Letter to Emmie - Nanna's Jottings on Lockdown

When the corona outbreak reached worrying levels in Europe, I was about to go on a ski-ing holiday to Italy.

Grandad and I were already quite concerned about the virus, so along with our friends who were due to holiday with us, we decided to make the smart decision and discuss whether it was worth embarking on our trip, even though the Foreign Office had yet to advise not to travel to Italy.  We collectively made the correct decision not to go even though it would mean losing a lot of money.  Fortunately, our travel company allowed us to rebook for next year at no cost.  Let's hope we can go!

The whole situation with the corona virus is indeed a crazy challenge for all of us.  Just like everyone else, I have no idea when all of this is going to be over.  And I have no clue what life after the pandemic will look like.

If someone had told me I wouldn't be able to leave home for several weeks and that I would cancel numerous holidays (a visit to the Yorkshire Dales, a once in a lifetime visit to Machu Picchu and a cruise around the Greek Islands) because of a virus plaguing the whole globe, I probably would have laughed at them.

Emmie has asked me to write this letter for a project she is doing and I don't think we should forget all of this.  Instead we should take valuable lessons.  I believe there are tons of lessons we all can take from this situation.  So, it's important to reflect on them and write them down so we don't forget about them once all of this is over.

We all made plans for 2020.  Travel destinations, professional goals, the decision to hit the gym five times a week or whatever.  Some weddings were even cancelled due to the pandemic. And right now, we all need to decide how to deal with this tremendous impact on our lives.

We all have two options:  Giving up or giving our best.

We are all in social isolation but I must admit I am enjoying the quarantine talks with the family on a daily basis.  Thank you so much for all your love during this time.

I am 67 years old, born in a privileged, western country, and I always had everything I wanted and needed.  I never felt insecure or anxious about the future.  I believed getting a good education for my children would guarantee them a great future and I was incredibly ambitious for them to be good at school, helping as much as I could with homework.  I always believed you could have it all if you gave your best and worked hard.  To be honest, I still believe in it.  I believe anyone who dreams big can make it big.  But I never considered a global crisis.

Admittedly, Caroline is lucky to have an online business that is not particularly affected by the coronavirus.  Her income is still stable and I don't think she will have to worry about the next months in terms of money or business.

For Alun, however, the situation is different.  He is an airline pilot and as you can imagine, airlines' revenues have declined.  Thus, no customers mean no flights.  Yet, there are still loads of bills to pay.  The mortgage, car insurance, school fees, just to name a few.

And Alun is not the only one being affected dramatically.

The whole pandemic has taught many lessons.  For example, how important having some savings set aside is.  I see so many people already struggling to pay their bills, and that's just the beginning of the financial problems we might face.  This whole situation feels like a punch in our face.

Covid-19 can take different forms.  Many people who catch it scarcely notice.  Others grow critically ill.  Those with even moderate symptoms can experience fever, chest pains, headaches, cold spasms and extreme fatigue.  The disease is novel.  Clinical experts agree that the most dangerous phase is week two.  Then patients generally start to recover.  But some precipitously crash, as the virus attacks the lungs.  On 2nd April doctors were worried that in our Prime Minister's case, the infection was taking this second ominous path and Mr. Johnston was admitted to St. Thomas' hospital - just across the Thames from Downing Street.  The Prime Minister is now recovering at Chequers.  Without the NHS he wouldn't be here!

Right now, life is not about profits.

It will be over.

Everything will be ok again.  I don't know when that's going to happen, but it surely will.  And when everything turns back to "normal", let's ensure we stay as conscious about our lives as we are now.
Let's not get stressed about all the trivialities of our day to day lives.
Let's not forget about our duty to care for the planet.
Let's not forget about assisting the elderly or taking care of our bodies.

Perhaps the worst doomsday scenario was being stuck on the toilet and finding no toilet paper so people responded to corona virus fears by buying toilet paper en masse.  Rolls were being flogged for hundreds of pounds online, while listeners were calling into radio stations to win packs of 3-ply loo roll.

And then there was the panic buying.
None of us needs more panic in our lives and if there's one thing psychologists can agree on, it's that panicky behaviour is contagious.  Every time we read an article telling us not to be selfish and ransack the supermarkets, it triggers the thought that food is running out and we must urgently get to the nearest supermarket and buy five packets of pasta and as many tinned tomatoes as we can carry.
But there is still food in the shops.  Rationally, we don't need to panic.

