Just a wee message updating how my seasonal times have been. My mum and I went to my brother's place today and we had a wonderful day, considering the circumstances. We ate a hearty meal (prepared, expertly, by my brother's partner) and we played cards and dominoes in the evening. The card game was hilarious, my bro always gets me laughing when he knows who's losing in the game. We were playing the game "Old Maid", where the aim of the game is to place your cards in pairs and not get left with the solitary old maid card. You have to pick cards off of each other to make pairs, and that's where the laughing starts!
. If you pick the old maid card off my brother, well, he creases up with stifled mirth immediately, which just adds to the fun of the game.
Anyway, my niece and nephew joined us for these games, and it was riotous laughter all round. They also bought me a beautiful memento to my dear departed dad, an illuminated plaque featuring our family in a summer photo taken in 1997 I think, if memory serves. It was a beautiful gesture, and I've set it up on my work desk since getting home tonight. My old dog Dinky, a mischievous Yorkshire Terrier, is also featured in the picture, which I found really moving. My dad was holding him in the picture, and seeing this old pic from the past was incredibly moving. My elder brother (who passed in 2018), was also in the picture. So many memories were evoked by this picture. I recall the very day the picture was taken. I had come home from university and we spent the day cleaning the gutters at my parents' house. It was a scorching summer's day, and after we completed our work, my elder brother brought out a case of beers for us to enjoy. I know, not healthy, but the memory of the day is seared into my brain. It was a truly memorable day. Dad, Shaun and Dinky. RIP, I love and miss them all.
It's so sad though, most of my family are on 5d these days, there's only a few of us left now. But hey, those of us here had a great day and we'll all struggle on, always together. My mum was cheerful ostensibly, but I could sense her melancholy and grief nonetheless. She and my dad got married in 1969. That's 56 years of life together. I understand that I've got to provide full support to her in the years to come. At least she knows that between me and my bro, along with my niece and nephew, she'll never have to face things alone.
Anyway, I'm up late, and I'm tired but fairly ok considering. It's been a better Christmas than I was expecting, and that's something to be thankful for. Oh, and my bro got me "The Wall" by Pink Floyd as a gift. It completes my collection of the classic Floyd albums from the 70's, I have them all now, and I'll be listening to it in full tomorrow. So, a decent Christmas, tinged with a sense of loss, but I can cheer myself, safe in the knowledge that one day I will be re-united with my dear departed family members (and Dinky!) one day on 5d.
I hope all of you on here have had a pleasant day with your loved ones; at the end of the day, it's these moments that truly matter.
