Bloody hell. I wouldn't have put £20 on this being likely. The Clogs getting here from Holland under lockdown. 7 households all managing to make it to Dora Road on the same day. And – as far as we know so far – not a drop of Covid hanging in the air..
So we pulled it off! Cathy was able to come here for the first time in nearly 2 years (longer for Em & the girls) and to see everyone for her 60th (eek, so old) birthday celebrations. Lily now taller than her Mum – height wise anyway..
Grace & Adam (niece number 2!) came down the night before from the Midlands, giving us all the first chance to meet baby Bobby, a year since he was born! And then in the rest came – the Holland 4, Jess/Pat & Lettie, Rick/Heath and Abbie/Nick and cousin Adrian. The entire Scott clan. Amusing that by 10.50am everyone except Adrian was there – and we'd said 'come from 11'! Guess we were all a bit excited..
Lily & Daisy loving their horses head thingies and good to get the first photo of all 5 nieces in a very very long time! And yes, Jess is pregnant with number 2, busy brewing the third great-niece apparently!
Hawksey was a complete superstar, knocking out a fab roast for everyone, ably assisted by Adam in the kitchen, and everyone chipping in help. Cathy in her birthday badge and tiara, garden table brought in from the cold for the event and Xmas tree banished to the garden as the baubles came down and the birthday banners and balloons went up. Had a food fest and then rolled everyone down the hill and round the park, with Scrumpy and Rick's collie Nancy (yes, really) making the numbers up to 19.
Then it was time for birthday cake and unicorn cupcakes – nice one Waitrose, about the only place you can rely on to deliver cake on 2 January when every day for a week seems to be a bank holiday! Though I think Lettie had a better time with the balloons than even Cathy did..
And there we all were – Scotts from 1 year to nearly 70 years. In the middle photo below, being vaccinated by Lettie, very pleased with her new Miffy medical kit and the playful screams of all her patients being jabbed…
And come 6pm, sofa collapso time. Still with my damn tummy bug being really annoying, good job Buscopan kind of helped..
A final Monday of Cath's actual birthday – they went on the London Eye and for a 'celebratory' pre-travel PCT test, a new bobble hat care of Mandy B in Harrogate – only Cathy has a head big enough to fit it – and a takeaway curry as the monster pack-a-thon began. Their house must have been empty back at home as surely everything from it was in ours????
And luckily, the trip back was smooth – back on a nearly empty ferry and home to Clogland and its closed streets and shops by 8pm.
Delighted we managed to pull it off – still laughing at Rick suggesting we do it every year from now on! x