A Birthday and Christmas Prep

December 20, 2024 / fgrtommo / 1 Comment

Having grandchildren coming to stay with us at Christmas has added a higher than ever level of expectation of fun around the festive period. I keep envisaging their excitement when the big day comes. For example, I’m looking forward to the wonderment of First Grandchild (who is now three years old) when the sherry, mince pie and carrots we will leave out for Father Christmas and his reindeer disappear overnight, to be replaced by present-filled stockings. We are ready!

But first, the last few weeks have contained much enjoyment of different kinds. First there was FG’s third birthday and a visit to Edinburgh to share in that. Then we had friends from London staying with us, followed by a choral concert in the nearby town of Tetbury and a test of our grandparenting skills while looking after Second Grandchild unsupervised.

In between, there has been preparation for Christmas, a bit of physiotherapy for my knee, wrapping up of my volunteering duties for the year at the local school and food bank, and the writing of a draft Parish Nature Action Plan for the Parish Council. It’s not work but it’s felt quite busy.

As usual, we loved our time in Edinburgh. The trip up in the car was pretty smooth (though the freezing cold weather slowing operation of some of the electric vehicle chargers on the way back was problematic).

*^{Freezing Weather On The Way South From Edinburgh – Lovely To See But Limiting On EV Battery Capacity And Charging Rates!}*

Once in Edinburgh, the hospitality Eldest Son (ES) and his wife lay on was as lovely as ever and further enhanced by their newly refurbished kitchen. It was great too to see ES’s parents in law, as we usually do, over a big Indian takeaway. We got out and about to see some of the sights that are now becoming familiar to us. Plus, of course, the centrepiece of our visit was FG’s birthday party.

FG’s birthday party was shared with that of his best male friend and it was very successful. The bouncy castle was very popular and FG spent a lot of time on that. There were a variety of other toys and activities around the room and these were also well used. The brutal beating of a Piñata in the form of a cardboard donkey full of sweets felt a little incongruous and unsettling but was a highlight for the birthday boys. For the adults, there were a few beers to provide some relaxation amid the hubbub of the kids scurrying around and the simple, raw excitement in the room.

*^{Along The Water Of Leith Near Dean Villag}*^{e, Edinburgh}

I skipped out of some of the post-party clearing up to watch Forest Green Rovers Football Club play (and win!) a vital top-of-the-table game on the television. I also skipped out on one, sunny afternoon to walk down the Water of Leith to Dean Village and then to the Modern Art Galleries.

*^{View From Outside Modern One Gallery, Edinburgh}*

At Modern One gallery (there are two separate national galleries of modern art) I saw an exhibition by Everlyn Nicodemus. It was a larger exhibition than I expected (especially given that it was free) and, by the end, I was also surprised by its variety. I can’t confess to have been moved much by the work but a lot of it was wonderfully colourful and vibrant. The whole experience of walking around the exhibition with so few others was quietly pleasing. It always seems worthwhile visiting Edinburgh’s art galleries.

*^{Some Of The Colourful Paintings By Everlyn Nicodemus}*

We also always seem to make time to take FG to the Royal Botanic Garden and the National Museum of Scotland. The Botanic Gardens are great year-round and FG likes the visits to the café there. FG also loves both seeing the exhibits at the National Museum – especially the natural history section – and getting to and from it on the bus. Watching FG’s mind take in all the sights in the museum is very rewarding and I never tire of going there.

*^{Natural History Hall At The National Museum Of Scotland}*

Next month we are visiting Edinburgh again and, this time, for a month. It will be a very different experience our usual long weekends with ES and his wife. I hope the Air BnB we have chosen is as good as it looks.

Although the weather is bound to be wintery, our stay will, at one level, feel like an extended holiday and we will be a couple of tourists taking in the sights again. But, on another level, it is a bit of a trial run for seeing if we would like to move more substantially to Edinburgh. We are both excited by the prospect of spending more time in the city; Edinburgh is such a wonderful place and being near ES’s family for a few weeks will enable a different relationship with all of them, at least temporarily.

Back home, we entertained our London guests with extended chat, Jane’s cooking, plenty of drink, a lunch at The Woolpack Inn in Slad (in our opinion, the best local pub food) and a walk by the Severn to see the Purton Hulks.

