Birthday Feastings

When you have significant birthdays you are pretty much obliged to party in my view.  I have long thought that my Uncle Peter was much mistaken when I asked him if he was having a party to celebrate his 80th birthday and his reply was that he couldn't see why you would have a party to celebrate the fact that you weren't dead yet.  We had the party to celebrate his life a few years later, after his funeral.  It would have been so much better if we had also partied when he was around to celebrate with us!

Yesterday was a fairly significant birthday for me.  We definitely partied!

We started on Saturday, with an afternoon tea.  I wanted everyone who came to be able to eat everything that was on the table.  I didn't think that I could cater so that everyone found everything delightful, but I could definitely take into account people's allergies, intolerances and dietary preferences.  And so I produced a table which was nut, strawberry, mushroom, shellfish and pumpkin seed free (taking into account all the allergies I knew about).  I also had a table which was suitable for vegetarians and, with the sole exception of a bowl of cows' milk yoghurt, also suitable for vegans. It was my party - I figured one bowl that the vegan friend couldn't eat wasn't bad.  She could eat everything else, including the cake.

A vegan-friendly feast

Cake and pastries, good for everyone to eat

The Builder and I are about to head off on a five week adventure in Singapore, Australia and Japan. We have people in place to look after the house and to feed the chickens and the ducks (so no point heading round with a furniture van to clear the house out while we are away - you'll upset the House Minders!!).  Marlo was invited to go and stay with Freyja, Simon and Aidan while we were gone. Sunday seemed like a good day to take him round to start his holiday.

Freyja and Simon have just come back from a few days exploring in and around Marrakech.  They brought this back with them

Amongst the exciting things they did while in Marrakech was to go on  a day course learning how to make Moroccan food.  On Sunday they gave their new tagine its inaugural flight.

Delicious vegetable tagine

They also bought a beautiful bowl while they were there.  I put a load of edamame beans in it. African and Asian fusion food :-D

I was very pleased with the Moroccan saffron that Freyja and Simon brought back for me.  But I was also very jealous of the tagine.  So you can imagine my delight when I opened my cards and presents yesterday and found that the vegan visitor on Saturday and her partner had bought me this

Isn't it beautiful?

Yesterday The Builder and I culminated the Birthday Feasting with a visit to the Three Cottages for lunch

A sharing platter to start

The Three Cottages is noted for its pies ...

... and its chips

A mighty birthday feast

We definitely didn't need anything else to eat after that!!

Marlo wasn't entirely convinced by his holiday destination.  Or indeed, the idea of a holiday at all. But he seems to be settling in

I think that I will sit on this squishy sofa

Or maybe I will sleep on Aidan

(The last two photos are courtesy of Freyja and Simon)