Friday Smiles 2026 #Week 43

Well, following on from last weeks post about Fin's travelling send-off and my birthday high tea treat, we have had a very busy time, and then a few 'basic' days for us to catch our breath and return to our usual routine. Hence I did some very late visiting to you, but hopefully all will be back to normal now. 

As I suggested last week, all five of our boys came together to celebrate our birthdays with us on Thursday. This was actually Chris' 80th birthday. Tom arrived from Denmark at lunchtime, and Jim and Jo came up on the train from London the day before and were staying in a local B&B. They popped over to see us that afternoon as we guessed (rightly) that there wouldn't be much opportunity for real chat once we all got together.

Mike had booked us in at the Indian restaurant for early evening, and Ben and Ant drove over from Leominster to meet us there. The boys helped me order as I have not been to many Indian restaurants am not familiar with all the dishes.

Anyway we had an excellent meal and then all walked up to a nearby bar - which I also hadn't visited for nigh on twenty five years. It was an open mike night and the front bar was full of singers and their friends, but there was a cosy back room that we took over. I had to get my obligitory photo of our six boys. I like to update it each time we all get together.

Then Chris and I were roped in and Ant took more photos for us. It was a great evening.I love that all my boys are such good friends as well as brothers, and that they all do their best to get together to make a special day for us.

On Friday I had a blood test early morning, and then we both had our Covid vaccinations. (We had flu ones at the start of the week). In the evening I went to choir practice and Tom and dad walked into town to meet Mike and one of Tom's school friends in a local bar. (Dad and Mike used to run this bar a good few years ago).When we first moved to Oswestry it had the highest number of bars per capita of population , in the country. Many have now closed, but there are still plenty to choose from! I met them there after choir but we didn't stay late.

Saturday was bright and sunny so again Tom had us walking into town with him and we went to a café at the front of the market where they sell German sausages and chips. He had arranged to see Mike there and his partner Lucy was with him. So we sat there and chatted for a while and then Chris and I went home, but it was nice to be able to sit outside in the sun for an hour or so.

Later that afternoon Tom came home and brought our grand-daughter Emma home. They were both grinning and the reason soon became clear when Mike, (who is Emma's dad), came in with a little birthday cake with several lit candles on it. Saturday was actually my birthday so they came to me first to blow out the candles while they sang Happy Birthday to me. Then they were all lit and we sang again to Chris, and then lit a third time so we sang to Tom who's birthday was on Monday. (Photo from Tom's family chat group post). Tom had bought lots of snacky foods that he doesn't get in Denmark, so we helped him eat them all for our tea. 

Finally Jonathan's wife Ella and little Aisling came to the door on Sunday with flowers and a card for me. So we somehow managed to make our birthdays last for over a week, and had lots of great family time through out it all.

Tom left us Sunday lunchtime to get a train to Manchester, and then a plane back home. So gradually we have settled down and enjoyed a quiet week with lots of reading, crochet time and TV. 

I have a very excititng birthday and Christmas combined present, but I think this post is long enough so I will tell you all about that next week.

Friday Smiles 2026 # Week 42

 I already have a lot to smile about this week so I am writing this on Thursday morning. The rest will be in next week's post.

Why is this a special week? Because it is a week of celebrations. Today is my husband Chris' 80th birthday. My 79th is on Saturday and our son Tom's is next Monday. So today all five of our boys are coming to Oswestry,Including Tom who is flying in from his home in Denmark this morning, and we will be going out for a meal together this evening.

But first we had a party at son Mike's house on Saturday afternoon because his son, our grandson Finlay, is off on his travels. He has worked hard all summer in the mobile shop that goes to many of the main music festivals around the country. It is long hours, lots of tavelling and lots of heavy lifting, but also mad rush hours serving in the shop, and hours of few customers, but it pays well and he does have time to listen to some of the music. Now he is spending his hard earned cash by going with a group of mates to explore parts of S.E.Asia for three months. So we sent him off with a  barbeque for family and friends. 

The young lads did a good job cooking the meat while we at around chatting or phone-scrolling! 

Then of course, they all stood around the fire pit and burned all of last year's Christmas tree as Lucy cut it up for them. And those with a sweet tooth made smores, (for anyone not in the know, smores are marshmallows melted on a stick over the fire, and sandwiched between two digestive biscuits - preferably chocolate ones!).

All afternoon Fin's younger cousins jumped on the Trampoline. Oh to have a fraction of their energy. 

The youngest one, our grandson Reuben, amused himself with washing his cars. These are kept in a box at Grandad's house, and Reuben was so excited to find that they changed colour in hot water, so he ran a car-wash all afternoon.

Of course we took a photo of us, with Mike and his daughter and two of his sons.

We didn't stay too late because we had a Sainsburys delivery at 8.00 - the only time slot we could get.

Yesterday was another great day because our son Jonathan and his wife Ella, took me for a high tea at the Ironworks for my birthday. Chris did not come to this as it is not his sort of thing, but I did take a box of goodies home for his tea. Once we were seated they brought out tea on a three tier stand with a firework shooting flames from one of my cakes. They also gave me a glass of prosecco becuse Ella had put 'birthday' on the order.

There was so much food including a cup of chips each, various sandwiches, huge slices of cake, enormous scones with butter, jam and pots of cream, and delicious brownies. No-way could we have eaten all of it, and they know that and automatically give each family boxes to take some home. It was a lovely treat. My youngest grand-daughter was with us and she sat in a high-chair happily chewing on the crusts of our sandwiches, and was so good. (Her older sister was at school, but they took her home some cake so I expect she was happy with that).

Last time we went to the irnon works I was disappointed because the 'Knife angel' was off on its travels, so I was happy to see that it had returned home and was once again on display. This is the information board alongside it. I hope you can click on it and read it. If not, there ae links at the bottom that you could use.

You can see in the photos how all the body is made from the knife handles and the wings are all shapes and sized of blades. It is an amazing display and tells an important story.

I am loving all the autumn colours starting to show in the park. This is one of my favourite trees. It is stunning right now but at the first sign of frost these leaves will fall.

I bought a little plant that I spotted in the green grocers this week. When we moved to Oswestry the first time, our garden was full of little cyclamen, and they all flowered just as everything else was dying off. But there was only one small plant in this garden, so when I saw this one I thought it was so pretty, and it is now tucked just below our holly hedge in the front garden.

And I am going to stop there as this post is quite long enough for one week.