 Changing Places Week 135 W/C 14th September 2008
Packed lunches for school - what a minefield! Brown not white bread, nothing slimy, no chocolate or crisps, one juice and then water. Fruit and plain cake and don't forget two separate packs for the mid morning and then the proper lunch break. All must be lovingly wrapped and placed carefully in the `Hannah Montana' lunch bag which matches the `Hannah Montana' school bag... That Billy Ray Cyrus has got a lot to answer for, first its `achy breaky heart' and then it's his teenage idol of a daughter that has turned our eight year old granddaughter into the shows biggest fan. Kate and her school friends discuss the programmes, imitate the accents and read the comics - American junior sit com has taken over their minds. For Emma her new school lunch box is pink with a pretty cat on the front - when asked if she likes `Hannah Montana' she says no she prefers pets! The reason the contents of their lunch boxes concerned me is that I had to prepare them when the girls stayed over at our house. It all came flooding back - preparing sandwiches every morning and trying to remember individual orders. It was with relief I handed out the dinner money when our children were small to put an end to that. Jay gave instructions about what I was to include and how it should be packed. I was on a degree course here and very anxious not to fail the test. Would it matter if I put in a couple of sausage rolls - would I be breaking all the rules? There has got to be some advantages to being a Nan - I am allowed to do my own thing surely.
Jay and Matthew had reached a milestone10 year wedding anniversary and were off for dinner and a night at Reads in Santa Maria. The plans for the celebration included a few days in Formentera but when the calendar and the bank balance were examined they had neither the time nor the money for an extended trip. How different it was ten years ago when after the fairytale wedding they headed off to honeymoon in Mexico. Ten years later they have two beautiful daughters aged eight and four, two cats, a house in Soller and not a lot of spare money. When they sat on that Mexican beach making plans for their lives it didn't include relocation from North West London to North West Majorca, that hadn't been thought of back then. The symbol for a ten year anniversary is Tin and it is supposed to show how a successful marriage needs to be flexible and durable and also how life can bend but not break it - I think they would agree with that.
“What anniversary present can I buy them?” asked a visiting uncle well known for not remembering birthdays or anniversaries. He happened to be staying here on the date and couldn't get out of this one. Largesse and a few glasses of wine caused him to utter the words `money no object' - silly man. He was pointed in the direction of El Corte Ingles electrical department and came home with a very large box which I knew my daughter would be delighted with (because she keeps borrowing mine). The thanks were genuine she really had got her hearts desire - a big, industrial steam generator iron. It was love at first sight and the anticipation of spending time with a pile of ironing and this big machine was a dream come true. Other presents like the anniversary fiesta that the children produced with the special pancakes for dessert tipped the scales for the best present but the iron came in at second place.
For those of you kind enough to ask - Last Saturday Trev attended the audition for the choir to sing the Messiah in the cathedral on December 12th. I left him at the La Caixa building with arrangements to meet up later and returned to find him in a bar nursing a large brandy! It had all gone well and the brandy was for medicinal purposes - he had been accepted for the choir and was delighted. A good week all round in our family.
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