Twelve Years ago today I got married. I snapped this picture a few days ago and it sums up my feelings. I love you my lady as much today as I always have and no work, no money, no people and no damned nonsense of the world will ever come between us. Anniversary Day once more and while this is a short post it makes the point!
Now…Champagne Cognac or Botanical Gin….hummm…
GBS
Just a quick posting in reaction to last night’s 50th anniversary celebration of Doctor Who on the BBC. I know, I don’t do reaction postings but on this occasion I will. There are many critics and reviews of last night’s programme and the live reaction shows and so on which you can fine elsewhere but here is a link to the wiki page about the special episode.
What did the programme do for me? I thought it was one of the finest of the new and modern episodes that is first off. My three children sat glued to it for more than an hour which is testament to its quality. Leaving aside the plot of the episode which the wiki will tell you I will mention my feelings about it as an event. A cameo by THE Doctor made my night, Tom Baker, they kept that quiet but my feelings from my post yesterday was justified. The bringing in out of the cold, finally, of Paul McGann who was short changed as the Doctor and is now official canon. Lastly bringing Gallifrey back from the DEAD! Can’t emphasis this one enough. If my thinking is correct it mean that with Moffat at the helm the time lord will return to his roots in the original version of the universe.
Special surprise after ‘Day of the Doctor’ on the BBC ‘red button’, a one off accompanying short film called ‘The Five’ish Doctors’ starring Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Peter Davidson with many other characters appearing. Well worth a watch and it beat the frankly cringe worthy after party hosted by Zoe Ball. Have a look at the trailer below.
Well done BBC!
GBS
Happy Birthday my darling wife. Light of my life and inspirer of work and devotion unquestioned. My adoration of you knows no bounds and your beauty is unsurpassed among all of nature’s creatures. Is that enough….good, she put the cricket bat down. 🙂
Seriously though today is my good lady’s birthday and I have done my best to please her with gifts, food, attention, flowers and so on. My last gift is this short display of public affection here on the blog.
Thanks also to everyone who visited today, who phoned, who sent cards and gifts. Its nice to know friends are thinking of my good lady as she spends a lot of her time caring for children and doing favours for others.
GBS
During the week we took delivery of a special book from my children’s school. This book, as you can see above, took entries from across the United Kingdom by children who like to write and put them into one volume. My middle son, The Poet, is really keen to be a bit like his dear dad and to have a room full of books some of which he wrote himself. He was one of a hundred in the book. This is the first step as it were to becoming an author. Well done!
To avoid being a cynic I will point out that I was well aware that the massive seventeen pound price tag for this little book was a money making exercise but to be honest I did not care this time. Seeing my son so happy about getting his little tale in a book was well worth the money to me. Encouraging children is a prime part of parenthood and beyond keeping them safe, well fed and properly educated it’s at the top of the list.
GBS
Give them Dice and Gummy Lobsters!
The Syme family got a gift in the mail this morning all the way from sunny Las Vegas by way of Boston Harbour and then back to England. Within its cardboard walls the package contained three bags of bright red (the kind of red that only American candy customers get as those ‘e’ numbers are banned in the EU) Gummy Lobsters along with three silver metal dice. Each of these dice filled with delicious Salt Water Taffy (something else that you cannot get with any ease in the UK). Very kind to send these things in three’s it means that the three little Symes will not have to duel to the death over a share.
It always makes me smile when I get a gift like this. It proves that people are good and that trying to be nice to everyone makes the world a nicer place. Makes up for the potentially near fatal car crash I nearly had this afternoon with a primate who had both eyes on his phone and no hands on his steering wheel but…that is enough about that.
So. Thanks Uncle Steve and Aunt Lesley! Kisses from us all. Expect a wee pressie from Girvan later this week or next.
GBS
Mascots and Mayhem with the Birthday boy on the right
Happy Birthday my Son! The grand old age of Eleven is now yours!
