Another milestone

This really has been the year for milestone birthdays in the family. This weekend we celebrated another. My other dad, Aubrey, will be 70 this week, and the family got together in East London to celebrate. (He is my other dad, because he was my mom's second husband, but has been a real dad to us.) In fact, as a family, it gets extremely confusing, because all the parents ended up with multiple marriages, and we got attached to the various partners, so that little distinction is made between actual biological parents and step parents. As a result, our kids have more grandparents than most people have cousins!

It was great, as usual we ate till we could barely MOVE, I mean just LOOK at all that food, and that doesn't show the wicked puddings and cake that followed.

But what was special was seeing Aubs, who has overcome all the odds to still be with us, relaxed and happy, surrounded by his new wife, Rene, his children, grand children and even a great grandchild (the wee E).

In the past two years he has suffered two life threatening illnesses, and come through with flying colours. First he had a rare flesh eating bacteria, one of those horror ones you read about that gallop through your body, out of control. It was amazing that he survived, he was in intensive care for weeks, and an enormous section of his hip and buttock area had to be removed, damaging the sciatic nerve. He lost the use of his right leg, as a result, and was told he would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. By sheer willpower, stubbornness and courage, he is now not only walking, but doing so without a stick or crutches, despite considerable pain.

He had no sooner got over that hurdle than he was diagnosed with Cancer, and underwent a course of Chemotherapy. He is clear at the moment, so lets lift our glasses......... cheers, here's to a brave, talented and delightful man, and we hope to have him around for many more years!