Easter

Happy birthday Dad.

If my Dad was still around he would be 84 today, 25th of March. The interesting thing is that when he was born in 1921 it was also Good Friday, just like today. It doesn't come around very often that you have Good Friday in late March, so I decided to make a special mention of it. I imagine he would celebrate his birthday by sitting out on the porch with a glass of red wine, spinning yarns and having a laugh with anyone who cared to join him, in the late afternoon. He was just that kind of guy. In fact, that's how he spent every afternoon. He might tell you about his childhood in Cornwall, his navy days during WWII, maybe something about farming, animals, travel, history or politics; what his kids are doing, or the latest project that he and Mum were planning (usually something involving travel or house / garden renovation). He might even tell you that salt and fat were good for your health and one of these days the nutritionists would figure that out. I find it a little hard to imagine what he would say about me studying a minority language in rural south-west China, but I suspect he would think it was pretty cool and would be sure to tell everyone about it. Though he did used to say that he didn't really believe Chinese people really used chopsticks all the time, he was sure that was just a rumour or exaggeration!