Seventeen

Daughter and second child Eliza is seventeen today. Once upon a time, aged five, she would entertain herself by sitting in the car with a Finding Nemo bucket on her head. Now she is a risk taking, danger seeking young adult who sticks up two fingers to the Ministry of Defence and their signs. The year 2003 when she was born seems a very long time ago and much has happened in between then and now it has also shot by very quickly. Happy birthday Eliza, have a great day despite the restrictions of lockdown. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll turn out just fine.

Eliza shares a birthday with George O'Dowd, better known as Boy George (born in 1961 so turning fifty nine today- happy birthday George). I've been meaning to post something by his late 80s acid house outfit Jesus Loves You for ages. The song here, remixed by Paul Oakenfold, is an upbeat seven minutes of Balearic dance pop, powered by a bassline that hits the groove and some rattling snares. Over this George sings a soulful plea for tolerance and understanding, as relevant now as it was in 1990 when optimism and positivity were all the rage and genuinely felt.

Generations Of Love (Oakenfold Mix)

'The Jew and the Gentile, the black and the gay
The lost and the futile, they've all got something to say
The African nation, the sword of Islam
The rebels in China, the Sikhs and the Tams'

Seventeen

At 7.37 am on this day in 1998 our eldest was born- Isaac. Whisked straight off to ICU he has since then put up with severe deafness, learning difficulties, two bone marrow transplants before the age of two, umpteen operations for skeletal problems, pneumonia, meningitis and more besides. That he is today seventeen is something of a minor miracle. The picture above shows him emerging from a shop in Amsterdam a few weeks back that took his fancy. Becoming the parent of a disabled child isn't what you expect as a twenty-something and there's no doubt that it has been a bumpy ride for us but he brings a massive amount to us as well and his determination to go on when others would give up is staggering. Isaac doesn't really like music so I can't post a request. The number 1 single when he was born was Believe by Cher but I'm not too fussed about that record. The seventeenth song in the downloads folder on my computer is this by 808 State. Not too bad a choice. Happy birthday Isaac.

Pacific State