look forward to doing all again soon….

We took a trip across the channel to be part of a huge conspiratorial event that worked a treat. There’s Mim thinking she was going out for a quiet tête-à-tête dinner with Dick to celebrate her 60^th birthday and there we were, her complete set of siblings,  their partners,  her children and our Mum all sat at the table for two with great expectation of  birthday party celebrations. Needless to say Mim was speechless and then in the middle of it all made a lovely speech forgiving us all for telling lies  and making her think no one was  able to join her on her special day. I did not lie to her however, as I e-mailed to say we were going to the boat for the weekend but did not specify which boat, and we drove onto the Brittany Ferries boat with no guilt or bad feeling…Mike and I had a great weekend just doing family things and  a trip to Wicks to buy my birthday prezzie. I know you are asking yourself what would a woman of that certain age want for her birthday from Wicks…well I needed a new wheel barrow and I am going to call it Bara cause everything deserves a name.

Billy and Maxine were having dinner so we went along to see where the new love nest is. What a delight to see happiness oozing out of every moment those two are together.   We had a lovely meal and then drank the 40 40 40 liqueur  from the recipe that they persuaded my friend Ann to part with when  they were here in September. I must say it was rather good and I am tempted to make a bottle myself, but I still have a litre of slow gin to down so perhaps I will leave it until next year.

Chris and Sam came up from Southampton to see us so we made that into a family gathering too. Both Grand Mothers  there to oooh and aaah  at their little  boy. I gave Chris his part of the memory box hand out and he now owns his Cub cap and jumper, school reports, pictures of his sisters when they were little and a whole load of stuff that I kept for him to enjoy on this day. What a treat. I have promised to share all this memoirs stuff and it gives me so much pleasure.

Then it is all over, we pose for the pictures and all go home but thank goodness we do pose because this is the stuff for sharing. We had a great weekend away, enjoyed the company of our families and look forward to doing all again soon….