Continuum

The littlest grandson came toothfirst into a hard object at the playground today and is now missing said tooth. He will be a bit gappy until his second teeth come in but he seems to have weathered the storm.
The misadventure brought to mind a similar time when the tiny one's Dad was the same age and took a header over his little flowerpower pushbike onto the paving stones in the garden. This was when we lived in Austria. I picked him up all howling and bloody and took him into the house to mop him up and survey the damage. His little lips were so swollen I couldn't see into his mouth. The next day it seemed the bottom part of his two upper centrals had gone missing in a very perfect semi-circle, as though he had pushed a stone through his teeth. You can see it if you look at old pictures. It gave him a rakeish air, though I grieved for a while for his perfect little teeth.
His sister tripped over a ship's raised doorway when she was three. The blow knocked her two front teeth up into her gum. We thought the teeth were gone and as it was a Russian ship and few of the crew spoke English we had her suck on ice for a bit then fed her some ice cream [ sweets are the English cure for anything that ails you] and put her to bed. Next day to our surprise the teeth were back!
This blog could go on and on with horror stories concerning my offspring and their misadventures but I need to save something for another day. Another trip down memory lane.

A Liddle Drap a Rain

Oi was out inna medder early this mornin an they cows were ahll a layin down. Ah... Oi sez to moiself, there's gonna be a liddle drap o rain afore this day is out. Ah course Oi saw the red sunrise when Oi was out milkin moi liddle maids so no wonders theys all flat out in the medder. Mother too was complainin about her knee. It gives her roight old gyp when the weather changes. A real barometer that knee is, o' course without they liddle wheels and numbers loike. But good as! When Mother starts amoanin about that knee Oi knows we're in for it.
We have ad a roight wet summer this year. Oi has to get the 'ay in soon an Oi needs two good dry days to do it. Seems loike it's not to be, an Oi don't know what Oi will do for them cows if we as to buy 'ay. Tis a shockin price 'ay is an where will it come from Oi asks if we are all wet? It 'll come fram foreign part Oi reckons an Oi don't know as moi liddle maids will relish 'ay from foreign parts. What them foreigners grows in they medders is anybodies guess. Oi can't stand it when moi maids get a dose o grab bag. Oi reckons strange 'ay is just asking for trouble but what is a poor farmer to do. We are at the mercy of the skies that's all, moi maids an Oi. At the mercy of the skies.

Dada is as Dada Does

Went to the AGO last week to see the Dada exhibit and found it rather sparse. I was peering at the shading on one of the many line drawings when a member of the braying classes was heard in full throat from across the room. We all heard her, couldn't help not... however she was very interesting. She was the grandaughter of one of the artists on show... Willi Frick. She was telling a very young sidekick how his work had been stuffed away in a potting shed in the bottom of his grandfather's garden as the Reich was on the hunt for decadent art. It sat there mouldering until Loud Woman went to pay the oldies a visit in 1967 and rootling around in the shed unearthed the treasures now on view. Some of them were very tatty looking. It made it all seem sadder than it was, as the lead artist, Angelika Hoechle had died of TB in 1924 just as she was getting up a head of steam. They all except one dropped off their perches very early. Sad little grey and white sketches of what must have been at the time cutting edge art. Looks like neat doodles now esp. with the mould spots. Enjoyed myself immensely!

Hadrian's Wall

All this Geordie business got me tripping down memory lane to when I lived in Geordieland and thought nothing of it other than that the sun seldom shone and I would have preferred that it had. That and being cold in the house because the only heat was a coal fire that roasted your front and froze your back.
The outings were great though, as there was any amount of great places to go, all within a sixpenny bus ride from the seaside, to Durham Cathedral. My fave was the Wall to which we drove. It was always cold and cloudy even in August but that was ok . The food was good and there were miles of moorland to roam and the Wall to walk on.
I would sit on it looking towards Pictland, eating my scotch egg, swinging my heels and thinking about Romans and how they left bits of themselves everywhere. Then I had a brainwave and told my Dad that it would be great if the Wall was rebuilt as it was in Roman times with soldiers in their outposts and attacks from gnarly Picts. He agreed.
Now close to half a centuary later the whole place or lots of it is a huge living history lesson full of tourists eating Big Macs and nary a Scotch egg in sight. Just think, I was a visionary.
I haven't seen it since. I like to think of it the way it was then with us and a few sheep and moors full of gorse and heather.

GeordieFest Two

Well the big day has come and gone. The weather held out, it was really a lovely summer day and a treat after all the rain. People seemed to enjoy themselves especially the little people who had a very good time with Sheila's blow up castle. Next year Franki can stagger around as well, instead of watching from the sidelines. She seemed contented enough being passed from lap to lap. I have masses of pictures which I will pass on once my tech support is available. Next Sunday is Sheila's birthday so we get to have more fun this time with a pool!
GeordieFest Three will be instead, Wienerfest Eins 2010 with white wine, schnitzels, risi bisi, sachertorte and lashings of whipped cream. We may cater the schnitzis as the prep this year for the geordie grub turned into a bit of a marathon. Thank you to my kitchen helpers. Had it not been for you I would have chucked the whole lot into the bin and started afresh with IKEA. Now I have to get in touch with the cousins in Spain and see if I can lure them over. Along with Uncle Ted of course.
THANK YOU ONE AND ALL FOR MAKING SUCH A LOVELY DAY!