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Friday 12 December 2014

Birthday Boy ...

Yesterday was my little boy's birthday. He's just turned nine. Nine! His last year in single digits. Where has the time gone to? It seems as though it were only yesterday when he arrived in this world, and at the same time it seems like a lifetime ago since I became a mum.



Yesterday nine years' ago, on the morning of his birth, the good folk of Ealing were woken from their sleep by a huge explosion at the Buncefield oil storage depot down the road in Hemel Hempstead. They say that the explosion was heard clearly by people in Belgium and France. It made a phenomenal noise. I remember it very clearly: I was in the maternity ward in Ealing hospital, feeling the onset of my labour pains. I was with a group of other expectant mums and we were all curious to know what had happened, but none of us had too much emotional energy to spare on fretting about who might have been affected, or what might have happened. Sirens wailed, and a nice nurse told us there had been an explosion. I remember lying there thinking that my baby and I should at least be safe in the hospital. Even in the darkest days of the Troubles in Northern Ireland the people with bombs hadn't blown up the hospitals.


Then twelve hours' later my little bundle of joy arrived, and I knew immediately that my world had just become a better place. I have never done drugs, but I don't think any chemical stimulant could ever compete with the high, that feeling of complete and utter elation that followed the birth of my first and only child. All the pain of the delivery ward was forgotten in an instant, and the only thing that I could think about was this precious new life that I held in my arms. 


Yesterday was also Emi's last day of school. They ended at midday with a final assembly at which everyone sang Christmas carols and cheered like crazy kids about the House Cup (an unprecedented three-way draw).


After a birthday lunch we went for a walk in Walpole Park, our local park here in Ealing. It was freezing, and I do mean proper Siberian wind-chilled freezing. A weak sun hung at an awkward angle in the sky blinding everyone who walked into it.


It was bleak. There weren't many people there who didn't need to be there. Lots of folk cut through the park to get from one part of Ealing to another. It's a bit of a thoroughfare. I often walk through it with the Wonder Dog when I'm picking Emi up from school.  A bit of green space is always a welcome change from the bustling streets.

We saw this lady (photo below) struggling home with her dog, her bike and her newly-purchased Christmas tree. I hope she had a lovely time decorating it at home in the warm embrace of a blazing fire.


In the evening Emi had an invitation to another party, and today he's been invited out to lunch by his TiĆ” Jenny. Jenny is one of my dearest and closest friends, who's an honorary auntie. She's taking him into town for a proper grown-up lunch, and then they're going to see the Christmas lights. He's loving the importance of having a lunch-date!


All the best for a lovely weekend,

Bonny x
As shared on Friday Finds

17 comments:

  1. Oh Bonny, what a marvelous post in honor of your precious boy and his 9th birthday. No LOVE is greater than a mom's love. ♥ Buon compleanno, Emi! :)

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  2. Oh Bonny, what a marvelous post in honor of your precious boy and his 9th birthday. No LOVE is greater than a mom's love. ♥ Buon compleanno, Emi! :)

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    1. Thank you for your very kind words, Kia. All the best and thanks for dropping by, Bonny

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  3. What a lovely area and being a mom is the best!

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    1. Thank you, Sarah. You're right: it's the toughest job in the world, but it's the most satisfying. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  4. Happy birthday Emi! Such a lovely post. Like you, I hope that lady with her bike, her dog, and her tree made it home safely and is snug & warm. Have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Thank you, Carol. Yes, we're all rooting for her. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  5. Happy Birthday Emi I think 9 is a very special age. Have a great lunch

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    1. Thank you, Viv. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  6. Happy birthday to your Emi. 9 is a very, very special age. My boy is 9 now. :)

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    1. Thank you for your kind wishes. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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  7. First....Happy belated birthday Emi! Hope your day was wonderful! I just LOVE the images of the scenery near you. It's always a pleasure getting to see other parts of the world.

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    1. Thank you for your kind wishes, Cheryl. He had a lovely day. In fact he's insisting that all weekend is his birthday as well, which is fine. With school over we've got all the time in the world to just hang out and enjoy ourselves. Thank you: I'm glad you enjoy the views of our little corner of London. It's a great city to live in with loads of wonderful green spaces where you could easily believe you were in the depths of the countryside. All the best and thanks for dropping by, Bonny

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  8. Emi is a lucky boy to have a lovely Mom like you. Little boys are precious. They adore their Moms unconditionally. It's great to be on the receiving end of that love, isn't it? (BTW, I love the photo of the lady with the Christmas tree. Good for her for finding a way to get a Christmas tree home, probably for her children.) Merry Christmas Bonny.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words, Christa. You're absolutely right: it's wonderful to be on the receiving end of such pure and unconditional love. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas too. All the best and thanks for stopping by, Bonny

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