THE JOHANNESBURG DIARIES - D DAY - #BLOGCHATTERA2Z2023

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Top post on Blogchatter Today happens to be D Day, a very special day, the birthday of our little granddaughter, Zoya. She has turned seven today, the apple of our eyes. Seven years back, when she was born and we turned into grandparents, it was one of the most joyous occasions ever and every year, the joy has burgeoned further.

The birthday celebrations started with ‘Build a Bear’ two days ago. Yesterday found Zoya going along with her grandparents, her brother and Dada (Dad) to Hamleys, the toy shop. She was to pick up the gift she wanted. Strangely enough, for the birthday girl, the experience was akin to getting a tooth pulled out. She wandered around the aisles, looking at everything, unable to make up her mind. As the rounds got slower, her face lost its glow. That is when we realized that buying a gift can be a lot of pressure on a little girl. 😊

Finally, she ended up with a musical box in which she could place her trinkets and a brightly coloured princess who was meant to fly when she was charged, but whether she wanted to was a whole different matter.

In the evening we went back to the mall so that Mama could pick up balloons, streamers and a number of smaller gifts. The bigger ones would come on D Day.

This morning, when Zoya opened her eyes, there were beautiful balloons in the lounge, which had been painstakingly blown up by her Dada. A streamer saying ‘Happy Birthday’ stretched across the ceiling and it was wonderful to see the happiness in her lustrous eyes as she opened the gifts. Her favorite seemed to be a sparkly tiara that made her look like a princess.

The day has just begun. The birthday girl has a number of wishes which are being unfolded, one at a time. The first was going for a walk early in the morning, and also waking her sleepy brother up. The list will continue over the day – lunch out at her favourite restaurant at Monte Casino, which is, of course, a Casino with the most beautiful ambience – cobbled streets, quaint shops with attractive windows, a games arcade, restaurants galore and live music through the day. The artificial ceiling has colours that meander from light blue skies to dark starry nights. Hence, one is never quite sure whether it is night or day. The place must be seen to be believed.





Monte Casino Vignettes

Before that, of course, there is one more wish to be fulfilled… another trip to the toy shop, this time with Mom in tow, so that the birthday girl does not get overwhelmed by all the goodies around, 😊 followed by some fun time in the play area.

The fun and the frolic will continue through the day. Dinner is again Zoya’s choice…  evening will find us all assembling our own pizzas with the toppings we want, and cutting a variety of small, sweet delicacies since Zoya does not like cake or icing. There was a suggestion that she could have a burger cake instead.

When we watch the young parents doing so much for their little princess, our hearts fill with nostalgia laced with immense joy. I remember my own birthdays when my parents did what they could to make my day special. We carried on the tradition when we turned into parents, trying to do as much as we could for our own little princess. Isn’t that what parents do, after all, to recall the most joyous moment in their lives – the birth of their little ones who come in like little storms and turn their lives around in the most precious way ever?

Happy birthday, little Zoya. May everything wonderful come your way always. May you be happy forever. Nothing else matters! <3


Photographs courtesy: Deepti Menon

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z2023.

https://www.theblogchatter.com/

Comments

  1. Chinmayee Gayatree Sahu4/04/2023 02:54:00 PM

    Happy birthday little Zoya ! Such a heart-filled write up

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. deepti menon4/06/2023 02:20:00 PM

      Thank you so much, Chinmayee! Zoya is the apple of our eye!

      Delete
  2. Neerja Bhatnagar4/04/2023 03:25:00 PM

    Happy birthday dear Zoya! have a great day and greater year ahead! love and blessings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. deepti menon4/06/2023 02:21:00 PM

      Neerja, that is so sweet. Thank you for your blessings to Zoya!

      Delete
  3. A Rustic Mind4/04/2023 06:11:00 PM

    Happy Birthday, Zoya. 😍🥳

    ReplyDelete
  4. Harshita Nanda4/04/2023 08:21:00 PM

    such a sweet post ma'am...you said it, we try to make birthdays of our children very very special! Happiest birthday to the princess!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. deepti menon4/06/2023 02:22:00 PM

      Yes, indeed, Harshita, we really do! Thank you so much for your warm wishes to Zoya. <3

      Delete
  5. Deepika4/04/2023 08:42:00 PM

    Such a beautiful heart warming narration. God bless Zoya

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. deepti menon4/06/2023 02:23:00 PM

      Deepika, thank you so much for that warm wish and blessing for Zoya!

      Delete

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