Ian and I were pleased to find that there are quite a few birds in and around our garden (well, at least until we plant those berry bushes we’ve been thinking about…). It doesn’t seem like Jessica’s noticed them yet – I imagine they’re simply something fuzzy and distant in her peripheral vision, which is fair enough. But there’s one very bold robin, which I’m really keen that she should see. It’s come very close to us several times when we’ve been sitting out in the garden, perching on the fence or the back of a chair, and only the other day it flew straight over the keyboard of Ian’s laptop while he was lying on his stomach working on it, right in front of Ian’s face…! When I’ve been carrying Jessica for a tour around the garden the robin has occasionally come up to watch us, sitting on top of the fence, and I’ve been able to walk right up to it with Jessica in my arms. I’ve even pretty much touched its beak with the tip of my index finger going: “Look, Jessica, it’s a robin, look!” but she’s only glanced across it or looked the other way. Maybe she thinks that’s how all birds behave and nothing to make a fuss about.
There was a light summer rain today. Dark clouds came in while we were playing in the garden so I put Jessica down to take the washing down and bring her push chair all toys inside, which she didn’t like. She stopped grumbling as soon as I picked her up. As the rain wasn’t very heavy I stood with her just outside the door, so that she could feel the rain on her head and arms. She seemed to like it: she laughed and looked all around her and – carefully – up at the sky.
Gabriella