Eldest Son is now a Teenager(?)

Wasp-fearing Teenager Moritz Picking Grapes

I do not recall turning 13 as being such a big deal, but the boy has been fantasizing about it for the past year or so and is really happy today when the day finally arrived. Yes, my first-born turns 13 today, and I am once again reminded of how old I have become.

When I was 13 I was in Secondary One and the only thing worth remembering was the horror of having to study 8-9 subjects instead of 4. Otherwise life hadn't been any different for me, I grew fatter than ever, my grandfather still walked me to school and back, I still couldn't go out with my friends...

He seems to think that being 13 automatically qualifies him as a teenager. Ok, it does if teenager simply means someone who's between 13 and 19. But a teenager is also a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity and as far as I can see, he hasn't sprouted height nor (extra) hair and is still a big baby who plays Runescape and who leaves empty milk boxes in the fridge. And he doesn't help much with the younger ones, the other evening, I came home after taking away some dinner to find the 2 Babies crying 300m from the house (in the dark) and our friend sitting in the living room watching TV. He didn't even know they had left the house!

And with him turning 13, it also means that I had to spend a few days preparing his application for deferment from National Service (in Singapore) and getting stomach ulcers for that. It is also for sure now that he would cost us alot of money each time we travel.

Baked Curry Puffs

Still, I spent hours yesterday preparing the filling for today's curry puffs and a few weeks organising his birthday party that he would celebrate with all of his schoolmates from the Middle Years. I hadn't planned on bringing anything to school actually, but was told by the boy that since I had brought curry puffs to school on his last 2 birthdays, the teachers were sort of expecting them again this year. OK.

This year's party started with a grape harvest at Il Piccolo Mugnaio (an agriturismo in Torre Maina) and finished with a dinner at the Japanese restaurant Izakaya in Maranello. Truth be told, I wasn't really thinking about cost when I organised this birthday, but as I calculated the amount of cash I would need to withdraw so as to pay for the ice cream cake, the grape harvest (yes, you labour and still have to pay for it) and the dinner, I was stumped. That was 1 month of my parents' allowance to be spent in 5 hours. 16 children came for the event. And the sushi went off really well. I can only hope that the Hub wouldn't insist on knowing how much the total bill came up to or I would have much less to spend next week when I go shopping in London.

Driving behind the grapes during harvesting season

The idea for the grape harvest came in succession. First when I met Arturo near the vineyard next door and he told me that they would be harvesting the grapes end-September; then when I was driving and was blocked so very often lately by slow-moving trucks filled with grapes. I knew then that I had to organise one for the kids.

See his swollen right eye (which would get really bad later)

Today was the only day it rained in 2 weeks. But we were able to harvest the grapes because it rained just before and after and not during. Eldest Son was the only person stung (just below the right eye) by the many wasps hanging around. They knew who the Birthday Boy was alright.

Harvesting Grapes

Maria, the owner of the agriturismo, started out by explaining to the children how balsamic vinegar and wine are made using the same grapes but different methods. The children also learnt about making lambrusco wine and about growing vines and were each given a pair of scissors to pick the grapes. Then they transported the grapes back to the main building and pressed out grape juice with their feet the ancient way. Nowadays of course they use machines to do the job, but that wouldn't be as fun. Some kids spent their time eating the grapes and tasting the juice, apparently they were really tasty.

Making Grape Juice the Old Way

Tasting the Fruit of One's Labour

Grape Juice

Then those kids ran wild and disappeared up the hill behind the agriturismo chasing one another as well as the poultry minding their own business around them. I think they had an educational, fun and healthy afternoon out. I bought a few bottles of the expensive but oh-so-good balsamic vinegar of Modena made in-house. They make great gifts.

Hills, children and poultry

Dinner at Izakaya gave the teenagers a chance to eat together like adults (without having to foot the bill). There were sushi and makis, fried prawn-cheese-cured ham rolls, chicken yakitori, fried chicken wings, fried rice and ice cream birthday cake. It was difficult trying to photograph the dishes as the food's gone the minute the plates reached the table. The adults ate dinner separately and I got the restaurant owner to make us a few Chinese dishes in addition to a sushi boat.

The children's sushi boat

After dinner, the kids ran outside to play a few games and then the ball was over and I came home to digest my food in front of the computer.

Happy 13th Birthday, son of mine! May you grow wise and healthy and be very happy in your life.

PS: Frontal shots of the children will be sent to their families later.