The Fifth Turtle

This is the boy who, due to a hospital error, nearly never was. Yet today he reaches the milestone of 21. A Big gun salute.

As a baby he called his great Auntie and me, his Auntie, Ala and Lala. His obsessions grew with him and he was a boy who attached himself to people, places and things. Thomas the Tank was his first big thing. When I went to visit I was met with a barage of trains and could only get past the front door if I could name them all. Sometimes I was allowed to see them, other times I was only told a colour and a number. The look of disappointment on his face if I failed always put me in my place. The turtles quickly followed. For many years he was the 5th Turtle and a hand made Turtle dressing up outfit was the only piece of dressing up he would ever consider.

When I married and his mum suggested they needed to think of a very special present to give us he sighed and replied - 'like an engine mummy'. And so we were handed James the Splendid Red Engine, No. 5 with a bunch of heather and a tartan ribbon. Everytime he visited he would check to see if we still had it. We still do.

I am so proud of the wonderful young man my handsome nephew has become, and we were delighted to share in his birthday celebrations tonight, although I'm not sure why I can't go to the Cavendish with him and his pals later? I'm well up for it.