The restrictions on our movement in recent days and weeks, coupled with a daily drip-feed of unease, have been unlike anything most  of us can remember.  We can't visit our family or even find out whether we are infected or not, but we can at least stock our kitchens with long-life milk - or wine, as the case may be - to give us the sense that we are somehow prepared.  Comfort eating during lockdown is understandable, but won't help you enter summer happier and healthier.

This is not a war, thank God.  Many people are invoking the spirit of the blitz - and some of us are certainly digging for victory, judging from the fact that vegetable seeds have been bought in vast quantities.  But we are not having to make do with wartime rations of dried eggs just yet.

People have also been cooking a storm in their kitchens whilst in lockdown - baking delicious bread, cakes and biscuits.  Flour - a key baking ingredient - has been flying off the shelves and this has led to shortages of flour on supermarket shelves.  The Millers are working round the clock, milling flour 24 hours a day, seven days a week to double their flour production - but it is still struggling to meet demand.  They also lack bags to put it in.  We have been enjoying home-made lemon drizzle cake with home-grown lemons - delicious, a real treat to look forward to in the afternoon.

In a tribute to NHS staff, Brits have been opening their doors and windows on Thursday evenings at 8pm to applaud the heroes on the frontline of the UK fight against Covid -19.

Captain Tom Moore, a 99 year old British war veteran has raised more than £20 million for the UKs NHS by walking 100 laps of her garden.  He will turn 100 later this month. He has also collaborated with singer Michael Ball to perform the song You'll Never Walk Alone with the intention of raising even more money.  The NHS Voices of Care Choir also joined the song which has reached No. 1 in the charts.

With schools closed parents across the UK are scrambling to figure out how to keep their children's education going at home.  I think Gemma and Caroline are doing a brilliant job and don't worry.  Ofsted won't be calling anytime soon.  And Joe Wicks is holding live free PE classes every weekday morning to keep kids fit during school closures.  The nation's PE teacher.

The grandchildren and I are writing stories together during lockdown.  Apparently, Shakespeare wrote King Lear in isolation during the plague.  They have also done some wonderful drawings with the help of You Tube and being of a musical persuasion Emmie's piano playing and Chloe and Jamie's ukulele tunes have dramatically improved.  Lots of practise.

As much of the world retreated into coronavirus lockdown, it looked as though many people's favourite activities were going to disappear with them: evening drinks, birthday parties, casual dinners with friends and family.  But then came the viral video chat app Houseparty.  It allows users to congregate spontaneously with friends via video.  Houseparty has become an overnight sensation - not only among company-starved millennials and teenagers - but also their parents.  We have been meeting up with our friends at a virtual Houseparty.  It is so lovely to get together for a drink, a chat, or just to see some friendly faces for a couple of hours.

The techsperts have said Covid-19 could be a "watershed moment" for working from home.  Caroline has had to close her office and her staff are now working from home.  Handshakes are out, remote working is in and  conferences have been culled from calendars.  So how do you have a meeting amid the mayhem of the biggest health crisis for a generation.  Zoom is the new boardroom.  Face to face meetings have been moved to the cloud-based video conferencing app.  It's the chosen platform for press conferences, university lectures, etc.  You can be dropped into a call with up to 100 people by simply clicking on a link.

Hairdressing salons are closed.  I always wondered how Van Gogh managed to  cut off his ear - was he doing a DIY haircut during lockdown?  I am trying to avoid ANY self cutting, I know I will make a mess of it.  But who knows what I will look like at the end of this lockdown.

Grandad and I normally swim most days but our fitness centre has been closed.  We Brits are allowed to walk for an hour, or run or cycle for half an hour every day, as part of coronavirus movement restrictions.  We are really enjoying our walks because the roads are both quieter and less polluted.  As we walk through our local Nature Reserve we experience the wealth and richness of birdsong.  This walk is so important for our psychological health and well-being.  When our normal life - and noise - resumes this moment of peace will pass so its important to enjoy it while we can.  Keeping active makes a big difference to how I feel during lockdown - physical activity helps one to sleep better and lifts the mood.  I am also doing fitness classes via Facebook.

Jamie and Chloe saw a seal on the beach in Milford-on-Sea.

