The morning of my long planned birthday party, the weather forecast was picture perfect. I wanted all of our guests to be comfortable but especially my 88 year old Mom. She has troubles with heat and intense sun but I was equally concerned that she might be chilly in our shady yard. In the end everyone was perfectly comfortable with the exception of some stragglers who required a pashmina for their shoulders once the sun had sunk lower than the house.

My sistas and Boo arrived bright and early and went to work getting the back yard into a festive mode. Boo had sprayed beer bottles and mason jars my favourite colour. The bottles contained paper heart cut outs which overflowed into the front yard and directed the party goers into the back yard.

The mason jars were strategically placed and hung from hooks around the garden, filled with spring blooms and particularly white lilies which I absolutely adore. Both their alluring shape and their intoxicating fragrance appeal to me.

Lanterns in my favourite colour hung from our fruit trees.

D ensured that a copious amount of wine was available, in fact, we are still enjoying the quantity that he ordered. But, how many people have a beer lovingly brewed and named after them for a monumentous birthday? Our son J1 the artisan craft beer brewer, concocted this himself and it was such an enormous hit, that the entire keg was gone before the celebration was over.

This was the “card” that all the guests signed. The Frenchman is going to varnish it for me so that it can adorn my garden fence.

Beep had been assigned with curating multi-decades of music and the lovely sounds of many of my favourites wafted over us that beautiful afternoon. I am thinking now that I should have requested “Sugar in the Morning”, a song that my Dad used to sing to me while I watched him shaving in the morning.

D, Sisters Two and Three and anyone who offered to help, contributed the food. Oohh, aahh the food!

The food table as you can see was laden with a variety of delectable items. The favourites were Sister #3’s Bacon Wrapped Figs, Sister #2’s Hoisin Meatballs and D’s Greek Chicken Skewers.

There was my favourite cake-Jeanne’s Banana Cake, two of them in fact (you’ll see the other one at the PS of the post)!

I got too busy to manage the picture taking soon after this one was captured at the beginning of the festivities.

Was it a perfect day? Yes, for a variety of reasons! Many of the people that I love were assembled in one place to do exactly what I love to do: eating, sipping wine and chatting with each other. All this while out in the brilliant sunshine and the promise of a glorious summer. I didn’t even think about gifts until every guest had departed and saw the designated table that was full of tokens of love and friendship. Thank you so much for all the beautiful gifts. But thank you most for the gift of your presence in my life and the cards that you wrote that I reread often to remind myself of our connections.

Thank you D for finding the perfect way to celebrate the life that we have made together. You make all my dreams come true. Forever and Always (All Ways). K

Kath’s quote: “The older the fiddle, the sweeter the tune.”-English Proverb

Live simple, laugh often, love deeply. Love, that is all.

 

 

 

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