Pat's big birthday

Off to Ashford this morning to celebrate Pat's ninetieth birthday -- which like Sam's is actually tomorrow on the 29th -- in a car full of cupcakes and balloons, and boards that Lorraine had painted, and covered with photos of her dad and his family through the years. We also stopped to buy some flowers en route.

Sometime later, after following a couple of tractors on the way, we reached the Collingbrook Hotel in Ashford in good time, to discover Ken and Claire in the carpark with two harlequin Great Danes, who were coming to the party too. Soon there were lots of hands on deck prepping the room. It did look very nice. Soon there were thirty three of us. It's hard for me to keep track of Lorraine's family as they are many, but most people I had met before at least once. 

Importantly Pat's children were all there, Lorraine, Ken who had hopped over from Ireland, and Derek who had travelled over from Finland.   

A really cheerful affair, with Steve kicking off events by giving a lovely heartfelt speech about how much his brother meant to him. On our table were Beth and James, Lorraine, and Pat and Maureen's pals Cyndy and Janet Pooley, plus Sharon who was a childhood friend.  Maureen and Sharon's mum were close friends, but Sharon's mum died when she was 14, and Maureen and Pat were a big source of comfort to her -- and she still calls in on them often.

I really enjoyed talking to folks. I had a proper chat with Jason, Derek and Laura's son, and his girlfriend Katie, who is studying speech therapy. Jason a lovely guy, and at one point he had an expression on his face that was exactly like one Sam makes. Also spoke to Will and Louise, Ken's daughter and her husband, as well as Sarah, Ken's other daughter and her boyfriend Ed, and Pete and Charlene. Pete being so kind as usual and ferrying older folks about.

Spent lots of time talking to Lorraine's uncle Wally, Maureen's older brother who is 91, friendly and hale with a twinkle in his eye.  Edwin, Maureen's youngest brother, I also had a good talk with. He is very creative and showed me, his walking stick, it its carved root head, which was excellent. He does a lot of wood turning now, and made a stick for Wally with an eagle on it.

Quite a few of Lorraine's cousins there too, Janet and her husband Neil, cousin Lorraine and her husband Alan, and Dave and Karen. Dave had introduced Lorraine to David Bowie and cool music when they were kids. 

After a few hours, we were done. But after tidying things away, we popped over to Pat and Maureen's house, where they were none the worse for wear, and had really enjoyed the day. I had a chance to speak to Derek for a while too. I really enjoyed talking to him, and wished it was easier to see more of him and Laura.

Then a surprisingly easy journey home, under a nearly full moon. A happy day, that everyone seemed to have enjoyed. Lorraine put lots of work into making it all happen, and was really pleased with how it went.

Ken was snapping lots of photos, so I just mainly focused on enjoying myself but these ones are quite nice. I will drop in one from Ken at some point as there was one taken of the whole family.

Below Cyndy, birthday boy Pat, Maureen, and Janet; three siblings Ken, Derek and Lorraine; cupcakes; Uncle Edwin who told me about his life as a roofer, and his love of wood turning on his lathe. He made his walking stick which I loved, the gnarly face made from the root end of the wood.