The public stayed home over Easter despite some lovely warm weather.  Beaches, parks and beauty spots were deserted as people did their bit to prevent the spread of coronavirus.  We enjoyed a sizzling Easter weekend in our garden as temperatures sored into the mid-twenties.

Between dusty skirting boards, dirty tiling and stained carpets the home offered days of distraction doing that deep clean we had been putting off and being stuck at home can make you rethink how much stuff you really need.  Do I really wear all the clothes spilling out of my wardrobe?  Will I ever re-read those GCE essays sitting in that box upstairs?  What should I donate, what to throw out, ready for a full clear out when the lockdown is lifted.

Children have been drawing rainbows and putting them in their windows to symbolise the sun emerging amid a rainy backdrop.  They ultimately serve as a reminder to stay positive.

Emmie you are eight, about to celebrate your ninth birthday in lockdown, old enough to know what is happening.  All we ask you to do is WASH YOUR HANDS frequently, not to touch your face, and the toughest part - stay at home.  You read, play, watch television, but you are starting to crave school and be with your friends.  Lots of innocent questions.  "How do people who don't have water wash their hands so many times?"  Sanitizers are not the answer as people without basic access to water certainly can't afford them.

The four decades before COVID-19 were marked by vast technological changes.  Cell phones and planes connected people across the world.  The virus has travelled without restraint across the planet, affecting millions and sadly millions have died.

The most important question "When will it end?"

Coming out of lockdown will probably be a bit like walking the tightrope.  If we stand still along the way we could fall and if we go too fast it can go wrong.  Therefore, we must take one cautious step at a time.

I wish you all the best during this crazy period.  Someday soon, things will be back to some sort of normal, and it will be easier to be happy again.  I look forward to seeing you soon and even, in time, with sufficient PPE, giving you a big HUG!!!

Love and kisses, Nanna xxxxxxxx

Portrait of Julietta by Emmie and Nanna

  'Oh you are lucky, Juliet!'.
Was she?  Sitting down to pull on her outdoor shoes after doing gym, Juliet pulled up the laces with a jerk.  She was lucky, yes of course she was, she told herself fiercely, to have a mother who had been an actress and to go home every evening to a house full of her well-known and glamorous friends. But...

all Juliet ever wanted was to have a normal life.  Juliet was 14 and beautiful, just like her mother.  She had long blonde wavy hair, which she always wore tied back in a ponytail, blue eyes and tanned skin from being on so many summer holidays.  Almost every day she wore her blue and pink leotard because Juliet was a gymnast, but her mother....

was always listening to her friends talking about their books, pictures, plays; going to the premieres of their films - Oh yes; it was lovely, but.....Juliet sighed again.  The trouble was that you never quite knew what you were going back to.

As Juliet finished tying her laces, her gymnastics coach, Karen, came over to her and asked "why hasn't your mother signed the form for your gymnastics competition?"
"I don't know..." responded Juliet "I'll ask her to sign it tonight".
Juliet felt heartbroken as she knew her mother wouldn't sign the form.
"Oh don't worry Juliet, I'm sure your mum will sign the form tonight and you'll be able to compete at the weekend." Said her best friend Bethany.
"See, I'm not so lucky, am I?"
"How about you come round to my house" asked Bethany.
"OK" said Juliet.  Anything was better than going home to her house that was filled with her mothers friends.

Juliet loved visiting Bethany's home, untidy with babies and dogs and toys; and the friendly old climbing trees in the garden.  Juliet's garden at home was lovely, but you couldn't really play in it, at least not in the way that Juliet liked to play.  It was all so beautifully arranged that you could imagine people walking there and talking, or having their portraits painted, as Juliet's mother was doing at the moment, but not turning cartwheels, or standing on their heads.

When they arrived at Bethany's house, her mother was preparing pasta for dinner.
"Mum, can Juliet please stay for dinner?" Asked Bethany
"Of course she can." Replied Bethany's Mum.
"Only if that is ok." said Juliet, she never wanted to be a burden.
"Why don't you two go and play in the garden and I will call you when dinner is ready."
Juliet loved going over to Bethany's house because it meant that she could go and practice her gymnastics.  She also loved Lara, Bethany's Mum and wished her own Mum was more like her.

