88, 89, 90!

It’s a training day at work today so I am able to get in a wee bit later than usual. Today Grandad turns 90! We had his birthday party last weekend and it was such a treat. The weather was perfect, a fair swack of extended family turned up which was great for a catch-up and of course there was food!

Lawrence Pryce Stephenson, born 29 Jan 1920.
Grandad

Grandad is Grandad and for all that he is, I quite treasure the time I spend with him. We typically go to The Farm, once a week to visit and have dinner etc.

This was the cake.
The week before when we were up, Mum asked Grandad what sort of cake he wanted, his answer was a plain fruit cake with no icing and that is what we had. I of course couldn’t let it go undecorated though! We used to play with this fishing rod and fishes when we were younger and spending time at The Farm. Grandad is a fisherman, not so much at all in recent years unfortunately as it is hard for him to keep steady on his feet in a boat.

Just like we have done in the past for other milestone birthdays, Mum had taped together 90 party poppers in bunches of fives. With a slight breeze in the air, they looked fantastic when they popped.

90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers! 90 Party Poppers!

Grandad with streamers all over him.
90 Party Poppers!

Pabbi
Papa

Max and Ian
Ian and Max

Jim – Such a Stephenson face!
Jim

Of course, whilst historically hailing from the Northern Rivers district we are a Bundy Ginger Beer family. πŸ˜€
Gaye and Wally

I can tell you all since Grandad does not read this blog. Today he is having a surprise party in the shed with all the workers. The workers all call him Poppy, which is just so different from Grandad. There will be a big BBQ lunch and who knows what else.

Happy Birthday Grandad.

Birthday Eve

I had a bit of flex time up my sleeve so I had a Birthday Eve day off (also because I was taking cake to work for my birthday and I wanted cake on my birthday not on the day before or after). I slept in till 7am!!! I did some washing, took care of the 1.8kg hunk of Pancetta I picked up last week, replied to some emails and then I headed off into the city. First off I collected my ticket for the Brandenburg concert and then I went to GOMA and checked out the Picasso exhibit at last (it closes on Sunday), that was everything I thought it was going to be and more. It was a really well presented exhibit. Getting a chance to see the works of Matisse, Cézanne, Rousseau, Renoir and all the other pieces that Picasso had collected presented alongside his own work was really good. At the GOMA shop I picked up one of the spilt pain teacup sets, it looks so good (I will take a photo of it later)

GOMA

Then I headed into the city and made a stop at Lush to buy my birthday present to myself and had a wander round the shops and I made the best discovery in Mountain Designs. Keen now makes/sells bags! Oh they had some cool bags. So cool!

After a bit more of a wander and a visit to Blue Cats for some chocolate goodies, I headed out of the city and home and then onto my parents home. On the way I stopped at the flower market and picked up some flowers.

Birthday Flowers Birthday Flowers

Pabbi cooked skonsur for dinner which was quite enjoyable, it has been sooo sooo long since I have had skonsur. I got to the kitchen table at dinner and there was a package waiting at my place. I was not expecting any presents at all as the deal is after you turn 21 you don’t get birthday presents any more. I opened the package after tea and it was pack of hankies πŸ˜€ Nice lady hankies. I had commented to Mum a couple of weeks ago that I hadn’t been able to find nice hankies. Now I have some πŸ™‚ After that I cooked my birthday cake (pretty much this recipe, photo coming soon) for work today as the oven at their place is just a little bit better than the oven we have at the flat.

Then it was home time to watch The Hollowmen(man oh man I love that show) and then bed πŸ˜€ so I would be ready for a busy as usual day at work today πŸ˜€

Birthday Eve Dinner at 589

Yesterday we headed up to 589, commonly known as Glasshouse Mountains Lookout or Forestry Lookout 589 for Birthday Eve BBQ Tea for Grandad who turned 88 today.

I made a pavlova for dessert, my first! I then ate a whole lot of pavlova for dessert. Pavlova isn’t exactly the most friendly dessert for a 1 day shy of 88 diabetic….

Eating a BBQ dinner.
Birthday Dinner

I got a chance to play with my GNDs taking this shot of the soon to set sun.
Forestry Lookout 589, 28/366

Prior to heading up to 589 we did the usual lazing round the farm on an arvo, reading, watching the birds, photographing etc etc.
There were a few birds that were having a ball splashing their tail feathers in the water and of course making for a good photo.
Splish Splash

And of course a Galah.
Galah

Birthday Breakfast

We went to Walkabout Creek yesterday morning for a Big Breakfast Buffet to celebrate my Birthday. Pabbi picked Grandad up from The Farm for the occasion and then we headed over to Brisbane Forest Park for some serious Breakfast Buffeting as in I am not having lunch today and won’t eat much for dinner sort of Breakfast. It t’was very good indeed. Lots of very yummy foods. The waffles were huge and very nice with Greek yoghurt and berry compote and there was Danishes and bacon, lots of bacon and very nice breakfast.

I had hoped to get a photo of Matthew as he was told that he had to let me take his photo as it was my Birthday event, somehow it didn’t transpire. I did two very nice photos of Pabbi and Grandad though.

Grandad
Pabbi

Grandad brought a Hippeastrum stalk down with him for me to put my desk at work this week. He must have known that the Crucifix Orchids that I had picked at The Farm a fortnight ago had reached the end of their life on Friday. I have quite liked looking at the Hippeastrum flowers at work today, so big and red πŸ˜€