90 Years Young

I had fully intended starting my day with a run, but as I lay in bed I could hear that it was still raining, so I dozed for a while and then read my book – a lovely way to start the day.
 
When I eventually got up, I found my dad in the kitchen making porridge for his 90th birthday breakfast!  I declined the offer of porridge, all the more for him and my mum. 
 
My dad and I then went into town to do a bit of shopping, only to find that one of the shops we were  going to was closed for the Easter holiday. What a disaster – we had to improvise but I think we got everything we went for.  BB appeared for his breakfast just when we got back home.  It was then time for birthday cards and presents.  My dad had a great time opening everything, and was very pleased with it all.
 
We then headed out for lunch – to the tearoom at a nearby nature reserve.  It was a trip down memory lane for my dad.  The nature reserve has been developed on land which was quarried, having been farmland prior to that.  My dad moved to this area around 85 years ago, and he played with the kids who lived on the farm, and they all guddled for trout in the burn.  After a tasty and filling lunch we went for a walk around the reserve, and looked over to the cottage on the hillside where my dad had lived during his school year.  My mum and dad only walked part of the way, as it was getting muddy and slippery, and we didn’t want my mum falling again – given her damaged shoulder is still recovering.  They walked back to the car, while BB and I walked all the way around, through the mud.  It was absolutely freezing and still raining.  We have decided to go back on a nice warm and sunny day – when hopefully there will be no mud.  We didn’t see much in the way of wildlife either.  We drove home past my dad’s old family cottage, which has been much done up since he lived there.
 
Once back home we all warmed up.  BB and I then went for a walk around the village to work off our lunch and to work up an appetite for tea.  It rained all the time – with varying degrees of heaviness.  It was good to get back home to dry off. 
 
The birthday tea was fish and chips followed by birthday cake -  just what the ninety year old wanted.  BB and I then had to depart for our drive home.  The first part of the journey was reasonable, as the rain had almost gone off, the middle part was very wet, with the rain abating during the final part.  In fact the rain had stopped completely by the time we got home.  After the drive I walked around the block to stretch my legs, and all too soon it was time for bed at the end of a lovely day.
 
We had just had some cake sparklers, which feaked me out –and I was much happier with the candles.  The extra is a view from our walk at the nature reserve.