"I-iiiit's Daddy"

A nice way to be greeted at the door, after pounding the pavement a little too hard between the station and home.

I was shown to the chair where I throw my bag and coat: "Here daddy".

Bear started working the tea set, pouring the plastic pot into the plastic cup she'd selected with its matching saucer. She brought it across and explained that it was tea. Good to know, a girl's also brought me "daddy's mach-ee ARTO.'

I sipped and asked about her day, Beloved told me while Mr Man fed peacefully under her chin. Apparently at child care a girl stated that her dad was "fighting fires", to which Bear responded helpfully: "I saw the fires on the nueews".

My face relaxed for the first time since I woke this morning. I listened as she "dum dummed" through "boo da-moob" (by Strauss, in case you're wondering) while pushing the little island around her bath. After, wrapped in a towel, she smiled at me in the mirror and said "I love you daddy".

The cats wandered around the perimeter of the garden while I emptied Mr Man's bath and brought in some washing. The breeze was cooler than at any time in the past few days.

The cats are eating. Bear and Mr Man are both asleep. We sit. It's nice to just be.