Gilbert the Good

 

Gilbert the Good – special!

It’s a special day today. It’s my birthday and I’m three years old.

 I’ve had a smashing day. I went for a splendid walk in the woods (it’s actually part of Swinley Forest) Well, I do that every day, I know, but Roxy and I went in the comfortable car today because there’s something wrong with the dog box. The air bag warning light has come on, and the speedometer and other lights aren’t working. It’s at the garage now.

Anyway, Roxy and I had lots of swimming in lots of ponds. We met some other dogs and played with them, too. It was a really excellent walk and lots of people wished me a happy birthday, so I feel very cheerful.

I’m tired now, but it’s the sort of tiredness that comes from having lots of fresh air and exercise, when my lungs have worked hard and my muscles have stretched. You may be sure that if I were invited to go for another walk right this minute, I’d be only too delighted.

Supper to look forward to now.

                                            Roll on tomorrow!

TTFN

 

Gilbert

Breakfast

 

Breakfast

                                        

I usually have breakfast sometime after noon. Today, I had an apple at one o’clock, which is quite early for me. The dessert apple harvest has been wonderful this year, but there are fewer to pick now. There are still bushels of crab apples on the trees, but I shan’t be making jelly this year. They will provide food for the birds, unless my granddaughters come to pick them.

The apple, though small, was crisp and sharp and very juicy. Delicious!

Air fryer blueberry muffins

I followed it with some blueberry muffins, freshly baked, though not by me. 

It is my daughter-in-law’s birthday today, and tomorrow it will be my elder great-grandson’s birthday. Both of them are spending their days at school, but the weekend approaches and I’m sure Fergus, at least, will be celebrating with some friends.

Pepper, sir, ma’am?

 

Pepper, sir, ma’am?

There’s something very satisfying about grinding pepper or salt with a hand-held mill. On occasions when a waiter has offered to grind pepper over a dish, I have always wanted to grab the super-sized mill and do it myself.

Now, we have been given a mill of our own. It was a joint birthday present for Barry (February) and me (April). It is the ‘London’ design wooden pepper mill, made by Cole and Mason, a company founded in 1919 to sell gifts.

Cole and Mason soon expanded into a business providing many different kitchen and household accessories, from a solid (and extremely heavy!) granite pestle and mortar, to wooden serving utensils and acacia chopping boards. If you want a stylish salt pig, a garlic keeper, or self-watering devices for pots of herbs, or a nifty worktop carousel for herbs and spices, Cole and Mason is the place to look.

1946 was the year in which their first wooden pepper mill was launched. Since then, they have developed different mills, from spice mills to acrylic mills, and mills made from stainless steel. Some are electronic. There is even a rather interesting-looking nutmeg grinder for those who wish to ensure that nutmeg is ground without knuckles.

The mill came with a small, neat information booklet, with instructions in English, French, German and Spanish on how to fill and operate the device.

 

Another birthday

It was Barry’s birthday on Monday and the day passed quietly. In the main, we have gone beyond the stage of buying gifts for each other. It is almost impossible to find something he hasn’t already got, and if he hasn’t got it, he has no interest in acquiring it.

Occasionally, I give him a bottle of fine brandy or port, but he rarely drinks, so the bottles last for a long time. I can find books to interest him, the one pictured here being an example. It is a book to dip into, I think, and we shall both enjoy it.

Otherwise, we each decide if there’s something we would like, we discuss it, it is agreed, and we buy it. It is not the most exciting way to bestow gifts, but it pleases us. Our joy in giving is mainly confined to seeking out presents for the youngest members of our family. There are currently seven under twelve years of age, with a new one expected in March.

Children and grandchildren called and sent messages to wish him a happy birthday. Charlie and Jack sang to him, which was sweet, and Gillian also serenaded him.

He had decided that a(nother) cordless electric screwdriver was something he would really like, and after much research - there’s always detailed research! – he selected one that satisfied his exacting requirements. Cordless electric secateurs were also on his wish list. They have arrived and have already been put to good use and declared excellent, relieving the hands of much hard work. An extension pole arrived today so that the many trees and bushes we have rapturously planted in the decades we have lived here can now be pruned and shaped and otherwise made good.

All these things are rechargeable!

I think the thing that pleased him most, though, was the appointment that was made, of which more anon.

                        Look at those lovely noses! I love dogs' noses.

Birthday present

 

Birthday present

                                Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons 

It was Barry’s birthday at the beginning of the month. I gave him a dog!

I ordered it online and it arrived in good time, a lovely little Labrador, with kind eyes and a gentle smile.

