Like father, like son

This is our youngest grandson, Reggie. He is the son of our first child Daniel and his wife Louise.

Reggie "went beserk" for this ukulele today, we're told. He didn't put it down for a whole hour. He got Mummy to play it and Daddy, too.

Our children all love Music as we do, and their children seem to be loving Music, too.

Balmy autumn day in peace park

Much loved

But who and by whom?
We feel greatly loved by our grandsons, Jerome and Hamish. They are excited when we visit and thrilled when they learn we are staying overnight.

In the morning they come down the stairs and call out expectantly, when we have been staying downstairs in the guest room.

One of their latest antics is to take us by the hand and lead us down to the rumpus room. How could you refuse? On our most recent visit, both boys stood either side of Gran and took her down for some play!

Magic photo

I know the lighting is poor, but I love this photo. I think my wife, Joan and our grandson look so happy: I stop every time I see it to look at it again.

It is a photo taken at our daughter's place. I took several and the lighting was better in all the others, but this one has those happy faces. Hamish is such a sweet little boy. He is our second grandson. [We have three]

Role model

My father was a great role model in many ways. He was patient, kind and loving, even when Mum was mid-flight in criticism. He never retaliated and would say "At
least I married a real, live girl" [referring to a song from Bye, Bye
Birdie, I think].

Dad was industrious and methodical. He worked long hours and then came
home and did a lot of vegetable gardening. He wouldn't let me join in,
because he didn't want me to damage my supposedly precious pianist's
hands.

Dad was diligent in reading his Bible each night and filling in the
little five year diaries we gave him.

If you have ever thought of keeping a diary, I recommend it as a great
gift to your family one day. *Someone* will be interested, I'm sure.

Dad gave me a model that is more than I could ever live up to, but I'm
trying. I've even kept a diary going these past four years.

My Treasure Chest

A few nights ago I looked through my cake tin which my wife gave me very early in our marriage. I was not a cook back then and didn't understand why she gave it to me and mumbled something like

Thanks, honey. I'm sure it will be very useful

and then she enlightened me when she said

You could put things in it.

Over the past 30 years or so I've used my cake tin to keep my treasures in. I later had to enlist the help of my Aunty Ruth's Globite school case, circa 1920, when I ran out of room in my cake tin.

My tin has lots of letters in it, including a few from my former Newcastle Conservatorium lecturers Michael Dudman, Nigel Butterley and from my Kenmore Christian College principal, David Hammer.

But it also contains lots of other bits of paper. There are several letters from my mother, my mother-in-law and other family members, but only one from my father. [I'm assuming Dad's letter is still there somewhere, but couldn't find it when I waded through.] And there is a letter telling us how much our former minister appreciated our daughter Cathy's leadership with the church youth group.

There is a letter from a former student who wanted me to write her a reference. It seemed odd that she would have to ask a person who had not seen her four years to do this, and I had to be honest and show that in the reference which I wrote. But I'm so pleased I still have her letter, because in it she said she would be

inturnally greatful if you could write me one.

But a lot of the stuff in my cake tin and in Aunty Ruth's Globite school case are Thankyous.

Colin the Saviour?

My 3 year old grandson, Jerome loves watching and listening to Colin Buchanan. But he thought that the CD Follow the Saviour was called Colin, the Saviour

Mr B soon put him right [though in the nicest possible way].

DOXOLOGY

When I was a kid, ministers used to say
We will now sing the doxology and we would respond by singing

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise him, all creatures here below
Praise him above, ye heavenly host
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Amen!

Praise God for our new grandson. A firstborn for Daniel and Louise and a cousin for Jerome and Hamish.