Happy Birthday Mam

It was mam’s 60th birthday 10 days ago. I sent her some flowers, a card, a bracelet and some earrings in the post while Sonja bought her a pot plant and a bottle of wine and dad bought her nothing. I’m sure she must have been disappointed as I bought dad a balloon ride for his 60th.

But we were tricking her. Dad came up with the idea that me and Jay drive up for the weekend as a surprise so we could give her her real present and have a family barbecue. So Friday after work me and Jay got in the car and made the 200 mile journey up. I got Jay to text Sonja when we were 10 minutes away and we all turned up together. Dad answered the door and mam had her back to us in the living room, watching TV. First of all I said in a funny voice “Have you got time to talk about our lord Jesus Christ?” and dad shouted “No, go away!” Mam didn’t flinch. So next Sonja shouted “Penny for the Guy?” (It’s a British thing) and she still didn’t flinch. So we all started singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” at full volume, and only then did she turn round and say “What the bloody hell’s going on?” and saw us all standing there on the doorstep.

In we all trooped. It was the first time I’d been in their new house and it was very weird. They lived in their last house for about 22 years. I spent my teenage years in that house, stayed there during the summer when I was at uni, our old dog Tess is buried in the back garden; there are so many stories that house can tell! So seeing all their stuff in a different house took a bit of getting used to, and I don’t know where anything is in the kitchen!

Now that we were all gathered together, we gave her her present of a helicopter ride! She’s always said about how she’d love to go up in a helicopter so me, dad and Sonja clubbed together and bought a 30 minute, 45 mile trip in one. There’s a list of dates and locations, all in the north of England, and she can choose any of them. Dad agreed to drive her there. She seems really excited so I hope she loves it when it happens :o)

The next day, Sonja and her three kidlets came round and we all had a barbecue. Here are a few photos.
Mam opening her bottle of pink fizz while I take a photo. We’re both doing the same thing with our mouths and Jay looks pensive. This is Sonja’s photo, notice the cork is still in the bottle.

And this is from my point of view, just after the cork popped!

Eleanor notices our faces look funny in the wine bottle so we pull faces. Sonja happened to take the photo just when Isabel and Eleanor look normal and I’m the only one who looks like a freak.

Sonja points at a bee while dad takes a photo.

This is what they were looking at; the bees love this plant! Here we have three bees and two hoverflies.

It’s Meg the dog’s birthday four days before Mam’s; this year she turned 15! I made her a card with photos of all her favourite things. Here we have empty crisp packets, which she likes to rip apart, empty plastic bottle, which she likes to squeeze and make noises, bones, chicken, which she isn’t allowed to have because it gives her a bad tummy, spaghetti, a river and a stick. I think she liked it.

It was a lovely weekend, although short, and I’ll be back up next weekend for four days so that’ll be a nice break away :o)

In other news, I’ve started yet another qualification. As well as my NCFE level 3 (A-Level equivalent) in Domestic Pet Care I’m now doing level 2 (GCSE equivalent) in Business Administration. I’m doing it through work and I have to do 10 hours a week, which my boss has said I can do at work. It’s been really quiet the last month so I thought I’d have plenty of time but it’s started to get quite busy now so I may have to do some of it at home. So, to add to the nine GCSEs, four A-Levels and the degree that I already have, now I’m doing a full time job, another GCSE and another A-Level all the same time; I’ve got my work cut out! But as Jay keeps saying, I’ve always got to have a project on the go, lol.

I thought the Business Admin would be useful in my current job and also if I become self-employed with my dog walking business, I could carry some of it over to that. So it has a double use :o)