Eben and Simone

Eben was with us all day, and Simone was here from around 9 until 3.  These two, the oldest (8) and youngest (14 months) of the four grandchildren, rarely see each other as a twosome. Eben was happy to help entertain Simone for a good part of the day, though we also made sure that he got some opportunities to do other things (notably beating Richard at Scrabble, but being beaten by me at chess). We'd promised him that if he could help us out with Simone today, we'd have a treat tomorrow (probably a film of his choice at the cinema).
We hadn't seen Simone for around 3 weeks, as Jack and Marianna have been on holiday in Brittany with both girls. The gap didn't seem to make any difference.  Having just learned to walk unaided, she was delighted to explore the house.  There were a  few tears when Marianna left, after dropping her off, but some cuddles and some distractions quickly settled her down.  She's very cuddly indeed just now, very affectionate. She also understands a lot of what we say, though she's not saying any clear words herself yet.  Phrases from me such as "I'm just going to ...." led to an immediate protest, for instance: she was clear that in the absence of her own parents, Nana wasn't going to be allowed to leave the room.
She has no problem in making her wishes and preferences very clear :-)
Simone makes me laugh, big bubbly laughs: she just has that knack. I'm looking forward to the regular Tuesdays that we're due to spend together from September.