At this Bunty smiled warmly. ‘Oh, that would be lovely.’
That’s better, he thought. He didn’t like to see his wife quiet and reflective, much better to have her animated and full of life.
‘Where to?’ she said eagerly.
‘Thought we could start at Skipton, otherwise known as the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales!’ he exclaimed jauntily.
‘Ooh, that sounds super!’ cried Bunty.
‘Good. That’s decided then. We’ll set off tomorrow,’ replied Perry assertively. At least that gives Robin and Jasmine a bit of breathing space, he wisely concluded.
The following day saw Bunty and Perry trundle down the garden path, heaving two packed suitcases and a picnic hamper to take to their canal boat. Jasmine, who was at the kitchen sinksterilising baby bottles, noticed the pair through the window and decided to quickly catch them.
‘Hi!’ she called.
‘Off on a canal holiday,’ explained Perry with a big beam.
‘Lovely! Where to?’ asked Jasmine.
‘Skipton, Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales,’ quoted Bunty with a grin. Then asked, ‘How are the twins? Nicely settling in?’
‘Yes thanks. We’ve named them, by the way,’ she said. A smile stretched across her face as she took in Bunty’s sharp look of anticipation. ‘Jemima and Barny.’
‘Oh, what beautiful names!’ whimpered Bunty.
Perry nodded in approval. ‘Yes, great choice.’
‘When you get back, you must come for dinner, meet them properly,’ invited Jasmine.
‘That would be wonderful,’ replied Bunty, eyes filling with emotion. Jemima and Barny, her new little neighbours, bless them.
Despite Jasmine and Robin’s wish to have a couple of days to themselves, grandparents had other ideas. Of course they did. Both sets of parents simply couldn’t keep away. It was inevitable, especially as the twins were the first grandchildren on both sides of the family.
‘They’readorable!’ cooed Jasmine’s mum, eager to hold them.
‘Steady on, Sue,’ warned her father, stopping his wife midway. ‘One at a time,’ he told her.
They both sat on the sofa holding a grandchild each.
‘Take our first photo, Jasmine,’ instructed her mum elatedly.
‘Already have,’ she laughed. ‘I’ve captured your reaction at seeing them.’
‘Well done, love,’ chuckled Jasmine’s dad.
They liked the names chosen for the twins too.
‘Barny?’ questioned Jasmine’s mum, narrowing her eyes in thought, mulling it over.
‘It’s short for Barnaby, after the surgeon who delivered them,’ explained Robin.
‘Ah, I see,’ she replied.
‘Nice gesture,’ chipped in Jasmine’s dad. He, like the rest of the family, felt a huge debt of gratitude towards all the hospital staff.
‘Open the box,’ Jasmine’s mum told her, tipping her head towards the present they’d brought with them.
Jasmine did so and pulled out two nursery mobiles. One had blue teddy bears suspended from it, the other pink ones. They had a wind-up disc that played ‘The Teddy Bears’ Picnic’.