Going back home later for Juliet was like going out of a sheltered alley into the full force of a gale and you never knew which way you were going to be blown next.  Not that she would have changed it, she told herself with fierce loyalty.  Her mother was the most wonderful, the most exciting person in the world.  Outside her door Juliet paused to listen.  She wondered who would be there today and what she might be expected to do?  Sometimes it was fun and the visitors laughed and joked with her, but sometimes they would be feeling serious and make her play her latest piano piece to them, to see if she was developing any talent.  This evening, to her relief and surprise there was nobody there.  An evening all alone with her mother, telling her stories about the theatre, about romantic foreign places that she would one day take her to, would be wonderful, and happened all too rarely.  Today, sure enough, as she tiptoed into the drawing room, her mother came forward with her finger on her lips.  As Juliet hugged her, rubbing her face against the silk and getting a whiff of delicious scent, her mother hugged back again for a minute and then bent down to whisper.
"Mr. Franciso!" she said dramatically, pointing upwards.  "In the studio!"  Finishing my portrait for next week's exhibition!" and, miming a few brush strokes with one hand, said "You will have to be very quiet this weekend!"

Juliet thought that this would be her chance for her to ask her mother to sign the form as she would probably say yes, because she did say she wanted her to be quiet this weekend and being out of the house would make her very quiet indeed!
Juliet was excited at the thought of being able to compete in the competition this weekend.
"Oh, Darling, Mr. Francisco would like to paint your portrait this weekend!" Said her Mother.
"But....but"
"No buts!..."Said her mother in a strict tone "It is time for the world to see my beautiful daughter!"
Juliet was distraught, How could she let her team down.
"I don't want my portrait painted" cried Juliet "Nobody wants to see a portrait of Juliet!"

But Mr. Francisco!  Then it really was important.  Even among all the famous people his name stood out and when he said he wanted to paint a picture of Juliet's mother she had been tremendously pleased and flattered.  The sittings had all taken place whilst Juliet was at school, first in the garden and then in the old attic which had been rigged up as a studio, and to Juliet, who longed above everything else to see this portrait of her mother in the making, the attic had become forbidden territory.

"Come" said Juliet's mother we will go and ask him about painting your portrait as well as finishing mine this weekend.  At first Juliet thought the studio was empty, then, in a chair at the back she saw the figure of Mr. Francisco.  Was he asleep?  She stared curiously; he was slumped forward with his hair coming through his fingers in spikes.  Then, as she saw him gently rocking himself backwards and forwards, she realised that he wasn't.  His position was all too familiar, he was doing just what she did when she couldn't get out a maths problem or think what to say in an essay.  He looked up.
"Ah Julietta".....(Julietta was Juliet's mother).

In the Hush, her mother squeezed Juliet's hand.  "He doesn't want us up here any more," she whispered.  "The face is finished, he's just touching in the trees behind.  "Take a plate out into the garden and play there," she said.

Juliet escaped, loaded with sandwiches, into the garden.  She skirted round the house and went in through the back door to reach her playroom.  She climbed out of the playroom window.

Juliet's house had been built to a Spanish design and the blue-tiled roof was much lower than those of the houses next door.  A large skylight over the hall made a completely flat bit in the middle, along the bricked edge of which someone with gymnastic abilities could easily walk if she was careful, and to each side of it there was the gable of the attic room with a safety balustraded little balcony outside.

Ever since Mr. Francisco had been in the attic Juliet had been trying to get a glimpse of the painting but he always left the window fastened and the easil and its canvas at an angle which made it impossible for her to see.

As she looked across from him to the easel she saw that he had changed its angle at last, so that it was facing more towards the window.  If she moved forward a little more and leant right up against the glass, she could probably get a glimpse of the painting, see what his worry was all about.  Yes, she could.  The edge of her mother's cheek, the highlight on her pearl earrings.....but it was the eyes she wanted to see.  Those were the most important things about anybody's picture.  Juliet pressed further forward.  Unlatched for once, the French windows swung inwards and sent her flying, to land with a tremendous crash and lie spread-eagled among bottles and paints and brushes.

She lifted her face from a rag covered in turpentine just in time to see Mr. Francisco take his head out of his hands.  Oh dear, what would he do?  To have disturbed someone as important as he was, on such a special work!  Juliet scrambled nervously back on to her hands.

The painter stared at her distractedly for a moment, opened his mouth, so that Juliet trembled for what he might be going to say, and then suddenly started to laugh.

"Well, I'm very pleased to see you," "But tell me, my friend, why you didn't fall through that?"

