Lunch at Auntie Mary's

Today I took George to my Auntie Mary's flat for lunch. She is 86 and actually my great aunt but I've always called her Auntie Mary. It makes her George's great great aunt but that's a bit difficult to explain to a 3 year old.

Auntie Mary is widowed and lives on her own so I often worry that she might be lonely but she is so full of life and has so many friends that I think she actually copes with living alone a lot better than most.

In the last 30 (or possibly more like 40+) years, the only thing that has changed about her flat is that she now owns a flat screen TV. She has so many ornaments, glass paperweights, crystal in cabinets, carriage clocks and family photographs about the place. And she is chintz crazy! It is like living in a real life vintage fair. I love it how she has no idea how wonderful she is.

She always provides lunches consisting of sandwiches cut into triangles and then loads of sweet things. I know it offends her if you refuse to eat any of her food so now I just eat loads and have done with it.

Today she fed me:
pink salmon (tinned) and mayo sandwich triangles with loads of butter x about 7
egg mayo sandwich triangles x 5
mini sausage rolls x 4 or 5
some quavers on the side
Mellow Birds
orange jelly with segments in it. Loads of double cream poured on top.
a jam doughnut
tea x 2 cups
coconut macaroon

George did his usual thing of running around the place, jumping on her bed, getting into her bed and pretending to sleep, playing with her walking sticks and chucking things on the floor and then using the grabby stick to pick them up again. He ate about 2 sausage rolls, some crisps, some chocolate coins and some smarties. And drank a litre of apple juice.

Mary was so good with George. They had a tug of war with one of her sticks for a while and I was worried it might end with a broken hip. But she was fine and it was just a really really lovely afternoon.