Happy Meta birthday!

Today celebrates my mother Meta. Alas, for some genetic reason, you keep showing my age.

Unsurprisingly, your best photo of your latest visit was taken by my father.

Photo: BM

Meta can mean a lot of things in many languages: goal, finish, middle, half in Italian, mint in Slovenian, target in Serbian, whatever meta means in English. In Italy you are also the convenient quality:

Meta’ in Rome.

Here are three more photos from last month: you again among flowers in Tatti, with your friend among trees in Umbria, and both a bit tired after all that door-hopping.

And since you like flowers (like your mother), a few days ago I got some for you. The best part is that they are still attached. Meta is also short for Marjetica which means daisy in Slovenian. Here there are, as many as you deserve, and some poppies, and another useful plant:

It hit my face and almost ran away before I could take a photo.

But the best part of your visit was our daily basketball training. First five minutes there were you and me on the court, but then I required substitution and the real star got his two minutes of fame. Story in the captions.

It started off quite friendly.

The red sneakers are a nice touch.

The highest I’ve lifted my arms in years.

Aha! Intimidating the opponent!

Do we have a fight?

Your posture is saying: “Go ahead. You’ll miss.” All photos until here: BM

Aha! A new player!

Maribor Vs. Ljubljana.

Offensive foul!

Don’t know where this ball landed.

But who is counting baskets made. 10 points for style!

After we almost died of laughter when admiring my father for his exceptional horok in these photos, he admitted that not only he hadn’t even held the ball since he was a student (when he was pretty good) – except when they bought it for me for Christmas, or was that Santa Claus? – but also that mother (the shooting guard of Ježica, Ljubljana) and father (the forward of Branik, Maribor) had never played against each other (nor with each other, I suppose) until that moment in all 50 years together (the anniversary is next year!). History in the making.

And we still didn’t have enough. We continued in Tatti even without the ball (but there is a sort of basket above). Photo: BM

Dear mama Meta, thank you for your sporty genes (at least in theory), winning smile, great strategy, premeditation, good decision-making, playfulness and big heart for the losing team. 😀 Cin cin, na zdravje, salut and to many more greatest hits! ❤