birthday wrap up

birthdays are EXHAUSTING!!! what with all the eatin' and drinkin' and present opening - i'm plum worn out!!!

my parents have come and gone, and it was great to see them! they usually make it up two or three times a year, but for some reason, the last time they were here was this time LAST YEAR (when the hubs and i were at the hong kong sevens).

so let's start with the loot. i got me some good stuff. the flavoured vodka's from my neighbour. he snapped it up duty free on his way back from india last night! miss 19 works part-time in a BAG store, and the staff discount extends to family (well, for birthdays anyway!)

i can't wait to load up the digital frame. it plays music too!!!

tara's miss 12 showed up on our doorstep at 7.30am with a gorgeous cactus, home-made card and biscuits! (cookies) that's why i look half asleep.

because i leave before and arrive AFTER everyone else in the office, the girls were able to get to work on my whiteboard. they also strung up a happy birthday banner. SWEET!

thursday night was a family dinner at home. miss 17 (who works part-time at a bakery) brought home the BIGGEST chunk of hedgehog slice (biscuity fudge cake!) and plonked a candle in the middle of it.

friday was more coffee and lunch and pressies from other friends, and saturday was a pre-season netball tournament for miss 11 and miss 12.

check out that blue sky. it was a gorgeous day for it! i umpired countless games and was parched when i got home!

me and the 'rents (last night)

tara and her family came over for dinner and we observed 'earth hour' in the middle of it. tara's mr 6 was quite entranced with the candles

tara's hubs and their miss 12 made these gorgeous individual golden syrup (treacle) puddings! i didn't get an 'after' shot of them (cooked) because the lights were all out!

then it was off to high tea today. mum and dad didn't go in for 'any of those fancy teas', but loved all the yummy eats.

scones with jam and cream. who can resist?

great views from the 17th floor windows (not that you can see any here!)
i'm just tellin' ya...

then it was home for a game of cards before heading to the airport. my parents were taught to play by THEIR parents, and we in turn are a card playing family.
(my folks take it pretty seriously tho. can ya tell???)
as birthdays go - it was a pretty good one.
i managed to drag it out 4 days, which i think is only fair, given that you only get one a year.

elaine over at the miss elaine-ous life (a co-photostory friday blogger) and i share a birthday, and she noted that she was wished a 'happy birthday' 11 different ways; snail mail, email, text, voice, facebook, blog etc etc

11 - that's pretty cool huh? i hadn't really thought of how many ways there were to wish someone a happy birthday, but i sure got my fair share too.

so thanks to everyone both virtual and otherwise, who took the time to make my birthday special.

heart ya!