Monday, December 22, 2008

Happy 18th Amy

Well we all grow older. Except I think I feel a lot older than my daughter who just had her 18th birthday. Yes, Amy turned 18 on Wednesday 17th December, 2008. This is how we celebrated it.

Quite some time ago, Amy decided that she wanted a cocktail party for her 18th birthday. So she planned it, and she tried to open our pockets wide. Alcohol is damned expensive. So when you have a whole bunch of different cocktails with 2 to 5 different types of alcohol, setting up is not cheap. We don’t have an extensive bar, well we didn’t. We suggested that she try to limit the different number of cocktail drinks available to 6.

In November Amy and Katrina went on a shopping trip to DFO in Spencer St, Melbourne, there Amy found a bar tenders guide to mixing cocktails reduced about 70%. So she picked up the little bargain and trawling through the pages searching for yummy drinks. Keep in mind her experience of alcohol is limited, so her choice of drinks came down to colour and flavour, or it sounded nice.

So the final 5 (five), her choice, were, a Blue Lagoon, a Death By Chocolate, a Flirtini, A Heartbreaker, and a Midori Illusion. (Email me if you want the ingredient list). They average three different types of alcohol in each. That’s right; fifteen different bottles of alcohol were required. Amy even prepared the menu, and as Anita was going to be working, she even said she would prepare the food. She baked her own cake, which was a tower of Mississippi Mud Cake Muffins.

We held the party on Saturday the 13th of December, as her birthday would be mid week, and that wouldn’t be fair as people would probably leave early for other week day commitments. So, she invited 10 friends and their plus ones.


Some didn’t bring a plus one, so we had about 15 young people turn up and celebrate with Amy. We had tidied, cleaned and moved things in the house, so we were presentable and practical. I think they had a good time, I think Amy had a good time. They danced, they talked, they ate and they drank. And thankfully they didn’t over do any of it. All in all, a great bunch of young people.

On the following day, Amy’s Oma came up to spend the day, coming to church with us, and then home for lunch and the afternoon. Gran & Grumps came early afternoon and Auntie Joanne and Uncle Michael came mid afternoon. More presents and more food.

Wednesday the 17th came around, and we got the family up earlier than they would have liked, because Amy was working at the shop with her Mum. She is a hard task master her mum. “No day off just because it’s your birthday, in my day they made us work harder and we were privileged. Aye.” She said. Not really, it was actually Amy’s choice. I had to work, and by the time I got home at 8.30 that night, Amy was asleep on her bed. All tuckered out. Kids these days, no stamina.

So that is the tale of Amy’s 18th Birthday. Relatively pain free, and fun for all.

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Neville Lloyd – 70 years young!

Firstly, sorry Dad; Sorry it took a while to so long to get this up. For everyone else, wish a Happy Birthday to my Dad. He turned 70 in mid November, 2008. We celebrated his Birthday on Saturday the 15th with a gathering of family and friends at home in Frankston.

Dad’s oldest living mate, Wally, joined in the celebration, and in typical Wally style lead Dad astray, and off the wagon, with a bottle of single malt Scotch. But with his usual generosity, Dad shared. Mmmmmm. Dad’s sister Glenda came down from Albury, bring her daughter Jenni, grandson William and granddaughter Jenna with her. (Won’t go into the family tree of who belongs to whom)

Mums brother Lex and most of his family joined in, with his daughter Leah providing this excellent cake, which celebrated a large part of Dads working life, as you can see.

Family friends Joan Carson, and Di McKay turned up, and Di's son James graced Dad’s presence for a little while too. Others visited on and around Dad’s birthday and made this time very special for him.

Some of the memories I have of my father, and I am sure there will be many more to come, follow here.

- Visiting Dad at work in the Army Band

- Watching him blow the Bugle on Remembrance Day at the Shrine

- Driving to Melbourne every second week from Puckapunyal to go to Eye & Ear Hospital, and visiting the Vic Markets

- Trips up the old Hume Hwy, single lane, to Albury & Wagga Wagga

Learning to drive on the old airfield at Puckapunyal me aged 7, so that if Dad had an accident getting firewood, I could drive back to the main road.

- Dad going on road rescues with St John’s at Seymour

- Bush walking at Wilsons Promontory. Especially with the Carson’s; Dane wearing knee hi socks.

- Hitch Hiking around Tassie, and waiting an eternity in Strachan for a lift

- Dad blowing Bugle for the local RSL on Remembrance Day

- Going motorbike riding and Dad coming off breaking his knee, (looking for me ‘cause I was late back and he wanted to go home, but hey, no guilt!)

- A proud father on his Daughters graduation from the Police Academy; a proud father on his Sons graduation from the Police Academy.

- A proud father when his children got married.

- A proud Grandfather

A special thanks to Mum, (it takes two to Tango!)

We Love You Dad!