*^{Along The Canal Walk Towards The Severn And The Purton Hulks}*

These ‘hulks’ are boats deliberately run ashore and filled with debris and concrete to form a barrier between the tidal Severn River and the adjacent canal. They create a rather ghostly atmosphere and an interesting historical distraction from the huge views up and down the Severn estuary.

*^{One Of The Purton Hulks Overlooking The Severn Estuary (Tide Out)}*

Our entertaining skills were also tested when we looked after Second Grandchild (SG) for a few hours while Middle Son and his fiancée went out for lunch – their first outing together without SG since he arrived. It turned out to be a breeze. SG seemed curious about us substituting for his parents but calm and quietly playful. When he refused to have a nap in his nursery, I took him out in his buggy. While we were out, he was attentive to his surroundings, regarded me with apparent interest and occasional smiles, and then gently fell asleep. What a pleasure retirement is when one can do things like that with a grandchild!

Now Christmas is approaching. To get in the mood we went to a choral concert in a very Christmassy Tetbury. The concert was in the main church which is very spacious and dominated by rows of high, enclosed pews. The church looked marvellous with so many candles lit on huge chandeliers and elsewhere, and the concert sounded great when the choir was in full blooded flow.

*^{The Standish Consort And Ensemble La Notte at St Mary’s Church, Tetbury}*

Now we look forward to our sons arriving for Christmas. Youngest Son arrives later today (unfortunately without new wife who is bound to Belfast by their dog for this trip). Then Eldest Son’s entourage arrives next week before Middle Son, his fiancée and SG arrive on Christmas Eve. The semi-planned Christmas schedule is full of fun and games, walks and meals, Secret Santa, and sitting around the wood-burner and kitchen playing and chatting with the little ones and adults alike.

Now I have retired and I have no background (or foreground!) thoughts of work to contend with during the festive period, I can focus on all of the above. It’s a treat and a luxury.

Birthday Rye

July 4, 2024 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

After a delightful visit to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens we travelled on to Rye for further celebration of Jane’s birthday. Like Sissinghurst, we had visited Rye before but not for many years and so it felt like a new discovery to me. Also, as at Sissinghurst, we were blessed with great weather throughout our stay.

We got ourselves unloaded into a room in the new, neat complex of rooms making up the bulk of accommodation in The George In Rye. This is an impressive-looking Georgian coaching inn cum hotel on the High Street. It was renovated and re-opened in 2006 after falling into disrepair but was badly damaged by fire a few years ago. It is now once again a very comfortable place to stay with some eclectic room decorations (including local pottery and wallpaper), a lovely bright courtyard for al fresco refreshments, and a timber framed bar area. It was a nice retreat after our wanders around the town.

*^{Rye Street Views (Including ‘Rye Water House’ – An Old Cistern, Top Right)}*

Jane had chosen a visit to Rye for her birthday treat mainly so she could visit her favourite textile and clothes pattern shop: Merchant & Mills. She duly paid a couple of visits to the shop and made a few purchases while I perused the local sights. Jane’s Christmas present from me this year is already organised and is a residential course at Merchant & Mills early next year – this present choosing and giving lark is getting easier and easier under Jane’s direction!

Rye is an interesting town with a long history. Perhaps the most notable thing about its history and geography is that it was once a thriving fishing village and then a Cinque Port – part of a confederation of ports on the south coast of England working together for defence and trade purposes. The sea has now retreated so now the harbour is a much-diminished facility on the River Rother that is a mile or two from the actual coast.

^{Rye Boatyards A Little Upstream From The Original Rye Harbour (Now Largely Silted Up)}

We fitted in a bit of fresh air walking along that coast and sauntered for a while along Camber Sands. We both always enjoy walking near the sea. The tide was out and, apart from a large group doing outdoor yoga, the beach was almost empty, and it was a very relaxing place to be.

Nearby was a farm shop with several electric vehicle chargers; being able to charge up while looking at a sound plant selection and then drinking a coffee added to our chilled out feeling.

Because of its importance as a key defensive hub in the Middle Ages, Rye has town walls and a castle set on top of the hill overlooking the surrounding flatlands and river valleys. There are many picturesque, cobbled streets of half-timbered houses surrounding the St Mary’s Church.

The church offered a trickily narrow, very steep and low-ceilinged stairway up past the church bells to a roof view of the town. I only bumped my head on the way up once and the end result views were worth it.

