HAPPY BIRTHDAY

I have just had the best birthday surprise. Our two daughters flew from Melbourne to stay with us for a week as a surprise birthday present. We were not expecting them to come as they came to our eightieth birthdays last year and February this year. As air fares are so high these days we didn't think they would come. But the girls came and left the menfolk behind including the boys.

They have cooked and cleaned and helped entertain friends because we had invited long time family friends, Ben and Lyn, to stay for a few days not knowing the girls were coming, so we had a house full. There was a lot of laughter eating and drinking and fun. Ben and Bill migrated from Switzerland together as young men in 1967. Ben and Lyn have moved around Australia and Queensland quite a lot. They are at Curra now about 3 hours drive north of Brisbane.

Carol loves baking so she set to and cooked a Swiss breakfast loaf, Züpfe, in the evening after Bill and I had cooked a Swiss lunch for everybody, Geschnätzlets and Rösti with spinach pie. Sonya supplied everyone with drinks.

Bill loves his girls enjoying Swiss traditions.

The next morning we had a traditional Swiss breakfast, ham, salami, cheeses, Züpfe, butter and cherry jam.

Sticking with the Swiss theme we had a Raclette for lunch. It is where we have a grill on the table and guests cook their own meal. We boil a load of small potatoes. You cut the potatoes into thick slices and place them in a little shallow pan with Raclette Cheese on top and then slide it under the grill to melt. On top of the grill you can cook a variety of foods.We had little cheese Kransky Chipolata sausages, salmon and pineapple.  When the cheese has melted slide it off the pan onto your plate and add cornichons and pickled onions and whatever you cooked on top of the grill. Then do it all over again until you are full.

The girls washed up because the dishwasher has died, the motherboard crashed. We are waiting for the new parts.

Dennis Lake.

After lunch we took our friends for a walk around Underwood Lagoon and Dennis Lake.

Carol stayed home and baked me a birthday cake. I so love her.

That evening we celebrated my birthday even though it was the night before because our friends were leaving early the next morning.

On my birthday morning we said goodbye to Ben and Lyn and then the girls took us out for a birthday lunch. Oh what a fun birthday I had. The girls are here for another two days.  Sonya has had to work on and off on her computer having zoom meetings with work colleagues but she is enjoying the weekend now.