Quick Dash South

 We zapped off to Newcastle at the weekend with son no 2. Down on Saturday, back Sunday. The occasion was my last remaining aunt's 90th birthday; something well worth celebrating. One of my cousins had done all the organising so all we had to do was turn up at the selected restaurant at the right time. It was an Italian and part of a chain; not the best Italian food I've ever had in my life, and the place was extremely noisy so conversation with the various relatives at the table was quite difficult. We still all managed to enjoy ourselves and catch up a bit on our news. My aunt was delighted to see everyone and one of my cousin's step-daughters had baked a birthday cake so we all sang Happy Birthday, not very tunefully and she blew out however many candles there were on the top. Not 90, I do know that! Looks like it might have been nine. 

The next day we popped in to see her at home, together with my sister, and had a cup of tea before we set off in opposite directions; sister going south and us back north. The house was like a florist's shop; obviously no-one knowing what to get a 90 year old  nearly everyone resorted to flowers and I'm only amazed she had sufficient vases for them all. 

She was reminiscing about the days when we were all small and how we are now 'all grown up'. I pointed out we were not so much all grown up as 'old' but was roundly told that I wasn't old at all, which was consoling. I don't feel it, but a chill falls over me when I look at the age creeping up on my next birthday. 

I did a little looking back myself. When I was young I had 9 aunts and 8 uncles and I'm now reduced to one of each, and my remaining uncle,  who was also there and is 92, was looking very frail. It's very sad to see what time can do to those you remember in their prime. I'm told there are consolations to growing old but looking around I do wonder ... what I would give sometimes to be 15 again and in the middle of a big family gathering with all those people I grew up with  still safely around me.