^{Views Of Rye From The Church Tower: Lichen-Coloured Tiles and The River Rother Making Its Way To The Coast}

In and around the High Street there are some interesting old buildings, shops and galleries. We again took advantage of our National Trust membership to explore Lamb House. This early Georgian house and garden has been home to a number of authors over the last century or so including Henry James. We spent a pleasant hour there – the sort of visit that we might not have bothered with had we not had National Trust Membership but which turned out to be a very peaceful interlude.

^{Lamb House and Garden}

Whilst in the sunshine there was plenty to enjoy and Jane had also done useful research on where to eat. We had very good dinners at The George and The Union but the standout meal was lunch at The Fig. I could have chosen anything on the menu – it all looked so inviting. The items we actually selected were really tasty. We found out afterwards that the chef was a finalist on ‘MasterChef’ and I wasn’t surprised given the high quality.

The weather was cloudier and cooler as we left Rye early next morning but Jane’s birthday treat wasn’t quite over since we decided to visit one of her favourite shops on the way back home: Freight in Lewes. We had made a trip to Lewes about 18 months ago, again primarily to visit Freight. As expected, Jane was able to find something she liked and, since it was only a day after her birthday, she came out with some new earrings. Even I can see it is a lovely shop.

While Jane did a circuit of some of the other shops, I wandered around the outer precincts of Lewes Castle.

^{Lewes Castle And The Quaint ‘Round House, Nearby}

Then we girded our loins for the lengthy drive home to complete a very fulfilling trip away from home. In weeks when the sun is shining, the temperature is pleasant and the countryside is lush following a wet Spring, the UK is an absolute treat.

And now I’m off to vote in the UK General Election…. 🙏

Sissinghurst Castle Gardens

June 30, 2024 / fgrtommo / 1 Comment

Jane said she didn’t want a present for her birthday – I had one planned, honest! Instead, she wanted to go on a trip to Sussex and, specifically, to Rye. She booked a hotel there and sorted out an itinerary of things to do. Part of that itinerary was to visit Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent on the way.

*^{Approaching Sissinghurst Castle Gardens}*

We had visited the garden early in our relationship, a few decades ago. I barely remember that. Even when confronted with the garden this time, I could only recall the old brick buildings not the walled gardens. Jane thinks we went in a different season to this time; perhaps that’s why I don’t really remember the garden but my memory is like a sieve these days (as our local pub-quiz regularly demonstrates.) Anyway, the gardens looked beautifully cared for and uniformly splendid.

The garden has developed considerably over the last century. It was transformed from the 1930’s onwards by Vita Sackville-West and her husband, Harold Nicolson, until their deaths in the 1960s. In 1967 the garden, castle and associated farm were taken over by the National Trust. Since then, Harold Nicholson’s grandson and his wife, the famous gardener, Sarah Raven, developed the garden.

More recently, the original ideas to develop a Greek-style garden in one of its parts have been re-implemented under the guidance of yet another famous gardener, Dan Pearson, to create an area called the Delos Garden. We visited on a gorgeous sunny day with some real heat in the air and the Delos Garden was one of the great highlights of our visit. It really did have a Mediterranean feel.

^{The Delos Garden}

Elsewhere, in one of the several walled garden quadrants, was the White Garden. Here too, the timing of our visit was perfect. Not only was the sun shining but the old, huge, central climbing rose (rosa mulliganii) is apparently only in full bloom briefly and yet we saw its lovely blossom at its peak.

^{The White Garden}

We spent well over an hour meandering around the garden, investigating all its nooks and crannies. Then we retraced many of our steps to take another look. The variety and density of the planting is amazing. Every time I thought: ‘ooh I haven’t seen one of this or that species of shrub or flower’, one would turn up around the next corner. In all directions, the colours and sheer health of the plants was breathtaking.

To cap the visit, I ventured up to the top of the castle for an aerial view of the garden. In a way, I wished I had done this at the start. That way, the layout of the garden would have been clearer from the start. But perhaps that would have detracted in some way from the excitement I got in moving through an arch or turning a corner as I had moved through the sections of the garden. Either way, the views from the top of the castle were as spectacular as expected.

*^{Views From The Top Of Sissinghurst Castle}*

We were so fortunate to see the gardens on such a beautiful day. Surprisingly, there was not a huge number of visitors. The layout of the garden into walled sections also helped to give a feeling of seclusion and nowhere felt crowded.

