Phil's 70th birthday

The 70th birthday is special for many reasons, apart from being a milestone. It's worth mentioning that Phil is far from being over the hill and having retired from active work is now spending most of his time relaxing and sailing.  According to Mark Twain, those who reach 70 can live free of the shackles that tied them down for a large chunk of their lives too.  

Over the years, I have seen Phil do so many things to make life full of more smiles, love, and laughter and I appreciate every wonderful memory that we have created together.  Our children count themselves lucky and blessed to have you as their father.  You have constantly set the perfect example of what it is to be a man, father, and husband.  The grandchildren adore you too.

So let the celebrations begin.

Lunch with "the swimmers" and a wonderful present of 12 bottles of wine. (Aged to perfection).

Geoff also read out this excellent poem which he once saw in a bar in Uganda and tracked down on the internet.

Sinful, ginful rum-soaked men

The horse and mule live 30 years And nothing knows of wine and beers;

The goat and sheep at 20 die, And never taste of scotch and rye.

The cow drinks water by the ton, And at 18 is mostly done.

The dog at 15 cashes in, Without the aid of rum and gin.

The cat in milk and water soaks, And then in 12 short years, he croaks.

The modest, sober, bone dry hen Lays eggs for nogs, then dies at 10.

All animals are strictly dry, They sinless live and swiftly die.

But sinful, ginful rum soaked men Survive for three score years and 10.

And some of them, a very few, Stay pickled til they're 92!

Phil's birthday present, a Tilley hat.  It passed the test on a very windy Milford-on-Sea cliff top.

Then it was on to The Captain's Club at Christchurch for a wonderful afternoon tea with champagne.

We had a lovely table overlooking the River Stour and the food was delicious.

We then strolled to The Tea House Cocktail Parlour in Christchurch where we met Caroline and family for cocktails and dim sums and were thoroughly impressed with the service, cocktails and food.  They made the cocktails from scratch and they were worth waiting for.

On Saturday we met the family again.  This time for lunch at The Cliff House in Barton-on-Sea.  They have got it right.  Excellent food.  The staff are great, nothing too much trouble. And the Thai beef salad, what can I say except Alun and Caroline wanted to return the next day to eat it again.

Then it was back to Milford on Sea for some of Chloe's excellent homemade birthday cake and Emmie's homemade biscuits.  So much love. Yum yum, they were delicious, well done.

We wish you all the best Grandad as you celebrate your 70th birthday.

 

May is the month for celebrating birthdays.

 Alun celebrates first, followed closely by Emmie.

I closed my eyes for but a moment and suddenly a man stood where a boy used to be.  I may not carry you in my arms but I will always carry you in my heart.  You have given me so many reasons to be proud of the man you have become.

And to celebrate Alun and Emmie's birthdays we all met up in the New Forest at Bolderwood for a picnic and games.  Adjacent to the car park is a large flat grassy Forest lawn, perfect for kicking a football around or grouping up for a game of rounders!

Pass the Parcel

Emmie is 11 years old this year.  Wow.  Time flys by.

I can still remember the moment you were placed into my arms for the very first time.  I can still picture you as a toddler, that constant energy that kept Mummy and us on our toes.  We still laugh about how fast you could run!!

And now you'll soon be heading to big school.  But I have zero worries - you will do well, your drive to learn and do your best is something I'll always admire.  I have it all memorised but I've noticed that you've grown (nearly as tall as me now).  That ounce of teenager is ready to come out from under the surface.

You have brought us immeasurable joy in the last eleven years and I can't wait to see what this new year will bring.

Eleven years ago, I held you for the very first time and began to learn who you are.  I'm so incredibly proud of you Emmie -Boo.

Happy 11th birthday.  Really enjoyed the celebrations with you.

I love you to the moon and back.

Balmy Easter holidays.

 The Sun's out, (hot cross) buns out!

Stephen is visiting from Australia so we made the most of the balmy Easter holidays.

Good Friday - Phil and Stephen enjoyed an invigorating walk along the spit from Milford-on-Sea to Hurst Castle with wonderful views of the Isle of Wight and Needles plus Lymington.  They returned to Keyhaven via the Ferry.

Many people across the UK traditionally eat fish and chips on Good Friday so we met up with Alun, Gemma, her parents and Emmie for great fish and chips at Chez Fred in Bournemouth.

On Saturday we went to Studland with Caroline and family.  We crossed using the chain link ferry based in Sandbanks then drove to Knoll Beach.  We paid £3 for an Easter trail the National Trust had set up and took a 45 min walk through the woodland and along the beautiful beach following clues and then the grandchildren were rewarded with an Easter egg at the end.

And on Easter Sunday the family came over for a lovely lunch at the Beach House followed by an Easter egg hunt in the garden.