Thursday, July 31, 2008

July Birthdays

July is a very celebratory month in the Duffy family. My birthday comes first and then there is Bill, Larry, Pete, Rose, LJ and Will. I hope I have remembered them all!!

We had lots of fun during the month from special dinners and parties in Canberra to a long visit from Bill here in Ballina where we had some quiet time before we travelled to Caloundra and Southport to help celebrate with Larry and Rose. We didn’t get to celebrate with LJ but photos from his blog indicate that a great time was had by all up in Darwin. I hope Will is celebrating today in Adelaide.


Dymp and Bill at the Coolongatta airport.

Dymp and I drove to Coolongatta to get Bill. It was a windy wet night so I appreciated the company and the driver! I had just discovered that my license had expired. It took me four days to get the necessary paperwork through the system so I could get re-licensed – now I have a nice new NSW license. Thanks Aunty Dymp we had a fun drive up!

A pub lunch on a cold and rainy birthday in Ballina!

We enjoyed Bill’s birthday with a birthday lunch at the Pub on Shaws Bay - the ambience was a bit lacking due to having to sit inside because of the weather but the food was delicious. After an afternoon nap!! ... we all went to see Mumma Mia. I really enjoyed the movie – we all did – and then we went out for a Chinese meal to talk about the finer points! Great music and vitality – loved Meryl Streep and her friends! I was reminded of the Ryall girls misbehaving at Chris’s wedding!
Billy helping us inspecting the view from our accommodation in Caloundra.

Next was Larry’s party up at Caloundra. It was a bit special because it came so close on Mumma Duffy’s death and it was good for all the family to get together again after that sad occasion. It was also special because of the wonderful birthday package Carmel had put together for the guests - a cruise down the Pumiceton Passage followed by a special dinner and then a recovery breakfast in the park the next day. It was hard to pick what we appreciated most – it was all good fun, good food and the company of all our family and friends.


A quiet moment in a busy schedule - on the beach at Happy Valley.

We were lucky to have Claire, Jordan and Billy join us. We missed Alan but he was bogged out at Charleville and didn't get home until the next day. We gave his room to Cathie and Anne so we had a bit more time to catch up with the familynews from Perth and Brisbane.

Billy got special food while we dined liked the kings and queens we were!

It was great catching up with our relatives and friends including family from Perth. The party was a mediaeval theme and it seemed all the guests got into the spirit of the theme. I was being bossed around by a very royal king! Because of the cold weather some of us ditched our gowns and glamour after the first event!!

Larry, Anne, Cathie and Bill at the dinner.

After a long breakfast in the park we drove to Brisbane where we lunched with Cathie and Anne and Bill took the time to do some computer repairs for Cathie. After that we travelled down to Coolongatta again to put Bill back on his plane to Canberra. His plane was delayed this end so he didn't get home until 2am. He has a lot of stamina - he was at his desk next morning at 9am!

Luckily we had called into Pete and Ret’s on the way to the airport and they provided wonderful sustenance in the form of fresh salmon and prawns for starters and delicious pork with crunchy crackling and my favourite chicken wings! We left there and drove on the the Anglers Arms where Rose offered to drive us tot he airport. we took our car so we could manage the luggage better - Bill drove out and I drove back with
Rose as the navigator. We did it!! Rose and I spent the night at the Anglers Arms. It wasn't so fancy but we had a good gossip, fell asleep and then woke up when we remembered Rose's mobile was outside somewhere. She spent several minutes going through her luggage looking for the phone and then I spent several minutes going through my luggage looking for the keys to the car! It was quite a spectacle - I gave Rose my little booklite to use as a torch. Yes...she did find the phone.
Pete laying out the seafood before dinner.

It was a bit quieter pace when Rose and I celebrated her birthday on the Monday. We commenced with a morning tea with Mum and then enjoyed a nice lunch at our favourite spot – CafĂ© Aqua on the Broadwater. Mum was well - seemed a bit quiet but was happy to play her part in the birthday celebrations.

Mum giving her birthday gift to Rose.


Rose, Tony and Yudian with Chico!

We had a nice long visit with Tony and Yudian. Had a chance to inspect the charm bracelet Yudian received from the family to celebrate her Australian citizenship. It was lovely and warm in Tony's unit and we caught up on all the family news.

Soon it was time for my long, long weekend to end. I left Southport for Ballina and was so happy to see the Shutters again and to settle in for a nice quiet night. I did send of a parcel to Will though!! Hope he has a lovely day today.

2 comments:

Trish said...

How I love to wake up and check out the blogs. I enjoyed seeing LJ's party pics, and these ones of yours are fabulous Gem...it was a lovely treat to be able to see my mum! Thank you. Sha xxx

Lincoln Jed said...

We loved seeing Great Great Grandma too xx