The entrance cost may be a deterrent for many (£15/adult). Again, we are so lucky in that we were both given lifetime National Trust Membership by my parents when we were married. It was an extravagant gift but one of the best value and valued ones we have ever received – the cost of life membership now is eyewatering.

We had had another lovely day courtesy of that gift and the good work of the National Trust. It’s a really special garden and well worth a visit – especially in June. We drove on to Rye with a bounce in our hearts.

Nadine Shah and Hamilton

May 19, 2024 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

Perhaps the top birthday highlight amid a thoroughly pleasurable weekend of mild (no longer wild) celebration was a concert by Nadine Shah at the Cheltenham Festival. Because it was my birthday, Jane generously came along with me even though I had told her it wouldn’t be her choice of music. It was an opportunity to take in a bit of the atmosphere of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, see an art exhibition featuring one of our village acquaintances, and have dinner out together for a change.

I have seen Nadine Shah nine times now and have loved every one of those performances. I still remember first seeing her in 2013 in The Lexington in London. Then, the hairs stood out on the back of my head as she sang ‘All I Want’ virtually unaccompanied and I became a big fan. I recall I chatting with her Dad afterwards and then meeting her. She’s a charming Geordie and a huge, interesting talent.

*^{Up Close With Nadine Shah Almost A Decade Ago In The Sebright Arms, London With Middle Son}*

Up to this month, the venues I have seen her perform in have been small and intimate. Cheltenham Town Hall wasn’t that. The sound was muggy, the distance to the stage – we were half way back – was huge in comparison to previous Nadine Shah concerts I’d been to, and we were sitting down so only foot-tapping was really allowed. For all that it was alien to previous experiences, I loved the music and her energy; Jane, not so much!

*^{Nadine Shah In Full Flow At Cheltenham Town Hall}*

Nadine Shah’s latest album (Filthy Underneath) traces her fall from grace as she left Ramsgate and London for her native South Tyneside to look after her terminally ill mother during the Covid pandemic. The pandemic prevented her from touring and performing her music, she separated from her husband and, in her relative isolation, became addicted to her Mum’s drugs. Several of the songs on the new album relate to this dark period of illness, suicidal thoughts, rehabilitation and recovery.

Despite their dark themes, I love their dramatic, relentless, pulsating beats and the compelling lyrics. They were in my head seemingly incessantly for well over a week after the concert.

Helping with that was a birthday present from Middle Son and his fiancée: Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones by Shokz. I hadn’t seen these until MS showed me his a few weeks ago. He had bought some because he doesn’t like wearing in-ear headphones and knows that I have a problem with them too. These new ones sit outside the ear and use vibration to exercise the cheek and ear bone structure to reproduce perfect headphone sound without blocking out birdsong or traffic noise for example. The technology verges on the unbelievable to me. The headphones are perfect for my two-hour walks into Stroud on Food Bank days and, on the first of those after I saw Nadine Shah, I naturally gravitated to playing her music.

*^{Shokz Wireless Bone Conduction Headphones}*

Since my birthday, and a flurry of family related activity, life has returned to normality; lots of walking in spring sunshine, local volunteering, visits to our local pub and, now the weather has finally improved, gardening. Gradually, one patch and raised bed at a time, I am getting the vegetable garden under control. I also need to invest time in the garden at our rental property and the small allotment I tend very fitfully; next week, maybe….

*^{Wild Garlic Gone Wild Along The Path To The Food Bank In Stroud}*

Jane and I did manage to spend an afternoon helping in MS and his fiancée’s garden. Their own gardening desires are frustrated currently by a necessary focus on their new baby and work. It was nice to be able to step in to tidy and plant a few things in their garden and, of course, to see Second Grandchild.

Plus, they gave us a couple of tickets for Hamilton on its UK and Ireland Tour which they had bought before the timing of a new baby was fully realised. It was my first visit to the Bristol Hippodrome and, as far as I can remember, my first live musical (rather than opera). I was enormously impressed with both. Management of the audience in and out of the Hippodrome was extremely efficient, the stage sets were impressive and our view was elevated, central and splendid.

*^{The Hamilton Cast (Photography Was Banned – Good! – So I Pinched This Off The Bristol Hippodrome Website)}*

Hamilton itself started with a bang and the energy didn’t let up throughout. The hip-hop and r&b songs were catchy. They were sung beautifully but in a way that enunciated every lyric so that the story, for those with only a passing familiarity with it, could understand the multiple layers of the storyline.

