Max Alban

What is there to say about our son Max, born Saturday 3rd August 1991 at around 10.30 am, he came into the world kicking and screaming and not a lot has changed since!

He certainly has lived up to his name (Lard) and has been a "biggun" all his life. Now he towers over me, I certainly can't tell him off as he only laughs and he is one of the biggest softies of all time (I'll get into trouble for saying that!)

He took up playing the guitar three and a half years ago, about six months after we had moved from the UK. You can imagine my horror when he wanted to start the guitar. Here we were living in a mobile home, the last thing we needed was a guitar in a cardboard box.

Yet we all went out and bought the acoustic guitar - once he had convinced me it wasn't just a fad he wanted an electric guitar, well yes I had more than a little problem with that but a set of headphones and we could work.

Now nearly four years down the line when he belts out the latest tune, or makes me so proud I could cry (thats what mums are for!!) I am so glad that we learnt to live with the bum notes in the start, the tantrums that he couldn't play a thing and why was he bothering, the guitar picks clogging up the bloody washing machine (from the start right through to today!). I can honestly say he has a gift, he works hard at it and gets a lot of enjoyment from it.

He also gives a lot of enjoyment to others with it. We are just waiting for him to pluck up the courage and "go live" at the pub then it'll be world domination.

Now he has just turned sixteen and started at Lycee - doing a BEP in Electrotechnique - which is like multimedia, etc great for someone who wants to work within the music industry. The latest thing though is that he hasn't actually told the English professor that he is English - so when he is daydreaming or doodling in class, she gets quite annoyed - saying that he needs to concentrate to get up to the standard of the rest of the class! Hey Ho goodness only knows where this one is going to end up!!

I think he enjoyed his first "proper" summer of our guests, yes it has been hard work, especially when I ask him to move three profiling beds on a Saturday morning, or ask him to cut the grass for the second time in the week, but there have been up sides.....lots of new friends, his french friends thinking we are cool to have a house load of people in our garden, drinking eating and generally being merry.

He especially enjoyed being able to host the garden party for the German Exchange party - 30 odd children on one night in my garden!