Thursday, February 24, 2011

A Night to Remember

After the hoo ha, all was quiet and at last we were alone. A bed had been moved into your father’s study with its fearsome draughts from the enormous sash window. The empty champagne glasses and the bulbous brass door knob gleamed in the dying firelight - the cream – tiled fifties fireplace at odds with the Victorian skirting boards and picture rails, but before central heating, we were thankful for some extra warmth on that icy February night.

Through a chink in the curtains I glimpsed daffodils, ghostly in the moonlight. Too excited to sleep I studied my new love - your hair the colour of treacle toffee, darker than your brother’s golden syrup coloured hair and you a whole pound heavier. You snuffled and PING the milk came in. I’d eschewed the champagne brought by my sister and husband, so no tummy ache for you. Too excited to sleep I relished this precious time with you before the rest of our world joined us. What larks we’d have.

Happy Birthday darling!

28 comments:

mapstew said...

Son? :¬)

xxx

Pat said...

Mapstew: Oh did I forget to say? Absolutely!

kenju said...

Pat, I knew you were talking about your son. What a wonderful post!!

Pat said...

Judy: great Mums think alike:)

Granny Annie said...

Lovely and touching.

Anonymous said...

Lovely.

Cheers.

mapstew said...

Naughty! :¬)

xxx

Pat said...

Granny Annie and Randall: thank you:)

Mapstew: pourquoi?

Ms Scarlet said...

That's lovely! And many more larks to you both!
Sx

Queenie said...

Awww, that's gorgeous. So evocative, as your writing always is.

Pat said...

Scarlet: thank you - that'd be good;)

Queenie: You are kind. It could be yesterday.

angryparsnip said...

So lovely, and it brought tears to my eyes. Mums are all the same.

cheers, parsnip

Pat said...

Parsnip: glad I'm not the only softie.

The Cloudcutter said...

Wow! Your son is the luckiest. Happy Birthday to him.

Pat said...

CC: many thanks:)

Eryl said...

This is the loveliest tribute to a son I've ever read! You do have larks, too, I've heard. Happy birthday to your second son, X

Pat said...

Eryl: I didn't know then what I know now - but my instinct was right:)

Ponita in Real Life said...

A very Happy Birthday to your son... who just happens to be a year younger than me!!! :-)

Pat said...

Ponita: and both of you 'the young' to me.

lom said...

oh that was sweet

Pat said...

LOM; thank you;)

neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

There is so much cosiness and comfort and light and love in this post, Pat.

Your baby's all grown up now! I bet he still feels like your baby still though. My mother said that she doesn't care how old we are, we're still her 'children' [meaning...little...much to my horror, haha] is that how it feels?

Pat said...

GG: My elder son accused me of addressing HIM and his children as 'Children would you like some of these?'
I don't think he really minds.

Kim Ayres said...

Happy birthday to your, as Sam always puts it, loinfruit :)

Pat said...

Kim: do ladies have loins?

sablonneuse said...

That was a wonderful post, Pat. Sorry I'm a bit late with birthday wishes for him but all the same Belated Happy Birthday!

Pat said...

Sandy: I had to remind him to read my post - not something he does usually:)

Nea said...

That's a beautiful picture, Pat. I wish I could use words to paint with as well as colours. A perfect birthday present, if it was mine, I'd write it out and frame it.