A
Warm Welcome from Grandparents for the New Household!
Ian's mother died two years after he and Marie-Hélène and the four older
kids moved in together, but not before giving Marie-Hélène, Daphné and
Alban
a royal welcome.
Grandma's welcome, help and support was the high spot for both
parents during the initial turbulence of the household's creation.
The
photo on the right is of Grandma at Disneyland in Paris on her 68th birthday in
January 2005. It was a wonderful weekend, and it was Grandma who offered us Disneyland, putting
us up in hotels at Eurodisney outside Paris and then offering us all annual
passports to the park.
Not to forget Grand-Père, Marie-Hélène's father, whose good health has
afforded him the dubious privilege of hosting the entire brood regularly in his cottage in Brittany! He too was already living alone when the
household formed, and he too gave us all unconditional support, despite being
periodically turned out of his own bed and into his nearby caravan for a little
peace.
The photo on the left was taken not too far from La Grée, his Brittany home, early in
1996.
On the right, at home with Daphné and one little scamp
with his fingers in the air. We suspect that this was Alban.
More photos of Grand-Père can be found here.
Thank you Missus, et Merci Grand-Père!!
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The four of us (i.e. without the adolescents) summered
at La Grée in August
2004, yet again! Grand-Père was as tolerant as
ever, despite his 82 years and counting, as you can see from his relaxed
demeanor here. He was also thrilled to see
Charles and Alexander baptised.
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During the same vacation, Grand-Père
eyes us warily as we dig into his turf! We don't quite remember why we
were digging, but think that it had something to do with a dead insect.
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In Malestroit, the town near La Grée,
with flowers.
July 2004
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Outside La Grée in July 2006
with Marie-Hélène.
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Here is grand-père at the
tender age of 85 during the summer of 2007
surrounded by his daughter's four children. His son Denis has three
children, so that makes a total of seven grandchildren, plus
Nick and
Tom.
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Still during the summer of 2007, this time in Carnac
we find grand-père with his son Denis and Claire,
expecting grandchild number seven, as well as Cedric (to the left of
Marie-Hélène) and Bertil (in front of her),
Denis's sons.
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