“Lullah! Lullah, yoo-hoo, it’s me!!!! And the twins!!!”

Dibdobs. In her Brown Owl uniform, coming toward me. No, not just coming toward me. Skipping toward me.

The twins were wearing knitted yellow knickerbockers.

I bet Mr. Dobbins (Harold) knitted them at one of his “inner woman” groups. Harold goes to a men’s group and they try to find their hidden feminine side.

Uuuumph. She almost crushed me to death with her bosom and her badges. And her new whistle. As I have said before, I am sure Dibdobs has got a “hugging” badge. She’s got badges for everything else, moth conservation, vole watching, pond life, etc.

I couldn’t actually see anything when she was hugging me, but I could feel hugging going on around my knee area as well.

That would be the twins, Max and Sam.

They love my knees.

Probably because that is as far up as their toddler arms can hug.

I don’t get a lot of hugging at home.

My little brother, Connor, likes kicking mostly. I hugged him when I left and he said, “Don’t be so gay.” Grandma does a lot of patting. But quite often she’s off target with that and thinks she is patting me when actually it’s the cushion next to me.

Dibdobs was talking really loudly and quickly like she does. She’s so keen on everything.

It’s nice really. Just odd.

“Oh, Lullah, it’s sooooooo lovely to have you back. I’ve missed you. We’ve all missed you. Haven’t we, boys?”

The boys stood there blinking from underneath their pudding basin haircuts.

And sucking their dodies.

They don’t get any less odd.

Dibdobs said, “The boys have made something for you. Haven’t you, boys?”

She adores the twins. She thinks they are covering up their cleverness. She thinks they are like tiny little brain surgeons in tiny twits’ clothing.

Max and Sam blinked at me. And kept on sucking.

Then Max (or Sam) took his dodie out and said, “Sjuuuuge one for ooo.”

I said, “Oh, well, that’s nice, I …”

Dibdobs said, “Tell Lullah what you’ve made for her.”

Sam said, “Sjuuuuge.”

Dibdobs started slightly losing her rag. “Yes, yes, it is quite big … but TELL Lullah what it is.”

Sam blinked and looked a bit cross, like he had suddenly realized he had a Brown Owl for a mother. He put his hands on his hips and stamped his foot and said, “SJJJJUUUUGE.”

And Max shouted, “BOGIES!!!”

Dibdobs went even redder.

She bent down so she could look them both in the eyes and said sternly, “Now, that is a silly, silly word that big boys don’t say anymore.”

Max and Sam blinked together and smiled. Great Jumping Jehovah, they look like sock animals when they smile.

Dibdobs took their hands and we all walked back to the house. She was chatting on sixteen to the dozen. But I could still hear Max and Sam softly singing, “Bogie, bogie, bogie, bogie, bogie.”

Dibdobs said, “Harold is so looking forward to seeing you. He’s out tonight with the interknitting group. After the success of the communal skipping rope, you know, the skipathon when the whole village skipped?”