We have babysat First Grandchild (FG) a few times for short periods during visits to Edinburgh during the last year or so.  It’s been a joy and a privilege to be able to do so. Plus we always enjoy visiting his parents and seeing Edinburgh.

Our baby-sitting responsibilities went up a notch at the beginning of September when First Grandchild’s (FG’s) parents went to a wedding of an old friend in Spain.  Jane and I were thankful to be asked to baby sit for the 36 hours they were away but were unsure how the experience would go for us and for FG. 

His other grandparents do a lot of babysitting and look after him all day on Thursdays.  But it would be the first time that someone other than a parent would get FG up in the morning (twice), manage his afternoon nap (twice), put him to bed (once), plus feed, entertain and keep him safe in between.  It was our first go at proper grandchild babysitting!

Eldest Son and his wife had departed in the small hours of the night.  Apart from 15 minutes of full-on anxiety and yelling after he woke up that morning, and another five minutes of low-grade moaning after his first nap, FG was fine with the whole weekend. 

FG knows his routine down to the fine details: which soft toy needs to be kissed goodnight in what order, which book is the last book to be read before bedtime, which bedroom light goes on and off when.  As long as we stuck to that routine and provided plenty of book reading, tower and garage building, and other activities at other times, he was very happy.  FG, his parents in Spain and, certainly, the two of us, all had (tiring) fun.

Of course, we visited a few Edinburgh playgrounds and, as usual, the Royal Botanic Garden with FG while we were with him.  The weather was kind to us and we were able to walk, to and from everywhere and around the gardens, at FG’s pace. 

Like most kids his age he loves being able to take mini-decisions about what to do when and, as grandparents, we have the time to allow that.  That Jane has had a motherhood bringing up three boys and then a career in providing parental advice to troubled mums and dads really helps.  I learnt a lot from her about how to give toddlers options so they feel a semblance of decision making while the adults actually remain in control.

A highlight with FG was a trip to Portobello beach.  We got there early so the crowds were yet to gather in large numbers in the sunny and warm weather.  FG loves the outdoors and the novelty of visiting the coast.  He loved wandering along the shoreline and collecting shells and other debris along it (and, in some sort of memory throwback to my own childhood, so did I).  It was a great way to spend a morning.

Another morning with FG was consumed with a trip on the new tram service to and from Leith.  FG was more concerned with engaging with fellow passengers willing to smile at him than with looking out of the window.  He enjoyed the journey and a big vegan biscuit at Williams and Johnson Coffee Co.  Leith appears to be an increasingly cool place to live and work and the tram extension is surely a catalyst for that.

Before FG’s parents shot off for their whirlwind jaunt to the wedding, we managed a good dose of art and culture by visiting The Scottish Gallery, a nearby private gallery we have visited several times before, and the National Gallery of Scotland.

The Scottish Gallery was showing a range of artists embracing traditional folk art.  Although the gallery is quite small, there was plenty to admire.  I particularly liked the woven baskets, the muted colours of some of the naïve style paintings and prints and, downstairs, the textiles by Jane Keith which were innovatively displayed given the compact space.

The headline exhibition at the National Gallery was a substantial retrospective of Grayson Perry’s work.  I’ve enjoyed Grayson Perry exhibitions before – notably the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy in 2018 and, more recently, in Bath.  The latter was a small exhibition of his ceramics where Grayson explained the pieces in his own words. 

Grayson provided the captions for each piece at the National Gallery exhibition too and, apart from the art itself, this was one of the most attractive features of the show.  His art is very accessible anyway but his thoughtful captions alongside each piece were unpretentious, clear and highly explanatory of the themes that have dominated his work since he was a very young man and how they have developed in his mind.

From the first work – a plate he made in 1983 called ‘Kinky Sex’ – the irreverence of his approach and the courage of his anti-establishmentarianism came through.  But rather than be just a series of bold, even brash statements, the exhibition and particularly Grayson’s own words, drew me into what I see the Guardian newspaper calls ‘a thrumming conversation’. 

Some of the pieces on show were beautiful to my eyes, some were rather ugly, but every one of them had something to say and was engaging in some way.  Rather than say more here, this is a link to a video hosted by Grayson describing much of the show: Grayson Perry’s Smash Hits.  Watch out for references to ‘Alan Measles’ who is Grayson’s (troubled) childhood teddy bear who, entertainingly, crops up in various guises throughout the exhibition.

The only downside to the exhibition was that, somehow, I missed the last room and exited prematurely.  Nonetheless I thought it was brilliant.

As was the whole weekend!  Proper baby-sitting was a resounding success and we look forward to doing it again (we are scheduled for a longer stint in April next year during another Spanish wedding trip). 

Having said that, it was great to get home, slot into routines less driven by a 21-month-old, and have a bit of a rest in what remained of summer in our home and garden.