Yesterday was my Dad’s birthday. He is now 70. We decided earlier this year (he and I, I get my proneness to the ridiculous from my Dad, Davies gets it from me, the 3 of us can happily sit for hours talking utter nonsense to each other) that 70 was the official age at which you start telling random strangers how old you are – in libraries, supermarket queues, park benches, bus stops etc. So he’s been practising and yesterday was able to unveil his new hobby properly.
We have a video recording of my Dad’s 62nd birthday as it was celebrated here with a barbecue and I was heavily pregnant with Davies. Mum, Dad and Frazer were here and we interviewed everyone about the impending shifting up a generation-ness that was about to happen ‘are you looking forward to being a grandparent / uncle’ etc. Last night we videoed us all having another birthday barbecue but this time complete with that baby bump now a nearly 8 year old.
Here’s Dad at 65
and at 66
at 67
at 68
69
And here he is yesterday at 70 you know
Dad was 35 when I was born so I’ve only ever known him older than I am now, he was always the oldest dad among my friends’ dads. I said it last year though, every so often I see a glimpse of the little boy he once would have been and every year his face lit up with the candles on his birthday cake there is a certain expression which gives me hope that actually, even at 70 you know, we never really grow up.
In other yesterdays news the children and I were up and out early again and visited Tescos for various birthday related items including baking ingredients and components to assemble a meringue, cream and strawberry ‘cake’ for Dad. Once home I got stuck into more wallpaper stripping and we had a brief and rather ill fated visit from Lucy and The Rs. They stayed for lunch but the four children simply couldn’t get on, were bringing out the worst in each other and most of all me. Eventually I suggested it would be better if they left, in a slightly less than calm manner, explained once again to Davies and Scarlett what behaviour I was expecting from them for the rest of the day and shut myself back up in Tarly’s bedroom to take it all out on the woodchip!
I emerged at 6pm when Mum, Dad and Ady had all arrived, had a long restorative soak in the bath and a glass of wine and emerged ready to face everyone again and we had a very nice barbecue. Frazer came over aswell, we all enjoyed the quite spectacular storm, everyone had plenty to eat and drink and a very nice evening was had by all :).
funny how some 70 people are OLD and others really aren’t isn’t it! My dad is a really young 70, off galavanting round teh country spending my inheritance and complaining that he can’t peddle his bike like he used to whereas Duke’s mum is a REALLY OLD 70 who rarely leaves the house and complains that she’s got nothing to do and no one to knit for!
I like your dad, by the way, he came out of the same mould as mine I think!
Comment by Tbird Anni — 20 August 2008 @ 12:54 pm