Eighty, Seventy

My Dad recently reached the grand age of 80. Unfortunately I was not able to be with him to celebrate but of course a special card was popped in the mail for his big day.

Dad is a huge supporter of his local football team, Hull City A.F.C., who play in the Championship, the second tier of English football. I have made him many Hull City themed cards over the years. The first thing to go on this year's card was a black and amber striped scarf (Dad's team traditionally plays in black and amber, often with a striped shirt design, hence their nickname The Tigers). Then, moving clockwise, I added the logo of the family business where he spent most of his working life, and an Israeli flag (yes, his daughter lives in Israel but Dad has been a lifelong supporter of Israel and has done huge amounts of charity work for our little country over the years). Next came a watering can, a trowel and some tomatoes (Dad is obsessed with loves growing tomatoes in his greenhouse), a football, and the JNF (Jewish National Fund) logo showing a little boy wearing a Kova Tembel and hugging a tree. Finally I added a picture of my dear Mum and Dad on their wedding day back in 1966 (yes, he always reminds us that it was the same year that England won the World Cup!). In the middle of the card is a big number 80 to mark Dad's age, and below that, a black and white photo of his parents.

Dad didn't want any presents but I had an idea that I knew would make him happy. In recent years I have collected quite a number of family photos together and, when Dad visits, have sat with him and discussed who everyone is in the pictures. I put together a  photo book of all his close relatives, from his great-grandparents all the way through to my youngest son, his youngest grandchild. I have yet to see the book (we live in different countries!) but I know that it was a BIG hit!

Around about the same time, another dad was celebrating a milestone birthday. This dad turned 70 and his daughter asked me to make him a customised card showing his various hobbies. Books had to feature, she told me. He has researched Sephardi history in depth. He is a tour guide here in Israel and worked as a psychologist up until his retirement.
I showed bespectacled dad with a book on Sephardi history in one hand and a psychology book in the other. Another small pile of books is in front of him. Behind him I created a teeny tiny Montefiore Windmill, Tower of David, Dome of the Rock, a palm tree, a map of Israel, and a desert scene, all representing his tour guiding in Israel and the different places he takes his visitors.
"Happy 70th Birthday Dad Saba Grandpa!" the card says. Saba is the Hebrew name for grandfather.

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