Mama!

A Slovenian song says that the first word of little Slovenians is not mama but rather Bojan Križaj, the blonde skier who used to win for Yugoslavia when I was little, but I’m quite sure Mama! was mine since I was lucky enough to be born near this woman who celebrates today.

Francesca at Almost Italian speaks in a recent post of how her family knits as a unit and how knitting genes have been passed from her grandmother. I commented that instead the genes on my mother’s side make me “belt out a song without prior notice, write poems for people I love, recite long dead poets when necessary or not”. I must have forgotten all the hats and scarfs you have knitted for me. So unfair! Sorry, mama!

But this was not a complaint. I love all that about us. First, a bit of soundtrack. Remember how much you loved Look what they’ve done to my song from a previous birthday post? I hope you will play this one just as much. And when I come back, we will dance.

And now some of my favourite photos of you taken since your last birthday, starting with this message to you.

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  ♫♪ Every little thing!

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  See? Your first husband is bringing you new succulents and lavender.

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  I made you some dessert.

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  And then we went on a walk around Piran, your new home away from home. (“New” means more than ten years by now.)

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  This is your “p-na, p-na” gesture, meaning “Awww, stop it.” I must have complimented your glasses.

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  Here you are reading a joke to amore from a book you just bought in Škofja Loka. Even bestia is laughing.

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  This is your search party pose.

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  Search and you shall find!

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  Amore kept asking But why? But we walked! In the Alps! At the Javorca chapel.

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  Back to Ljubljana and our closest church. We pray that their bells would be quieter.

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  Standing by and for the human rights.

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  On the way to the cemetery.

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  The yellow house of your childhood. This was the first time we went back to see it together.

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  Near we found this lovely court. Just right for you and your basketball past.

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  Your brother in the garden at the house of your past, present and future.

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  This garden houses our annual card tournament and you dared to play with the best. (Father won last year, Tim was second and you came fourth, the best so far.)

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  Happy dance in the rain after the tournament.

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  Your bunny, a gift by your cousin Duša.

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  Our pre-Christmas party and your special gift, a karaoke machine. Your husband knows you well.

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  For my birthday last month we went to eat at the Kodeljevo castle.

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  They let the dog in. Good, because he is your friend too.

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  And I’m happy that I can always count on you to be on my side. ❤

And for the end, Me and My Mommy, as is the title of the bear book in this photo taken by my father in Škofja Loka. This is how I crack up.

Photo: BM

Happy birthday, mama Meta! You did well and now you can relax, stay as you are and be as you wish (=mej se, kokr se čš). I love you and salute you!

And finally, here are celebrations from past years on my previous blogs. Enjoy!

• 2014: Ten things I love about my mom
• 2015: Maybe it will all be okay
• 2016: Happy sixty-ten, mom!
• 2017: Cincincincilla, mom!
• 2018: Happy Meta birthday! (with a hilarious basketball report)