Easter Saturday and we are in Manchester. Another dull and dreary day, but at least it has stopped raining. We drive to Huw’s granddad’s place when everyone is up and ready. Huw’s mum, dad and Katie are already there, not forgetting Alfie. We sit down for a leisurely breakfast.
We take Lakshmi to an indoor soft play area after breakfast. Huw’s cousin Joshua joins us. Out of Huw’s cousins, Joshua adores Lakshmi the most. When Lakshmi was born he bought her a dress after saving his pocket money and wrote her a lovely message to accompany the present. He’s been up early asking about Lakshmi. He is the youngest out of a family of five boys. Three years ago at Kavitha’s wedding they were young boys. Now the oldest three are over six feet tall.
Lakshmi has a lovely time going up and down the slides with Katie and Joshua. After lunch she was still refusing to go to sleep. So Huw’s dad drop us off at the shopping centre, where Lakshmi gets sweets from a giant Bunny rabbit. Being Easter there is music and stalls selling gingerbread men. Lakshmi nods off in her pushchair and we walk back home.
It was Huw’s granddad’s eightieth birthday recently and the reason we’ve met up is because he’s having a party at his house. Huw’s grandmother cooks up a sumptuous spread by the time we get back home. Huw’s cousins and aunt join us and the party gets underway. They entertain us to stories from the past. Hilarious ones and some unfortunate ones. They ask about Murali. I tell them that a friend of mine recently told me that a friend of his came back after a holiday in India to find her husband dead for two days in the house. I tell them that he is made of sterner stuff and so should be fine.
Lakshmi happily runs around the house completely ignoring me. She has her nanny, gummy (Lakshmi’s version of Grampy), Katie and now her uncles. I enjoy my day with Lakshmi’s, and now my family, who go out of the way to make me feel at home.
