My dad's 87th Birthday ...

Today is my dad's 87th Birthday - we arrived yesterday, with a birthday cake Anne had made - it had blue icing and brave candles -

My Aunt Sylvie, my dad's youngest sister, was showing him some tiny photographs - 

There's George Sylvie said - there's Bill - there's mum - there's Dennis - there's dad - 

I gazed at the tender images, at the raffish young men standing in back yards, the shining eyed girls, the worn beloved faces - 

There you are - there's some of you Chris Sylvie laughed - 

There I was, a sturdy cherub and, some years later, a shy thin boy, standing next to my brother, Nick, and my mum - 

She looks glamorous Sylvie said - 

We are all beautiful when we are young, I thought - each of us has a time when we are flawless - 

My dad's sitting opposite me now, sighing over The Times - birthday cards are arranged upon the top of the gas fire and around the Sony Bravia flat screen TV - 

We played A CD of Arty Shaw yesterday - 

Your mum loved dancing Slvie said - 

Billie Holliday sang Any Old Time -

10.40

November 8 2014

Staunton Roadb 

Havant