Fall through the canvas?  Through her mother's portrait?  Juliet stared back at him shocked.

He watched her.  "You look," he said.  Juliet went over and stood in front of the portrait.  There was a long pause.  He was still looking at her, his eyebrows raised.

"Well," began Juliet miserably, for she suddenly knew that with Mr. Francisco you could only be honest, and not polite, "The shape's very like her, but.....".  "I know," said Mr. Francisco, "You don't have to tell me.  She is not inside."

He looked at Juliet and saw how longingly she was looking at his brushes and paints.  Far better than maths, far better than essays, and almost as much fun as the gym, she liked painting.

"You like to try?"

Juliet swallowed hard, then nodded, and her new friend put a new canvas up on the pegs.

"What will you do?  Portrait of Julietta?  Now you show me how YOU would begin.

This was easy!  Juliet knew just exactly what she wanted to do.  She looked for a colour, loaded the brush and then splashed it across the canvas, a lovely bold upwards line that ended in a spluttering burst of blobs.  That was her mother!  She knew she could never manage to copy people's faces but she didn't want to, what was the point?  They wore their faces, anyway, for everyone to look at; what she wanted to paint was what they made her think of.  And this lovely rose red and those exploding sort of stars and fireworks - yes that was her mother all right.  But then she suddenly remembered; she was painting with Mr. Francisco, she ought to be doing all the things that they told her to do at school.  She looked up nervously, and saw that the painter had taken up another brush.

"Good.  Yes,"  "That is exciting like she is, but she is very kind too?" and he filled in a pattern with a gentler, softer swirl, which was exactly right.  "And smells nice...…"  Remembering the things that you first noticed about her mother Juliet tried out something which was meant to be a branch of white flowers.   With enormous yellow middles, she thought, making them so with satisfying splashes of paint, and then, to show that it was summer, she added a bee.

But this is wonderful!  A completely new style - how can I thank you Juliet?"

Juliet explained about how she would love to enter the gymnastics competition at the weekend but her mother wouldn't sign the form.

"Leave it with me Juliet.  I shall explain I am too busy preparing for my exhibition to paint your portrait and, of course, children are not allowed at my exhibitions."

Later that evening:-  "Ah, there you are dear!  I have signed that aurthorisation form for you to compete at the weekend.  I just hope Bethany's mother will be happy to take you."

Juliet couldn't wait to tell Bethany the good news.

And the painting.

"The colour!" the critics were saying, "the depth and the balance!  So like you, Julietta dear."
"Allow me to congratulate you Mr. Francisco!"
"This is something totally new, the most exciting bit of work I've seen for a long, long time!"

If only they knew.

Buster the Puppy by Jamie and Grandad

Buster the puppy is feeling very sad.  He cannot remember where he has put his bone.

So Buster went into garden and he digged, digged, digged.  But he didn't find it, so he got into a rocketship and flew to the moon!

(Buster the dog on the moon with his rocketship).
Buster is very lucky because the moon is made of cheese and Buster loves cheese.  It's his favourite food after bones!

But the bone wasn't there and so he ate some of the moon.  Buster said "Disgusting!" he didn't like it.  So he went back to Earth and looked for the bone at the beach.  And he found the bone!

(Buster with the bone in his mouth, on the beach)

Buster then woke up on the sofa and realised he had been dreaming.  So he started to look for his bone - first behind the cushions on the sofa.

…..then under the large armchair....

…...finally, inside his favourite, old slipper but the bone was nowhere to be seen.

Still feeling sad, Buster went into the garden and started to search there - first behind the lawn mower....

…..then under the red wheelbarrow....

…..then inside a large plant-pot.

Buster even checked the compost heap but still there was no sign of his bone.

Suddenly he remembered.  He had buried his bone by the apple tree.

He digged with his front paws, sending soil flying everywhere.

Buster is happy at last, clasped between his teeth is his bone.

The Little Lost Chick by Chloe and Nanna

An egg sat on the slippery ice, as cold as cold could be.  It perched alone, a tiny shape, down by the icy sea.  Then suddenly, the eggshell broke!  Out came a tiny beak.  A penguin chick sat on the ice and gave a little squeak.

(The penguin with no name, on an iceberg with a dolphin).

