Don’t swear. It’s Sunday

Like the inference that somehow it’s absolutely fine to blaspheme on all other days of the week.

Pic of the day: Here’s Dad selling Ayrshires in December 1984 with, if I’m not mistaken, Joe Payne to the left and the clerking Poode to the right.

Tennis again

When a ball landed some distance from Dad and particularly in an inaccessible place he would point at it even though its position was obvious, open his eyes widely and nod to communicate the need for his opponent to pick up the ball. I've been doing this in the garden with Bertie lately.

Pic of the day: Another one from the bureau files and what a rarity in that it shows Dad with all four of us together. Great shot.

Calling people by the name of someone from a TV programme...

Mads and I are hooked on Poldark at the moment and there is a character in it called Demelza - I have called Mads Demelza a couple of times after watching and I realise this is what Dad did.  ANyone else remember this?

Piddling in the garden

Much to Kris' chagrin, Aidan has a preference to go for a piddle / tink tonks (see previous posts) in the garden rather than going to the loo indoors - even when it's closer.  Like to think there is a genetic link through me to Dad for this - remember often seeing the old boy, back to the house, taking his ease at the end of the garden - much to the chagrin of Mum...

Knee squeezing

Do you remember how Dad used to grip either side of your kneecap with thumb and middle finger and then squeeze for no apparent reason? I do this with the kids occasionally when they're sat next to me in the car. They don't like it any more than we did.

Pic of the day: Mads has been growing vegetables in the garden this summer - like her Ma did many moons ago or is she just fingering a weed? Came across this print when rifling through the bureau at Aldbourne looking for a Reading streetmap.

Wiping down the tops

Dad always favoured using a "hot, soapy cloth" for this task and not a silly little sheet of kitchen paper like Martin (Issitt) and I. He would also rub the table mats so vigorously in a repeated, circular motion that he almost wore off the pictures on them (of old horse paintings, I recall).

Pic of the day: In honour of the Masters' snooker championships at Ally Pally last weekend here's a pic of our own snooker legends in action, Christmas 1984.

The squits

I don't think Dad invented this word for diarrhoea but it was his term of choice for the condition as became evident during his retirement globetrotting, if you excuse the pun. I was reminded of the term when talking to John over the weekend and he referred to Freddie's malaise when Beck visited him in Brighton, poor fella. (For the malaise not the visit of his beloved mother, of course). My favourite alternative term for the illness - and there are many - is the Cairo quickstep.

Pic of the day: To start getting us in the mood for Christmas although it's rather early here we all are with the JBKs on Christmas Day 1982. Nice perm, Beck. Easy to nest the paper hat on top ...