Birthday Bonanza: 45 and feeling alive!
It’s been a busy week of Libran birthday celebrations.
First and foremost, it was my 45th last weekend (Oct 17th). And what a wonderful weekend I had full of fun, friendship, and food! Bruce was in charge of the day and it started with a surprise breakfast at the Christchurch Casino where friends Maggie, Roelf, Tobi, Alex, and Briar met us for the famed breakfast buffet. Apparently, going to the Casino for a meal on your birthday is a ‘must-do’ at least once, for the birthday girl or gal receives their meal for free along with a complimentary glass of champagne. Yes, champagne breakfast is what I had. And all for free. {Note: I think we all agreed though that once is enough as the food is really nothing to write home about.}
In the afternoon, Bruce & I went to the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve which is something I’ve wanted to do for ages. Nestled on approx 15 hectares (40 acres) just on the outskirts of town, it is a very sweet place with all sorts of animals: deer, lemurs, capuchin monkeys, pigs, sheep, horses, kiwi birds, wallabys, an ostrich, and lots of geese and ducks and other interestingly-colored birds. It was a lovely day and we spent a nice couple of hours walking around and enjoying the animals. Many of the wallabys had just had their babes, and we got to see the baby marsupials poking out of mama’s pouch as they were hopping along, just a few metres in front of us. Way cute! The kunekune pigs were one of my favorites. So ugly, yet so lovable. They apparently make good pets and I can totally see how they’d grow on you. The two we met were quite friendly and enjoyed a wee scratch behind the ears!
Later in the evening we had dinner at Octagon, a restaurant I highly recommend. Run from a converted 1870’s Oamaru stone church, complete with large stained glass windows, a high-arched cupola, and the old church pipe organ, the ambiance is lovely, the acoustics great for the jazz piano player and singer, and the food quite yummy. It’s a special place, perfect for anniversary and birthday celebrations.
The weekend continued with good fun as I got together with friends Amba, Jason, and others. A trip to the art gallery, a walk through the botanical gardens, and a shared cuppa were all on the menu.
So thank you friends and family, for your company, for your emails, and for your very thoughtful gifts. It was an excellent birthday.
But that wasn’t the only one. Friend Maggie celebrated hers the weekend before and we did it up in style out in Wainui. Maggie, Roelf, Alex and Tobi came out for a long weekend and Maggie’s pals Wayne, Jan, and their daughter joined us for an overnight. Lots of champagne, delicious food, and amazing entertainment was had. Wayne, an aspiring opera singer, regaled us with several operatic pieces which really just blew us away. The sun shone all weekend, the flowers were in bloom, we BBQ’d, walked to the beach, played some games. I think Maggie would agree that it was perfect.
Yeah, the southern hemisphere spring-time birthday celebrations are growing on me. I likes it!