Then the penguin waddled down to the icy water and looked down.  All he could see was a dolphin and of course the sea.  Then the dolphin opened it's mouth and spoke.  It said "My name is Daisy the dolphin!  What's your name?"  Then the penguin replied "Well I don't really know my name!"

Penguin shook his body, looked around and flapped his wings, too.  Feeling all alone, he whispered, "Are you my Mummy?"

Then Daisy the Dolphin said back "Well I'm not your mum but I can help you find her!"  "Well thank you!" replied the penguin happily.  So Daisy jumped out of the water, put her secret land mode on and walked on the ice with the penguin.

A passing seagull saw little penguin and Daisy and swooped down very low.  "That baby looks lost," he thought, "I'll stop to say hello."

"Little Chick" said the gull, "It's too cold to be outside.  You can shelter under my wing."

Thank you said the little penguin.  He then said goodbye to Daisy the Dolphin.  "This is a nice, warm place."  "I can't find my mummy!  Do you know where she could be?"

Let's fly into the air.   We'll be able to see lots of things from all the way up there."

"This is fun," said Little Penguin.  "Look! There are some silly seals, playing down below."

The seals got so excited, they clapped and yelled, "Hello! Would you like to play with us?"

Little Penguin had such a great time, slipping and sliding.  "But then he said "Thank you both for asking me to play, but I still need to find my mummy."

Suddenly, a spurt of water sprayed out of the sea.  A giant whale popped up and said,  "You can ride along with me."

So, Little Penguin, held on to Whale, as the waves below went crash!  Then one big wave came along and he fell in with a splash!

"Glug, glug, glug," he went, floating past shiny fish.  Following them he flicked his tail and moved his wings with a swish.

Swimming faster and faster and flapping more and more soon Little Penguin shot right out of the water and back onto the shore.

Looking like a soggy ball of fluff, his fur went drip, drip, drip.  Daisy the Dolphin, Whale, the seals and the gull laughed.

Suddenly, Little Chick cried,  "Look!" pointing with one of his wings.  "I see a crowd of purple and white, waddling, cheeping things!"

He tripped and slipped and skidded, but he didn't seem to care.  Running through the ice and snow, soon he was almost there.

So, at long last Little Penguin had found his family.  A great big storm had come one day and his egg had rolled away.

Best of all he had found his Mummy and had a big, warm Cuddle!

Stay at Home

The past month has been like no other in social or economic history.  Pubs, bars, cafes, schools have shut down, those who can are working from home, building projects are mothballed and social distancing makes life almost impossible for many businesses to function.  Holidays have been cancelled.  Government measures threaten to become more draconian and a return to normality could be many months away.

I can't visit the grandchildren either.  So to keep in touch we have decided to write a story together.
I wrote the intro paragraph for the girls and grandad for Jamie and sent it to them by e'mail.  They then reply with the next instalment and so it goes back and forth each day.  The children are also adding the artwork.  I am going to keep updating it on my blog.  Hopefully, it will be a lovely keepsake and will help them with a variety of academic skills - creative writing, art, language/grammar - and best of all, it will be FUN.

Keep safe.

Sea wall collapse at Milford on Sea

A section of sea wall at Milford on Sea has collapsed following cracks appearing during the recent Ciara and Dennis storms in February, 2020.

Council engineers were forced to cordon off an area of seafront public footpath close to the White House after chunks of the sea wall broke away and two beach huts pitched forward precariously towards the sea.  The huts are part of a cluster known as Westover and all are at risk of disappearing into the sea.

60 Years Young

Last week Tina turned 60 and to celebrate family and friends were invited to an excellent three course meal with wine at The Ox.

After the meal we were all invited back to Stuart and Tina's for champagne and cake.

As Storm Dennis was raging outside we all left our shoes at the entrance!!!

Tina is the kindest most lovely person you could ever wish to meet, and always goes out of her way to help other people, and to make things special for them.

A sixtieth birthday is an important and treasured milestone of life.  It is the time to look back at beautiful memories that have flown by.

Tina's cake, made by a paramedic, was a work of art.  A lemon drizzle cake adorned with macarons, meringue kisses, flakes, kit kat, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate shards and lindt strawberry bons bons.  Delicious.

May you be
Forever adventurous
Always joyous and
May your inner beauty be
Free of wrinkles!!!!

Happy 60th birthday Tina.  Everyone really enjoyed helping you to celebrate.  Thank you.