Thirty six years ago we had our first child. Jamie.
Keith's and my time as a 'couple' ended and we became a family. As I was vacuuming today, I realised that for the past 36 years we have had a child or children living with us. 3 weeks ago that all changed and our last 3 children moved out once again.!!!!! They are 30, 29 and 27!!!!!
I've changed the rooms immediately....One apartment will become the summer house, one room has become an office for Keith, the other a spare room and grandchildren retreat - but I must say there are still remnants of their overflow stuff stashed in cellars, caravans and bedrooms.
I can't believe it..... There is just OUR food in the fridge, and when I look in the fridge the next day, it's still there.!
I wouldn't swap the past for a moment. For many years there were up to 18 of us in the house. Washing, ironing, cooking and cleaning were industrial events. People ask me how I manage to do as much as I do these days... For Petes sake, it's nothing to what I did in the past. We even camped with 13 kids and extras.
Now we've swapped the days of 6 loaves a bread a day to a loaf a week. I only buy one container of milk a week instead of 8 litres a day.
Meal times were always fun, noisy, suprising and set with rosters for cooking, cleaning up and dishes.
Now it's a quiet affair with the news or music. One thing hasn't changed though, is that dinner time is the time to talk over the days events.
36 years later, the family has grown and flown.
The grandchildren are our absolute delight and our kids are something special.
Most of them still live within a 5-10 minute radius, two live just 20 minutes away.
halleluja
