Mr Pig's Birthday

So Mr Pig was One today and the way he was strutting about made me think he knew it.  We got him a guitar to quell his guitar envy, only thing is, it’s a ukulele.  Luckily he doesn’t yet know the difference between George Formby & Kurt Cobain, and so he’s happy.

Kerry had done the house up, I’m tempted to say like a pirate ship but it was more like a house with load of flags and balloons with skulls and cross bones on them.  I’m not sure if balloons were a popular tool of the pirate?

And how come pirates can get away with it?  In fact not just pirates, Robin Hood, Hans Solo or Del Boy.  Raping & pillaging, robbing the rich, being a member of the rebel alliance (clue is in the title!) or buying stolen goods, it’s all illegal.  Don’t celebrate it.  And if you must sympathise with the pirates well just simply raise a glass and say, “those pirates weren’t such bad lads were they?” don’t dress up like them and drink and eat and play pirate games, that’s crazy.  What kind of parties am I going to take my Grandchildren to?  Nazi parties?  (Ooo?  Were the Germans very forward thinking to call themselves the “Nazi Party” in order to plant the seed in minds for Children’s parties of the future?)

Any road, Darwin loved it.  He loves attention, particularly from the ladies, and he likes kids.  All the girls from next door came dressed as princesses!  (Back on to the pirate thing, if you mix princesses and pirates I can only imagine it ending in trouble, probably kidnappings, hefty ransoms and the occasional inappropriate touching.)

We had a piñata.  We didn’t have them in my day!

Whilst doing a little research on Piñatas I came across a similar Christmas tradition in Catalonia.  Tió de Nadal is a hollow wooden log that is kept under a blanket at night to keep it warm.  It is fed a small amount of grass every night and when the time is right kids hit it with a stick to encourage it to shit presents.  It doesn’t shit massive presents, but it does leave candies and nuts. Depending on the part of Catalonia, it may also give out dried figs. When nothing is left to "shit", it drops a salt herring, a head of garlic, an onion, or it "urinates" by leaving a bowl of water.  What comes out of the Tió is a communal rather than individual gift, shared by everyone present.

Lots of lovely people came and by the end of the day Darwin was shattered.