A huge amount was packed in and I was left a little overwhelmed by the end of the performance. I really enjoyed the variety of the music and the way elements of it cropped up repeatedly throughout to remind us of the key themes. It was a thoroughly enjoyable, brilliant, invigorating introduction to modern musical theatre.

May has been a full and very enjoyable month and we still are barely more than halfway through!

Anniversary and Birthday in Edinburgh

November 28, 2023November 28, 2023 / fgrtommo / 1 Comment

Autumn is turning to winter but there is still some colour in the trees and the occasional sunny day provides a bit of autumnal sparkle. I continue to feel fortunate to live in a pretty (but not prettified) part of Gloucestershire and we enjoyed showing it off a bit while some friends stayed with us at the end of October. When the sun is low as it is now, the Cotswold stone of the houses glows beautifully and the crispening leaves on the trees glimmer in the breeze.

I am well behind on the bedding down of the garden and allotment for winter. I have made some progress but, when the weather has been nice, I’ve tended to take the opportunity to go for local walks. When the weather has been cold and wet, I’ve stayed close to the heating in our kitchen. I feel that, as I get older, I feel the cold more than I did.

Our First Grandchild (FG) doesn’t seem to feel the cold anywhere near so much! He is thriving up in Edinburgh. We visited Edinburgh recently to celebrate his second birthday and his parents’ first wedding anniversary. They have a lovely flat and, now there is a wood-burner in the lounge, a very cosy spot for the evenings. FG can now lark about before bedtime in his nightwear – or just his nappy – without me feeling chilly by proxy.

We stayed in Edinburgh for longer than usual but hopefully avoided overburdening the working parents by staying a couple of nights in a hotel rather than with them. FG seemed to enjoy having two more people to order about especially once his birthday brought more toys for us all to play with.

He also liked his usual trip with us to the Royal Botanic Garden, where we collected different colours and sizes of leaf. It’s a wonderful, free resource regardless of the time of year.

On the actual day of his birthday, we all joined him on an extended visit to the National Museum of Scotland where he joyfully rushed from exhibit to exhibit. It’s a great place for kids.

We had other lovely family outings in brilliant sunshine to Saughton Park, which had an interesting history and a goldfish pond which fascinated FG, and to Lauriston Castle gardens with its great views across the Firth of Forth. Much to Jane’s satisfaction, each visit involved a café stop. This is something that, when we are alone together, she finds hard to persuade me to indulge in. With FG, it’s another little opportunity to watch him develop.

*^{Lauriston Castle With The Firth Of Forth Beyond}*

It was convenient that we had our car, could get around easily with everyone, and that ES and his partner had some time off work so they could enjoy their anniversary and birthday fully.

Jane and I also went off on our own for perusal of Stockbridge’s shops (Jane) and walks by the Water of Leith (me). The Water of Leith was gushing more than usual following the recent storms which made the riverside walk somehow even more pleasurable than usual, especially as the sun was shining.

Views Along The Water Of Leith (Including An Anthony Gormley Statue Top Right)

We also managed to slide off for an hour in Spry, our favourite wine bar, and for a set of very tasty, innovative small lunch plates at Noto where Eldest Son (ES) and his partner had celebrated their anniversary a couple of nights before.

*^{My Walk Along The Water Of Leith Led Me To Murrayfield}*

While FG and his parents went off to a birthday party of one of FG’s contemporaries in south Edinburgh, Jane and I took advantage of more sunny weather to climb Blackford Hill. This afforded great views north of Arthur’s Seat and the city and I had a bit of an internal psychic glow knowing that this was where ES had proposed marriage.

^{Views North From Blackford Hill}

In between the anniversary and birthday festivities, and as the weather deteriorated, Jane and I visited the newly opened half of the National Gallery of Scotland. This great new space doubles the size of the gallery and has some excellent works including many by the Glasgow Boys and the less renowned Glasgow Girls.

*^{The New Galleries At The Scottish National Gallery}*

In a slight overdoing of cultural experience for one day, we also visited Dovecot Studios to see an exhibition called ‘Scottish Women Artists: Challenging 250 Years of Perception’. This too had art by the Glasgow Girls. I thought the exhibition was a bit uneven but particularly liked the works by Joan Eardley and a few others.

