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Easter – a gran old time of the year
Easter holidays, and the chance to do a bit of extra grannying. On Sunday night I babysit in Peebles, and return to Aikwood the next day with Caledonia, aged 10.
She talks horses most of the time. She has a 12.2hh Welsh pony called Cookie, and goes to the Tweeddale Pony Club. It may be a small branch, but they seem to have lots of fun.
It seems no time since I was dressing her as a highwayman for Halloween showjumping.
Now it's Easter Bonnet showjumping. I'm beginning to become an expert in crafting headgear over a hard riding hat.
I have to say that I don't remember a single mounted fancy dress event at the Buccleuch Pony Club in the years we attended rallies.
There was a fancy dress party at the Ednam House at Christmas.
One year I made terrific masks for Miss Piggy and Fozzy Bear, but the judges were so elevated that they'd never seen or heard of the Muppet Show.
I had one child who would not ride. Then, in his teens, he noticed the proportion of girls to boys at the Pony Club, and went along on our old Hamlet – but was so disgusted by being put in a class for younger children that he never went back.
Our foster son, on the other hand, had a glorious social life as a result of the Pony Club and the Scottish Youth Theatre, which also boasted a majority of girls.
It's quite hard for a non-riding child in a horsey family.
My eldest grandchild copes with it by sitting in the car with her nose buried in a football fanzine and refusing even to participate in a horse-orientated conversation.
In order to be even-handed, I have to remember to look up Arsenal's current score and ranking. Her big treat recently was to go to an Arsenal match in Newcastle with her uncle. "There were a lot of people swearing, Granny," she reported, her eyes gleaming. "They were using really bad language."
Her uncle muttered, "We went to the away fans part of the ground, not the families' part. Maybe it was a mistake."
His niece obviously didn't think so.
Now that's another thing: in all my teenage years of going to rugby matches at Murrayfield, I don't remember ever hearing swearing, though I was once subjected to a mild sexual assault, not that I really recognised it as that at the time.
Tuesday afternoon brought two grand-daughters, one from each family, to Aikwood. I saw very little of them – they were off together playing with virtual ponies on mini computers, or playing Persia's latest game which is imagining you're living in another time. Meantime, I got on with the Easter Bonnet.
Wednesday afternoon saw the object of their visit – a finger puppet-making session at Bowhill, where they produced a blue rabbit and a pink cat.
"We thought it would be boring," confided Persia afterwards, "but I liked it so much that I'd like to have finger puppet-making for my birthday."
We tried out the caf at Bowhill which has just started up under new management and I thoroughly recommend it.
It was a lovely afternoon all round – the courtyard and woods were full of families, many of the adults being other grandparents. One visitor from the south whom I met was so envious that we lived so near to such a children's paradise.
And I've still got Easter Day itself to come! The knight is in Africa, the heir is in France with his daughter (and no doubt her blue rabbit finger puppet), but the rest of my family and my sister will be here.
I'll be cooking a roast lamb with new potatoes rather than roast potatoes, and I think I'll make a nice chocolate mousse to follow it. This is one from the incomparable Elizabeth David.
CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE MOUSSE
4oz dark chocolate
4 eggs
1oz softened butter
Juice of one orange or tablespoon of orange liqueur
Break the chocolate into small pieces and melt in a low oven. Separate the eggs and stir the yolks into the melted chocolate along with the butter, and the orange juice or liqueur. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into small glasses or coffee cups and put in the fridge until ready to serve.
SERVES 6.
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Weather for Selkirk
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west
