Seriously new beginnings

I was already on a high with all the spring growth and sunny days when my niece phoned me on Wednesday evening. Kerry who was married in July 2007 is my eldest niece and my god daughter. She is expecting a baby in November, around the date of my birthday. So the little girl who first came to stay with us when she was three is going to be a Mum. I remember how she used to shake our cats bean bags and then bury her head in the middle to make a cosy hollow for them. As a toddler she went through a mad phase of talking about herself in the third person, Mum, she wants a drink etc. One time she said to me She wants to go to the toilet, OK off you go I replied, you can manage. Oh no was the reply, you take her, I took her last time.

This is such exciting news, the first of a new generation for our family, my brother will be a grandfather, I shall be a great aunt. Actually I'm not that enamoured at being a great aunt and apparently neither are the other two great aunts to be who sat beside me at Kerry's wedding in the special Aunt's row second from the front. I have memories of my Gran's sisters, Alice, Emma and Kit, who seemed very old and not very interesting when I was a child. All three were widows who spent their days in chairs beside the fire, at least that's what they were doing whenever I went with Gran to visit. Obviously I won't be like that, I'll be in a chair beside the fire knitting.

It goes without saying that I am excited by all the knitting opportunities and while I'll have to wait to find out whether its a boy or girl before I start any clothes, I can press on with booties and blankets. I wonder if I can find a pattern for maternity socks.

Yes, I did check that the call wasn't an April Fool, it was after midday anyway.