Happy Birthday, Philippe and Keith!

A very late blip - computer crashes, useless internet provider - aaargh.

November 19th - a very happy day for our family. Thirteen years ago, our very young daughter gave birth to our first grandson. How the time has flown - and the birds too. Philippe spent his first 4 ½ years with us and we have a very special connection, but now both daughters, their husbands and our three grandchildren are 5000 miles away. ‘Slipping through my fingers......’ We miss them enormously – maybe not quite enough, yet, to upsticks back to the British climate, but nearly.

Thank heavens for Skype. The highpoint of today was a long conversation with Philippe, his Mum and sister. I wish I had snapped him on Skype (I suppose that’s still possible)? The rest of the day was spent taking a tedious beating from a vile computer program, and in the absence of a shot of Philippe, or any others, for that matter, was going to post one of the cat, sleeping on a pile of boring papers – what I felt like doing by the end of the afternoon.

However, things looked up in the evening, with a good friend’s birthday party – seems lots of great people were born on 19th November (also Dia da Bandeira - Flag Day - in Brazil. Viva)!! The photo was taken on another guest's phone, but helps me to imagine Phil being there blowing his candles out too.