Glasgow and down to Largs. We had a football match to watch. (Remember the grandsons had departed for a training camp a couple of days ago?) The weather was perfect - low sun through the trees, Cumbrae on the firth below, no wind and - most of all - no rain. Our boys were in Rangers strips (it was a Rangers residential) and the match a 6-a-side - wildly entertaining, with the players racing past, the ball always threatening one goal or the other, good views of our boys, playing in the same team for a change. When they were small and we were watching the early-morning matches somewhere south of Croydon all these years ago, I used to wonder at the force, speed and sheer physicality of the older lads who took to the pitches as we were leaving; now our chaps are like that - all muscles and cheekbones as they race about. Our team won 11-9 and Alan scored twice; James foiled several attempts on their goal and raced up and down the wing so fast that I could barely get a photo.

(Yes, I know. Proud Grandma moment. It's allowed.)

After the closing ceremony (indoors, in a warm space with coffee) we all bundled into the (amazingly expandable) car and headed down to the front, to Nardini's famous café. We had a corner all to ourselves and fish & chips all round (complete with tartare sauce, coleslaw, salad, extra ketchup on the side ... and a glass of wine for the grandparents) and the chaps gradually lost their distant, tired look and revived visibly. They finished with the most incredible sundaes, which we all had a hand in demolishing. (I know. I did suffer a bit after. Tough.)

They brought us all the way to our door. Unbelievable. We sailed over to Hunter's Quay under a golden full moonrise, on a black glassy sea. James fell asleep, but Alan and Neil helped us carry bag after bag up the garden path and left us in our hall. They were home two hours later. We hadn't even finished putting things away - or at least in sensible places. 

Today (Saturday) I'm feeling sad at not being with my family any more, but as the day ended with jasmine tea and the chaos of Christmas East Enders, I was too tired to feel anything. 

I have two extras left - one for today, perhaps, and one for tomorrow. The extra today shows the post-match experience...