Blimey – the old fella is somehow 60!!!! But it was at least a cracking weekend, to send him into his next decade in style.
R&J had a very good dinner and stay at Le Manor on their 20th wedding anniversary (eek!) the day before Ross's 60th – no better place to wake up for a huge breakfast to start the weekend's food fest.
They arrived at the cottage to find – of course – lots of 'lovely' 60th decorations all over it – you can imagine how delighted R was. Just check out that 'beaming' grin (grimace)..
He perked up with his first present though – some homemade (by me, first time ever) slightly overcooked shortbread biscuits and a birthday cake. All served in the garden – a minor miracle that it was the first warm day in AGES. And nice to see the lawn, lovingly mowed with proper stripes by Mr H in advance.
Once imbibed and scoffed, some prezzies followed with a spot of Taittinger fizz… Didn't he do well?
Friday evening then kicked off with the man meat fest – 2 enormous, 5-weeks aged steaks from Surrey Hills Butchers, accompanied with R's requested skinny fries, mushrooms, tomatoes and creamed spinach. And some – apparently – very fine Chateauneuf du Pape.
As good wives, J and I let the boys thrash us at Trivial Pursuit, aren't we kind..
Saturday continued the birthday weekend with an EXCELLENT request from Ross – a KFC bargain bucket of 14 bits of chicken, 4 lots of chips and a side of beans. Great minds think alike – it's what I would have liked for my 50th later this year, but rather hard to find when at sea in the South Pacific… Hurrah – early treat for me too.
R was particularly loving the all-plastic natty pork pie 60th birthday hat at this point too…
Quite a late night was had by all… Though to quite as late as we then managed on Saturday as well. Had a fabulous seafood platter from the Poissonerie in Shoreham, although we were all still a bit stuffed – it reappeared for Sunday lunch as you cannot waste a massive king crab, 30 king prawns, a pot of whelks and a pile of native oysters..
The new present from Janine – a Denon sound system and speaker thingy (I'm sure it has a flashier name than that) had been charged and linked to devices by then – cue an evening of 'great old tunes' ranging from Bon Jovi and Led Zeppelin to Glen Campbell and Queen… God help poor Simon next door, we weren't exactly quiet.
And the end of the evening pretty much looked like this… I think we sent him into his next decade in style x x x