cousins already, but Kate had to be introduced to them all so there was another big round of hugs.
Aunt M (whose real name is Marigold) arrived with her husband Nicholas. No one called him Uncle Nicholas. Maybe he was too young. She was pregnant, but she still arrived on the back of Nicholas’s motorbike and Granny flew into a rage about that.
“That is the most irresponsible thing that I have ever heard of,” she told Aunt M, who completely ignored her and walked straight over to Kate and gave her a big hug.
“You’ll find that we’re not all as hysterical as my mother,” she said to Kate. Granny looked fit to burst. Nicholas just stood there looking at the floor.
“Hi, Tao,” Aunt M said to me and ruffled my hair. “Are you surviving in that mad house?”
“Hi, Aunt M,” I said shyly. Aunt M is a very pretty lady and I never know what to say to her.
“Aunt M and Granny don’t always get on,” Mimi whispered to me. Then she asked me did I want to feel the baby move in Aunt M’s tummy? I didn’t know what to say when Mimi said that. I think I went bright red, but Mimi didn’t seem to notice.
“Tao wants to feel your tummy,” she told her aunt and she put her two hands right on the middle of Aunt M’s big round belly.
“No…” I started to say, but I was too late.
“Of course you can,” said Aunt M and took my hand and placed it on her tummy. I was like Nicholas, staring at the floor. Then something moved under my hand. It was weird – it was like an alien under her skin.
“Did you feel that, Tao?” asked Aunt M. She had a kind voice. I nodded. “That was the baby kicking.”
“Weird,” I mumbled and everyone laughed.
I’m not sure that I liked the feeling but I smiled and she let go of my hand.
The last guests to arrive were Uncle Boris and Aunt L (short for Lupin – all the aunts except Betty are called after flowers) and a toddler called Wee Billy. He was about the same age as Rachel and Roger and just as mad. They had driven down from Belfast.
“How’s my wee lass?” roared Uncle Boris and swung Mimi into the air.
“And this must be the wee laddie?” he roared at me and putting down Mimi, he grabbed me under the arms and lifted me right up and swung me around. He was a very big man.
“Don’t even try it!” laughed Kate when he put me down and turned to her. Uncle Boris hesitated a moment then looked around the room. His eyes were twinkling … then he grabbed Kate in a big bear hug and lifted her off the floor! Everyone laughed then.
“Imagine having to live with that man!” said Aunt L as she shook my hand and then hugged Kate.
The best part of the day was the egg hunt. All the adults sat on the patio and drank wine while the children searched the garden for eggs. Kate sat beside Paul and every few minutes I could hear her big laugh.
“She hasn’t snorted yet,” said Mimi, who had decided to help me look for eggs because she was a champion egg-hunter … or so she said.
“She will. Just wait,” I said. I hadn’t found any eggs yet, but Mimi kept spotting them in the most hidden away places.
“You missed that one,” she said as she pulled a little egg out of the frame of the garden bench, where I had just looked.
Sally was helping Wee Billy, who was haring around the garden like a wild man, screaming his head off.
“Oh, please don’t give him any more chocolate,” moaned Aunt L. “He’s as high as a kite.”
Conor and Emmett were wandering around with a bag for eggs as well, but they were chatting away and weren’t really looking.
Emma was trying to find more than Mimi and kept shouting at her every time she found an egg.
“Have you found any yet, Dig? You blind old fool!” she yelled.
“More than you, Dag!” Mimi shouted back. “We call each other Dig and Dag,” she explained to me as she picked another little egg that I had completely missed out of a daffodil.
“Too much chocolate will give you windy bottoms, Dig,” shouted Emma
Aunt M (whose real name is Marigold) arrived with her husband Nicholas. No one called him Uncle Nicholas. Maybe he was too young. She was pregnant, but she still arrived on the back of Nicholas’s motorbike and Granny flew into a rage about that.
“That is the most irresponsible thing that I have ever heard of,” she told Aunt M, who completely ignored her and walked straight over to Kate and gave her a big hug.
“You’ll find that we’re not all as hysterical as my mother,” she said to Kate. Granny looked fit to burst. Nicholas just stood there looking at the floor.
“Hi, Tao,” Aunt M said to me and ruffled my hair. “Are you surviving in that mad house?”
“Hi, Aunt M,” I said shyly. Aunt M is a very pretty lady and I never know what to say to her.
“Aunt M and Granny don’t always get on,” Mimi whispered to me. Then she asked me did I want to feel the baby move in Aunt M’s tummy? I didn’t know what to say when Mimi said that. I think I went bright red, but Mimi didn’t seem to notice.
“Tao wants to feel your tummy,” she told her aunt and she put her two hands right on the middle of Aunt M’s big round belly.
“No…” I started to say, but I was too late.
“Of course you can,” said Aunt M and took my hand and placed it on her tummy. I was like Nicholas, staring at the floor. Then something moved under my hand. It was weird – it was like an alien under her skin.
“Did you feel that, Tao?” asked Aunt M. She had a kind voice. I nodded. “That was the baby kicking.”
“Weird,” I mumbled and everyone laughed.
I’m not sure that I liked the feeling but I smiled and she let go of my hand.
The last guests to arrive were Uncle Boris and Aunt L (short for Lupin – all the aunts except Betty are called after flowers) and a toddler called Wee Billy. He was about the same age as Rachel and Roger and just as mad. They had driven down from Belfast.
“How’s my wee lass?” roared Uncle Boris and swung Mimi into the air.
“And this must be the wee laddie?” he roared at me and putting down Mimi, he grabbed me under the arms and lifted me right up and swung me around. He was a very big man.
“Don’t even try it!” laughed Kate when he put me down and turned to her. Uncle Boris hesitated a moment then looked around the room. His eyes were twinkling … then he grabbed Kate in a big bear hug and lifted her off the floor! Everyone laughed then.
“Imagine having to live with that man!” said Aunt L as she shook my hand and then hugged Kate.
The best part of the day was the egg hunt. All the adults sat on the patio and drank wine while the children searched the garden for eggs. Kate sat beside Paul and every few minutes I could hear her big laugh.
“She hasn’t snorted yet,” said Mimi, who had decided to help me look for eggs because she was a champion egg-hunter … or so she said.
“She will. Just wait,” I said. I hadn’t found any eggs yet, but Mimi kept spotting them in the most hidden away places.
“You missed that one,” she said as she pulled a little egg out of the frame of the garden bench, where I had just looked.
Sally was helping Wee Billy, who was haring around the garden like a wild man, screaming his head off.
“Oh, please don’t give him any more chocolate,” moaned Aunt L. “He’s as high as a kite.”
Conor and Emmett were wandering around with a bag for eggs as well, but they were chatting away and weren’t really looking.
Emma was trying to find more than Mimi and kept shouting at her every time she found an egg.
“Have you found any yet, Dig? You blind old fool!” she yelled.
“More than you, Dag!” Mimi shouted back. “We call each other Dig and Dag,” she explained to me as she picked another little egg that I had completely missed out of a daffodil.
“Too much chocolate will give you windy bottoms, Dig,” shouted Emma
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