I spent most of the day almost completing the wall for the compost bins.
Jackie did a great deal of clearing and tidying up in the garden, whilst Elizabeth concentrated on making the house ready for the coming of Malachi, who was bringing his parents with him. Sam and Holly and Malachi were visiting the boat show and came to stay with us afterwards.
An unidentified butterfly visited the garden. Can anyone identify it?
Almost as soon as Malachi arrived, he asked: ‘have you got any toys?’ This sent Elizabeth on a search. Fortunately she was able to find a few that Adam had left behind, including a small radio controlled car which went down rather well. He did, at three and a half, ask her if she had any children’s games downloaded on her i-pad. It was her attempt to rectify her lack that revealed a flat battery. He had to make do with his mother’s i-phone.
Whilst eating his favoured green beans with his fingers the poor little chap bit into one. Finger, not bean. He really did cry, and eventually recovered on his father’s lap. Over the meal we got to talking about names. This arose because Holly is expecting another baby in November. As with Malachi, she is interested in names from her Irish heritage. As with Malachi, they are uncertain about which spelling to choose. He, of course, got the Hebrew version. Again, the parents have a front-runner as a name, which has several possible spellings. Holly’s two brothers, Hugh and Shane, are named after ancient Irish kings. It had been Holly’s mother, Gay, who had told me that Shane had such an origin. Until then I had thought the name came from the the 1953 film starring Alan Ladd. One afternoon just before Christmas in that year, Chris, Jacqueline, and I excitedly trotted off with Dad to Mary Jeffrey’s firm’s children’s party. Mary was a friend of our Auntie Gwen. A big disappointment awaited us. We were greeted at the door with the information that there were only two tickets. My stomach churning, and my lower lip quivering, I said: ‘it’s all right. I won’t go. The others can go’. Dad rewarded me by taking me to see the film, on current release at the cinema. It has remained my favourite film ever since. No doubt because of the circumstances rather than the picture itself, good as it is.
When I related this tale Elizabeth told us that the three of us older siblings had once visited the annual fun fair on Wimbledon Common without taking her. On discovering her sobbing in her bedroom, Dad had taken her to the fair. He obviously didn’t like to see his children disappointed.
Danni and Andy joined us for our evening meal. To go with the green beans that Malachi mistook his finger for, Jackie produced a fine array of vegetables and an excellent lamb stew. The Firs mess followed. The usual red wines, beers, fizzy water, and orange juice were drunk.
Oh, Derrick this was a wonderful treat of a post! I was really pleased to read about your very kind father. Taking you one on one to the movies was a great reward fir missing the other activity. “Shane” is a favorite of mine.
In the garden, thus wider and “furrier” body of the butterfly reminds me of a beautiful moth. Did anyone in your first post identify the butterfly, I noticed you re-blogging this precious one with Malachi in it. Smiles, Robin
Thanks, Robin. The butterfly was identified as a comma
Thank you for sharing your post which is not only about a show but also the awful theme of missing out. I bought a one metre stuffed version of Eeyore from the op shop this week. It was a pretty rundown op shop which is about to move premises and although it doesn’t take much for Eeyore to look forlorn, seeing him there was no place for him so I took him home. It was quite a long drive and it did feel sort of interesting sitting beside him in the car all hunched over. I really did feel like telling him: “It’s okay. It’s going to be alright!” Took him to the beach for a photo shoot yesterday morning. Wished the kids were with me but having a semi-professional camera with a huge zoom, does make me look like a photographer, rather than someone who just been “let out”.
Anyway, I looked up some Eeyore quotes and he really should be made the patron saint of the person who feels or is left out.
Anyway, I’d better be getting back to AA Milne.
xx Rowena
Thanks, Rowena. I expect we will see the pics
I might wait until the A-Z Challenge is over. I think Eeyore warrants a few posts.
I do love how you tell a story. And your father–now that’s a legacy you can bank on. Time is so precious.
Very many thanks, Pleasant
Good story – fits in nicely with the Christmas spirit (which is when I am reading it rather than when you wrote it).
🙂 Thanks a lot, Quercus, especially for seeing the Christmas link
🙂
I know the film well, I have used it in class, but I have always preferred the Novel by Jack Schaefer upon which the film was based. And the similarity between Shane and my little tale could almost be evidence for laying a charge of plagiarism. If so I is subconscious.
There are only so many themes and great minds…….. Thanks very much, Paol
A nice story.
Thanks very much, Andrew
What a sweet dad. Morrie, on the other hand, has just two more hours to be the “only dog.” He’s here in bed with me. I pick up the other two in two hours. It will remain to be seen how he greets their arrival. I think he’ll probably be really glad to see them but also miss the extra attention an only dog gets.
Thank you so much, Judy
Lovely post!
In Italy the title of the film was translated into “the knight of the solitary valley”
Thank you very much, Luisa
That’s a great memory, Derrick. Those moments and small rewards make a big impact when we’re small.
Indeed. Thank you very much, Barbara