*^{Dovecote Studios: Scottish Women Artists (Including Joan Eardley And Alberta Whittle – bottom right and left respectively)}*

While we were in Edinburgh, ES’s partner cooked us lovely meals and we had great toast-laden breakfasts (Archipelago Bakery sells outstanding bread) plus a couple of substantial delivery meals from local food outlets. Fortunately, this visit, we met ES’s partner’s parents again and we all tucked into an Indian spread while sharing FG-stories.

FG’s birthday cake was a delightful mum-made ‘hedgehog cake’ with chocolate buttons for spines (he loved the candle blowing out process and the chocolate). Later, his birthday dinner was a shared set of delivered pizzas. Meals delivered to the door are rare treats for me; we don’t have them at home since the choice is limited and the distances feel too great. I put on weight in Edinburgh but it was well worth it.

It’s a long way to Edinburgh and back in our car (though we again had no real problems with charging it up as we travelled). But we love Edinburgh. Jane and I know that had ES not met someone from there who wanted to settle in the city, we would not have had such an opportunity to get to know Edinburgh so well. There is so much more to see there and we look forward to another trip for ES and his partners’ birthdays early next year.

A Wedding and a Birthday

November 27, 2022August 4, 2025 / fgrtommo / 2 Comments

Amid much happiness, our Eldest Son (ES) and his partner were married a couple of weekends ago. Long-Suffering Wife (LSW) and I had a lovely time in Edinburgh celebrating this huge event with them. What made it extra special for us was that ES and his (now) wife pared down the events of the weekend to a very intimate affair. Everyone who took part was someone very close to the marrying couple. That meant that every conversation with everyone in attendance felt meaningful.

The Registry Office was a grand building with pleasantly decorated rooms and an overseer of the process who achieved the right balance of formality and relaxed bonhomie. First Grandchild (FG), was rather unwell but nonetheless, was well behaved, wasn’t sick on anyone’s dress and loved playing with the room’s long curtains. ES looked smart and the bride looked stunning. As they shared their home-made vows, my tears welled up; their personalisation of the exchange was really moving.

Later in the afternoon and well into the evening, a wedding reception was held at the married couple’s new flat. The flat looked great and was just the right size for a party of about 30 enthusiastic relatives and friends. A few of the latter were fellow new parents who brought contemporaries of FG which added to the lovely, informal conviviality. Everyone was very happy.

*^{Lovely Wedding Reception Table Layout In The Married Couple’s Flat}*

The mantelpieces and tables had been beautifully decorated and set out by ES’s new parents in law. The caterers knew what they were doing (they had been under close instruction from ES’s wife), the food was excellent, and the drinks and conversation flowed. FG was excited by the hubbub and rallied at the important moments to be giggling sweetness itself, despite his illness. The speeches were short and heartfelt and the intimacy of the event shone throughout. We loved it – not only the fact that ES was now married, but that he and his new wife (especially!) had organised what seemed to be an ideal way of doing it.

*^{First Grandchild (FG) Checking The Wedding Presents}*

On the following day, we refreshed with a sunny morning walk around the Royal Botanic Garden and then met up with a very small number of close relatives for a wonderful lunch at Timberyard. LSW and I had been there once before and had been very impressed by the food, decor and ambience. We were very impressed again. It was the centrepiece to another lovely day.

^{Walking In Sunny Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh With Youngest And Middle Sons And Their Partners}

My Dad and sister went back to rest at their hotel. It had been marvellous that they had been able to come and they had made the most of their visit to Edinburgh by taking in a couple of art exhibitions as well as the wedding events. Meanwhile, LSW and I retreated to the Air BnB that we had rented for ourselves, our Middle and Youngest Son and their partners. There, we allowed our emotions to settle quietly in front of a second rate romantic comedy and assorted crisps. What a couple of days!

And then the fun went on! The Monday following the wedding was FG’s first birthday. Unfortunately FG was still unwell and relatively subdued but he enjoyed early use of some of the presents and a trip to one of the local playgrounds. Unlike him, we will remember his first birthday for ever.

*^{Wedding Cake Cleverly Converting To Birthday Cake (FG Loves Penguins!)}*

We left Edinburgh late that afternoon leaving ES and wife to ponder how to manage FG’s illness while both are holding down a job working from home on the back of little sleep. At that point we assumed that the conundrum they faced would be only for a day or two – it turned out to be another week. Oh, the joys of parenthood!

Meanwhile, LSW and I set off for Dunkeld on the River Tay, on the southern edge of the Highlands for rather more rest and relaxation than the newly married couple were going to get.

