Sparrow Lorelei and Robin Artemis photo gallery

Oma and Granddad come to visit (part 2), 6-11 May, 2011

Sparrow had the good taste to choose as her favouritest birthday present the Megasketcher magnetic sketch pad that Oma and Grandad gave her. It was very well used.

Granddad is watching the nightly news, a concept that Sparrow finds sapient ("this isn't something my parents do!!?") but boring in execution. At the moment I took this photo there was an article about some children on with lots of video of their faces, so she watched that bit before deciding that news was boring.

Off on a morning trip to Williamstown, catching the bus from our house. I still can't drive, and we can't fit all of us in the car, so this was a nice way to go out. Maggie had wanted to do some shoe shopping for Sparrow and Highpoint just wasn't feasible to get to. But Williamstown has some kids shops so it was worth a try, and a fun excursion even if not. Of course, we got to the bus stop at the beginning of a long gap between buses and had to keep Sparrow busy. Playing chasey around and around the bus stop worked OK. So did playing peekaboo with Granddad through the perspex.

Bus rides are OK.

Morning tea in the bakery cafe. Robin is enjoying the green bench seats.

Maggie is buying a few things at Coles to cook dinner while the rest of us wait outside. Sparrow is charging up the steps and down this stripey ramp again and again and again. She burnt off a lot of energy. Then we had to get her to the bus stop to go home.

Poor little mite was so tired after all this, she got really difficult about walking up the street to the next kids shop (seeing as we had a long wait for the next bus anyway). She waded into this dwarf peppermint hedge and played "jungle", wouldn't come out for any amount of scolding or bribery. She wanted to catch up with Oma and Granddad who were in the kids shop just two doors down, but (as a tired two-year-old does) wanted to catch up with them by them coming to *her*.

Off for a walk around the shops downstairs. Sparrow is going to lead Oma and Grandad to all her favourite places and hangouts, and introduce them to all the people she knows - starting with the ladies on their morning coffee break at the back of the supermarket. I am trailing along carrying Robin.

Sparrow likes to sit on this "bench" here - the hairdresser's step.

Waiting for haloumi pie and cheese roll in the Lebanese pizza place. Sparrow knows very well what she's going to get to eat here and is waiting expectantly. Maggie and Gordon got to try some too.

Maggie is packing to go home. Sparrow is "helping". Maggie has a bag to put things in. Sparrow has a pillow and pillowcase to put things in. This could have got more intricate except that Sparrow doesn't have the attention span or the right mental concepts yet to try "hiding" someone else's stuff, deliberately or accidentally.

Instead she is turning on the radio, and providing music to dance to while they work. She is also contributing the dancing, and letting Maggie contribute the work. Fair share of labour and all that.