Saturday, February 11, 2006

February Birthdays

Today is my dear friend Kate Hardy's birthday so please go over and say Happy Birthday to her. It's a landmark birthday so she's a little bothered by changing that number at the start of her age. But I've just been reading a magazine article that declares that 70 is the new 50. Which makes KateH a new 20 - and me a new - er - something or other. Which also means that some friends I know are reading this are still way back in their teens - well, yes I can believe that! :-)

February was also the month of my father's birthday. He would have been 91 on Feb 9th. He lived most of his early life in South Africa but then studied medicine in Dublin which is where he met my mother. I have his passport from when he left SA at the age of 18 - and in the photo he looks scarily like my son (The Offspring). Later in life, he became almost the double of Humphrey Bogart - unfortunately right down to the cigarette that was almost always in his hand or his mouth.

My father was not the easiest of men - sadly he made a real mess of his marriage to my mother and they split up - but apart from this passport, in my home I have one substantial reminder of his part in my life - and his belief in my dreams. When I was 14 and he asked me what I wanted for my birthday, the only thing I wanted was a desk. Even then I wanted to be a writer and somewhere I have a photo of me - aged 12 - hair in pigtails - frowning in concentration over an ancient typewriter as I wrote my first 'book'! (And yes, as a result of popular demand when I first mentioned this in my old blog - when I learn how to do that sort of thing, I will try to post that photo up here.)

So my father bought me a desk. It was a cheap, pine wood desk. It came in pieces and had to be 'self-assembled'. It has six drawers, three to either side and it's a "ladies' version" (that's how it was advertised!) with a 'modesty panel' to hide my knees from the world. These days, I work on a posh, 'executive' desk - L-shaped and big enough to hold my computer and the printer and the scanner and all the bits and pieces (and, okay, all the Mess) that I have around me as I work. It also has room for Sid The Cat who lies alongside my keyboard as I write. But I still have that old desk - it's worn and battered and a couple of the legs wobble permanently as a result of being assembled and taken apart and reassembled somewhere else as it moved with me from place to place as I grew up, married, set up my own home. It's in the BM's office now - a much smaller room where it fits in perfectly. He works on it, writes on it, just as I did all those years ago. It's not a pretty desk, but it's functional - and it was given to me to 'become a writer' on it - and I did.

Not many people ever believed I'd achieve my dream of being published, and writing for a living, and possibly deep down inside my father never did either. But he never said so. He let me use the typewriter from his surgery to bang out my first attempts at stories - and he bought me what, in my mind, was my 'writer's desk'. He was a very difficult man at times but he let me believe in my dreams, which is what I remember when I look at that tatty, wobbly battered desk - and I know he'd be pretty damn proud of what I've achieved since he gave it to me.


So Happy Birthday Kate H! Happy Birthday Dad! And if you have a birthday in February too, I'm sending you the happiest of birthday wishes. Have a wonderful time - and remember to hold on to your dreams so that you can work towards them

9 comments:

Michelle Styles said...

That is an absolutely wonderful story.
And I like to think that he believed in you and your dreams as he gave your desk.
Interestingthat your offspring should look so much like your father. Humphrey Bogart is one of my favourites, especially in Casablanca.

Anonymous said...

First of all, I loved the story about your father. Father's are so very special to daughters, mine was marvelous....he was kind, gentle, funny, handsome and adored my mother. I too believe, your father believed in your dreams, dear Kate.

My daughter felt the same about her father who recently passed. He is in her heart, a heart that is broken due to her loss of him but he shall live on in her heart....the wonderful memories.


Happy Birthday to Kate Hardy.

Amanda Ashby said...

Kate, what a wonderful story about your dad. The book I finally sold was written three weeks after my dad died and I know he had a hand in it! It's nice to have these connections.

Nell Dixon said...

Hi Kate, it's always special when someone really believes in your dreams.

Steve Middleton said...

Double happy birthdays!

Kate Walker said...

Thank you Michelle - The Offspring is starting to look less like my father as he grows but when this picture was take (at 18) there was a huge likeness - but now we can still find pictures of the two of them where they are standing in exactly the same way.

Welcome Marilyn - thank you for visiting. You and your family have been in my thoughts and I send a special hug to Keri on her loss.

Hello Amanda. How sad that your father died before he knew you'd sold - my father did too. But I was lucky enough to be able to tell my mother about my first acceptance though sadly she never lived to see the actual book.

Welcome, Nell -I agree - I think that's why I try never to trample on people's dreams - after all, I have perfect evidence of the fact that dreams can be achieved even when the majority think they won't


Hello Steve - thanks for visiting - and for the happy birthday wishes

Hi again Blue - I'm glad you liked the post

Anne McAllister said...

Hi Kate!

Great story about your dad. I know the feeling -- as my mother-in-law was the one who, when I was still unpublished, said, "What can I do to help?" and decided that an IBM Selectric typewriter (yes, this was pre-computer time) was just the ticket. Indeed it was. I loved that typewriter. It made life so much easier. And her support made it easier, too.

Also, you inspired me -- or bullied me - or something. And I updated my webpage AND I started a blog which you can get to if you go to my Anne McAllister website (and you probably can from here as well, but I certainly wouldn't be the one who could tell you how to get there!)

Oh, and I see Sid has been here before me. Fancy that.

Anna Louise Lucia said...

That's lovely, Kate - being given permission to pursue your dreams is one of the greatest gifts there is.

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Kate - I would've said thanks earlier but *cough* for the computer problems. Look forward to raising a glass of wine with you to celebrate the day this weekend!

 

Home Bio Books USA Readers Writers Contests Events Blog Links

Join Kate's Newsletter

Email Kate

Modified and Maintained by HR Web Concepts