Lunch with the grans

While Graham's mum is in Sydney, she wanted to see my mum again, so I arranged for the four of us to have afternoon tea at the Tea Room in the Queen Victoria Building.


They had a high-chair, which was quite hard to get Louka into, so she couldn't climb out of it like she does at home. However, after a few bites of egg sandwich she found another way of getting out ― the persuasion technique. She was then fairly happy sitting on my lap a while longer, but soon got restless and wanted to walk around. So I followed her around the grand spacious room, which used to be a ballroom. She was actually very good, not trying to touch things or annoy other customers, and willing to be amused by looking at herself in the huge mirrors at either end of the room.

She was also showered with gifts. I'd bought her a book, Swim Little Wombat Swim, on my way to meet mum and Pat. Pat had knitted her a clown jumper, and bought her a wiggly wooden snake like the one that's Kofi's favourite toy. And mum had bought her a new drinking cup to replace the one I'd broken on the weekend.

When we'd finished (one afternoon tea and one morning tea, the afternoon tea being an expanded version of the morning tea and served on a three-tiered plate) the two grandmothers headed home via Town Hall station while Louka and I went to see Graham at work for a few minutes before going to Wynyard station and home.