Well, it's been ages in the planning but finally the big day (well, week really) rolled round and the old man is now truly that – an old fella! How I can possibly be married to a 60 year old bloke when I am only 27, is beyond me though…
It kicked off with a night out with Mark & Charlie to warm things up and slide us towards the big day. We are also now booked to go to a very traditional Jewish restaurant – in St John's Wood, obvs – with them in a couple of weeks time for a second birthday celebration!
But the main event was all dependent on whether David & Mands could make it down from Harrogate for the pre-birthday weekend, given David is midway through chemo and only had one of his session on Tuesday of the week. Bless him, he felt varyingly rubbish & okay and drove all the way down to us with Mands to avoid train bugs. Here, H comparing Dav's temporarily bald head with a potato, as only VERY good friends can charmingly do!
H was super super chuffed – as of course was I. Maddie was possibly slightly less so, as Mabel is her biggest fan and likes to chase her, hang off her neck or even hump her when she's feeling especially friendly…
And one of the reasons that D&M came down was to be part of H's surprise 60th birthday dinner on the Sat night. I thought back in summer last year that while he wouldn't like a surprise party, he would enjoy seeing some of his nearest & dearest – and what better thing than to have everyone whom he cooks for often, return the favour?
Mandy & I put up the – funnily enough blue coloured – 60th decorations while the boys were out for a dog walk. Under the guise of 'dinner in for us four' David then magically produced a beef wellington, dauphinoise potatoes and veg. The scene was set for a nice meal in – and then the doorbell rang.
H went to answer it (of course!) – and Bob dog ran into the house. Confusing!!! At the same moment, Fi & Rich and Jules & Nicky all appeared from hiding, bearing all their food. A ma-hoo-sive fruits de mer platter care of Fi & Rich, which was an epic starter. Crab, prawns, oysters, whelks, winkles plus home baked bread, lovely butter and some fishy pates as well. Amazing!
And Jules & David had been liaising to match main course recipes – so Jules & Nicky came in with a duplicate of the beef wellington, dauphinoise and veg – a stonking effort and we now had enough for all 8 of us.
All in all a totally top night – polished off with an apple/raspberry crumble mostly created by me & Mands in order to go with H's favourite Kelly's Cornish raspberry ripple ice cream. Which – as I only discovered when we got to Cornwall – was actually founded by H's great grandparents! Maybe his Mum being called Barbara Kelly should have been the clue…
H was supper chuffed that people had turned out to celebrate his impending big birthday and been kind enough to make amazing food so he didn't have to.
Massive phew that D&M made it down to us and that everyone did such an awesome job in making him feel v v special. Only ten years to the next one now – hurrah!
x
xx