A day off work for me and a trip to the Chocolate Factory near Dumfries with The Thinker and two of his friends along with his Uncle Jim and Aunty Cat too. In blazing heat I watched him mix and pour chocolate in a chilled room (grrr!) and then have a riot of a time looking for fools gold in a panning stream and play for the afternoon at the large outdoor activity area (pirate ship, slides and other fun). I chose this destination as his younger brother had gone there for his own birthday back in March and really enjoyed it. A grand time was had!
Minecraft was the custom cake theme this year
The birthday boy is into Minecraft just now so we decided to theme his birthday cake upon that very subject. My good lady wife goes all out for the birthday parties and cakes and so forth which I think is lovely and the children really do appreciate it. A new bike and other gifts were his. A little more than normal as a reward for doing very well at school and also being chosen to represent Girvan Primary at the opening of the new harbour pontoons last month. I have pictures of him there but I forgot to post about it…doh.
Enjoy your day my now not so little non white metal soldier!
Winter 2002….The Thinker a decade ago!
Perhaps I do post a little too much on the children and the family. But hey life is more than only work and I do adore them all so.
GBS
Andy Murray wins Wimbledon 2013
Well done to Andy Murray who has just won the Wimbledon 2013 mens final!
It has been seventy seven years since a British win at that most English of tennis events and in tense match the better man won. I am sure that endless inches will be written about this but I just wanted to post up my own congratulations on the day. But how will be BBC report this great victory…we shall see.
GBS
The Thinker, the Poet and the Warrior enjoy a treat!
Last Saturday I took the family to Ayr to see an advance screening of the brand new animated movie Despicable Me 2. A week before the actual release I saw a chance for an early summer treat and took it. I expected the cinema to be full as it was only going to be shown twice for one day. But in reality it was nearly empty…perhaps the frankly insane pricing of the tickets put people off. Let’s just say I could have bought nearly a dozen copies of the first film on DVD for the same price (or a couple of hundred 15mm miniatures). Note this was a standard price, not inflated for the advance screenings. So how was the film?
Actually it was really, really good. I enjoyed the first Despicable Me movie a lot and this one continued the story and the level of fun and comedy with no let up. It reminded me a lot of a 1970’s James Bond film with the gadgets, gags and honesty that is missing from such live action films now. In fact the trailer for the upcoming Monsters University made me think of an 1980’s Police Academy type film. Perhaps its a pattern…
If you enjoyed the first one or you have small children and can stand the price then its well worth seeing, five stars!
GBS
p.s. click on the links in this post. Both official websites have a lot of them and my children enjoyed looking at them both.
My eldest son got another ‘senior student’ badge today from his school. Those who follow this blog might remember he also got this badge back in September last year. Getting it twice in a year seems to be something of an achievement. The badge has no meaning in terms of school work in class its a citizenship type award instead; being given instead for aiding others in school life. I will not go into details but the lad often assists other pupils who have medical or social needs beyond the norm and it goes with his caring and responsible nature. As normal he will accept no praise so a five pound note left in his pocket this evening will do the work for me.
Tonight is also the bi-annual parents evening at the school, so perhaps he will score big twice this week. Or even three times since the ‘star awards’ are middle of this week and he may make the grade there too.
Well done son!
GBS
Just a quick posting today here on the blog. Why, you ask. Well firstly so that I can show you all these three lovely Tooth Fairy Pillows my good lady made for our three lads and secondly because Salute has left me knackered and with only a day left until the promo month for the show ends the orders are still pouring into Alternative Armies. Normal service as of next week as they say…what am I brewing, lets just say its been talked about before on this blog…
In the picture you can see the three little pillows my good lady made. Honestly who needs to buy such things when this talented girl is in the house and making them herself. Lovely work and the project made a change from miniatures you can be sure of that. I said she should consider making them to order. As to to what such a pillow is for…you put your tooth in it when it comes out and then during the night the Tooth Fairy leaves you a golden coin (if you are lucky enough to have Sterling as currency, one pound coins are gold in colour) which you can spend as you like the next day!
Well done lass!
GBS