Birthday Things

It was my birthday on Tuesday, and I find it hard to believe that it will only be another six years before I'll be turning 60. 

The day was sunny and (after a cold morning) mild, perfect for the ride on the ferris wheel that I had planned with my parents and their good friend R, who lives on the ground floor in the same house.

I only worked until about lunch time and walked to the ferris wheel in the early afternoon. My Dad can hardly walk anymore these days, and even getting to the bus stop, climbing on the bus and getting back off would be too much. Good job then that friend R drove my parents there, and of course she was part of the party, too.

Once our tickets and vaccination certificates were checked, the four of us boarded our cabin. The ride takes 15 minutes and goes round three times, so if you have missed something you wanted to look at the first time, you have another two chances.

Taking pictures wasn't easy - the sun shone brightly, reflecting on the cabin's glass walls, and of course the structure of the wheel itself can not be avoided. Also, there being four of us, I did not move around much. But photos weren't what we had come for - we wanted the views, and views we got!

The pink bit is my Mum's coat. She loves pink! I took this picture to show you the structure of the wheel.

A glimpse of the palace and the palace grounds. We really saw it a lot better than that.

I enjoyed this very much, and will definitely go at least twice more before the wheel is dismantled in a couple of months: I want a nighttime ride and one with O.K., of course. One can even book meals, wine tastings and cocktail evenings aboard the wheel (the rides are longer than 15 minutes then, obviously), but I am not sure whether I'll do any of that.

Afterwards, friend R drove us back to my parents' place. We clinked glasses there and had coffee and snacks, and a table laden with presents and flowers was waiting for me:

My sister joined us once she'd finished work, and walked home with me later; one of her gifts were new flowers for my "mini garden" (you remember that from last year, don't you?), and she even planted them for me! I will show you pictures of it in another post.

And the evening? Well... that was a true highlight, too: For the first time in 2019, my team and I went to the Pub Quiz again!! It was quite exciting, and with Covid numbers breaking all records at the moment, I am still not sure it was a good idea... but everyone is checked for vaccination or test certificates at the entrance, and I simply hope nobody caught the virus because of that meeting.

It was so much fun, and felt so good (and normal!) to see my friends again! We came out 2nd; I lost us a point when I answered a question about the name of a French kitchen utensil used to keep dishes warm; my quess was rechaud, but the correct answer was baine marie. Oh well, 2nd place was still a very good comeback for our team!

Those flowers look beautiful at home!

The flowers on the left were sent to me from my sister-in-law in England.

Now the weekend is almost here, and I am looking forward to O.K. arriving here tonight. We have more birthday-related stuff planned. I'll keep you posted!