Laundrette

An early start to the day as we met Tricia at the train station to all go visit cousin Jon's restaurant in Chorlton, Manchester.
We arrived to a reserved table with pretty red tulips and my birthday card waiting for me and the waitress took our drinks order after we all eagerly pored over the extensive cocktail menu. Luke and I shared a Tub of Love - gin, Prosecco, Chambord, pomegranate and lavender served in a bath tub complete with red rose petals scattered on top!
By the time our anti-pasti sharing platter arrived, so did Jon and it was lovely seeing him after so long. He recommended my main course of truffle mac and cheese as we both love truffle, and it was delicious! Everyone else's meals were also superb, Tricia, Luke and Dad all had the blue cheese burger, Mum had the sweet pepper pizza and Jen had margarita with olives pizza.
Jon's new girlfriend, Emma, arrived to say hello, both Jenny and I had something to say to each other about her, but over all she seems friendly and at least she is older than me!
The cocktails flowed (Luke and I had another bath tub, this time Bubble Bath - gin, lychee, kiwi, maraschino cherry foam sprinkled with silver edible glitter with glacé cherries and popping candy on top, perfect for the birthday girl!) and there was wine, and MORE cocktails (Japanese old fashioned for Luke and Razberi Flossi for me topped with pink candy floss), and finally dessert. Jenny and Tricia and Luke and I each shared the dessert calzone filled with banana, Nutella, chocolate and salted caramel, delicious!!
I opened my gift from Tricia which was a primrose yellow piggy bank which says wedding fund on the side; perfect inspiration to get saving!
Luke and I had a quick nip to the pretty gift shops at the top of the road before our taxi arrived.
When we got to the train station Tricia went straight to get her train home whilst we found Jenny a seat on her London train (she was off to see a friend for a Girls Aloud club night). I raced the train all the way down the platform when she left and the driver called me crazy! Then we saw Mum and Dad off on their train and, again, I chased the train waving all the way down!
Lastly Luke and I caught our train to the airport and we had a long wait for our plane. Gradually getting more and more sleepy, we boarded the plane and after a speedy flight we landed, caught a bus and a taxi home and flopped into bed with a cosy hot water bottle and a purring Ted cat. I am grateful for family gatherings, especially when it seems that once a year is the only chance we get to see some of our favourite people.