Stumbling toward 50...

Saturday just gone the family held my 50th birthday bash... now it isn't my birthday yet, still a couple of weeks or so away but due to availability of sons etc. (he will be back to uni next week) it seemed sensible to hold it early.   Those who know me via this blog will no doubt not be surprised to hear me say I really am not a great party person at all. For that reason I'd wanted an "afternoon gathering" the original plan being a little do at our place through the afternoon.  However as the invitee list grew and the summer's weather wasn't great we decided to move to an alternative venue so we booked a room above a pub that my wife knew about and they provided the sarnies etc. meaning Mrs F enjoyed it far me being able to circulate around.

In the end somewhere attendance was somewhere in the 30s.  Which was pleasing, all my close family was there, the extended bits to (i.e. partners and family of nephews etc.) some friends from AA and some old friends who used to be a regular friends some years back but with life and families changing we all moved on and don't see each other so much at all these days with one of those making the trek up from Bristol.

It was really nice to have all those people around to celebrate with - although I still feel a bit of a fraud given my birthday is still a way off and all the cards/presents were left un-opened until the actual day as that seemed right to me.

Here is the cake Mrs F commissioned from an extremely talented friend of hers.  Most people claimed it was a dead ringer for me.  I think I look like a character from the old Camberwick Green shows which I really like the idea of... if only they would make a remake I could pitch myself in as a wandering musician... :-)

Oh yes and with so many AAs at the party the bar I suspect didn't quite sell as much alcohol as they expected to!