Friday, July 25, 2014

90 years

During the school holidays we packed up and headed north to greener pastures to celebrate the 90th birthday of The Husband’s paternal grandmother.

Feels like we’ve done this road a bit of late, and we made good time. The favourite swimming spot just out of Mt Garnet was packed with grey nomads chased very far north by the cold.

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We rolled down the windows to breathe in the fresh tablelands air as soon as we climbed the escarpment and across the Millstream to Ravenshoe.  On a mission, we didn't do any wandering touring around the back roads but drove straight through to Atherton through Evelyn (my dad’s old stomping ground) and Upper Barron, some of THE most prettiest countryside ever.

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The kids were super excited about the prettiness and the greenness and freshness. Back seat shenanigans and noise had father’s blood pressure rising. He isn’t keen on those bits of extra bendy steep rainforest roads with hyper children squawking in the back seat. Ah. Good times. Every family road trip has them.

Grandma’s birthday celebrations were to be held in the busy town of Mareeba. With six children, and looooots of grandchildren plus a very healthy dash of GREAT grandchildren, there was nearly as many family members as years racked up attending the RSL for a luncheon.

Photos were of course taken.

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This being The Husband’s branch of the family tree pictured with Grandma. There was NO attempt to try and squeeze the whole family into one photo. It was torturous enough trying to get some of the more prolific breeders of children organised in one photo. (I was tasked with helping to arrange the groups pleasingly to help the photographer – an aunt – not have a nervous breakdown!)

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Ah. Another stellar family shot. We are really getting a rather good collection of these gems. Sigh.

Cousins had a great time giggling and meeting up with second cousins once removed that they’d never seen before.

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The tables were beautifully decorated by one of the granddaughters, with doilies and bunches of flowers, and grandmas favourite colour (lilac).

And then, after we were well fed and watered and everyone had chatted and talked and caught up and happy birthday sung, we went home to our cabins with top pant buttons undone.

Happy 90th Birthday Grandma!

2 comments:

  1. Oh you should have headed just out of Atherton to the strawberry farm, sooo good. I may or may not spend a bit of time in the area and have quite fallen in love with it but not so much with the interesting culture underneath that comes with well watered areas. Mr Sparky's family in the Ravenshoe area with his Grandmother in Atherton. I love the green as well, that is what is so lovely about the place but Mr Sparky recalls 9mths rain every year, mold and everything always wet and or muddy so lets just say he is happy not to make the Ravenshoe/ Millaa Millaa area his permanent home. I hope you enjoyed the freshness of the area but mot of all the family get together. It must be about time m family had one!!

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  2. Sounds like a great catch up. Great photos too.

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