Surprise Birthday Party

I could only think of Willowtree when I found this cartoon.

G’day to all, I am posting this from Perth which is the other side of the country (about 4000 Klm from home), what am I doing here… having just returned from holidays in NSW???

I have purposefully made no mention of this trip before as I am here as a part of a surprise birthday party for my oldest son Alan, somehow Alan is celebrating his 50^th birthday…. so I’m being told anyway, it surely can’t be 50 years since he first graced our lives???

The trip had to be kept quiet in case Alan read of it in this blog, he isn’t a regular reader but does have a glance here occasionally, and it would have been a shame to spoil the surprise of all the effort that his two lovely daughters have put into organizing the party.

The whole family will once again be gathered together as my favourite daughter has come across from SA, so you can expect to see some more photos in a few days time.

I’m going to tell a story on myself here (before it filters out from any other source), when Vicki and I were shopping in Noosa 18 months ago, at the time of my surprise 70^th birthday, we found a birthday card with an attached CD celebrating the year of his birth, I bought this card and then promptly forgot all about it.

While talking with Vicki about the upcoming surprise party she reminded me of it, fine I have a storage box for spare Christmas/Birthday cards and the like that’s where I would have put it…. NO…. nor was it in any of the 270 other boxes, drawers, shelves, or hiding places that I scoured over the next week.

I finally admitted defeat and gave up all hope of ever seeing this card again, however when grand daughter Jenna and daughter Vicki called in to youngest son Bruce’s, where I am currently hiding out, (so I won’t run into Alan, who lives only a few streets away) Jenna produced an envelope which she handed to me, long story short, this was the missing card which I had left with Lyn (Alan’s wife) for safekeeping, never thinking I would be back so soon to deliver it in person, when I was here in March for Jenna’s wedding.

Amid much laughter and comments about “Old-timers” disease when I described the frenzied searching I had done looking for it Jenna quietly informed me it had been in her mothers underwear drawer since March…. I had to admit that this was one place I hadn’t thought to look for it.

The party is tomorrow (Saturday) night so I will not post this until after the event, who knows what other stories might come forth then.

This is Alan and his girls, wife Lyn and daughters Jenna and Aimee,the two girls
organized the Surprise 50th which could not have gone off better

Marcus and Alan are the two fanatical Geelong supporters who were
rewarded with a premiership after waiting 43 years since the last one.
There is a story about the jumper that Alan is wearing, it is the one his
nephew Daniel, (Vicki's son) was wearing in a match when he received a
fairly serious injury so the jumper was cut at the top two seams for
removal, this would be a simple thing to repair but Alan has chosen to
just pin the seams together with safety pins to empathize the story.

Marcus and Carolyn had their entire family together for the first time in
two years Oldest son Zac flew in from England where he had spent two years
on Friday.... just in time for the big birthday.

Favourite daughter, Vicki, was also able to come across from SA, so again we
were able to get photos of the complete family, twice in one year after never
having happened before.... amazing!!!

And just to round off a good night, youngest son Bruce, who's marriage broke
up 16 months ago, brought along a new lady friend, Paula, who passed inspection
with flying colours.