Far too long to try and catch up.
Davies had a birthday -teenager at last. Feels both utterly momentous and totally non eventful and run of the mill birthdayish.
He asked for and got mostly lego. A Rum friend commented that when they were 13 they still played with lego loads but in a furtive manner and would not have dreamed of asking for it for their birthday. They were being complimentary. I wonder who’s issue it is that I sometimes feel a bit defensive about compliments like that somehow.
It was another Rum birthday – his second. And was magical. He was gifted an electric guitar that has been renovated for him and the promise of lessons, two massive lego sets, books (suitably Davies tastic books), drawing stuff, a drive of Chainsaw Dave’s golf buggy, sweets, had two questions in the quiz that happened in the hall dedicated to him and the whole hall sang happy birthday to him at the end of the night (this after the Rum folk turning out to share his quadruple layer birthday cake and sing to him earlier in the evening). Times like that which make us all feel we are in the right place.
We had visitors – Johnathan and Jasper back to back with my parents. A very lovely visit from both. Always fab to see J&J (although we missed the rest of their family) and great to have more friends share our lives here and get a little taste of what it’s all about. Nice to see the sun come up twice during the week with Jonathan ;). Jasper fitted in well with Davies and Scarlett, particularly with Scarlett. Davies had some time out from the ‘kids’ practising for impending teenagerhood. Jasper and Scarlett took Jan’s instruction to run around outside like a wild animal pretty seriously and one day didn’t even get back home for lunch they were so busy off playing somewhere
Mum & Dad were Mum & Dad really. A bit annoying, a bit demanding, lovely to see them anyway and always conscious that their age and health is not on anyones side for them to continue managing to live our lives for a week at a time. The weather was poor for their visit this time so they spent a lot of it indoors with the kids. We have suggested that we come off and meet them somewhere on the mainland for their regular trips up but they insist on coming across to Rum. I very much appreciate the effort they make to get here – this was their sixth trip I think which averages once every three months since we moved here. They are by no means without their faults but I can’t say they don’t put the effort in to see us…
We had an amazing performance by Tim and Malcolm of the Shearwater play which was magical and wonderful. Some of us spent the morning with them on the beach doing storytelling, singing, poetry, art and more which was very good. The four of us variously spent quite a bit of time with them and they were both very complimentary about Davies and Scarlett which was lovely.
We had our Rum food festival Blasda yesterday which was ace – a bring and share meal with 25 folk coming along bringing Rum produce. We had venison in three incarnations, eggs in all sorts of guises, brambles, fruit and veg from the island. It was great.
I think in brief that brings us up to date. Which is the best I can hope for really. 🙂