I have just become a grandparent again and had to take a few weeks off and head east to help welcome the first male son into the family for the past 76 years....yeah, I was the last male born into my family 76 years ago!
Well here he is, Sailah Louie Shannon.....
He is just two weeks old in this shot and...... I am as proud as punch.
But, as we are scattered out across this large country the family get togethers are precious so I make the most of them.
Having a drink at the bar with Ivy......
Having a crack at the Mt Keira run on the skateboard......
Helping the Grandies set up the Christmas tree.......
And of course a few Christmas lights out the front of youngest daughter Kate's house.....
All in all it's been a good year for us, I really wish that our good fortune had been universal, but I am sure good times are round the corner for all, a Covid vaccine appears to be not far away and I wish all my fellow contributors here a wonderful festive season!
Cheers........Rob
In posts like this, particularly in the midst of a global pandemic, there is a fine line between providing a newsy, uplifting missive which others will enjoy..... and gloating. But I took the gamble and posted it anyway!
@Helen350, @Clara116 The recent lockdown here was severe, it was the result of an expat returning from England, the strain is the same Helen as you have in England. The state premier said it was the most severe restrictions introduced anywhere in the world....but it was only put into place for 6 days, the rationale being it would serve as a circuit breaker, it would allow community trackers to stop and log every case from further transmission....and it worked. In 24 hours 4,000 people were put into mandatory quarantine as being in possible contact with one or more of the 30 detected cases in the 'Parafield cluster' and within 4 days new community transmission cases dropped off the radar and the restrictions were lifted.
I am so thankful we had strong, rapid, effective leadership here Helen because, without it I would not have been able to go an hold my grandson, give all the kids a hug and spend time with them. At my stage of life I don't have the liberty of being able to put 'experiences' on the back burner, put them aside for another day!
@Scott336 Scott my state capital Adelaide is an official sister city to Austin in Texas.
https://www.austinsistercities.com/adelaide-australia I sort of feel like we are brothers, just unfortunate that on my trips to the US I have not managed to get to Austin, and that's a pity!
@Nick @Katie @Liv @Pat271 @Emiel1 I really do hope some of my posts have been , as you say Pat, a bright spot. I don't know if others have noticed but there is a lot more gloom on the CC this year than in past years, I personally love reading the nice things that others contribute and I tend to gravitate to uplifting posts like your Emoji game Nick and your 'where in the world' game Katie.
As far as skateboarding is concerned you can't bring up kids over the past 25 years and not be able to skateboard. I always had an advantage though, since I was 15 I have lived with a speedboat in the family and became a competent water skier. In younger years I and a few mates would go down to "90 mile beach" south of Goolwa, tie 3 ski ropes together and water ski in the ocean surf behind a beach buggy ......great fun but hard going on the arms and legs, you are always reaching either one side or the other!
I still love snow skiing although only get the opportunity once every couple of years now, I always had a good sense of balance so, skateboarding is no big deal!
@Debra300 @Ann72 @Branka-and-Silvia0 @Sarah977 My feeling is, as far as similarities in appearance between me and Sailah at the moment, we both have to 2 arms and legs, 10 fingers and toes, and one head.....if anything he has more hair than I have, but he is just the cutest little fella and is going to be such a grandly loved addition to the family....My Sarah just can't wipe the proud smile off her face......
Thanks all for your lovely comments!
Cheers.........Rob
Laura, we live for our kids, we had them, they had no choice in what was to happen, we owe it to them to give them a life to the best of our ability. Despite Ade having her battles with health we gave our kids the best upbringing possible.
Never once did either of us drink alcohol alone in the house while they were growing up. Ade was having enough balance problems as it was with her MS to complicate it with the effects of alcohol, and the last thing I wanted was my girls to witness a father drunk every night as I had to go through!
Never once did we ever have an argument or disagree in front of the children! We had our issues but we sorted them out behind closed doors, we never involved the kids.
We always made ourselves available for all their sporting activities, their friends....and if you could ask either of my girls they would tell you they could not have possibly wished for a better childhood. We made sure their growing up was special. Yeah, you could say we were 'cool' parents and I guess that is following on to the grandies!
We are now reaping the rewards of giving our kids the best we could .........
There is an old expression Laura.....'You reap what you sow'....and I think we sowed a half reasonable crop!
Cheers.........Rob
