Family Matters

 

This wee man, grandchild number five aka Daniel, turns two years old today. Of the five horrors delightful children he is the only one now who gets slightly upset when I leave for home. The others used to but now merely grunt when I offer my farewells. 

Daniel is presently going through the 'terrible two' phase of his life and is driving his mother even more demented than she usually is. The day after Daniel was born I recall visiting him and his mother tossing her son, barely 24 hours old, to me with the words 'here - take grumpy pus'. He still gets grumpy now, as you may surmise from the photo above, but he does bring a shaft of light in a life full of darkness right now.

Daniel may only be two but has, on several occasions, grabbed hold of his sister's phone, pressed the WhatsApp icon, scrolled down the contacts, spotted my picture and pressed it meaning an instant phone call. While it's usually a delight to hear him babble away it can prove problematic, particularly when I'm working...

When I visited daughter Laura on Sunday the eldest of my grandchildren, Jack aka number one, arrived home from his football match. He scored in a 6-2 win for his youth club. He is a little over six months away from his 16th birthday so if any senior club wishes to offer him the chance to prove what he can do let me know.

He did engage in conversation about how he was doing at high school. He told me he passed his recent English exam with a 90% pass mark and offered the reason he 'only got 90%' was because he wasn't particularly impressed with his teacher. Jack then told me he got a 96% pass mark in mathematics - clearly a skill he hasn't inherited from his old Papa as I was booted out of my maths class at secondary school in Aberdeen in 1976 after recording 96%. Sorry, I stand corrected - it was 9.6%...

I have never understood mathematics - all that letters plus other letters and letters squared equals nonsense - but I'm pleased to say Jack takes to it like a duck to water.  He showed me his notes from school but they might as well have been in Chinese for all I could understand.

I did offer my services if he ever needed any help with his schoolwork but Jack merely smiled politely and offered 'thanks' in a tone that implied 'I hope I'm never that desperate'.

Children - toddlers and adolescents - are far too smart these days...

Smile and...

...you'll know these little blighters are after something.

A Test of Endurance

Chatting with my dear old mother last night she remarked that, on this day in 1959, she married my father. This would have been their diamond wedding anniversary were it not for the fact that a) they split up ten years later; b) they got divorced in 1970; c) father died suddenly in 1997 aged just 58.

Mother did recall that her new groom decided to read out the result of the Grand National during his wedding speech which was, perhaps, a sign of things to come (it was won by Oxo at 8/1  - mother felt she was made a laughing stock...) Legend has it he married again in 1973  - on the same date to another woman who had the same name. That marriage didn't last either...

My mother is of the opinion I have many of my father's traits which I don't think is meant as a compliment. The fact that when I re-married four years ago I read out the result of the Hearts game played that day is neither here or there.

The fate of my parents marriage impacted on the life I would have. My mother remarked as much last night.

'If we hadn't got divorced I wouldn't have left Cumbernauld and taken you north to Aberdeen' she said. True.

'Then you wouldn't have met Pat (my first wife)'. True again.

'You wouldn't have had your daughters Laura and Michaela'. Indeed.

'And you wouldn't have your five little horrors grandchildren' Hmm.

'And it's unlikely you would have ever met Marion and got married again'.

At this point I asked her a question.

'Why the hell couldn't you and my father have stayed together...?'

😜😜😜😜

It's That Time of the Year...

...when little people like to pose....

...some more than others.....

while some are too busy growing up fast....

But from the Auld Reekie Ranter and his clan...

...young and, er....

 ...that wee bit older....

All the best for the festive season. And one final thought...