He is always losing his glasses – Barry, that is, not the little Labrador, so I thought a small dog would be just the thing to help him locate them - or even retrieve them 😉.

The little Labrador wasn’t his only gift, of course. It’s increasingly difficult to find something for the man who has everything so I let him research and select the latest whatever-it-is he’s interested in –  nearly always something techy and sophisticated.

The little Labrador made him smile, though.

We have a reciprocal arrangement for my birthday and I am engaged in researching and selecting whatever-it-is I’m interested in. 😊

My apologies for being a miseryguts yesterday - there was really no excuse for it - but thank you all for your kind responses,

Bus

 

Bus

                            Frankie and Roxy grew up together

Bus: a vehicle for transporting people.

Last Saturday afternoon a bus pulled up outside Frankie’s house.  No, he doesn’t live next to a bus stop. This was a very special bus, a gaming bus. It would transport its passengers from the current world to one of excitement.

It was more of a mini-van than a single decker bus and inside was one wall of ten double decker screens opposite a bench seat that ran the length of the vehicle. It offered more than fifty games, some to be played individually, some with a partner, and kept twelve ten and eleven-year-old boys entertained for an hour and a half. The days of ‘party games’ in the home seem to be a thing of the past. Nonetheless, Frankie and his friends had a wonderful, noisy time playing hide and seek all over the house after their time in the gaming bus. At such times one realises that they are, in most respects, still little boys.

Source

It’s Frankie’s actual birthday today and he will be spending his birthday weekend with his father in London. He is our seventh grandchild, our fourth grandson, and he is 11 years old. Eleven is a significant age. It is the age at which most children in UK transfer from primary to secondary school in the state sector. Independent (fee-paying or ‘private’ schools) have different arrangements. About 5.8% of UK children attend independent schools.

So Frankie and his friends are in Year 6, the biggest fish in the pond. In September they will again become tiddlers in the lake, gazing wide-eyed at their new, much larger surroundings and wondering if they will ever reach the dizzying heights of the sophisticated and very tall 6^th formers they see.

For the moment they are at that intriguing pre-adolescent stage, still very reliant on their parents, though increasingly independent, sometimes easily upset and anxious, their voices and attitudes clearly those of children. Things are very black and white, right or wrong, fair or unfair and they remain largely egocentric though beginning to appreciate there are shades and tones in life. Time seems to pass quickly at secondary school – maybe not for them, but for the adults in their lives, especially their mothers. They move swiftly from childhood to adolescence to young adulthood, too rapidly it seems. Looking back, it appears to pass in a flash, but for the moment, they are still excitable ten and eleven-year-olds, full of energy and laughter.

Happy birthday, Frankie!

            
                                     Frankie, aged 6, with Bertie

 

More birthdays

Marnie aged about two and a half - big blue eyes, always smiling

There are two birthdays in my family today. My eldest grandchild, Marnie, will be 30 and my youngest, Jack will be 5.

Marnie is my eldest daughter’s elder daughter and Jack is my youngest daughter’s younger son.

Jack aged about two and a half - big brown eyes. He's looking unusually serious in this photograph.

Out of curiosity, I wondered what they have in common, having been born under the same star, Scorpio. As with weather forecasts, I always choose the analysis with which I agree and wish to come to fruition, so I sifted to arrive at the best result.

The first thing I read was that they are well-known for their ruthlessness, not something to be encouraged. I disregarded it. That’s the joy of astrology – you can pick and choose what to apply! The second attribute was single-mindedness and I would agree with that in both personalities. I also liked the third characteristic, with caveats. 

It said that they don’t see limitations in their lives and won’t let anyone tell them they can’t have what they want.  I can see that could be translated as being pig-headed and maybe throwing tantrums when thwarted. Again, not something to be wished for.

I went to another site which told me that Scorpios are loyal and passionate and have an intuitive sixth sense verging on clairvoyance. They are deep and secretive, obsessive and emotional, temperamental, honest, ambitious and brave.

Discarding all that, I can say with certainty that they are both, though 25 years apart, chatty, inquisitive, single-minded and very loving. Jack talks all day, from the moment he wakes until he falls asleep. Marnie is also a talker and they both have a lovely sense of humour.

Marnie has broken her leg badly in two places so will not be gallivanting tonight, painting the town red. Jack isn’t old enough to jaunt yet!

Happy Birthday

 

Happy Birthday

This week there are two birthdays in my family. My second grandson, Elliot, will be 25 on Saturday. My second great-grandson, Luca, is one year old today. Elliot and Luca are cousins, not quite first cousins as Luca’s mother, Kiri, is Elliot’s first cousin. She is three years older than him

                        Elliot and Kiri, just over twenty years ago

Celebrating birthdays was not always a commonly held tradition. It is only in the last century and a half that it has become customary for everyone to celebrate their birthdays. Before that only notable, important figures like rulers, Pharaohs for example, were celebrated.

