We're off to choose a puppy tomorrow! Very exciting. And then we go straight on from there for a few days camping in North Wales with our friends, so I hope everyone has a good weekend, and I'll drop you a line in a week or so.
But I have to update you on my wife's birthday yesterday. First of all, although she went to work, I had to take the day because our daughter has had an ear infection which came to a head yesterday. I spent the best part of the day with a sobbing eight year old in my arms, in a lot of pain, and still having to wait another hour or so before I could give her any more medicine. Poor little thing - she rarely cries too, so she was really suffering. But, despite a restless night, she seems a lot better now. She had been given an antibiotic spray on Monday, but it did nothing. So I took her back and got the real deal yesterday, and it finally seems to have kicked in, thank God. I hate feeling so helpless.
Anyway, daughter and I thought we had done ourselves proud on presents for Mum. A Vivienne Westwood handbag, and pearl earrings and necklace to go with her dress for her party next week. But one of our friends really broke the mould for excellent presents.
She works with my wife, and is a very close friend - we go to the Cambridge Folk Festival evey year with her and her husband. So. She bought my wife two presents. The first was a book, containing compiled newspaper reproductions showing the history of Manchester City Football Club from 1904 to the present. It has my wife's name on the front, and is beautifully put together. Wifey is an avid Man City supporter, and always has been. She started to go to matches back in the sixties, when the club was a major force in English football. In the seventies, she used to hang out with the club's hooligans, the Cool Cats, who were unusual in being predominantly black. A lot of hooligan groups had racist elements in them, but not Man City's. They were still bad lads, though! She's even been arrested three times at matches. Yaaaayyy!!!!
Anyway, our friend received the book in its box a few days ago, and nearly wrapped it without checking inside. But thought she'd better check for any invoices before she did. She opened the box, and saw the book - the history of Manchester UNITED!!! AGGGHHHHH!!!!! Not the red scum from Salford! My wife would have hit the roof! So, she had to ring the company and get them to compile and despatch another one the same day. Good job she checked!
But the second present she gave was the best. It is a 'Suffragette' brooch. All being lefties in our circle, feminism and women's rights are always a given, and non-feminists are treated pretty dismissively. But, imagine in late Victorian or Edwardian times, how a woman might show her support for the Suffragette movement without bringing disapproval on herself from family or friends. So they would wear jewellery with Green, White and Violet stones. G-W-V......Give Women Votes.
And the brooch our friend gave my wife is hallmarked 1906, and is a curled silver leaf containing green, white and violet stones. Absolutely beautiful - one of the best presents I have ever seen.
To finish with, a couple of photos I took the other day. My little girl and I took a walk through some woods near our house, because we knew the bluebells were out. I think we take bluebell woods for granted in England, because they are not that unusual. But apparently they are very rare in other parts of the world, and quite a phenomenon if you haven't seen them before. The bloom before the woodland canopy fills out enough to block out the light. It wasn't a great day for light when I took these, but I hope you like them.....
All the best to everyone. I'll be back around in a week or so.
L xxx
But I have to update you on my wife's birthday yesterday. First of all, although she went to work, I had to take the day because our daughter has had an ear infection which came to a head yesterday. I spent the best part of the day with a sobbing eight year old in my arms, in a lot of pain, and still having to wait another hour or so before I could give her any more medicine. Poor little thing - she rarely cries too, so she was really suffering. But, despite a restless night, she seems a lot better now. She had been given an antibiotic spray on Monday, but it did nothing. So I took her back and got the real deal yesterday, and it finally seems to have kicked in, thank God. I hate feeling so helpless.
Anyway, daughter and I thought we had done ourselves proud on presents for Mum. A Vivienne Westwood handbag, and pearl earrings and necklace to go with her dress for her party next week. But one of our friends really broke the mould for excellent presents.
She works with my wife, and is a very close friend - we go to the Cambridge Folk Festival evey year with her and her husband. So. She bought my wife two presents. The first was a book, containing compiled newspaper reproductions showing the history of Manchester City Football Club from 1904 to the present. It has my wife's name on the front, and is beautifully put together. Wifey is an avid Man City supporter, and always has been. She started to go to matches back in the sixties, when the club was a major force in English football. In the seventies, she used to hang out with the club's hooligans, the Cool Cats, who were unusual in being predominantly black. A lot of hooligan groups had racist elements in them, but not Man City's. They were still bad lads, though! She's even been arrested three times at matches. Yaaaayyy!!!!
Anyway, our friend received the book in its box a few days ago, and nearly wrapped it without checking inside. But thought she'd better check for any invoices before she did. She opened the box, and saw the book - the history of Manchester UNITED!!! AGGGHHHHH!!!!! Not the red scum from Salford! My wife would have hit the roof! So, she had to ring the company and get them to compile and despatch another one the same day. Good job she checked!
But the second present she gave was the best. It is a 'Suffragette' brooch. All being lefties in our circle, feminism and women's rights are always a given, and non-feminists are treated pretty dismissively. But, imagine in late Victorian or Edwardian times, how a woman might show her support for the Suffragette movement without bringing disapproval on herself from family or friends. So they would wear jewellery with Green, White and Violet stones. G-W-V......Give Women Votes.
And the brooch our friend gave my wife is hallmarked 1906, and is a curled silver leaf containing green, white and violet stones. Absolutely beautiful - one of the best presents I have ever seen.
To finish with, a couple of photos I took the other day. My little girl and I took a walk through some woods near our house, because we knew the bluebells were out. I think we take bluebell woods for granted in England, because they are not that unusual. But apparently they are very rare in other parts of the world, and quite a phenomenon if you haven't seen them before. The bloom before the woodland canopy fills out enough to block out the light. It wasn't a great day for light when I took these, but I hope you like them.....
All the best to everyone. I'll be back around in a week or so.
L xxx
I hope your little one is feeling better. I know how heart-wrenching it is.
And Happy Birthday to your wife. The brooch for your wife sounds amazing! I am in awe! So cool!!!
And I thought I would play with the pictures in photoshop, see if I could add some depth for you. They are such stunning pictures even as they are... no wonder the legends of fairies abound... Simply amazing...