It has been a long time since very young children have visited here. All of the members in my family are aging and the younger ones are busy in school for now. So it was a pleasant event when I had visitors from England recently. The mother and her four year old were visiting with my neighbor. She had called the day before to see if a visit would be convenient. We established a day and she called to say they were on their way.
Since my house has a drive all the way around with a parking area in back they drove around the back in their golf cart. Grandmother driving, Chira beside her (with grandpa engineered seat belt) and Mother on the back seat seeing everything from that angle. I went to greet them and little Chira marched right in and removed her flip flops which mother took and then Chira began to explore.
With bare feet slapping the tile floor she headed right through the kitchen and into the living area. I had put a little "Pippa Longstocking" doll on the chair for her and directed her to that chair. She picked it up, put it down and went on to see other things. She saw a "potato basket" that I had made, sitting near the fireplace. She promptly put it on her head and asked about her bike. She was off and running in imaginary play. Her grandmother suggested a small stool in front of the fireplace could serve as a motor bike. We watched as she made herself comfortable on the stool. She did not perch on it as I had expected, but straddled it and with her feet scooted herself over the tile for her imaginary ridc.
She then made her way through the french doors onto the sun room. We did not follow her but sat chatting as she continued her play. She brought her grandmother a pillow and was asked asked where is the blanket? (thinking she would get her own favorite blanket she had carried in with her). But she went back out to the sunroom, found a throw rug and brought it back as a blanket.
It wasn't long before she discovered the curved stairs which have spaces between the steps. She peeped out from those openings with a big grin on her face so we went up to join her in the balcony. She spent some time looking at the family portraits hanging on the wall. I showed her my picture with I was a little girl and we looked for babies, etc. Off she went to a bedroom and I opened the blinds so she could see the road she had just traveled over in the golf cart. Then we found another window to look out toward the back where she could see her golf cart from above. We did not have time to sit up there for she was off again heading downstairs.
She went back to what attracted her at first (the helmet basket) and continued with her play. It was not long before she was at the front door all ready to leave this place. Her mother reminded her to put things back where she had found them and soon they were back in the golf cart and on to other places.
Watching her exploring reminded me of "Eloise" from the Eloise books where a little girl with lots of energy and imagination went to live at the "Ritz" in Paris. The books were first published in 1955 and there were a series of the books. I have given them as gifts to little girls, so they may still be available. Children are more entertaining that the book. I just wonder what the fictional Eloise would do on a golf cart. Chira was too young to drive one but I think she could have some great adventures anyway.
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