However, Pharaohs did not celebrate their birthdays on the date they were born but on the day they were crowned. Pharaohs became gods at their coronation and so were reborn.

In Ancient Rome only men were allowed to acknowledge birthdays.

The song traditionally sung on birthdays started as a greeting song to be sung in classrooms.  ‘Good morning to all’ was written in the late nineteenth century and the melody was adopted by ‘Happy birthday to you.’

During the 18^th century German bakers started making cakes to celebrate children’s birthdays but it was the Ancient Greeks who are credited with putting candles on cakes. They made moon cakes as offerings to Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, and put candles on them. The crescent moon is a symbol associated with Artemis.

                    Luca on the beach this summer with his sister Ariella 

I think the celebrations for Luca and Elliot will be very different but I hope they both enjoy their days.    

Elliot at another cousin's wedding last year

A family birthday

 

A family birthday

Frankie’s cake

It was Frankie’s 10^th birthday yesterday. His class had a trip to *Sky television studios, which made it a very special day for him. The children made a ‘television news special’, which was most impressive. Some were scriptwriters, others operated the cameras and the rest were presenters and reporters. Frankie was a reporter.

He had a lovely day and felt he had a better understanding of what his mother, Susannah, does. She’s a television producer and he was pleased and proud to tell the people he met about her, some of whom she may have met through work, anyway.

After school, we had a birthday tea at our house. Susannah made a delicious chocolate cake, which was of enormous interest to the dogs. 

I know chocolate's bad for me, but couldn't I have just a little piece? 

Please?

In addition to Roxy, we had Susannah’s dog, Arthur, and Lottie, James’s dog. James is Susannah’s fiancé, but he was away doing what barristers do best, so couldn’t join us.

Rare photo of Arthur asleep. 

Usually, he's moving so fast that it looks as though there are two of him!

*Sky Academy

Giving schools a unique, interactive learning experience with the Sky Academy Skills Studio.

The Sky Academy offers children the chance to work with its cutting-edge technology, including broadcast-quality cameras, green screens and touch screen tables. Visitors write, shoot and edit their Fact, Fiction or Future video.

https://engageworks.com/en/case_studies/sky-academy/#brief

         

Charlie is 3!

It was Charlie’s 3^rd birthday yesterday. It was a busy day for a little boy, with cards and parcels to open.

He had a very special party at which he was the only child. Later, next month, when his friends come home from their holidays he will have another party, lucky boy.

Charlie played with his toys . . . 

. . . and so did his parents.

 At different times he was an astronomer, (or ornithologist) . . .

. . . a fireman . . . 

. . . a spaceman, and a gardener with his lawnmower. (He expressed a desire for a sit-on lawnmower but that wish was not realised)

There was delicious food, of course, and a lovely cake.

There was washing up to be done. It required rubber gloves. You have to blow into them first . . .

. . . then pull them on.

Add washing-up liquid . . . 

. . . and lots of water.

Like all good washer-uppers Charlie looked around for more things to be washed . . .

After that, the gloves had to be washed . . .

. . . inside . . .

Today he went go-karting.  

The Eleventh Family Birthday of the Year

Bethan opening presents on her second birthday, helped by Sam

It is Bethan’s 30^th birthday today and she is celebrating it in Bruges with her fiancé.

With Barry, Sam and Daisy

Bethan was a shy little girl and softly spoken. Today she still has a quiet voice but she is confident and strong-minded. She needed to develop a sense of self quite early as she had not only two parents, but three teenage siblings who all wanted to guide and protect her.

Sailing

As she has grown older the age differences have disappeared and now she is the confidante of her two elder sisters and a good friend to her brother. Her nieces and nephews love her and she knows just how to interact with them.

With Barry in Mumbles

As a girl she showed considerable musical ability and quickly learnt to play the violin and to enjoy singing with her school choirs. She has a natural charm and ease with people of all ages and a keen sense of humour – like her father and her siblings she is an excellent mimic.

With Susannah and Marnie, Buckinghamshire

Bethan is open-minded and fair, listening attentively to the arguments of others before stating her own opinion. From Barry she has inherited an analytical brain and like him she is left-handed – somehow the two are linked, at least in my mind.

She was the grandchild with whom my parents spent most time – a gift for my father who was away so much when his own children were growing up. They looked after her while I worked part-time - who better to care for her? - and from them she learnt patience and trust.

Happy Birthday, dear Bethan, and Many Happy Returns of the Day! J