Q

Sir Quentin in his studio

Today is Sir Quentin Blake's 81st birthday. Think back to your childhood story books.  Your mind slips to the illustrations first.  It is hard to separate the story from the drawing.  The story alone is hardly memorable, while a story with pictures jumps to life. 

Still active after all these years

Quentin was the artist behind Roald Dahl's best works.  It is Quentin who brought the BFG to life. The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Charlie are merely words on a page without Blake. It was Blake who illustrated JJ Norwich's  earliest Christmas Crackers.

Matilda

Looking back through the mists of time I certainly did not appreciate N.C. Wythe's Treasure Island or Robinson Crusoe illustrations at the time as much as I did my children's story books in theirs.  I feel gyped. Things were not ALWAYS better then.

Happy Birthday Mr. Blake, may you live long and prosper.

Toad

Grammy's Birthday

Until recently, Granddaughter Liz had two grandparents who shared today as their birthday.  Not long ago her maternal grandmother died.  Grammy was the rock of the family foundation.  A southern woman through and through, you never had any doubt about where she stood on an issue or what was going through her mind.  She told you straight up.  She told you she loved you always and often, she let you know when you were a horse's ass, she let you know that her expectations of you were higher than you had of your self, she told you how proud of you she always was. With love like hers you were loath to disappoint. She was a generous soul and a force of nature.

Today is the first time, in her family's memory, that March 25 has rolled around without her laugh, smile and guidance.  I miss her plenty, and will always remember that today is HER birthday.

Toad

BTW it is also The Suburban Princess's birthday.  She'd love for you to stop by and help her blow out (away) the candles.  

Odds and Ends

Sometimes in life a guy just gets lucky. I've met some wonderful people via this blog, but none more so than my personal enabler ADG, better known to many of you as Maxminimus. We've met in person several times, spoken on the phone a couple of more times, and email each other once a week or so, yet whenever/however we gather, I discover more and more, just how much we have in common.

Today is the birthday of my brother from other parents. While he doesn't look a day over 35, I believe that he turns 70 today, going on 15. His enthusiasm for people and life that keeps him an eternal 35. I am envious.

Happy Birthday from the whole entirely big internet.

ADG and style maven Bruce Boyer

II. See the Dustin Hoffman directed movie Quartet. Mrs. T and I went to the Saturday matinee. She was by far the youngest person in the theater but still approved. I think you'll enjoy it, especially if you're over 50.

III Perhaps from the Maybe-Maybe Not file:

From the UP Magazine oct/nov 2012

Enjoy your weekend.

Toad

katy day and happy thanksgiving

Today is also Katy Day.  Katy is my first born, born on a Thanksgiving morning once upon a time ago.  She is my joy, my inspiration and light of my life.  I love her dearly.

Tonight while reaching for that piece of pie, gather hands with those around the table and sing like this.

HBD2 Katy
HBD 2 Katy
HBD dear Katy
HBD 2 you.

From our house to yours enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving, hopefully safely ensconced in the comforting bosom of family and friends. It has become too rare that families gather to share food and stories.  Children miss out when holidays are ignored. Holiday's provide the perfect backdrop for kids to overhear grownups reminiscing about the days before wi-fi, or wireless TV remotes.

 I love to make fun of Thanksgiving, it's one of my traditions.  American's tend to have such a poor sense of history that too many folk believe the Pilgrims arrived in North America with Columbus.  In a just world, we'd be celebrating the Spanish, who arrived 40 years before the English, contribution to American culture.  At least the food would be better.

And finally, for those of you too wrapped up in the day's feast to know when to put down the fork I suggest this:

Enjoy your day, be safe. We'll leave the light on for ya.
Toad

blandings bd

Friends: today marks the anniversary of Mrs. Blandings 29th birthday. I suggest we each send her an ecard just to fill up her in box. Her email address may be found on her blog site .

Card choices may be found here

Happy Birthday Patricia!!!!

toad

Happy Birthday Chuck

"Trust not," warned Carlyle, "the heart of that man for whom old clothes are not venerable,"

For those interested in clothing, today's birthday boy, Prince Charles, the original clothing recycler, is heaven sent. Consider his wardrobe. Poster boy for keeping your size in check, much of his wardrobe is older than his children. It's alleged that most of his tweeds belong to his grandfather, King George VI.

Below are a few photos of his favorites through the ages.

The photos above from Maxminimus and the Anderson Sheppard book, taken certainly within the past several years. A handsome jacket. Ever seen it before?

HRH is not above getting full use from his John Lobb Oxfords. Going on 40 years now, and just about broken in.


Something sporty for Royal Ascot? Charles isn't amongst the wear it once crowd.





Tweed coats?



Hatter James Lock is next door to John Lobb. Not that he gets there often.

Early on he latched on to what was then the unfashionable double breasted suit, and made it his own. His style, was no style yet over time it became HIS style. It works beautifully.

He is rightfully one of the best dressed men on the planet, due primarily to unerring consistent taste nurtured over a long time.

Happy Birthday Sir.

Toad

RTG

Mr. Gere wearing my new specs

New York Social Diary photo

Heresy alert

Richard Tiffany Gere is not a name that inspires me to rush to the box office. It took almost a year to recover from Nights in Rodanthe, the second worst movie experience of our Friday Night Date Night extravaganzas. I was sore disappointed to find it wasn't a 50's style Japanese Sci-fi monster movie, in which the monster ate Gere.

None the less tomorrow is Richard 62nd. Happy Birthday Richard, go home, have a good meal. We should all look so good at 62.

Toad

Wikipedia

Of all the posts lately of the "can you believe its been that long ago" sort, this takes my cake.

Tomorrow is Wikipedia's 10th birthday.

I'm uncertain how to take that. Wiki seems to have been around forever, yet it sprung up overnight.

As will the "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy", Wiki has "supplanted all comers as the standard repository of all knowledge and wisdom, for though it has many ommissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least widely inaccurate" it is easy to use, albeit without a Don't Panic notice.

Like Google, Wiki usually has an answer to any querry. Unlike Google, it's generally best taken with a grain of salt.

Happy birthday Wiki, may you improve with age.

Toad

Happy Birthday also, to Lou of The Archers at The Larches.

Number 1 Son

Today is number one son's (mumble) birthday. He is also recovering from having his tonsils removed last week. Happy birthday number one son, and I hope to see you and your beautiful family soon.