What a great little post that celebrates the good traits you inherited. It's fascinating how much we can be like one or the other parent (or even grandparent) even if we didn't grow up with them or they died when we were young. Jamie's found a ridiculous amount of things in common with his Dad who he barely sees and who left when he was 4 - a love of birds being amongst them.

However I do fear a love of birds is a product of old age. There's a meme somewhere that is along the lines of 'One minute you're out partying til dawn, next you're saying: 'ooh, is that a spotted warbler'' - I'm sure that's not it precisely, but you get the idea.

I'm sorry about the bastard arthritis. That must be painful. And alcohol would worsen it I imagine.

Mean drunks are the worst. My grandpa on the German side was one. Dad said he was a cracking person when he was sober but when he came home and saw the bottles on theback step he'd go sleep in his car.