I have had such a brilliant week! I mentioned that my daughter and granddaughter were staying with us so that she could be here to support her sister with her new baby. I have been looking after Amelia Ray when Lily goes to Caitlin’s and she and I have had such fun.
We have read lots of books. Actually, we have read the same books lots of times. Today we even ‘read’ my bird identification book while looking for the name of a new bird I spotted in the garden.
We slow danced and fast danced and clapped hands and sang and ran and jumped and skipped. I am loving it even if my poor body is wondering what has happened. We have done spa days where I massage cream into her arms and legs, hands and feet.
I even managed to get her to sleep which apparently is a miracle. She was so tired but when I asked did she want strawberries (her fave) she said ‘uh huh’ and shook her head emphatically. I asked did she want a drink and she had the same response. She was rubbing her eyes and so I said ‘Ok if you lie down here nicely I will massage you and you can watch Miss Rachel.’ I have been told to only use the telly when desperate and this felt pretty desperate. She lay quietly while I massaged her legs, she popped a finger in her mouth and passed out.
Last Sunday Chelsea, her husband Sheldon and their gorgeous little boy came over for the day and we took the cover off of the pool. The kids had such a blast swimming. It was so gorgeous to see the babies of two girls playing who had been friends since they were themselves babies!
After we finished swimming we moved to the back of the house and had some food. Lily did a great job planning and had bought some meats, cheeses, breads, dips, chips, a roast chicken, salad, pasta salad and some desserts.
Lily set an umbrella up on the Astroturf for the babies to sit under. We put down a blanket and some toys and they had fun interacting. Amelia was besotted with Daniel and followed him around like a puppy. She kept giving him a little ‘Goofy’ doll and he kept saying ‘tank you’ so cutely.
The babies read a book together and Amelia alternated putting her arm around Daniel and holding onto his arm as if he were escorting her to prom. It was the most adorable thing ever!!
Someone had sent a pic to a neighbourhood WhatsApp group of a Cape Cobra chilling in the bushes and people in the chat said that there had been several snakes out because of the heat.
I had this in the back of my mind when Finn started barking at something in the bushes. At first I was chilled and wondered what it was that had caught his interest then suddenly I yelled “Snake!!!!!” to Norm who walked calmly out to the corner of the garden only to find Lola hiding under a bush trying to avoid the sticky little hands that were so delighted to pet her.
It was a perfect if exhausting day. Norm said he was exhausted just servicing my needs (and do not get all gross, he means cleaning the pool, sweeping up outside, tidying the house and cleaning up after us all).
On Tuesday it was a bit cooler but still warm enough for Lily to let Amelia Ray talk her into going for a swim. Finn was being such a funny boy, alternating between worry that Amelia was safe and barking for someone to come and throw his stick. Lily and Amelia chucked water at Finn which he loved.
By Wednesday and Thursday we had developed a routine more or less, Lily would shoot off early in the morning as soon as we were organised or she would nip over to Caitlin’s to spend time with them as soon as Millie woke from her midday nap. Mills and I would just amuse ourselves however she wanted.
Friday Caitlin had booked to have her newborn photoshoot done by Amy at a studio located at Imhoff Farms. Lily, Millie and I went through to the farm so that Lily could help Caitlin choose the props and things.
The photographer does such cute images! Here is a link to her website and here is a sample image from her Instagram of a random cute baby because even when the photos of Bree Ray are done I will not be able to share them.
Wes, Lily, Amelia and I went for lunch at Blue Water Cafe which is located in a stunning old Cape Dutch style building and has the most amazing views.
They also have a swing set and playground which Millie was besotted with. She sat on the tire swing for ages. I could only entice her away when our food arrived. We ate and then Lily went back to assist Caitlin and I took Amelia into the Higgeldy Piggeldy Farm Yard petting zoo and I bought some animal food. We were quickly being chased by a rude duck so I had to carry Amelia and it was very hot so I was struggling! They had a cute little hut for the bunnies which we fed by hand.
After we finished passing out all of the food, Amelia rode the stationary tractor they have and she loved it. She has a brilliant imagination.
We were so hot and exhausted when we got home and we all just slobbed about until an acceptable time to go to bed! Today Lily was up and out early to Caitlin and only came home after 12:30 so we had a full morning of playing. We stacked rocks and watched the birds and played with the tea set and read books.
Tomorrow they fly early so it is our last day together, they have been here for 9 days but it went so quickly. It was so lovely to have this bonding time with Amelia and obviously to have time with Lily.
Finn is absolutely besotted with Amelia and follows her everywhere. He takes toys to the garden in the hope that she will chase him.
My squirrels have been amusing us too, Millie loves watching them. This little fellow actually stole the entire apple from the bird feeder. But my airplants are looking fabulous!
This week I have been thinking about the way my brain processes information at a high level. One thing it does is store information in a grid like pattern. For instance, I get a LOT of names wrong. Let me give an example. Say your name is BRADLEY. My name stores this as a ‘B’ name, 7 characters in length. When I retrieve that information sometimes only the 1st letter and the length comes through and you may inadvertently be called BERKLEY. Obviously this is perceived as rudeness or disinterest, meanwhile I am old and having a brain malfunction.
An example is that I was sitting outside and Lola was desperately trying to sit in my lap but kept digging her claws into my legs. I picked up a cushion from the other chair and put it in my lap and coaxed her back. I said to Lola (yes I talk to my cat) “See I SUITED it”. Lola was understandably confused because what I actually intended to say was “See I SORTED it”.
However, I have used this weird brain storage system as a basis for my love of data migration and metadata! The Universe just completely directed me into this role. My imposter syndrome made the radiographer in me feel a bit like I was not qualified for the role, but I took to it like a duck to water. Or a dark to water.
Enhanced pattern recognition is a Neurodiverse characteristic, so I am utilising a special skill to perform a specially skilled role! I have only recently realised this is why I can solve a TV crime within a few minutes, much to my darling husband’s annoyance. I also only recently realised I am a bit of a superhero in this regard, as opposed to everyone else not getting things, I get things most people do not get!
However, as mentioned previously, I cannot figure out a can opener or a vacuum cleaner. My judgement was the issue here, judging others for people being ‘obtuse’ and myself for being unable to do things many people can, comme ci, comme ça.
This week I was chatting to Lily and mentioned I was a ‘weird kid’ and she said ‘umm you never grew out of that phase’ and I realised she was correct! I only recently accepted that about me. I am weird. Not in a Vance sort of weird. He is creepy weird. I am odd weird.
It is the same with people saying that they thought that ‘people grow out of Neurodivergence’. Nope, a ND child becomes a ND adult. A weird kid becomes a weird adult. That adult may choose to never show either of these characteristics to others, but they are still there! I have just chosen to greet that world with no masks, the world must just get used to my authenticity. I am still Growing into It.
I hope that you all enjoy the rest of your weekend and the week ahead, until next time, Kisses from the Kitten xoxoxoxox
Kitten in the City 