Birthday Past and Birthday Future

May 16, 2021May 16, 2021 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

The last few weeks seem to have had a quickening pace. Gradually, the easing of lockdown is formally (within the rules) and informally (just beyond the margins of the rules) opening up more social contact. Spring is moving on apace and the garden is requiring increasing amounts of attention. Our local climate action group has become more active and more of a time-suck. And it has been my birthday!

My birthday week – and it did feel like the celebration was spread over a week – was full of lovely activities and moments.

Youngest Son (YS) came to visit with his partner for a few days on his way to a video shoot in London. Middle Son (MS) and his partner, living temporarily out of London and renting our ‘Tin House’ in a nearby village, came over to help celebrate, help YS get games started (he does love his Monopoly Deal!) and enjoy the birthday food and drinks. On the day itself, Long-Suffering Wife’s younger brother, his wife and youngest daughter came over for dinner; we haven’t had so many in our house at one time for well over a year and it was great fun.

Even the (birthday) walks in the local countryside felt special in that week. We were joined on one of those walks by one of YS’s best friends and, so, one of ours. He is an Australian rather stranded in London by the pandemic but as upbeat and entertaining as ever. Stumbling through playing a Pub Quiz and then walking back through bluebell woods with him, YS and his girlfriend before collapsing in front of a cheesy film on the television, will be a lasting memory.

*Birthday Walk Through Kingscote Graveyard*

To crown the week, my football team, Forest Green Rovers, won their final game of the league season to qualify for the promotion playoffs. The last few months have been a struggle for the team but anything could happen over the next two or (if we get to the Wembley final) three games. Next week will be tense.

Even better, now the relative excitement of my birthday week has passed, is that there is a far more important birthday to come. I could mean LSW’s in June but actually it is the real birthday of a grandchild! If all goes to plan, I will be a Grandad by November.

I’m so thrilled by the prospect and another lasting memory will be Eldest Son (ES) and his partner telling us on a Zoom call. I shall also always cherish the recording of ES separately telling his brothers – that interaction was both funny and very moving as it captured the emotions of the moment between siblings so wonderfully.

ES and his partners’ joyful news has heightened our excitement around our upcoming trip to Edinburgh to stay with them for a few days. We can’t wait to see their new flat there and how they live (while recognising that the latter will be rather disrupted later this year!)

Life seems to be accelerating again and I just hope the coronavirus variants don’t slow life down again before we get to Edinburgh.

Another Chapter On The Roller-Coaster

June 25, 2020 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

Late Evening Sun In The Garden And Meadow

Life can seem like a roller-coaster with its ups and downs. Also, it often seems comprised of episodes or chapters, as in a book, where the start and end of each section is triggered by a significant event. Maybe I am mixing metaphors but I have thought of both roller-coasters and multi-chapter books as retired life has progressed this week.

A year ago, our family life was upturned by Middle Son (MS) being run down on a pedestrian crossing by a police fugitive in a car. He has made a good recovery (though I bet he will be stopped at every X-Ray machine at airports). Finally too, just this week, the police arrested the culprit. MS’s accident was a deep low on the roller-coaster but, although the court case and insurance claim is still to come, he and we have moved onwards and upwards. It was great to see him looking happy this last weekend when he, Eldest Son (ES), and ES’s lovely girlfriend visited us for the day to celebrate Long-Suffering Wife’s (LSW’s) birthday.

Birthday Banners And Delicious Homemade Birthday Food

We had a highly convivial day marking LSW’s (big-with-a-nought-on-it) birthday with all our sons. There was even some probably ill-advised hugging! The sun shone, there was great food and, mid-afternoon, LSW had a visit from the family of her younger brother and her mother. We observed social distancing outdoors with them but the atmosphere of sociability and exuberance pushed away the disappointment of having had to cancel LSW’s our original plan birthday holiday plan due to the Covid-19 crisis. It felt liberating just to have a lot of people in our garden again; a lovely slice of (almost) normality…..

Of course, a birthday can mark the start of a new chapter of life. This one did so, especially, because Covid-19 lockdown has eased enough that Youngest Son (YS) was able to leave us, a couple of days after the birthday celebrations, for a new start in Northern Ireland. That has left a hole in our days that will take a while to re-seal with other interactions and activities.

