Little did I know
when I met you long ago,
that I would still be here to join you,
together with our family crew
to celebrate this anniversary day
(the number of years I better not say.)
What is it about you that we should remember
on this special day in September?
Perhaps I should start with your skill in the garden,
no- wait a minute – I beg your pardon,
first things first, what about creating our home
from whence it is quite impossible to roam?
And of course there’s the business of being a Mum
and greeting family and friends whenever they come.
Cooking meals with finesse and by the seat of your pants
And, for me, never forgetting our very own romance.
Then there’s the little matter of playing bridge with intent,
intent to prevail, playing till all passion is spent.
But I want to return to your relations with plants
since when I look at the garden I can see at a glance
that your green fingers have been busy, creating and shaping,
and you stretching and bending until your back is aching.
Jutta, if only I had more words and more voice,
Is there no limit for us to rejoice?
But you get the picture – we love you so much
So don’t be put off by this bit of nonesuch.
The Greedy Goose, Moreton-in-the-Marsh, September 12th, 2010, for Jutta’s 70th Birthday