Hackney does have so much to offer families, but it's always good to get away....and come back. So on one of those gorgeous, hot summer days that we've been having, we pack ourselves and the kitchen sink into the car and head to Kew Gardens where we are meeting friends who have a baby, 4 weeks younger than Baby LJ.
An hour later than planned (which has become the accepted norm for us now) we arrive and once inside Kew we find some shade under the trees and if feels like an oasis of calm. We spread the blankets and picnic and the babies lay and gurgle and sometimes cry, but it hardly matters. Nappy changing alongside, snack eggs and work discussions mingle with talk of feeding, routines and growth spurts!
Kew is a wonderful place to hang out with babies, it feels like a huge safe haven, with plenty of space and shade. As we sit chatting on the terrace of one of the eateries, cups of tea and babies in hand, an elderly woman, wizened, with silver hair, approaches our table. Through her accent, (which sounds scandinavian), it takes me a moment to work out that she is pointing a long, bony, finger at Baby LJ's younger friend and saying "2 months", with an intense stare, she has guessed his age correctly. At first I feel protective of our little group with our precious bundles, but as she walks off I realise she meant anything but harm.
Husbands' depart to admire a photography exhibition and no more than 15 mins could have passed, when the silver haired lady re-appears, carrier bag in one hand. This time I feel happy to see her and I offer "this one is 3 months" holding baby LJ up so that she can see, she smiles, "It is very special" she says before looking both the babies over and hobbling off.
My friend and I both felt an aura around this elderly woman, as though she had a spirituality about her and in the car on the way home I mention to husband that, the she had returned, whilst they were viewing the exhibition...."what lady?" he asks.....
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