Season for Celebrations!

It’s The Celebration Season!

It’s November! And hallelujah, because the birthday season is upon us here on the farm. And by us, I mean Mr 7 and myself. So I suppose it’s not really a ‘birthday season’ as such, but rather a busy time of year where all sorts of celebrations are upon us, and as such, I occasionally feel like my birthday celebrations drag out for a few weeks at a time.

Last week was Halloween. We don’t celebrate it here on the farm, mostly because the logistics of it are a nightmare unto themselves. The scariest part of trick or treating would be the good hour or more spent driving around in the pathetic bid to trap the nearest five unsuspecting families into handing over their goodies. And given where we live, I’m assuming by ‘goodies’ we would be receiving scones or biscuits left in waiting for uninvited guests. And the cost of fuel itself would actually be the most horrific part of this freakish event. Instead we headed to a Halloween themed Disco for the kids. Much less scary for mummy.

This week Mr 6 turned 7. I pride myself on making my children birthday cakes that are fun and interesting. This is a tradition passed onto me from my own mother. This year there was a request for an ‘army’ themed ‘camouflage cake’.

The finished product!

 

After the original one stuck to the pan it was so camouflaged it didn’t even look like a cake. It didn’t stop me though. The second attempt was much better, and now we have a camouflaged cake AND trifle.

This week was also the Melbourne Cup. I was working, though my colleagues still managed to put on quite a lunch, and we all dressed up which is always fun!

Next week it’s my birthday. The Farmer isn’t big on birthdays, and that hasn’t really stopped me from celebrating in the past, but this year it doesn’t matter. Next week we are heading to the city to see a concert with some friends, so it’s a win-win for everyone.

After that it seems that the end of year celebrations all start to kick off with a vengeance. Work break up parties, club events, school presentations and *gasp* Christmas gatherings all start to snowball.

I do love a good celebration though. Any excuse will do. I’m off to dust off my heels and straighten out my party frocks.

What events do you have on the horizon? Let me know on facebook!

New Year Celebrations

As a side note, we arrived home this New Year's Eve after 8 hours in the car. The last thing we wanted to do was head out for a late night! As it turned out, there was a huge party up the road that saw the sun in on a new year, and part of me wishes I'd had the inclination. The other part of me was happy to hit the sack early. Here are my thoughts of the end/start of New Year Celebrations...


Back in my younger days I was a big fan of ‘ye old New Year celebrations’. In the city I could be found dancing on tables with hordes of friends and strangers, having paid an excessive amount of money to enter a non-descript bar, singing at the top of my lungs and partaking in a drink or two. *wink wink nudge nudge* I had all the energy and stamina in the world, and New Years Eve was the best night out in the calendar year.

After I moved out west I found it harder to really relax when I was out. I had become more anxious about the classic small town concern, whereby parents of students (or god forbid even students themselves) could see what I was like after a few drinks, and as such I always erred on the side of ‘less is more’, much to my friends’ disappointment. Once bitten, twice shy I guess.

One New Year I even found my way to Nindigully. I spent my first night in an actual swag (I had no idea what one even was before I moved out west), and saw how crazy a New Years party could actually be. It was hot (like STINKING hot), crowded and loud. There were cars and bands and so many people. And even more flies than there were people. It was a huge culture shock for me.

Now that I am old (er) with young children, New Years celebrations are like an elusive friend. I’d like to catch up again and reminisce, but life seems to keep getting in the way.

The irony is that now I have the money and ability to afford to head out and have a big one, I have less inclination to do so. “We live so far away…”, “I can’t be bothered driving…”, “But who will mind the kids…” You name it, I’ve probably used it as an excuse. Mostly I find myself fighting the urge to sleep and finding that by 10pm I have reached my limit and trot off to bed for a full night of sleep. I don’t even remember the last time I was awake to see the New Year in.
Perhaps this year will be different. My children are all old enough to get their own breakfast in the morning. They know how to work the television. Maybe a big night out is on the cards after all.