Wednesday 3 June 2009

SIXTY GLORIOUS YEARS!

HAPPY 60th BIRTHDAY
to Sibley-blog-regular
GILL

I must say it is very comforting to know that there's someone older than me - if only by a few weeks! - and I'm sure everyone hopes that the Duchess will reward your loyal devotion by laying on a super-duper afternoon tea (with cucumber sandwiches and croquet) on the lawn of her beautiful Berkshire estate.

You may even get a glimpse of Her Grace's new gardener, the dashing young Mellors (whose grandfather was, I believe, a gamekeeper to another lady of title), hoeing the herbaceous borders...


If you do, then be most careful not to let on to the Duchess or she'll be required to feign one of her fainting fits. (Although, from what James the butler tells me, Mellors can revive her a lot quicker than the usually application of sal volatile.)

Enough of gossip! Have a lovely day, Gill, and...

Very Many Happy Returns!


Incidentally, for Gill and any other crossword fiends, there's a diverting site Anagram Genius with an archive of thousands of entertaining anagrams.

Among the literary offerings, for example, Oliver Mellors, the gamekeeper is rearranged as Premise: "Hello!" Make love. Regret.

8 comments:

scb said...

Happy Birthday, Gill!!!

(Love the anagram you quoted, Brian!)

My word verification is INTENTES, which is all too obviously having intentions on a Spaniard... mmmm, a Spaniard...

Brian Sibley said...

I heard that the Duchess once had a dalliance with a Spaniard. Impressed by his prowess during a particularly passionate bull fight in Seville, she brought him back to England where, for a short while, he managed (among other things) her herd of prize Jerseys.

Sadly, so the story goes, a planned assignation with the Duchess in one of the more secluded fields of the Home Farm ended in disaster. It is said that Her Grace was delayed by some trivial business with the under footman (or under the footman) and the Spanish cattleman was dozing amongst the corn when he was unfortunately taken by surprise by a combine harvester. Tragic!

SharonM said...

Yes, many happy returns, Gill! Do take advantage of all the perks offered to the over 60's - but also remember that by today's standards you are just a young thing.
By the way, I know this sounds rather ignorant, but who exactly is this Duchess we hear snippets about every so often?

Sheila said...

Happy Birthday, Gill. Enjoy your celebrations!

Brian Sibley said...

SHARON - The Duchess (or rather reference to her) first appeared on this blog when I was ill-advised to post a picture of some young gentleman or other (the term should probably be used loosely) attired only in his undergarments. The Duchess via Gill (who I think may have gone to school with Her Grace's granddaughter and who is now an occasional companion and confident) expressed a certain displeasure and, indeed, was taken with a severe case of what Mr Pepys might have described as 'the vapours'.

Certainly, after looking at the particular blog (it was Her Grace, by the way, who inspired HMQ and HRH Prince of Wales to get more techno-savvy) the Duchess could only be revived by the administration of sal volatile.

An acquaintance of my own, Sir G***** Blank (you will understand my caution), who is engaged on writing Her Grace's unofficial biography is of the opinion that Her Grace's reaction to my mildly explicit post (and others which have followed, from time, time during the past three years) was entirely due to the awakening of memories of long-forgotten (and, sometimes, sadly regretted) liaisons from her youth.

Gill is, nowadays, exercises more cautious in which of my blogs she encourages Her Grace to view...

Brian Sibley said...

GILL writes...

Thank you so much! What a privilege to have a blogged birthday!

I shared [carefully] some of your tales of her youth [double entendre intentional] with the Duchess.

She smiled enigmatically, and tottered off singing 'Little Boy Blue', what can she have meant?

scb said...

What a sad fate befell the Duchess's Spaniard! Am I to assume that all the King's horses and all the King's men could not put him together again? (I'm really not sure what good the horses could have done, since he was a cattleman, but all those men should have been able to do something.)

Gill -- "Little Boy Blue, come blow your horn", indeed... The poor Duchess... reliving all those memories...

Arts and Crafts said...

Im late but happy birthday, "Qué cumpla usted muchos más y nosotros que lo veamos"... this is something like "many happy returns... that we will see".