Daniel

hi there

once upon a time we, as people, used to send photographs of special events to friends and relatives around the world. photographs were an expensive thing at one stage, so it was always very touching to receive them. as technology advanced, photographs got slightly cheaper, but affordability meant that one could purchase a video camera and send a VHS tape (or a Betamax, if the person in your house responsible for buying equipment happened to be retarded and thus a salesman's dream) of special events.

as technology marched onwards, one could buy a "scanner" and send the same photographs by electronic mail to many, many people. the advent of digital cameras meant that you no longer had to get pictures developed into photographs and scan them; one simply plugged a camera into a computer, pressed a few buttons and as many people as you like got the pictures of your special event.

today, it seems, is the day where we are now at the point where family and friends don't bother to send anything of that sort on at all, instead just assuming you will see them over on that facebook thing. it hasn't gone for me, but it seems that for some, if not many, the romance and importance of specifically sending something to someone has been relinquished. oh well.

if you are wondering if i have any sort of point at all to this little tirade born of nostalgia, the answer would be yes i do - happy birthday Daniel, and here are some pictures that i pilfered off of your Mummy's facebook page!

unless i am very much mistaken, that appears to be a most excellent Spiderman cake that Daniel has to celebrate with! well, who would not want Spidey involved in their celebrations?

the cake of the man of spider abilities was not the only course of food to be consumed in celebrating Daniel's birthday. showing off a hefty level of intelligence and good taste for his young years, Daniel was apparently most insistent that they go for a birthday meal at KFC. one where they sat down and ate too, not one of Grant's fancy "quick drive thru" trips!

Daniel opting to celebrate his birthday with as much KFC as he could carry is a most pleasing sight. i dare say that i have done similar things in the past, of course with the great assistance of he that i still consider to be my personal photographer, Trigger. it's also exceptionally wise of Daniel to keep a tight hold of his KFC with his Daddy around. i am led to believe that when it comes to KFC if it is not nailed down Grant assumes it is his and just eats it. this is probably, now that i think about it, why Gillian is reluctant to sit down in a KFC with Grant. i imagine one or two "incidents" have come about from Grant's help yourself approach.

as impressed as i am by Daniel, Katie seems to have impressed me the most with her selection of KFC to celebrate Daniel's birthday!

yes, that's Katie eating a real, genuie and true Double Down. not the fake rubbish that we got served here. the true Double Down has a chunk of bacon in the middle of it. out of some misguided sense of deference to the Muslim community, we were denied the proper filling here, instead having something that in theory was akin to chicken polony shoved in the middle.

i am very much for respect to the customs and ways of all faiths, right up until the point at which they encroach uninvited onto the wishes and respect for ways of others. it is most unfortunate that KFC here took the approach of serving a bastardized, fake version of the Double Down in the hope of selling it to people of the Islamic faith rather than just selling it as it was intended to be served and advising people of a Muslim lifestyle to please avoid it. it is this abrupt denying people things flat rather than trying to accomodate all which causes tension, KFC.

blimey, i have managed to get a few slices of observation and valid criticism in this post, haven't i? imagine if Daniel had more than one birthday a year, i could get all my thoughts and views out twice as much!

to finish off, then, another picture of Daniel and Katie admiring Daniel's ace cake!

thank you very much, Gillian, for in a roundabout, undirect way letting me see these pictures! hopefully the rest of the family will see these images on here too!

more to follow soon, no doubt!


be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!