Thank you, thank you, thank you all… diolch yn fawr i chi.
Everybody turned up, plus a few unexpected nieces and nephews but very welcome all the same. The weather was overcast but behaved except for a few gusts of wind that threatened to take the gazebo for a sail but they blew into nothing and everybody carried on regardless.:-) 😉
The Swindon branch of the family turned up early (10.30… the official start was 1pm) but they took over the kitchen and tea, coffee and frying pans were utilised. My youngest daughter Amy and her partner Ludo followed them in and within minutes I could hear the lawn mower in action, By 12pm there were 22 of the clan onsite, each spending time catching up with family members that they hadn't seen in yonks. By 1pm there were 32 of us on site and talk and laughter filled the garden.8-) 🙂 😀
There was food and drink aplenty as the family each produced their shared lunch offering and we started eating at 2pm. There were many (macho males) contending for the post of Chief BBQuer but it was a poor contest once my youngest brother threw his hat into the ring. Stephen soon took control and to be fair he threw everything in to quickly produce Hot Dogs and Beefburgers of an excellent standard. He fed the children first (Hot Dogs, then the women and finally the men. The last to eat were his pretenders to the throne.) 🙂 The BBQ'd food looked really delicious but somehow they seemed too bypass me… so I settled for my sisters Chilli and several sorts of salads, including a luscious rice salad and some spicy couscous.:-D
Modern technology to the fore, there was a constant whirl of cameras, smart-phones and iPads, small gatherings of brothers, sisters, grandchildren, cousins, aunts, uncles and miscellaneous beings. The photography culminated in a full gathering of the complete family and many shots of cameras set to automatic.
I amazed myself by moving from group to group before being collared by individuals who wanted a quiet word… that was touching, especially one of my nephews who simply wanted to say thank you for inspiring him all his life. He had driven 3.5 hours from South London, stayed 3 hours and then drove back with his lovely wife and their baby. He thanked me for showing that (unlike most of the males in our extended family) you don't have to be full of rough and tumble and that writing poetry and songs and performing in public are perfectly valid activities. Adam works on the London Eye in between acting jobs. His wife Jenny is the head of front of house in a West End theatre and although most of Adams 'acting' jobs are in TV adverts and promotional material for companies, he still enjoys it immensely. Before he left he gave me a memory stick with his newly completed novel. He asked me if I would read it (the only person apart from his wife to do so… much to the chagrin of his Mum, my middle sister). I am looking forward to reading and offering him feedback, especially on the editing process. Like me he is working on his second novel and in return he gets a CD of my first novel to read. We ate lunch together and despite all the love and attention I received today my time with Adam was the highlight.8-)
I am now in bed and aching… I will be stiff and sore tomorrow no doubt (with Janet just the same bless her) while sitting in line for my Velcade… but it will be worth it, many times over.:-)
A beautiful, beautiful, love-filled day… perfect in every way.8-)
Dai.
bandityoga 10 years, 9 months ago.
