Four people in a bedroom for 9 months. We went on holiday and each of us took separate rooms. A feature that was consistent on all of our holidays.
October 29, 2016
And
so we are coming to the end of single figures. This is Oliver's tenth
year on this planet and what an incredible ten years it's been. I'm not
sure if I have told this story before but Oliver was born on Peter
Green's birthday because of some ridiculous desire of mine. We knew he
was going to make his appearance on this planet at about that time. His mother was adamant that Oliver was NOT going to be born on Peter Green's
birthday. She maintained that his birthday would be all about Green and
not Oliver. We went for the three-week-prior scan and the gynae told
us that he could deliver him on either the 29th of October or the 1st of
November. I was big on the 29th. Fortunately for me she knew someone
who had a birthday on the 1st that she was not very keen on. The 29th
it was to be. At the final scan the gynae told us that his game farm
was having its AGM on the 29th and he could do the 31st. I was
apparently distraught so we got a new gynae and Oliver was born on the
29th of October 2007. That was nine years ago.
Every year in his life brings something different, his interests change, his outlook changes and certain things remain consistent. We've had a hell of a year with renovations. All four of us living in the same bedroom, the garden in turmoil, no swimming pool during the hottest summer I have experienced since I was on the border 29 years ago. We did manage to find a place to put his trampoline. This is perhaps his most consistent pastime. He probably spends a few hours a day jumping and playing these games that only he understands. We now know how significant the trampoline is in his life, he has literally jumped it into oblivion. When he doesn't have it he is at a loose end. He definitely has a body that shows how much time he spends on this thing, very square shoulders, strong arms and legs and a body that I wish I could have had at twenty. Getting around the house after the renovations was easy - he would get out of bed and climb on his J-board and head to the breakfast table. This is the pretty the way he gets around the house - there are all sorts of dings in the floors that might have been caused by a J-board. Sadly it appears that he's lost interest in this activity. I'm hoping he gets it back.
The last few years have been Star Wars years. I'd never watched it in the past but now I know a lot about it. I loved watching the latest one on the big screen with him, he knew all the characters and was enthralled. All that has changed. Harry Potter is the new cool thing. I'm concerned about the films, they scare the bananas out of me. The next best thing, in fact the only best thing are the books. And he reads them voraciously, re-reads them voraciously; the school books he brings home bore him and offer very little stimulation. Take his kindle away and we have problems. When he is reading you lose him completely, I find myself screaming at him just to attract his attention. We were away camping this weekend and he and his friends were casting Potter-approved spells at each other, including his younger brother. They were using their glowing marshmallow sticks as wands. Understand here that Oliver is the only person who's read the books - this is a game of his making and his mates are gung-ho.
I've mentioned this before that he is a very bright child, he loves reading. His comprehension is extraordinary and he and his brother enjoy their trips to the library. I get the impression that he tends to warm to kids that are on his intellectual level. He likes a bit of rough and tumble but relishes discussions with his friends. I was so proud of him when he put together a project on an obscure dinosaur called a Rhamphorhynchus. He just went for it, learned how to use PowerPoint, took presentation lessons from his mother (a seasoned pro) and delivered a unique experience to his class mates. I encourage both kids to look for unique angles to things. A number of his class mates presented on the predictable dinosaurs like T Rex, Oliver's was different. I like the different.
Last year was soccer, this year was rock climbing, winter cricket and the JUMA. The picture above shows Oliver going down a ramp on the JUMA. It was a 22km race that he rode on a heavy bike. He just got stuck in and we had a stunning ride. I think this is a feature of Oliver, he's a lot tougher than meets the eye. He can be a determined little boy - we had this dragging incident with Leia chasing a dog and Oliver being dragged behind him. He had a pretty decent roastie but he continued on the walk.
Next year is his last year in junior primary and then it's primary school proper. School finishes later next year, this is going to impact on his reading and jumping time, although I suspect he'll make a plan.
Another year Oliver, a year that has seen us learn a lot about each other. There are so many similarities between us except I think you'll be a much better cricketer than I ever was. There'll be more challenges facing you and I think that you are on the right path to deal with them. Your brother and I love you very much and wish you all the best for your tenth year on this planet.
And now for the music.
Green's significant years were between 1966 and 1970, the same period that Hendrix turned rock on its head. I am still enthralled by his music. I've chosen a song that I have asked my friend Chris Daffy to play on his show on LM Radio this weekend. Oliver's school has cancelled homework for the younger classes, perhaps this song will remind Oliver that homework is a very old institution. This is a Fleetwood Mac cover of the Otis Rush standard.
History might forget Denny Laine as the McCartney star fades. That would be wrong, Denny was a very prominent member of McCartney's Wings. The first guitar tutorial book I got was the Denny Laine Guitar Book, he's been very significant in my life. This track is taken off his Japanese Tears album. It's not a bad album, more of a compilation of a number of Laine compositions over the ten years that he was in Wings.
12 - Denny Laine - I Would Only Smile
And then there's Ollie Halsall. The Facebook page that I started with Barry Monks ten years ago is growing from strength to strength. We've got more than 1000 subscribers and the amount of information that has surfaced about this incredible musician is um.... incredible. This track is sung by the only surviving/compos member of Patto, drummer John Halsey. Halsey, or the Admiral as he is known as, played on a number of significant albums - that's him on drums in Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side". There are two Halsey tracks on the Patto's "Roll 'em" album - we won't be posting the other one. Now where is Ollie for God's sake?
Patto - Cap'n 'P' and the Atto's (Sea Biscuits, Pt. S 1 and 2)
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