Sheila's Happy Birthday

Thanks to thirty of Sheila’s best friends who took the trouble to mail real birthday cards which, amazingly, all arrived, and to a group of family and friends who actually turned up in person to celebrate her birthday, Sheila’s coming of a certain age will be a cumpleanos to remember. Ruth‘s card was the winner in the “most appropriate feline theme” category and she was awarded this week’s first prize of a night in a hotel in Benidorm. (airfare not included).

Of course, some people went completely over the top and actually flew all the way here to personally wish Sheila a happy birthday.

Here we all are at the surprise party …

Thanks to family members Roger, Jenny, Emmeline and Patriot, together with very good friend Christine, for making this a very special occasion. Christine wins this week’s second prize for travelling the furthest to attend. The second prize is two nights in a hotel in Benidorm. (airfare not included). The booby prize of a week‘s holiday in Benidorm remains unclaimed..

Roger and Jenny brought the cake from Worthing…

while Christine brought the sun from Jersey…

Since Christine’s arrival the weather has been fantastic. Deliciously hot, cloudless days and warm moonlit nights. We had been assured that it only rains for ten days a year here. Well, it rained nine out of our first eleven; the most rain in 160 years, and the hailstorm we had our first evening was so intense that some cars now look as though they’ve been peppered by the shrapnel of an Afghani’s suicide bomb. (Relax Nati and Antonio - our hosts - your car is just fine).
Now for a couple of remarkable facts…Did you know that Sheila’s mother had difficulty remembering her children’s birthdays so she gave birth to Sheila on the same day in 1949 that the People’s Republic of China was founded.
And, secondly, the British Government has just declared that henceforth the 1st of October, shall be designated, “Older People’s Day.”