97, Or Is It 98?

For lunch today we joined Mum, Elizabeth, Danni, and Ella at The Wheel Inn, where the attentive and friendly staff had laid on an excellent meal to celebrate our mother’s birthday. Apparently Mum had been asked this morning by a new member of staff at Woodpeckers Care Home how old she was. She got her sums wrong and said she was 98. When asked the year of her birth she said “1922”. The staff member displayed her mathematical ability by correcting “the birthday girl”, who was “disappointed” but amused. I quipped that she could not get to that 100 by losing a year.

We began with presents and cards. Elizabeth held our bouquet so Mum could enjoy an appreciative sniff. Because Mum’s sight is not very good Jackie had chosen a pop-up card that she could also feel.Elizabeth’s present was a wooden owl capable of being suspended from the ceiling.

It is worth noting that Jackie’s starter of prawn salad,

her main course of ham , egg, and chips, and her equally proportioned lemon drizzle and ice cream dessert were all OAP portions.

My starter was calamari, which was followed by

fish, chips, peas, and tartare sauce, also, without the sauce, tucked into by our mother for whom it is a favourite.

Ella sampled a beer mat first,

then moved onto a large, squeaky, broccoli floret.

Her G-Ma and her mother both chose tempura prawn starters to which we all discovered

Ella to be most partial.

Danni chose moules mariniere as her main course. Her daughter snaffled some of that, too.

Prawn risotto was Elizabeth’s choice of main meal. Creme brulé was her dessert.

Possibly because I had been forced to add one third of Mum’s fish and a modicum of her chips, I could not manage a dessert.

Her blackberry and apple crumble and ice cream that the kitchen staff brought in, topped by a candle, to the tune off “Happy Birthday”, was no trouble for “the Birthday girl” to wolf down. After she had rapidly blown out the candle so that she could get on with the important business in hand.

Mum drank orange juice; Jackie, Diet Coke; Elizabeth, a lager I can’t remember; while my beverage was Ringwood’s Best.

I require no more sustenance this evening so I’m going to watch some rugby.

 

108 comments

  3. It’s obvious from the photos that your Mum had a great time at her birthday lunch and I do hope she gets to 100 and a card from you know who!

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  4. Happy Birthday to your mother! Now we both have 97-year-old moms. Yours seems in good shape, and it looks like all of you had a most enjoyable time. Ella eating from her mother’s plate reminds me of my younger daughter who used to eat olives and radicchio from my salad bowl.

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  5. Fantastic photographs Derrick, it looks like your mum enjoyed her birthday with her family. Happy Birthday once again to your mum. What a bloody marvellous age 😊

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  7. I can well imagine getting the number wrong after so many years – I can’t keep anyone’s straight any more – my eldest will celebrate her 50th next March and it does my head in because I don’t even feel that old! Any way, it looks like a lovely family outing and your mum seemed to have a thoroughly good time which is what counts. I hope the rugby went well for you.

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  11. Hello was so lovely to see photos of auntie jean on her birthday
    I will show them to my dad Roy tomorrow

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  21. OH! 🙂 A HUGE HAPPY BIRTHDAY to your beautiful Mum! 🙂
    I’m sitting her crying tears of joy! I’m so happy she was born! I’m so happy she continues to conquer life! I’m so glad she enjoyed her special day! I’m so glad so many of you were able to celebrate with her! 🙂 I’m even glad she saved room in her tummy for The Birthday Dessert! 🙂
    (((HUGS))) to her and to all of you!!! 🙂
    PS…if we all “ate” like Ella, we have better figures! 😉

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  24. Happy birthday to your lovely mother! I grinned when I read you had to finish off some of her meal, as I thought when I saw the picture that it was a lot of food. The fish looked fabulous, though. I love the fact that Ella is chowing down on seafood.

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  30. Do you think the staff might have accidentally swapped your Mum and Jackie’s portions??? 😉

    Such a joy to see 4 generations of one family gathered together in celebration so eloquently recounted and elegantly displayed.

    May you all enjoy many more such occasions and congratulations to your Mum for a wonderful achievement. 🙂

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  32. Gosh those are OAP portions? Wow they’re larger than I would have. Oh, hang on a sec, I am an OAP!

    I’m glad you all had a lovely lunch, the food does look delicious. A belated Happy Birthday to Mrs Knight senior.

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  35. What a wonderful day. Thanks so much for sharing it with us. I’m glad your Mum had all of you to make the day even more special for her.

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  39. Your mom looks amazing. And what a smile! My mom is 95 and her body is whole, although her mind at this point isn’t. But her smile and winks are as bright as ever.
    P.S. I think a prawn is a great idea for all ages, young and old.

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  40. A belated Happy Birthday to your mum Derrick, she looks amazing for 97. Looks like you all had a wonderful time creating more memories x

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  45. Happy birthday to your mum – sneaky attempt to get a card from the Queen a year early?

    I wonder how tasty beer mats are 😊

    Reply

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