MIDDLEBURGH

MIDDLEBURGH'S BIRTHDAY

March 6 is my son's birthday (Patrick), and by coincident his grandfather's (my father), Michelangelo's, Shaquille O'Neal's and Valentina Tereshkova's.

The question arises (as it does every year) "what if anything to give him to celebrate the fact he has survived another year."

• A self recharging telephone, usable anywhere on/over/in the planet, preconfigured and paid to ring family and friends leaps immediately to mind (another story), but he would probably lose it.
• Alternatively, something to feed his apparent craving for adrenalin rushes. I did check out an Australian extreme sports site to see if there were any good base jumping opportunities and I did consider getting him some shares in AJ Hackett's since he is already making a serious investment in them . In hindsight I realise that his recent "jumping" behaviour is not a new phenomenon. In a manner of speaking he has been a jumper from the day his was born ....literally jumping into the world within 1 hour (or there abouts) from the moment that his mother's water broke.
• Of course the good old standby el dosh (filthy lucre to the rest of us) is always an option. On the other hand he would only spend it.. and I think I would prefer to keep it for his emergency contingency fund.(It would come out of his inheritance anyway - such as it is). On a more philosophical level I wouldn't want to insult him by giving him cash whilst he is "traveling" I am sure he would prefer to demonstrate his self sufficiency whilst living the dream. Taking daddy's money wouldn't fit but then again ....
• And because he is traveling there is the practical problem that I simply wouldn't know where to send him any physical present. Notwithstanding I did consider options for this year
  • Something Practical: His SHITOBED I know he grew attached to it when he was here ...and besides we need the space...
  • Something Silly: Like a Chinese Beard Comb (yes there is such a thing - colleague gave me one) or a French Bean Stringer that I once gave to his aunty Marie. Actually this would be far more appropriate to give to his sister Sarah who has recently been "en" France. I believe however that she would actually prefer a season ticket to the Irish equivalent of SPUDULIKE(I, myself, am partial to a nice roastie" also!!)
  • Something Fun: Nano Lego (or more correctly Nano Blocks); Every father buys his son Lego (its a ritual like the first book. football, bicycle and car (a 2.5" matchbox Nissan 200SX as I remember ... when he was 3?). #3 son has already graduated from Duplo (BIG LEGO - basic hand eye coordination and motor skills) to normal Lego (standard size - fine motor skills etc). Nano Blocks which are very popular in Japan is the adult micro version and would be suitable for Patrick (in fact I was thinking of getting myself some (ebay))
  • Something Safe: I have never understood why people buy socks at Christmas when they can't think of anything suitable. I always fall back on books. And of course these days books you can give an eBook (another story) which gets around the delivery problem. The only issue is whether wee PeeDee would actually read a book. In fact if he reads this post I doubt that he will even get this far. So I have decided on a variant. I believe that all good parents should give certain books to their children. I simply can't remember if I gave #2 the following
    • wind in the willows (a favorite of mine which reminds me of when I was a child and played on the banks of the River Roding) and
    • Three Men in a Boat (another favorite of mine which reminds me of when I lived in Hampton Wick beside the Thames near Hampton Court)
    I may have given one but both is unlikely, so here I attach links to play lists for both stories and even if wee PeedDee doesn't enjoy them I hope you do. (It's the thought that counts)

Wind In The Willows

Three Men In A Boat

And with that I think I will now go for a haircut to celebarate his birthday . Happy Birthday Son !!!

Posted at 3/05/2011 04:31:00 PM by David Middleburgh   Permalink

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