Devin's 18th

I have to reflect on Devins 18th birthday that just passed. It really feels like just a while ago that Richard, Peter Richmond and I were sitting on the same patio I still have, chatting about life and the plans for Devin's delivery the next day. We didn't know he was a boy at that stage. His birth was delayed from early morning to late afternoon because of an emergency and so I had the epidural and Richard was with me for his birth. He was so excited and kept saying Tasha "you won't  believe what it is" and then eventually said "it's a boy" he was absolutely delighted. The girls at home cried when they heard the news, they wanted a girl!

I spent that Christmas in the Sandton clinic with Devin and we had a full Christmas lunch together. All the rest of the family came to visit and they spent Christmas in Randburg with Darrel and Marina

So many things have happened since then, good and bad but our family unit has survived. I think the best and most recent example of the resilience that my kids have, is for Devin's birthday he wanted to go to the strip club Teasers with some friends, and I managed to arrange a driving service to take them to Rivonia and to fetch them. He called me later and said that Teasers was unexpectedly closed but he was negotiating with the driver and would make alternate arrangements. I think that has been the best quality that we all share. Things happen and life doesn't go as planned but we are able to make a plan and keep smiling.

A lot of people would have felt hard done by and moaned about their misfortune, not Devin.

Bedtime stories

I was tidying my study today and saw these Enid Blyton books. I collected most of a series of 100 Enid Blyton books and began reading them to Tarryn when she was little. My family grew to 3 so I got lots of opportunities to read the stories to my kids. We never got through all the books, mostly because I had to re-read the favourites. The Faraway Tree was the all time winner, followed by Mr Pink Whistle and Amelia Jane. Such amazing memories of special times with my kids. I wrote the dates in pencil in a lot of the books and who I read the stories to. Thinking about them always took me back to my childhood, reminiscing about reading the yellow, black and blue Enid Blyton books that belonged to my aunt Dolores. I found one at a bookshop once and bought it just for the memories. Kiara made me read Naughty Amelia Jane to her the other night and she's 20 years old. I hope that's one thing they treasure with their own kids one day, there is nothing as nice and all cuddling up on the bed with a great book.