A jolly weekend

Maxie's birthday and other end of year celebrations combined to make this an unusually jolly weekend.

We started on Friday with an 18th birthday shopping expedition and lunch afterwards with young Thomas L. Saturday we celebrated Maxie's big birthday family style at the green and shady Lowe Street Park in Queanbeyan, then a big night out afterwards with work friends. Sunday it was playtime with Ella in the morning and catching a movie in the evening (The Ides of March - brilliant!) with friends and a late dinner at Mecca Bah afterwards, once again in celebration of Maxie's big birthday.

Last night it was out again; this time catching up with Hugh and Joanna and all their travel tales before the end of the year. We've had fun but it has been a marathon of enjoyment!

My 97 year old Mum will treasure this pic of gorgeous Ollie enjoying a cuddle with Great-Grandma.

The bikes and scooters were out in force. Ella's bike is a fully restored vintage model that her Daddy spent many hours (and dollars) modifying to meet her specifications (must be painted red and purple and have pink streamers!).

Some relaxed family time together....

....... and our old favourite birthday carrot cake. Ella was waxing lyrical about the joys of icing ---she wishes "it would rain icing" ---- while O and A just got on with demolishing their portions.

We organised Secret Santa and sorted out the menu for next weekend's family Christmas lunch, very inefficiently thanks to my having drunk two glasses of sparkling shiraz.

Our end of year fancy dinner that night was at Waters Edge Restaurant, with my work friends in the RED group (and partners). It was a beautiful wintry cool Canberra evening on Saturday and we enjoyed our big night out at this fine restaurant in its special lakeside setting.

We were up early Sunday morning ready for some time with Ella while her Mummy and Daddy got Christmas shopping organised. I thought she would enjoy a visit to the Kingston Bus Depot Markets but they proved to have limited appeal so we spent some quality time nearby, checking out one of her favourite sliding places - the Telopea Park skate slide.

Rob captured us having a d & m at this point. From memory I think we were discussing the relative merits of macarons and meringues.