After a very busy working week, I usually like to do as little as possible. So, a surprise 60th birthday party invitation did not immediately fill me with a sense of joy. After all, there was rugby to watch, clothes to wash and food to enjoy.
I like a tagine and there was plenty left over from my Friday night slow cooking. An early shop on Saturday morning, after I had watched the All Blacks get beaten by the Springboks, meant that I was ahead of myself.
All four of us as a family took part in the Memory Walk to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s charity and in memory of my wife’s mother, Judith. We opted for the 1500m walk rather than the 7.5 km hike. The hill around Stormont is steep enough for the inexperienced walker.
Our young firefighter drove us all downtown so that we could see his apartment, a modern looking block not far from the Ulster rugby ground. It will seem strange when he moves out, but he won’t be too far away. My other half went in search of coffee and a quiet spot to catch up with her heavy teaching workload and I headed off to the Autumn Fair in Botanic Gardens.
There was plenty to do if you were a small infant, and young families were much in evidence. I had a look in the marquee at the flower and produce on show and bought a bag of Armagh apples for £2. The Jeggy Thistle has just opened on Stranmillis and is a cosy watering hole., although £8 for a ginger beer shandy and a packet of nuts was a bit steep.
We headed out for the party with cards and a present for my sister-in-law, Eilish. t’s tricky getting a large crowd of guests to simmer down in preparation for that “Surprise!” moment, but they managed it well.
A photographer was on hand to capture the occasion, and everyone had a good time, myself included. The excellent hosting of my brother-in-law, Anthony helped by his daughters Rachel and Helen and her husband Johnny, meant that our glasses were always full and there was no shortage of hot food, cold buffet and cake.
It was great to catch up with people I hadn’t seen since Helen and Jonny’s wedding. I managed to spill red wine down my best white shirt but that’s why they invented Vanish. We pushed off at about 10pm leaving the floor to the glamorous young crowd to party the night away.
Got up early this Sunday morning to watch the Wallabies get beaten by the Pumas in a thrilling game of rugby. The head’s not too bad after all the red wine last night…I must have spilt more than I drank. Great to see the underdogs do so well in this year’s Rugby Championship….Cmon Ulster!
odespinner 