Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Little Prince", 1943

The Grams is one of my favourite people, as far as people go. She understands me better than I understand myself sometimes. I think that it may have to do with the fact that she’s never quite grown up.

Now, this is a kind of amazing thing when you consider that she’s going to finish her Chinese Lunar cycle this year. She was born in the year of the wooden rooster, and this is the year of the wooden rooster again. A cycle only comes around every 60 years, so you don’t usually get a chance at completing a second cycle.

So, Grams has been thinking about turning 60, and I have to say, she’s taking it well. “Gweeds! I don’t have to suffer fools gladly anymore!” She had an odd smile when she said that to me. Then she hugged me and said, “Don’t worry my fuzzy friend, I’ll ‘suffer’ you any day, if you’ll ‘suffer’ me!”

This photo was taken when the Grams was very preggers with Henri’s Mum. I always think that in this photo she looks like that picture in the Uffizi – you know, by Botticelli of Venus on the half-shell. That was the one painting that Henri’s Mum had to see when we went to the Uffizi. What a wonderful day that was carousing all over Firenze.

It was Henri and his Mum’s first time in Firenze. We got to show them all of our favourite spots. We had lunch in a trattoria that we like and then we went to the Uffizi. After lunch, Big Guy got a toy train for Henri. The two of them went to play with it back at the Ritz whilst Grams, Meg and I went to the Accademia to see the real David in all of his glory.

That night we went for dinner at the The White Boar. Henri turned to his Mum and said, “I’m tioured,” and promptly fell asleep on her lap. We had to call a cab to get back to the hotel even though it was just a few blocks; because Henri was just too big for any of us to carry. The driver was very understanding and we gave him a big tip to make up for the small fare. And then we all trundled off to bed. There are few perfect days in this life, but that was one.

Sono Gweeds e mi piace l'Italia!

A la prochaine. Moochas smoochas,

Please give what you can to Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders).

Comments

[Rédigé par: Lynn]

Grams,
Is that really you in the Andy Warhol type photo?
Wow, never saw you with long hair (or at that
age). Mighty pretty!
Lynn