Happy Father's Day!

My father looks a bit like Owen Wilson in this picture, don't you think? It was taken in 1976 when I was just two years old. The weird thing is I do actually remember the photo being taken - and that's because I was given the WORST TOY EVER to hold for the picture, the photographer picked it out for me to hold because it was a monkey that had a yellow waistcoat on that matched Mum's jumpsuit. 

I was terrified of that toy, I totally hated it, but Mum told me to "Just pretend you like it for the photo!". Mum was always doing stuff like that, she never wanted to put anyone out. 

So before I could protest the monkey was plonked in between my legs and Mum said "Taa Daa!" trying to get us all to smile while the flash went off - POP! POP! POP! - you know those cool 1970s camera flashes that looked like an ice cube tray of burnt out bulbs?

Of course Mum was the only one in the family with the photogenic gene so she always looked fabulous when the magazine came out, Dad and I on the other hand usually looked like stunned nocturnal animals about to be shot between the eyes. 

So... Happy Father's Day Dad! A brief happy snap of our Little family - before I looked down and saw the EVIL MONKEY staring at me...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!


Question: Did you have a toy you were scared of when you were little? 

Photo credit: Jason Scragz