Sunday, August 25, 2013
My birthday.
It was a dismal drizzly morning. I felt a bit dismal too.
I shouldn't feel down - especially not on my birthday. But there are uncertainties in my life right now and I was feeling insecure, not sure if I could cope.
I don't suppose the young couple (my parents) were feeling at all dismal in a Kentish farm cottage 69 years ago today as they cradled their baby girl. Wonder what the weather was like that morning.
What a lot of experiences that baby girl has had......enough to have learned how to cope, surely?
The weather gradually improved and we followed the plans I had suggested.
We went to the Irish Festival at The Hawth.
We took chairs with us and a couple of bottles of drink and enjoyed Irish folk music in the sunshine.
We bought a snack and celebrated my birthday when I opened the cards that had come by post.
We were very happy to meet up with Bill's cousin and some of her family.
We stayed at the festival for about 3 hours.....probably photos will appear here tomorrow.
Earlier in the day it had been suggested that we call in to see family for a while.
So off we went to Ifield.
And there I had a lovely surprise.
Cards and flowers and presents.
And decorations and bunting!
Wow!
To think I had been feeling down earlier in the day!
We enjoyed a lovely barbecue meal together - the boy's Papa from Madagascar likes to cook and he did the sausages and meat and a lovely vegetable mixture.
The boys had made cards for me.
Very special cards with red roses and ladybirds.
A cake with candles......now where are the other 66 candles?
Maybe you can see a present that I gave myself this morning?
A new red hair colour.
So many wishes for the coming year.
When we got home I posed with my cards and flowers.
And enjoyed a present I had bought recently for myself.
These are all pictures of Mount Caburn, near Lewes.
This was our view from "camp" the family holidays of my childhood.
Top left we have one I recently bought from Paula Oakley. Underneath it is a print of the farm we knew, painted by Eric Ravillious. I must get a frame for it.
Top right is a picture of the view of Mount Caburn from the farm. It is signed by Peggy Gill. I want to ask experts about this painting - I still believe it could be by the daughter of Eric Gill.
Bottom right is a picture painted by my niece, Meg.
I put the pictures on the wall together yesterday.
Thank goodness that we are forecast another week of sunshine.
I have always seen my birthday as a marker - a sign of the end of summer and the return to school.
The sunshine will lift me - just as I have been lifted today by the thoughtfulness and generosity of family and friends.
I shouldn't feel down - especially not on my birthday. But there are uncertainties in my life right now and I was feeling insecure, not sure if I could cope.
I don't suppose the young couple (my parents) were feeling at all dismal in a Kentish farm cottage 69 years ago today as they cradled their baby girl. Wonder what the weather was like that morning.
What a lot of experiences that baby girl has had......enough to have learned how to cope, surely?
The weather gradually improved and we followed the plans I had suggested.
We went to the Irish Festival at The Hawth.
We took chairs with us and a couple of bottles of drink and enjoyed Irish folk music in the sunshine.
We bought a snack and celebrated my birthday when I opened the cards that had come by post.
We were very happy to meet up with Bill's cousin and some of her family.
We stayed at the festival for about 3 hours.....probably photos will appear here tomorrow.
Earlier in the day it had been suggested that we call in to see family for a while.
So off we went to Ifield.
And there I had a lovely surprise.
And decorations and bunting!
Wow!
To think I had been feeling down earlier in the day!
We enjoyed a lovely barbecue meal together - the boy's Papa from Madagascar likes to cook and he did the sausages and meat and a lovely vegetable mixture.
The boys had made cards for me.
Very special cards with red roses and ladybirds.
A cake with candles......now where are the other 66 candles?
Maybe you can see a present that I gave myself this morning?
A new red hair colour.
So many wishes for the coming year.
When we got home I posed with my cards and flowers.
And enjoyed a present I had bought recently for myself.
These are all pictures of Mount Caburn, near Lewes.
This was our view from "camp" the family holidays of my childhood.
Top left we have one I recently bought from Paula Oakley. Underneath it is a print of the farm we knew, painted by Eric Ravillious. I must get a frame for it.
Top right is a picture of the view of Mount Caburn from the farm. It is signed by Peggy Gill. I want to ask experts about this painting - I still believe it could be by the daughter of Eric Gill.
Bottom right is a picture painted by my niece, Meg.
I put the pictures on the wall together yesterday.
Thank goodness that we are forecast another week of sunshine.
I have always seen my birthday as a marker - a sign of the end of summer and the return to school.
The sunshine will lift me - just as I have been lifted today by the thoughtfulness and generosity of family and friends.