Watching Youngest Son From Our Bedroom Departing In The Wee Early Hours

Watching Youngest Son From Our Bedroom Departing In The Wee Hours Of The Morning

YS had been with us for three months and his can-do enthusiasm and almost constant positivity (so different from me) will be sorely missed. As parents, it was a privilege to have him at such close quarters for so long. I suspect our first post-lockdown trip will be to Belfast to see how he is settling in there and we are looking forward to that hugely. Not only will we see him again then, but a trip away from home will be a welcome break from our re-trenched lockdown routine, and a chance to see a part of Britain I have not seen before. Four years ago – almost to the day – we were waving YS off to what turned out to be three years in Australia; Northern Ireland is not so far!

Until we are able to make such a trip we are more than making do outdoors with the enjoyment of our garden and the seemingly endless variety of local walks.

A Selection Of Garden Flowers

The garden is full of flowers, the meadow is gradually revealing increasing plant diversity in response to our benign management, and both garden and meadow are full of bees, butterflies and other insects.

Marbled White Butterfly - Stationary Just Long Enough For A Photo

Marbled White Butterfly – Stationary In Our Field Just Long Enough For A Blurry Photo

My life chapters may be moving at a more sedate pace than YS’s but my roller coaster is nicely located for a contented retiree 🙂

Excuses To Visit London

December 4, 2018 / fgrtommo / Leave a comment

Before retirement, I sometimes planned to work when travelling by train. Now, I often get on the train with great resolve to read my current book or the newspaper. Almost invariably, though, then and now, reading sends me falling into that unsatisfactory doze state never refreshes. Indeed, such dozing is not really relaxing since I worry subconsciously during, and then afterwards, that I have been snoring loudly and irritating (or, worse, amusing) fellow passengers. The one thing that always keeps me awake on the train is using my computer keyboard. So, there is something energising about writing these blog posts on the train.

This is my second trip to London in a few days – I need very little excuse to fulfil my London fix and escape from the country (lovely as The Cotswolds are).

The first was in my ailing, misfiring and rusting Saab which was brought into action while Long-Suffering Wife’s (LSW’s) Volkswagen is read what may be the Last Rites in the garage. LSW and I came up London to attend a 60^th birthday dinner party of a long standing friend in Kew – a very amusing reconstruction of a party we had attended 20 years before.

Impressive Birthday Cake!

We took the opportunity to visit the Annie Albers exhibition at Tate Modern and to see the new, up-market shopping centre just north of Kings Cross (Coal Drops Yard).

The Annie Albers exhibition was diverse. Alongside the expected textiles were paintings, drawings and ingenious necklaces (my favourite exhibits since they were so simple and inspiringly made from everyday objects). It was an interesting history of a very impressive artist and some of the items were lovely, but, perhaps because of the diversity, the exhibition never really took off for me.

Selection of Annie Albers’ Work

Our visit to Coal Drops Yard was, in some ways, just a normal window-shopping trip. But it’s clearly a cut above most shopping centres with some of the shops like art galleries with beautiful artefacts and prices I hardly dare look at. Also, the architecture, mostly by Thomas Heatherwick, is remarkable – especially the gasometers converted into luxury flats overlooking the new coal yard restoration and transformation. The best aspect of the visit was trying to recall what this area looked like when it used to be one of our youthful haunts in the late 70s and 80s; the canal isn’t much changed but, truly, Kings Cross has been transformed almost entirely since then.

Coal Drops Yard

Unfortunately, after the birthday party and a very late night, we had to leave London relatively early on Sunday – albeit after a wonderfully various and hearty breakfast provided by the family of our birthday-girl. This was to enable a return in my rust bucket car in time for a memorial service for an artist friend of ours who died a couple of months ago. LSW and many others spoke very movingly and humorously about their memories of an artist whose work is well represented in our house.

Now, rested and ready to go again, I’m on my way back to London for a gig and a dental appointment (which is my excuse for this trip).

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I didn’t have time to finish the blog on the train (but I didn’t fall asleep, I promise).

I have since had another eventful day in London – visiting the Fashioned From Nature exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum and then seeing Malcolm Middleton for the sixth time in a club in Hackney. Both were very worthwhile.

Today I’m going to try the Barbican exhibition on Modern Couples and then meet Eldest and Middle Sons for a drink, some food and a film – oh, and I’ll fit the dentist in. Such freedom and fun in this retired life! I’ll say more in my next post – maybe to be authored on my return train trip…..

My Retirement Journey

I've Retired! What Next?

Birthdays