THE COMFY CHAIR

I think I have the most comfortable chair in the world. 

My chair moves if I move so that I am always comfortable. What's more it's heated. It's always lovely and warm and snuggly.  

The arms on my chair sometimes move to hold me close and safe and other times they let me wriggle about if I need to.

Most of the time I'm too busy studying things to take any notice of my chair but occasionally I turn round to look at it and check that it still looks the same then turn back to my studying.

My chair is quite old. There's a little bit of it which feels lovely and hairy. I think it must be where the stuffing is coming out but I sometimes like to twiddle it in my fingers.

If you would like a chair like mine I'm sure you could find one. But you'll have to find your own because this one is mine. It's absolutely perfect if like me, you're seven months old.

My chair is called 'Grampa'.

BEST WISHES

Yesterday I met up with my second grandchild. My life is now enriched with the addition of Emily and Charlie.

I wish them both joy and happiness.

I wish for them to have good friends along with their already happy families.

I wish them both good health.

I wish them fun with more laughter than tears, more sunshine than rain.

I wish for them to attain their dreams and become what they seek in life.

I wish them both long and fulfilling lives with the joy of becoming parents if that is what they choose.

I wish that when they reach their second childhood like me, they will look back and feel proud to belong to the human race which they have just joined.

I wish them love. 

 

NAME CALLING

I doubt there are many people who I haven't told that I will shortly become a Grandfather. Just three months to go now.

There have been two main issues. One was keeping my wife out of baby shops or at least stopping her from buying all their stock if she did visit.

The second issue is what it's name will be. Obviously this isn't our decision to make but happily, we have been included in the decision process. I am sworn to secrecy as to the hot runners at the moment but it set me to thinking about favoured names in past years.

There is an excellent website which provides this information and my first port of call was to check out how popular my own name was way back when. I began by checking where 'Anthony' came in the top ten for my birth year. It didn't. Nor was it in the top twenty, thirty or forty. Well thanks Mum and Dad, you called me by the 44th favourite name of the year. What was wrong with 'James', which was first in the list?

Then I checked my brother's name, Michael. Here it is - 4th most popular for the year. Not 44th - FOURTH. Not that I'm jealous of course.

Then it dawned on me. No doubt my parents were just trying to be a bit different. They probably gave me a less popular first name but chose my second name from the top ten...let's see 'Peter' is...38th. Ah well.

The point is - whatever my grandchild's name is he or she will be greatly loved and that's what matters - as my parents surely realised.

THE ROAD AHEAD

As we approach the new year, there will be some who are fearful and others who look forward with great expectations.

Whichever you are you can embrace the future in the sure knowledge that there will be both good and bad times to enjoy or to endure.

I read these words today (author unknown).


Why is a car's windscreen so large and the rear view mirror so small?

Because our past is not as important as our future.

Whilst this may be true, I cannot help but reflect that when I taught my children to drive, I told them to ensure that they adopt the right driving position and keep a good view of the road ahead so they would have as much notice as possible for the moment when some idiot driver was hell bent on a car crash.

I told them that although the rear view mirror takes up a little of their forward view, they must never make the matter worse by hanging fluffy dice on the mirror to obstruct their view ahead still further.

I also taught them that when they were going to change their course, they must always check their rear view mirror first so they would know whether it was safe to turn.

So look forward to the new year and whatever it brings but remember what has passed and learn from it on your future course.

Me? I am to become a Grandad which I look forward to with great joy and with fond memories of how my own grandparents enriched my childhood.

Happy New Year.