It All Starts After 50

I come from a part of the USA that has very hot and humid summers and bitter cold winters with lots of snow.  I never dreamed that it gets this hot in the UK!  

My husband has this thing with the douvet.  It was 32 degrees C in our bedroom last night and he had the douvet wrapped up tightly around his ears - sweating like a pig.  I was laying on top of the douvet.  It fascinates me how someone can be so dreadfully hot and still insist on getting under that douvet. 

Our back garden has more vegetables than flowers.  My husband calls it "The Jungle".  I've planted courgettes, pumpkins, tomatoes, goards, brussel sprouts, and we have volunteer potatoes growing on top of the compost pile (obviously not cooking as it should).  Never mind, I smile to myself as I watch him inspect every new courgette and pumpkin.  I am forever amazed at his tolerance of my American habits.  He casually mentioned allotments the other day.  Who could blame him?

It's his birthday today.  I have robbed the cradle and his dread of getting older and trying to ignore birthdays is something new to me.  I have always greeted birthdays with great joy - an excuse to party hardy and enjoy life.  If someone would ask me my age, I would probably have to think a while to come up with it.  I'm not idle-brained, just never give it any thought.  He's been given practical gifts from his family but I made sure he had a toy for big boys.  I gave him  Call of Duty PC game.  I loved watching his face light up as he opened it.  I'm Queen of the Remote this weekend.  Ha! 

My birthday was two weeks ago and we had a small party of family that ended with us having a squirt gun battle throughout the house.  His niece asked us, "Just out of curiosity, how old are you two?".  On a more somber note, my birthday was on July 7th and his, today, July 21st, the two bombing dates.  I was filled with awe last year as I watched mothers, the day after the first bombing, walking the children to school, in hand.  Their heads were held high and determined, the children were immaculately dressed, every hair in place and the sense of carrying on without fear was palatable.  I was full of respect and admiration for their attitude.  There wasn't a singlewhine.  Amazing people, these Brits. 

Today there hasn't been any mention of the bombings of July 21st.  I remember my husband's comments when the first bombing went off.  He said that we would carry on as usual because the Brits are accustomed to this activity due to the battles with Ireland and the WWII history still fresh in their minds.  He said we would not be shaken.  How true he was. 

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