A fitting16th birthday..? 15 2 13 (13) 25 1 23
When I first announced the arrival of my first
grandson at work his name conjured up the name of one of the most famous
Japanese guys who ever lived: a guy with the surname Kurosawa who died 98 9 6
himself being born 1910 3 23 a day later in the Gregorian calendar, albeit 89
years earlier.
But my grandson is only half Japanese his other
half is a quarter Swedish-speaking and a quarter Finnish-speaking Scandinavian
which still leaves another half which is where I come in as a Brit… not a true
Englishman however because only a couple of years ago I learned that my Dad was
at least a quarter Irish, and I had a maternal grandmother who was a Hughes
whose ancestors in part hailed from that land of song Wales, and our family
doctor a Scottish Dr Lees invariably addressed my mother and all her family as
McGregors, because of links he claimed we had through our surname to that great
clan, but a fair example I like to think of someone who hails from the British
Isles and Éire.
And I have to say you couldn't wish to
meet a nicer guy, and if he is the first of his generation to speak
Swedish you will understand that he is also fluent in the three other languages
of our family. His musicality is something of a mystery but who knows a wee
part of it could have come from the land of our fathers or in my case mothers’
with the distant link to Wales, but nay bother, coz you never met anyone who
has played more instruments: beginning with his singing and dancing in nursery,
not long before he began thumping out tunes on an assortment of other
instruments including piano, violin, drums, electronic keyboard and latterly
acoustic guitar.
At 15 he has already distinguished himself as being
the guy we all turn to if anyone has a problem with their smart phones and he
would be the first person to turn to if you wanted value for money in buying a
new appliance for his knowledge is immense and subject to continuous updating
for all this latest electronic gadgetry. Last Christmas he put his first
personal computer together which means he now has the fastest of all the machines
in our family.
Well I could continue singing his praises but I
wouldn't wish to embarrass him too much on his 16th birthday...
In conclusion I will just emphasise that his most
endearing attribute is his sweet nature.
So my boy, have a good 16th birthday
when it comes up and may you continue to have many happy returns of the day to
come…as I hope my readership have similar children and/or grand children in
their families..?
With a postscript perhaps for it is unlikely that
the boy will ever get to read what his granddad has just written. But if I ever
were to reflect on my leaving home a boy of 20 and venturing out into the
world, as my own first son did when he was around that age, diluting my
Britishness on the way, I cannot at this late stage be anything but proud of
the result... Have a good day everybody!
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