APPENDIX 1
The Party
My eightieth birthday was very special and warrants a chapter to itself. I had so many shocks and surprises.
Four days before my birthday, on the Saturday, Tom and Gerry arrived from Canada and just as we were all sitting down to coffee who should arrive like a whirlwind but Vernon. His mum and dad were surprised as he had flown in from Tehran the night before. Adele had secretly booked him in at a hotel for two nights.
Looking back on things I now realize just how dim I was not to suspect that something special was in the offing. When Gerry went missing for an hour I believed her when she explained that she had just been over to look at Adele's new furniture. In fact they had been over to Margaret's to prepare things at Wressle Village Hall for the party that was to be on the Sunday. Then who should roll up on the Saturday night but John and Joan.
The biggest shock was yet to come. Vernon was to take his mum, dad and me out for Sunday lunch. I was a bit awkward with Gerry who tried to insist that I wore a dress. There was no need, I felt so comfortable in my trousers and top. They looked very smart in my opinion. Gerry was particularly fussy as she kept tidying up my hair.
Vernon said how difficult it had been trying to book somewhere and that we would try somewhere in Goole. As we turned up the Wressle road I presumed we were going to the Poachers at Breighton. When we ended up at the Village Hall I was surprised at the number of cars outside. The door being locked I thought that there must be a meeting or something. When the door opened we were met by sixty-eight guests all singing Happy Birthday. I was really stunned and lost for words.
Margaret, Adele, Julie, Colin and Neil were cooking a full lunch, it was lovely. Adele had made a big cake iced by Eileen. It was beautiful, painted tractors and trees round the sides. It was the first time for nearly thirty years that all my family had been together for a reunion.
We were only short of one grandson and his wife in Canada, Vernon's wife and two great-grandchildren in Tehran, but they did ring. All my sisters, brothers, wives and husbands came, even from Redcar, and even though they weren't young. Then came close friends.
I have ten grandchildren, all boys but one very special granddaughter. She has to be special because she lives so close and if Granny has any problems who comes to sort me out, Beccy of course. I have almost as many great-grandchildren now, seven to date.
Tom, Gerry, Andrew, Adele and family celebrated nearly the whole of the week with me. As Vernon was to return to Tehran early on the Tuesday morning he took us all out for a farewell meal on the Monday evening.
It was a snowy and miserable day on the Monday but in spite of that everyone insisted that I should go out shopping. They made all sorts of excuses as to why I wouldn't be able to go on the Wednesday. Supposedly Tom and Daniel had planned to go fishing and they would need the car. They were springing yet another surprise on me. Whilst I was out shopping an engineer came to fix a Sky Television. This was a present from the family.
My official birthday hadn't yet arrived. On Tuesday, February 13th, Adele prepared a party and a good meal and this time I did wear a dress.
On Friday Adele made a farewell meal as Tom and Gerry would be leaving to go home to Canada on the Saturday morning.
On the Sunday David, one of my grandsons, had baby Jack christened and this was followed by yet another party.
It had certainly been a memorable birthday week, one to be remembered and thought about as we all settled down to work.
